I am messing about with cannons too. I have a couple of gimballed cannons and beam lasers and TBH I don't see much difference to beam + multi-cannon. They have a high damage, low rate of fire (and low velocity) and so the DPS seems almost identical, but they cost 10x as much. If anyone knows under what conditions cannons are worth equipping over multi-cannons, I'd love to know!
Viper Loadout
- Thread starter AgilaPro
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I am messing about with cannons too. I have a couple of gimballed cannons and beam lasers and TBH I don't see much difference to beam + multi-cannon. They have a high damage, low rate of fire (and low velocity) and so the DPS seems almost identical, but they cost 10x as much. If anyone knows under what conditions cannons are worth equipping over multi-cannons, I'd love to know!
Not everyone is equipped with chaff, and I stay close enough to my target to ensure it makes little difference regardless.
Yeah, if you can hit me. We're talking Viper loadouts, remember? All I need to do to you is the same thing I do to Condas: stay close, target FSD, goodbye. Turning speeds on the Python are somewhat respectable, but not quite enough against a close combat Viper. No one who's done more than a couple hours of PvP would get into a long distance battle with a gunboat.
I'm not saying they're bad. I'm saying that, fact, projectile weapons do more damage to subsystems than beams do.
I never use turrets, and gimballed lasers have too much wobble. Gimballed MCs are perfectly fine, and far better paired with fixed beams: you can fire your beams AND your gimballed MCs, and you can hit your target with every weapon. Fixed MCs are a mistake.
You say that as though I didn't already mention the distance aspect.
So what? You're not going to nail someone's subs with fixed projectiles nearly as much as with gimballed ones, guaranteed, and you're not going to be using fixed projectiles ANYWAY (unless perhaps cannons, but those aren't great anymore) because then you won't be able to fire lasers along with them and have both your lasers and projectiles hit your target, you can only switch back and forth since you need to lead, and that drastically reduces your killing power.
Plus, your whole distance argument is moot, because unless you're like HeavyGrooves and attempting to lance with lasers from far away, you're not going to hit subsystems with any weapons but lasers outside of 1km. And as I already established, the killing power of lasers on subs isn't up to par with projectiles. Granted, a fully fitted Python makes this argument redundant because it's more than enough DPS to handle anything and make killing times relatively negligible...but we're talking Vipers here, not top-class beam-fitted gunboats.
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Well, im sorry but i cannot imagine that this is correct, i just made several tests, neither heat nor power makes any difference at all at how long i can fire my beams before the energy is gone.
So i honestly dont see the point with a full beam loadout unless you cannot hold your target in the reticle longer than 1 second because thats how long it will take you to burn up all your energy.
wow. noone uses 4 pulses. well that would be me then. 2xclass2 fixed, 2 gimbaled.
Gimbaled fires while not depleting weapon energy, infact it slowly regens. and i only use it when my firing position doesn't allow fixed to fire. then i have enough energy for the fixed to fire.
I used multicannons but i wanted instant and accurate damage. those flashes sparks smoke and light of MCs i didn't like. I pinpoint subs....
beams are worse than pulses when taking down subs from long range.
Pulses do well against subs at long distance. use no ammo, have low energy cost.
i like them xD ( i usually do bounty hunt marathons, maybe until i stack 1-2milion bounties without docking) i use 2 or 3 shield cells. 3 were overkill so i switched to 2
Gimbaled fires while not depleting weapon energy, infact it slowly regens. and i only use it when my firing position doesn't allow fixed to fire. then i have enough energy for the fixed to fire.
I used multicannons but i wanted instant and accurate damage. those flashes sparks smoke and light of MCs i didn't like. I pinpoint subs....
beams are worse than pulses when taking down subs from long range.
Pulses do well against subs at long distance. use no ammo, have low energy cost.
i like them xD ( i usually do bounty hunt marathons, maybe until i stack 1-2milion bounties without docking) i use 2 or 3 shield cells. 3 were overkill so i switched to 2
After 300 small and medium warzone kills, I've decided that my main weapon is, not my laser, and not my turn speed, but my thrusters.
Although I might open fire at 2 km, I try to maintain a distance of less than 1 km at all times, and that's where the real damage is done. All gimballed weapons is the only thing that makes sense for me, because I can't always maneuver and point the nose at the enemy at the same time.
First I tried two medium beam lasers, but the heat dissipation only allows them to fire for 6 seconds, before an 8 seconds cooldown. With a singular medium beam laser, it can shoot almost indefinately.
So the loadout is 1 medium beam laser, 3 multicannons.
If I wasn't doing this strategy, it would be interesting to try 4 fixed beams.
Although I might open fire at 2 km, I try to maintain a distance of less than 1 km at all times, and that's where the real damage is done. All gimballed weapons is the only thing that makes sense for me, because I can't always maneuver and point the nose at the enemy at the same time.
First I tried two medium beam lasers, but the heat dissipation only allows them to fire for 6 seconds, before an 8 seconds cooldown. With a singular medium beam laser, it can shoot almost indefinately.
So the loadout is 1 medium beam laser, 3 multicannons.
If I wasn't doing this strategy, it would be interesting to try 4 fixed beams.
Viper weapon loadout.
2 medium multicannons gimballed
2 small dumbfire missile racks
1 highest rank power distribution
sort the thrusters out so that your mass is lower than the thrusters optimal rating.
fit whatever else
Lasers cost power that should be going to engines
Fixed guns means you have to aim.......LOL frankly. Use gimballs. Yes fixed do more damage but you dont hit as often. The Viper does have a poor fire arch on the mediums though.
If someone or something does turn and presnt you a huge profile hit it with missiles.
And remember that speed is life, being able to shoot stuff is not even secondary.
Love
PS. None of you know me but i have, to quote Expendables 3, killed more people than the plague with similar setups since launch.
2 medium multicannons gimballed
2 small dumbfire missile racks
1 highest rank power distribution
sort the thrusters out so that your mass is lower than the thrusters optimal rating.
fit whatever else
Lasers cost power that should be going to engines
Fixed guns means you have to aim.......LOL frankly. Use gimballs. Yes fixed do more damage but you dont hit as often. The Viper does have a poor fire arch on the mediums though.
If someone or something does turn and presnt you a huge profile hit it with missiles.
And remember that speed is life, being able to shoot stuff is not even secondary.
Love
PS. None of you know me but i have, to quote Expendables 3, killed more people than the plague with similar setups since launch.
While all ships benefit, the Viper simply cannot be flow effectively without heavy use of vertical and lateral thrust.
