Why did the Challenger lose a Large Hardpoint?

[Phazon Xenomorph]

So why exactly does a ship meant for beefier combat lose a Large Hardpoint when we just gained Large varients of Guardian weapons? If anything it should have just gained an extra Medium Hardpoint instead of losing 1 Large for 2 more Medium, especially since you can always just undersize the Large if needed... why was this change made exactly? I feel like the Challenger got neutered because of this.

And why does the Krait have that god awful "hello" when boosting? What sound engineer let that slip by? It's like an annoying tick/habit and can never be unheard even when in combat.

And why does a BRAND NEW MODEL, THE KRAIT MK2, HAVE DUCT TAPED WIRES IN THE COCKPIT? THE SHIP IS SUPPOSED TO BE BRAND NEW, NOT AN ALREADY USED MODEL!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

But seriously I wanted to love both new ships for their potential but each has flaws that just rub me the wrong way and make me say "screw it" and just stick to my mostly useless Corvette or my ASPX. There's zero desire to jump into one of the new ships because of changes I don't like. And yes, I know that "I" don't like it while others do and opinions vary, but I really (in especially context of the Challenger) don't get why they beefed up a ship to fight Thargoids with more armor, but then removed a Large Hardpoint when new Large weapons were rolling off the assembly line (likely courtesy of Ram-Tah and the AEGIS group). Why why why? Each new ship is flawed in ways that just irk me and drive me further from the game despite I want to play... hell I even let my WoW sub lapse so I could take a break from that game to enjoy other games like Elite again. I spend more time on the forums than I do in-game when it used to be the complete opposite.

What next? Will we eventually get a full human-guardian hybrid ship that will look alien in nature but have so many glaring flaws that Python/FDL/Conda still crush it in fighting off Thargoids / exploring / trading? Or have a really annoying boost sound with human speech hidden in it (I can just picture Sandro going "trollolololololol" in the background of the boost sound)?

 

[Drelthar]

I love the krait cockpit look, wires and all.

I also prefer medium hardpoints, more versatile.

Personal taste I guess.

 

[Zeeman]

...
And why does a BRAND NEW MODEL, THE KRAIT MK2, HAVE DUCT TAPED WIRES IN THE COCKPIT? THE SHIP IS SUPPOSED TO BE BRAND NEW, NOT AN ALREADY USED MODEL!

...

If you have a good look - ALL Faulcan DeLacey ships have this kind of build quality (Check out the wires hanging down on the Anaconda, or the cables laying on the deck behind the seats of the Python). It's a "feature". If you look hard, you'll notice each ship maker has it's build traits, F.DeLacey has poor finishing, Lakon is bare, industrial and spartan, Saud Kruger and Gutamaya make more luxurious ships (with clearly different styles).

I actually give FD a lot of credit for this. Each manufacturer is quite distinct, and if you know what to look for, you'll know who the ship builder is without being told.

Z...

 

[Phazon Xenomorph]

If you have a good look - ALL Faulcan DeLacey ships have this kind of build quality (Check out the wires hanging down on the Anaconda, or the cables laying on the deck behind the seats of the Python). It's a "feature". If you look hard, you'll notice each ship maker has it's build traits, F.DeLacey has poor finishing, Lakon is bare, industrial and spartan, Saud Kruger and Gutamaya make more luxurious ships (with clearly different styles).

I actually give FD a lot of credit for this. Each manufacturer is quite distinct, and if you know what to look for, you'll know who the ship builder if without being told.

Z...

Still no excuse. You could argue the other DeLacey ships have been around and that's why they look that way. But a brand spanking new model that JUST rolled off the industrial shipyard looking like that? Realistically the bubble would be outraged at such poor build quality for it's price range. It's not a cheapy sidewinder, it's a brand spanking new ship already held together with glue and duct tape for exposed wires. You wouldn't buy a real brand new car or PC or house that looked like that, and a ship is basically all three of those combined.

 

[Lucifera Danzig]

So why exactly does a ship meant for beefier combat lose a Large Hardpoint when we just gained Large varients of Guardian weapons? If anything it should have just gained an extra Medium Hardpoint instead of losing 1 Large for 2 more Medium, especially since you can always just undersize the Large if needed... why was this change made exactly? I feel like the Challenger got neutered because of this.

From what I'm aware of, swapping the one Large for two Mediums A) actually slightly increases DPS, and B) also gives you the option for either a more varied loadout, more varied engineering effects, or both.

And why does the Krait have that god awful "hello" when boosting? What sound engineer let that slip by? It's like an annoying tick/habit and can never be unheard even when in combat.

I've been unable to reproduce this despite having done a lot of boosting in my Krait. I'm really curious about this sound people are hearing, since it's more than one person so it's unlikely to be having a browser open in the background with a video playing on YouTube.

And why does a BRAND NEW MODEL, THE KRAIT MK2, HAVE DUCT TAPED WIRES IN THE COCKPIT? THE SHIP IS SUPPOSED TO BE BRAND NEW, NOT AN ALREADY USED MODEL!

The placement of duct tape right out in the open was surprising, but the existence of it isn't. Though aircraft today use silicone tape, vs actual duct tape:

 

[jacozilla]

And why does the Krait have that god awful "hello" when boosting? What sound engineer let that slip by? It's like an annoying tick/habit and can never be unheard even when in combat.

Not a joke, I seriously think it is like that yanni / laurel thing.

I read the same as you said above, so listened carefully many times, and just don't hear it. Nothing. Just a boost sound.

Krait is also one of my main new ships, like many players, so I'm in it all the time. Just don't hear it. If yanni is hello, then I'm definitely in the laurel camp, or vice versa, whatever we want to tag as those who hear it vs don't.

 

[Kzak]

Why the Challenger has one less Large hardpoint? So it could have two extra Medium hardpoints instead, probably, without breaking balance as understood by FDev. You can do plenty with the Challenger's hardpoint setup too.

 

[DeathStroke]

why does a BRAND NEW MODEL, THE KRAIT MK2, HAVE DUCT TAPED WIRES IN THE COCKPIT?

It's 'Duck tape' not 'duct tape', it's a brand. You don't use Duck tape on duct-work. That being said, it's for 'character'. That's code for "Oh crap, there's a hole in the model. How are we going to fix it? We'll just throw some tape/wires/fog/dirt over it."

 

[IndigoWyrd]

THAT's the Challenge!

 

[Vedmo]

Not a joke, I seriously think it is like that yanni / laurel thing.

I read the same as you said above, so listened carefully many times, and just don't hear it. Nothing. Just a boost sound.

Krait is also one of my main new ships, like many players, so I'm in it all the time. Just don't hear it. If yanni is hello, then I'm definitely in the laurel camp, or vice versa, whatever we want to tag as those who hear it vs don't.

For the life if me, I can't hear it either.

I wonder if it's a frequency thing. I have old ears that have been around a lot of machinery, but it is nice sometimes to be able to convincingly ignore people who are talking to me.

Edit: As to duct or duck tape. Both work. It was most certainly called duct tape before it was branded as Duck Tape.

 

[Faybs]

From what I'm aware of, swapping the one Large for two Mediums A) actually slightly increases DPS

That's only for weapons that ignore hardness. Against say a cutter, one large cannon will do more damage than two mediums. It's the reason why a vulture, which is meant to take out large ships, has two large hardpoints instead of four mediums (which come to think of it, would also look amazing)

 

[Devari]

Not a joke, I seriously think it is like that yanni / laurel thing.

I read the same as you said above, so listened carefully many times, and just don't hear it. Nothing. Just a boost sound.

Krait is also one of my main new ships, like many players, so I'm in it all the time. Just don't hear it. If yanni is hello, then I'm definitely in the laurel camp, or vice versa, whatever we want to tag as those who hear it vs don't.

I've tried very hard to hear that sound and also can't hear anything unusual from the Krait's boost. I also suspect it's exactly the same issue as the Laurel/Yanni sound where it depends heavily on your sound setup and whether you have a proper subwoofer that can produce decent base sounds. When I first played the Laurel/Yanni recording on my ipod I clearly heard Yanni, but the speakers on my ipod are small and have almost no base. When I played it again on one of my laptops (which has a small but dedicated subwoofer) it was clearly Laurel, same with all of the other devices I used, and when I went back to my ipod I heard Laurel and couldn't "re-hear" Yanni at all. I don't even have a particularly good subwoofer setup so for me all it requires is any amount of base to clearly hear Laurel. I suspect it's the same with the Krait sound, I would suspect that everyone hearing an unusual boost sound is listening with an audio setup that uses standard computer speakers with no subwoofer at all. If you add any sort of base sound (even a small subwoofer speaker) I suspect that the unusual sound would disappear completely and all that would be heard is the Krait's loud boost growl in all its angry glory.

 

[Darty]

Classic fdev.

 

[TheMegaTurnip]

That's only for weapons that ignore hardness. Against say a cutter, one large cannon will do more damage than two mediums. It's the reason why a vulture, which is meant to take out large ships, has two large hardpoints instead of four mediums (which come to think of it, would also look amazing)

Does this then mean the Chieftan still has better applied DPS because I did wonder about that..

 

[V'larr]

I'm curious about the Challenger hardpoint selection as well. I don't really get why dropping a large hardpoint would be desirable. On the other hand, it might make using a large frag cannon/PA/cannon (or something similar) more attractive in combination with lasers on the smaller hardpoints.

 

[Kamiyoda]

Does this then mean the Chieftan still has better applied DPS because I did wonder about that..

Unmodded against anything with a hull hardness of 65 the diference is around 2 DPS, in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Jack Schitt]

New ships aren't always meant to be straight upgrades, especially the mid-sized ships. They're more to offer a choice.

I've been flying a Chieftain as a general mission runner and bounty hunter, having moved from the FAS. I've been experimenting with the Krait in this role and while it's generally superior in DPS and module availability (and looks amazing), the relatively poor pitch authority in combat is giving me pause. And that's a good thing. I want to have to think about priorities and make sacrifices if necessary. Had the Krait been a straight all-round upgrade I'd have abandoned the Chieftain immediately which would be a shame. That's basically what happened to the FAS when the Chieftain came along, which is awful considering the investment and Federal rank building it took to get it. I still have it, stripped and mothballed at Shinrarta, but it may never be flown again. When I eventually choose between the Chieftain and the Krait I want it to be because I've fallen in love with both and had to make a hard choice.

(FWIW I don't hear the "hello" in the Krait either, but I mostly play with two channel sound. Decent full-range speakers, but stereo only. I'm wondering whether full surround and/or headphones is required to pick up the subtleties in the sound field. That or it's the Yanni/Laurel thing, with both sound equipment and human ears being factors.)

The next variable in the mix will be to buy a Challenger and see how that fares. It should be a relatively cheap option since the bulk of the weapons and all of the core internals except the military composite will transfer over from the Chieftain. It looks great on paper; in the Chieftain I was "wasting" a Class 4 slot on a 3A FSD Interdictor and a Class 2 on a 1A Limpet Controller, so with the change to 6/5/4/2/2 to 6/6/3/3/2/2 I can upgrade or move the Limpet Controller, upgrade the shields or cargo capacity, and still have a spare Class 2 (or Class 3 if I put the Controller in the 2). But I'll lose some jump range and manoeuvrability, and that may be too much of a sacrifice...

Choice is good. If all new ships were universally "better" then every role in the game would end up flying the same ships. This already happens to some degree with PVP; although player skill and experience leaves some room for variation it's hard to avoid the metas. It would be a pity if the whole game went this way because every new ship has to be a clear upgrade.

 

[Julio Montega]

Loosing a large hardpoint was a boon of tremendous magnitude,
it adds so much flexibility to the ship it enabled for more roles,
than just bug hunting or normal combat in my eyes with that.

 

[mossfoot]

And why does a BRAND NEW MODEL, THE KRAIT MK2, HAVE DUCT TAPED WIRES IN THE COCKPIT? THE SHIP IS SUPPOSED TO BE BRAND NEW, NOT AN ALREADY USED MODEL!

How long do you wait before engineering a ship? Because to me, engineering results in that kind of look.

Granted I'd like the option to choose between "showroom" and "engineered" looking cockpits (and other styles as well, like make any interior look Imperial by making it like a sci-fi hospital room ) But I'm just saying, as soon as you're engineering your ship, that look is kind of appropriate.

 

[Schmack]

I feel like the ships are visually representative of a privateer's vessel. Too bad it doesn't start new and get that way over time, as you make repairs yourself in space.