Elite: Dangerous. I broke down.

[Jarhead0331]

Sir Andrew, what kind of weaponry did you use on the vulture? I'm using large pulse lasers, which are serving me well, but I feel like there has to be something better...I think other classes of energy weapon will stress the power plant too much. I've considered burst lasers but the power drain is going to be a serious problem. I'm barely managing with the pulse lasers. I have my eye on kinetic options, which might be a good approach, like large cannons, but I'm not sure if ammo supply and rate of fire will be an issue.

[SirAndrewD]

Sir Andrew, what kind of weaponry did you use on the vulture? I'm using large pulse lasers, which are serving me well, but I feel like there has to be something better...I think other classes of energy weapon will stress the power plant too much. I've considered burst lasers but the power drain is going to be a serious problem. I'm barely managing with the pulse lasers. I have my eye on kinetic options, which might be a good approach, like large cannons, but I'm not sure if ammo supply and rate of fire will be an issue.

I used two Large Pulse.  And yeah, that is going to stress power drain.  I really don't feel there's a better option for the Vulture.  Some go with a pulse and beam, and some mix the beam with a kinetic. 

Really, that's the drawback of both the Vulture and Fer de Lance.  They don't really have an optimal weapon to fit into those large class 3 and huge class 4 slot, and they both have extreme power issues. 

Cannons can be ok, but they have a really awful time hitting the smaller ships.  The primary reason I spent very little time in a Fer de Lance was the huge hardpoint could only fit a cannon and plasma accelerator at class 4.  Both of those are slow weapons and gave me not as much utility against smaller ships. 

So, yeah, I never backed off twin pulse lasers in the Vulture.  I did mix it up and try them gimbaled, which led to having a bit more punch on targeting subsystems, but that's about the only real tweak I did before I moved briefly to the FdL.

[mikeck]

I've had pretty good luck bounty  hunting in my asp. I have 4 beam lasers and 2 gimbals multicannons  and it's pretty souped up power abd engine- wise. The turn rate is the same as the cobra so I don't get out turned by much.  I would like to have a large hardpoint instead  of 2mediums and for smalls but frankly for smalls do as much damage as a large  anyway

[SirAndrewD]

I've had pretty good luck bounty  hunting in my asp. I have 4 beam lasers and 2 gimbals multicannons  and it's pretty souped up power abd engine- wise. The turn rate is the same as the cobra so I don't get out turned by much.  I would like to have a large hardpoint instead  of 2mediums and for smalls but frankly for smalls do as much damage as a large  anyway

I liked the Asp as a gunship, I just had a preference for the Vulture when I got to her.  The bottleneck I hit was the damage mitigation problem large hulls get.  Whenever I had a mission to target a Python or Anaconda, I ended up having issues since large hulls get 30% DR against medium hardpoints and 60% DR against small.  I never could go toe to toe with anything over a medium hull with any real effectiveness. 

This is why the Vulture is such a great ship, it has no damage mitigation against even an Anaconda as long as it's mounting the class 3 weapons.

[Jarhead0331]

I'm making good money bounty hunting in the Vulture. I made around 6,000,000 today in three separate sorties to a high intensity resource collection zone. I hang out with the Federal Security boys and pack hunt outlaws. Its good clean fun and I'm making more money doing this by using a good k-warrant scanner, than I have doing any other kind of work. I could buy an Asp now if I wanted, but may be content to stick with the Vulture until I can afford a Python.

I am fighting with all kinds of ships in the Zone...pythons, anacondas, sidewinders, Fed dropships, cobra's...the toughest opponent seems to be the Imperial Clippers. For whatever reason they seem to have pretty tough hulls and their weapon placement with turrets gives them excellent firing coverage. They can keep fire on me from all sorts of different angles.  It makes taking them on tricky and dangerous...

[SirAndrewD]

I'm making good money bounty hunting in the Vulture. I made around 6,000,000 today in three separate sorties to a high intensity resource collection zone. I hang out with the Federal Security boys and pack hunt outlaws. Its good clean fun and I'm making more money doing this by using a good k-warrant scanner, than I have doing any other kind of work. I could buy an Asp now if I wanted, but may be content to stick with the Vulture until I can afford a Python.

I am fighting with all kinds of ships in the Zone...pythons, anacondas, sidewinders, Fed dropships, cobra's...the toughest opponent seems to be the Imperial Clippers. For whatever reason they seem to have pretty tough hulls and their weapon placement with turrets gives them excellent firing coverage. They can keep fire on me from all sorts of different angles.  It makes taking them on tricky and dangerous...

You might want to consider the Fer de Lance when you can upgrade to it.  I didn't really like it, but some swear by it being the strongest combat ship in the game.  I sort of agree, but only against large hulls.  The class 4 hardpoint, if you can aim it properly, can sometimes two shot an Anaconda if it's a Plasma Accelerator.  It can three shot it if the shields are down if it's a cannon. 

Problem is, I could never hit with it, and it was useless against medium or small ships that could just move out of the way. 

I ended up going with a class 3 beam wasted in the class 4 hardpoint, and two class 2 fixed beams in the lower hardpoints.  I put a couple of gimbled multicannons in the top medium hardpoints.  It was a good build, and it killed small and medium ships well, but I just felt I was wasting the class 4 point doing that.  It also, like the Vulture, has power issues. 

However, the Fer de Lance is FAST.  It's essentially an Me-262, obscene forward firepower and the ability to get out of a fight and turn around and hit its opponent again and again.  If it gets in trouble, it speeds away.   It can always dictate the combat since the only faster ship, the Viper, is way out of its weight class.

[undercovergeek]

Final act of last nights drug and slave trafficking was to purchase the asp - now to upgrade this tin can

[Jarhead0331]

I'm making good money bounty hunting in the Vulture. I made around 6,000,000 today in three separate sorties to a high intensity resource collection zone. I hang out with the Federal Security boys and pack hunt outlaws. Its good clean fun and I'm making more money doing this by using a good k-warrant scanner, than I have doing any other kind of work. I could buy an Asp now if I wanted, but may be content to stick with the Vulture until I can afford a Python.

I am fighting with all kinds of ships in the Zone...pythons, anacondas, sidewinders, Fed dropships, cobra's...the toughest opponent seems to be the Imperial Clippers. For whatever reason they seem to have pretty tough hulls and their weapon placement with turrets gives them excellent firing coverage. They can keep fire on me from all sorts of different angles.  It makes taking them on tricky and dangerous...

You might want to consider the Fer de Lance when you can upgrade to it.  I didn't really like it, but some swear by it being the strongest combat ship in the game.  I sort of agree, but only against large hulls.  The class 4 hardpoint, if you can aim it properly, can sometimes two shot an Anaconda if it's a Plasma Accelerator.  It can three shot it if the shields are down if it's a cannon. 

Problem is, I could never hit with it, and it was useless against medium or small ships that could just move out of the way. 

I ended up going with a class 3 beam wasted in the class 4 hardpoint, and two class 2 fixed beams in the lower hardpoints.  I put a couple of gimbled multicannons in the top medium hardpoints.  It was a good build, and it killed small and medium ships well, but I just felt I was wasting the class 4 point doing that.  It also, like the Vulture, has power issues. 

However, the Fer de Lance is FAST.  It's essentially an Me-262, obscene forward firepower and the ability to get out of a fight and turn around and hit its opponent again and again.  If it gets in trouble, it speeds away.   It can always dictate the combat since the only faster ship, the Viper, is way out of its weight class.

I will have to do some research on the FdL. Its not a ship that I had placed a great deal of thought into. That being said, I certainly do like the way it looks, and the way you describe its hardpoint layout, it definitely seems to suit my play style. I'm very aggressive and almost always try to keep my nose on target. I do not rely on turreted weapons to strike from off angles. I use heavy forward attacks to strip shields and shred hulls.  I'll definitely check it out.

[SirAndrewD]

I thought the FdL was fun to fly while I had it, but I missed the Vulture. 

The real issue is less keeping the nose on target, and more the slow velocity of the projectiles from the class 4 cannon and plasma accelerator.  It wouldn't be so bad if the hardpoint was further forward, but as it stands it's sitting more toward the middle of the ship.  This means the actual nose blocks a direct forward shot. 

In practice, that means that you have to do a lot of leading on weapons that actually give very little feedback on whether or not they've even fired.   It's essentially akin to hurling a water balloon at a moving target while running and looking at your target with your chin raised. 

Of course, when you land a hit, look out. 

[Jarhead0331]

I see it's priced at more than 51,000,000. At that number I'll just stick it out for a python.

[SirAndrewD]

I see it's priced at more than 51,000,000. At that number I'll just stick it out for a python.

Well, that's the stock cost.  The practical cost is significantly different.  If fitted for combat, a very solid FdL can be maxed out with a combat fit at around 70 million.  The minimum Python combat kit is around 160 million. 

[Jarhead0331]

I see it's priced at more than 51,000,000. At that number I'll just stick it out for a python.

Well, that's the stock cost.  The practical cost is significantly different.  If fitted for combat, a very solid FdL can be maxed out with a combat fit at around 70 million.  The minimum Python combat kit is around 160 million.

I think you're confusing the cost of the anaconda and the Python. My research shows that the python is priced at just under 57,000,000, while the anaconda is just under 147,000,000...unless you're suggesting a fully kitted and upgraded Python will end up costing 160,000,000. That seems high though.

[mikeck]

Do you guys have problems with the Vulture running low on power with that large weapon?

[SirAndrewD]

I see it's priced at more than 51,000,000. At that number I'll just stick it out for a python.

Well, that's the stock cost.  The practical cost is significantly different.  If fitted for combat, a very solid FdL can be maxed out with a combat fit at around 70 million.  The minimum Python combat kit is around 160 million.

I think you're confusing the cost of the anaconda and the Python. My research shows that the python is priced at just under 57,000,000, while the anaconda is just under 147,000,000...unless you're suggesting a fully kitted and upgraded Python will end up costing 160,000,000. That seems high though.

Yeah, I was referring to putting a full combat kit on the Python.  The stock E rated hull is 57 million.  The upgrade to a 7A powerplant is the killer.  It adds another 51 million to the cost. 

My current A Rated Python ended up costing 159,136,080, and that's without shield cell banks and boosters.

[Jarhead0331]

Do you guys have problems with the Vulture running low on power with that large weapon?

Yes. I have a powerplant producing just under 16.00GW and that has pretty much solved my power problems.  However, I'm using pulse beams...any other kind of beam weapon and I'd have to tinker with the modules.