Elite: Dangerous

Bork

This week I mapped out my engineering strategy for the next month or so.

The Cutter is engineered for conflict zones. It will be getting 6 OA shield boosters with G5 heavy duty mods, G5 overcharged multicannons, G5 efficient beams, G5 specialised SCB mod and MRP G5 heavy duty mod.  Scanners and utilities will be lightened where possible.  It'll be interesting to see where the shields top out at after all that.  They're already at 2300 which is OK but not near what they could be.  All that mass is likely to make it even more of a leviathan to fly than it already is but hopefully I'll be able to stay as long as I like in combat zones.

The Python is already engineered for bounty hunting but efficient bursts and lightweight armour aren't G5 yet.  I'll be installing a couple of OD heavy duty modded shield boosters plus lightweight mods to scanners and other utilities to try and keep the mass under control.  If I can make it a little more lethal, it'll be my favourite ship.

The Courier is all about speed and materials hunting - SRV/limpet collector.  So will be getting G5 lightweight mods to scanners and distributor is already engine optimised and I can happily stay within 15% of the 814 m/s boost speed when stripped back.  Weapons put quite a dent in top speed though so the best I can do is efficient mods to try and keep things light.

I'm not quite sure what to do with the Anaconda yet.  Jump range is currently at 43ly and I can manage 60ly jump range, then it'll take over from the Asp as the bubble taxi because it can carry a bit more and thermal is very low so it could potentially do smuggling missions as well as any exploring.  However, I'd love to see what eight beam lasers look like all at once.

The Asp is probably going to be modded the least. It's stripped out for 48ly jump range at the moment with an SRV for materials gathering.  I'll lighten scanners and utilities up where I can but it's flown without weapons - no need for them with 440 boost.  If the Anaconda takes over as the family estate, the Asp is likely to be used for sniping practice - 4 rail guns or plasma accelerators for long distance kills once my combat skills improve.

Today I picked the low hanging fruit to unlock Gd5 with Liz Ryder and Todd The Blaster McQuinn and upgraded 4 2F multicannons to G5 efficient (with 2 incendiary, 1 thermal and 1 autoload secondary effects). A couple of 2B seeker missiles were modded to G5 rapid fire (with thermal cascade).  They'll be used to muscle up the Python, Courier and Asp nicely.  

After all the engineering is done, I'll be focussing more on the social side - helping out in combat zones, community goals etc.  By then the Thargoids will have started to take over the bubble, making all of the above completely and utterly pointless.

Bork

Well that post massacred the conversation rather nicely, I thought.  

No G5 overcharged multi-cannons with incendiary secondary effects involved either.

Axe_meister

Just starting my engineering strategy.
Currently my main ship is a Vulture with G1 distributor and G1 Focused Pulse Lazors.
Also have a cheap Cobra for Mining duties (to get things like carbon for Engineering upgrades)

Bork

You can get carbon with planetary prospecting too.  It's pretty common but if you're going to be mining anyway, you can usually pick a bit up as a by product.  I've heard planet prospecting causes motion sickness in players using VR if the surface is bumpy!

 I've spent the last three days mining 500t of ore in my Anaconda to unlock Selene Jean.  Yesterday my hull was down to 27% after being attacked by pirates as soon as I arrived but I jumped to a different location and bagged 57t of painite.  10 of which was ear marked for Selene Jean.  It was a rough ride back to my home system at Diaguandri - was interdicted twice!

After arriving at Kuk today, I unlocked up to Gd5 but didn't have enough materials for gd5 heavy duty but have enough now after planet prospecting.  I still need some tin for gd5 lightweight armour for all the ships optimised for jump range or speed. 

After I've sorted the armour I'll be shipping 50t of Fujin Tea for Broo Tarquin...a pew pew brew for broo.

digitalscream

Bork said:

After all the engineering is done, I'll be focussing more on the social side - helping out in combat zones, community goals etc.  By then the Thargoids will have started to take over the bubble, making all of the above completely and utterly pointless.

As I've said to a few people...now's a good time to start Engineering-up another ship for Thargoid combat; we already know that our normal weapons won't be much good against the Thargoids, and it's a reasonable bet that our shields won't be up to much either. There will be replacements for both, so I'm currently chucking together a second Vulture build for that purpose. I usually buy a new module every time I go for upgrades, so I've got enough spare bits and pieces lying around to be able to put a decent G1-G3 modded Vulture together already.

Bork

digitalscream said:

As I've said to a few people...now's a good time to start Engineering-up another ship for Thargoid combat; we already know that our normal weapons won't be much good against the Thargoids, and it's a reasonable bet that our shields won't be up to much either. There will be replacements for both, so I'm currently chucking together a second Vulture build for that purpose. I usually buy a new module every time I go for upgrades, so I've got enough spare bits and pieces lying around to be able to put a decent G1-G3 modded Vulture together already.

I think the most effective weapons against the Thargoids will be a different, non engineered technology altogether - one that isn't available to players yet.  The trick will be to anticipate where it'll be available first - Ram Tah... given his research into Guardian technology which is biologically based and know to be superior to the Thargoids?  Or the Alliance...given they don't have a dedicated line in weapons or ships yet? Hmmm.

digitalscream

Bork said:

digitalscream said:

As I've said to a few people...now's a good time to start Engineering-up another ship for Thargoid combat; we already know that our normal weapons won't be much good against the Thargoids, and it's a reasonable bet that our shields won't be up to much either. There will be replacements for both, so I'm currently chucking together a second Vulture build for that purpose. I usually buy a new module every time I go for upgrades, so I've got enough spare bits and pieces lying around to be able to put a decent G1-G3 modded Vulture together already.

I think the most effective weapons against the Thargoids will be a different, non engineered technology altogether - one that isn't available to players yet.  The trick will be to anticipate where it'll be available first - Ram Tah... given his research into Guardian technology which is biologically based and know to be superior to the Thargoids?  Or the Alliance...given they don't have a dedicated line in weapons or ships yet? Hmmm.

I'm actually guessing it'll be a combination of Ram Tah and Palin - there are interesting theories coming about on the forum, which I've considered for a long time: the Guardians and the Thargoids are linked. I suspect that the Thargoids may well have been the "remote drones" mentioned in the Guardians' Tech data, controlled by their version of AI which then became sentient. As a result, Ram Tah and Palin will both have contributions to make.

Bork

I've now G5 efficient engineered the beams in my Cutter.  Originally I had two beams with the rest MC's but I gave in and chucked a Huge Class 4 gimballed beam in the chin and it still overheats after a minute if I don't use pip management.  I may swap both Class 3 beams in the Cutter with the Bursts in the Python just to provide more stamina.  I suspect the Python can take it but first need to engineer the bursts to G5 efficient.  Then...back to Todd "The Blaster" McQuinn for overcharged G5 multicannon mods. Or...at this rate, they may end up having to be G5 efficient instead.

After that, it'll be time to G5 heavy duty engineer some D rated shield boosters for the Python and some A rated for the Cutter.  They're resistance augmented at the moment which is OK but I really want to tank both up.  I may throw a D booster into the Courier as well if it doesn't sacrifice speed.

I'm not sure what to do about the MC's in the Courier.  It's a speed build and the MC's knock nearly 200m/s off the boost (from 814 down to 650-660 or so).  So I'll have one build weaponless for pure speed and another, with multi cannons, for fast intercept.

I could go rapid fire - for concentrated attack under slightly boost (twice as many bullets in the same time)
I could go long range - for sniping from distance (but a moving target is harder to hit from a distance)
I could go lightweight - for retaining as much speed as possible (50-90% reduced mass)

I'm inclined to go lightweight and retain speed as much as possible as a form of defence.  Thoughts?  At times I think it's pointless to put weapons on it because the craft is so fragile but I've only had one skirmish in it so far - unengineered.

I will also be paying Lei Cheung a visit to engineer the Courier's biweaves for faster recharge.

Bork

V2.4 is being released in 12 days.  The Thargoids are coming.  

digitalscream

Bork said:

V2.4 is being released in 12 days.  The Thargoids are coming.  

Pedantic correction: the 2.4 beta is coming in 12 days, and the Thargoids won't be in it. They will, however, be there on the first day of the actual release (we just don't know when that'd be).

I'll be taking a day or two off around the date 2.4 drops, if we get enough notice. I desperately hope that we don't just get "alien conflict zones", though.

Bork

You mean "Alien Conflict Zones"?

Axe_meister

first alien site visit today. How do you get through the alien door?

digitalscream

Axe_meister said:

first alien site visit today. How do you get through the alien door?

You need an Unknown Artefact in your SRV cargo hold, and the door will open for you. In order to use the Unknown Device in the "map" room, you'll also need an Unknown Probe. 

TimmyO

Do you need anti-corrosive holds to carry those? On the ship or on the SRV too? 

digitalscream

TimmyO said:

Do you need anti-corrosive holds to carry those? On the ship or on the SRV too? 

Both, really.

digitalscream

Had a couple of hours to kill tonight, so I figured I'd put together a second ship together ready for Thargoid combat, should they get in my way.

As always, she's a Vulture - and, since my main Vulture is named Vera (spot the reference, if you haven't already), it seemed reasonably fitting that this one should be called Mavis.

So, I popped along to Shinrarta Dezhra (ah, the benefits of being a Kickstarter backer) and put together a mostly-A-rated build from spare parts (I already had a bunch of engineered stuff in storage), including some G5 efficient beams that were getting dusty since Vera is all about long-range weapons and speed to stay out of the way, and G5 Clean-Tuned thrusters. I know the Thargoids are going to have mostly caustic weapons (thanks to the 2.4 beta's clues), but having a bit of protection against heat isn't a bad thing.

I did have to find some Exquisite Focus Crystals and Cracked Industrial Firmware for the G5 charge-enhanced distributor, but thankfully the missions for those appeared almost straight away at Jameson Memorial. All I need to do now is get a G2 overcharged power plant, G5 long-range FSD and then it's on to the armour/hull reinforcements (although those will most likely need doing again once 2.4 arrives), countermeasures and probably some lightweight sensors.

Bork

I've been grinding fed rank from Cadet over the last two weeks in order to qualify for a corvette. I've reached Lt Commander but am starting to lose the will to live...

digitalscream

Bork said:

I've been grinding fed rank from Cadet over the last two weeks in order to qualify for a corvette. I've reached Lt Commander but am starting to lose the will to live...

Heh...I keep getting Fed Navy missions offered to me...I'm wondering when they'll get the message that I'm not interested...

Bork

I don't even know now whether it'll be worth it.  Some players out there are saying the Anaconda's huge, three large beams and two mediums can inflict more damage per minute than the Corvettes two huge beams, one large and two mediums.

digitalscream

Bork said:

I don't even know now whether it'll be worth it.  Some players out there are saying the Anaconda's huge, three large beams and two mediums can inflict more damage per minute than the Corvettes two huge beams, one large and two mediums.

To be honest, I've never really got on with the bigger ships. Even the Python and the Clipper are too sluggish for me...I can just about stomach the FDL, but I just prefer the simplicity, agility and directness of the Vulture.

I'm not sure how that's going to translate into combat with the Thargoids, though.