"Ultimate" Ship Loadout?

[Destro]

After playing around with various hull frames (civ only, haven't messed with military frames yet), engine configurations, wing systems, shields, yada yada etc etc etc... I find myself stil a bit hazy on the balance of ship equipment and would like some clarification from some of the veterans out there.

My question is simply this: in your experience, is Evochron balanced well in enough such that there is no "ultimate" ship loadout, or does one particular ship design wind up trumping all of the rest?

From my (admittedly limited) experience thus far, my initial impression is that designing your ship is a give-and-take process; you sacrifice maneuverability for stronger shielding, or give up some fuel space for more cargo, and so forth. In my mind, there should be advantages and disadvantages to flying tiny little mosquitocraft and big monster truck type barges. For the most part it seems like weapons are the same, though much less so. Many of the cannons have close to the same damage/minute rate, but some are obviously inferior, and the laser beams seem to be a very clearly linear "worst to best" progression.

In the eyes of the elite pilots out there, how far off base am I? What kinds of ships do you fly? Are there dozens of different frames and configurations out there, fine-tuned to each individual pilot's flying style and combat tactics? Or does every pilot end up flying carbon copies of the same ship once they can afford it?

[SeeJay]

Hi Destro.

What ship you fly and what weapons/setup you use depends on how you fly imho.
And also what tactic you are using.

I normally use a Chimera or Avenger. They fit my combat style pretty good. My favorite is the Avenger.

I have fought some pilots using an Evoch that is very agile but with weaker Hull. (I used the Avenger)
It was always great fights and the outcome depended on who of us made a fatal mistake first.
Totally different styles but even fights since both knew their ships weaknesses and strengths and used it fully.

My suggestion is that you try them all and determine what frame is best for your combat style.

Their is no ultimate ship / configuration. All depends on how you use what you have! (imho)

[Destro]

That's good information, SeeJay, thanks.

I guess the core question I'm seeking an answer to is, more accurately than I put it before, the answer to being an unstoppable combat ace is NOT just to go and buy the biggest, baddest, most expensive frame and guns out there, right?

From your answer, SeeJay, it seems like that's the case, which makes me happy.

I'd love to hear from others as well concerning your thoughts and experience on this.

[SeeJay]

You're correct there mate.

It all comes down to the pilot skills. That's it. A noob in the heaviest frame is no match for an ace
in a lesser ship.

[Austin]

I use a Starmaster, with full crew, Class 10 shields, Class 5 engine, and Class 12 wings. Equiped with a Flarebeam Cannon and Fusion Laser. A Sheild Recharger, Auto CM, Cannon Relay, Cannon Heatsink, Shield Boost x5 and a Repair C3 make good equipment. I find it good for warzone fighting in a civilian frame!

[Busch]

Hey Des. I've been having a lot of fun with the Raven frame. Hull/frame load: C5 engines, C1 wings, C5 shields, 5 cargo bays, 2 fuel pods, 4 missile slots. Eqpt. load: IceSpear cannon, Coil laser, and 4 missiles of whatever's available explosive variety; C5 Shield booster, Shield recharger, Mantis jump drive, C3 repair system, Cannon relay, and a mine/tractor beam (of whatever flavor). This lash-up seems to "level the playing field" somewhat. (It's a touch more challenging than flying a "God" ship.) Even managed to complete CZ/WZ combat missions with this frame and set-up. Conversely, I've also flown a pimped-out Starmaster frame on occassion. Spent quality time in all the mil frames (prefer the Lamprey/FireStar genre). And have flown all the Alliance and/or Federation civ frames currently extant. The latitude to "build-yer-own", and the ease/facility to do so, is what makes this game/sim so fun-tastic! In support of SeeJay, it really does come down to what you want to do with the "tools" you are furnished. Craft away!

[Nubarus]

You might want to fiddle around with the items to istall a higher class engine then the Class 5, the engine is also your power supply.
More power means more flexibility with your weapons and shields power, not to mention longer susstained fire with the cannons/lasers.

[Destro]

You might want to fiddle around with the items to istall a higher class engine then the Class 5, the engine is also your power supply.
More power means more flexibility with your weapons and shields power, not to mention longer susstained fire with the cannons/lasers.

That's VERY good to know. I was starting to wonder why one would bother with a bigger engine since thrust/acceleration seems to be constant, and maximum top speed can easily be overriden with IDS multipliers and afterburners. Now that I know that, I feel better about having a monster machine clinging to my ship's butt.

[Marvin]

Don't overlook the "why" for different frames. If you think only in terms of combat, then "yeah" there seem to be too many unsuitable frames and weapons. But this is also a game of exploration ... where a military ship is not your best mode of travel. At minimum, you'll need a science officer ... which requires a second seat. Ergo, a civilian frame. And, to get the best civilian frame, you need credits and at least a rudimentary knowledge of how the Evoverse is laid out. (Btw, even military frames require you to put in a hefty amount of flight and combat time ... meaning, it isn't all simply laid at your feet the day you first launch into space.)

[Kikoni]

I'm happy that Destro decided to start this topic. It's turning in to a really good read. I'm at the point that he is now, testing different frame set-ups and such. It really is quite engaging to do so. I feel I'll need to name my ship once I get a good set-up going

I'll post my current ship config for Des' sake, feel free to laugh at me .

I currently run with the Mammoth frame with a level 10 engine, level 3 shields, 3 cargo bay slots, 3200 gallon? fuel tank, and level 6 wings (this is to compensate for the very slow turning speed of this hunk of junk). Unfortunately, I can't actually remember what equipment I had to completion, though it was something like this: c5 shield boost, c5 repair system, mining/tractor beam, Afterburner Drive, Cannon Relay System, c5 cargo scanner, and c5 fulcrum drive, as I haven't been able to find the mantis drive as of yet. As for weapons, it goes something like this: Phantom Class 14 cannon, fusion coil laser (can't remember the class, though I think it's something like 5) and the real cherry on the top for a rookie pilot such as myself, the Excalibur Missile System.

Either way, hope this gives you some more perspective, Des. I'll be keeping an eye on this topic, as I probably would have posted something like it, had Des not already done so.

[Edited on 9-6-2012 by Kikoni]

[Destro]

Don't overlook the "why" for different frames. If you think only in terms of combat, then "yeah" there seem to be too many unsuitable frames and weapons. But this is also a game of exploration ... where a military ship is not your best mode of travel. At minimum, you'll need a science officer ... which requires a second seat. Ergo, a civilian frame. And, to get the best civilian frame, you need credits and at least a rudimentary knowledge of how the Evoverse is laid out. (Btw, even military frames require you to put in a hefty amount of flight and combat time ... meaning, it isn't all simply laid at your feet the day you first launch into space.)

Excellent point, and yes, I was keeping that in mind as well. I think that was one of the things I was trying to clarify and make sure that I was understanding ship design correctly: it's impossible to create a superfreighter than can haul 20 million tons of goods, go three decades without docking to refuel and resupply, and can also turn on a dime and blast anything short of the Death Star out of the sky. This is a GOOD thing. I want to see a whole mess of different designs flying around out there, each tailored to their owner/captain's preferences and choice of profession.

Not having messed with military frames much, I gotta make sure I get it: they are gas guzzlers but better armored and nimble, correct? That is, any military ship would have limited range and long-term sustainability, but if faced with a pilot of equal ability, could mop the floor with a similarly-classed civilian frame?

[Marvin]

Almost. Military ships can be modified for deep space recce (into Vonari territory) by adding fuel cells. But that's the only mod you can make. Veterans with extensive military experience can acquire higher level military ships from any docked carrier ... but even those ships can't be otherwise modified. What they offer is better armor, more weapons hard points and ... well, go here and see for yourself:

http://evochron.junholt.se/objectdescri ... object.htm

[Destro]

That's what I was looking for. Just from the numbers it does seem like the lighter frames (with the exception of the scouts) would indeed have a tradeoff with the heavy ones between armor and maneuverability.

Thanks!

[49rTbird]

I fly the Starmaster and it is like the old F4 phantom in that it's a giant heavy brick with a motor attached.