Ships

[davidmpratt]

Which is the best combat ship with and without cargo space? If with cargo space, how much?

[Cody]

Of the core ships, the best combat ship is the Constrictor (the Cobra III remains the best all-round ship though).
As regards OXP ships - you pays your money and you takes your choice! Plenty of uber-ships to be had.

[Norby]

Check the ship lists: searching for the next ship what you can afford is a fun part of this game and only you can decide which is the best for you. Expensive Ships starts with "uber" ones and Largest Ships is ordered by cargo capacity.

[Thargoid]

Hmm, the Vortex and the Maelstrom are missing from some of those lists.

[Diziet Sma]

Hmm, the Vortex and the Maelstrom are missing from some of those lists.

As are my personal favourite, the Coluber Pitvipers.. from all of the lists..

@ davidmpratt
Personally speaking, the best combat ship I've come across is Captain Beatnik's Pitviper. I fly a Mk.I "Beast", though there is now also a Mk.II version as well. Fast and powerful, but not quite "uber".. As Captain Beatnik describes it, "What the Boa II is to the trader, the Pitviper is to the bounty-hunter." To quote myself from another thread:

Fast, responsive, handles like a natural-born killer, only has two laser mounts, but mounts 9 pylons and has 9 TC of storage space for scooping escape pods. (or carrying raw materials for a Missile Machine) And tough as nails.. even ramming is an option, if you're careful. Those three sharp, forcefield-reinforced hulls make wicked can-openers..

The shape makes them almost as hard to hit as an Imperial Courier, from the front or rear. Lots of gaps between the nacelles for shots to pass through.

If you take one for a test-drive, you just may become hooked.. I did. Before then, nothing tempted me away from my Cobby.. A Pitviper is damn-near the perfect killing-machine.

(best enjoyed with a joystick )

Mk.I Specs:
CPV-9333 Pitviper stats:

Size (metres, WxHxL) 66 x 57 x 93
Cargo capacity 9 TC ("Vindicator": none)
Cargo bay extension no ("Beast": 3)
Maximum speed 0.333 LM ("Beast","Vindicator": 3.66 LM)
Manoeuvrability Roll: 1.8
Pitch: 1.2
Yaw: 1.2
Thrust 39 ("Beast","Vindicator": 45)
Energy banks 9
Energy recharge rate Medium (3.66) ("Beast","Vindicator": Good (3.99))
Gun mounts Fore, Aft
Fore reinforced military laser: no ("Vindicator": yes)
Missile slots 9 ("Vindicator": 27)
Shield boosters available Yes
Military shields available Yes
Hyperspace capable Yes
Available to player Yes ("Vindicator": no)
Base price 399999 Cr ("Beast": 499999 Cr)

Mk.II Specs:
CPV-12375 Pitviper stats:

Size (metres, WxHxL) 57 x 52 x 94
Cargo capacity: 12 TC
Cargo bay extension: none
Maximum speed: 0.375 LM
Manoeuvrability Roll: 2.8
Pitch: 1.2
Yaw: 1.2
Thrust: 50
Energy banks: 8
Energy recharge rate: Very good (4.5)
Gun mounts: Fore, Aft
Missile slots: 6
Shield boosters available: Yes
Military shields available: Yes
Hyperspace capable: Yes
Available to player: Yes
Base price: 515000 Cr

[Smivs]

Another suggetion would be the Cobra S9, which features in Staer9's Chopped Cobra OXP. 15TC of cargo space, but tougher and more manoevreable than a standard cobby 3.

[Zieman]

The Hunter might be fun too.

[V12]

FarArm Sunracer is good ship for parcel couriers - small front profile, fast and agile.

[ClymAngus]

Of the core ships, the best combat ship is the Constrictor (the Cobra III remains the best all-round ship though).
As regards OXP ships - you pays your money and you takes your choice! Plenty of uber-ships to be had.

Also remember there is always the possibility of hacking together your own dream ship. Great way to learn basic plist programming too!

[UK_Eliter]

I'd like to put in a plug for my 'Fer-de-Lance 3G' [= third generation] if I may.

From the brochure for these ships:

The Zorgon Petterson Group proudly announce the 3G – ‘third generation’ – series of Fer-de-Lance ships. The original Fer-de-Lance did not compromise in its pursuit of style, luxury, and engineering excellence. Yet, in other respects, and especially as time passed, the ship left something to be desired. The subsequent NG (‘next generation’) model of the Fer-de-Lance gave the ship the speed that it had always looked as though it had, and increased the rather limited amount of energy banks of the original model; but it did those things at the cost of cargo capacity and weapons systems. Then came the Mussurana Void-Yacht. The Mussurana – which departed somewhat from the aesthetics of the previous models – increased cargo capacity, manoeuvrability, energy, and shield- and missile-capability. But, exciting though it was, the ‘yacht’ was slow compared to the NG and was not quite as fearsome as one might want.

The Fer-de-Lance 3G models, which return to the shape of the original Fer-de-Lance, are the sharks of the Fer-de-Lance ecology. They have a respectable proportion of the NG’s speed but thoroughly outdo the NG, and indeed the Mussurana, in nearly all other respects, including the accuracy of their lasers. The new models do all that with little sacrifice of luxury and no compromise in build-quality; and they are pre-fitted with an impressive range of equipment.

There are three 3G models. The ‘3G’ is the standard version. The ‘3G+’ is a superior, and larger, ship. It offers the most capacious hold of any Fer-de-Lance class ship. Moreover: with eight energy banks, six missile slots, an improved energy-recharge rate, shield boosters fitted as standard, and (like the 3G) the capacity for military shield enhancement, the 3G+ can easily be made fully ‘iron-assed’. Finally, and for the commander in search of ‘über-icity’, there is the ‘3G+(t)’, which incorporates two side-mounted plasma turrets. Those turrets pack a good punch and fire to the ship’s fore, port, and starboard.

In its newest version, this expansion pack is available only as an OXZ (not OXP) and may be downloaded and installed manually, or installed (it's in the 'ships' category') using the in-game expansion pack manager.