Oolite Bulletins

And just to say on topic, I don't have a favorite ship really. I like to change and play many different ones from time to time. Variety is the spice of life.

Jar wrote:

Variety is the spice of life.

Well variety is the spice of life
That’s what the judge is gonna tell my wife
She said ‘Why did you have to do it… why you such a fool?’
I can’t resist to try something new! ~The Doors

Hey Guys,

Ever since I acquired the Caduceus omega, I've started a new savegame trying other ships...

Currently flying a Python ET special, and saving up for a Boa Class Cruiser...

Greetz,
Onno.

I myself have (temporarily?) abandoned my caddy Omega for a Contractor. The Contractor is 0.05 LM faster than the Omega and is much more - and amazingly - manoeuvrable. I imagine the Contractor is harder to hit, too. But the Omega can mount aft lasers (the Contractor cannot), has turrets, has a slightly higher recharge rate, and has a much higher cargo capacity. (Also, the Contractor lacks the inbuilt self-repair of the Omega. But one can, via an OXP, buy that for other ships.)

I have yet really to test the Contractor in combat, though.

Hi UK Eliter
I was pleased to hear of your new purchase...I hope it brings many hours of enjoyment.
The Contractor is remarkably nippy...so much so that sometimes it seems to respond to inputs too fast. My Number 2 Commander flies one and often finds himself pitching up and down a few times trying to get a bead on the enemy. The precision toggle helps here.
The Contractor can have a rear laser by the way, but doesn't have any side mounts.
Cheers,
Smivs.

Dear Smivs

Thanks!

I too am having trouble with 'twitchiness'. And with lack of side lasers, and with only three missile slots. Surely a bounty hunter should have more? Or perhaps missiles are for those who cannot shoot properly. . (And I notice that you created the Contractor! So I'd better not criticise it!) The military laser on the thing seems to heat up very fast, though - or maybe that is just the aforementioned twitching. Now: what is the precision toggle, please? Is that something on a joystick? And what is your 'number one' ship?

UK_Eliter wrote:

Dear Smivs

Thanks!

I too am having trouble with 'twitchiness'. And with lack of side lasers, and with only three missile slots. Surely a bounty hunter should have more? Or perhaps missiles are for those who cannot shoot properly. . (And I notice that you created the Contractor! So I'd better not criticise it!) The military laser on the thing seems to heat up very fast, though - or maybe that is just the aforementioned twitching. Now: what is the precision toggle, please? Is that something on a joystick? And what is your 'number one' ship?

Three missiles because that's what the stolen prototype it is based on had. To be honest I'm a laser man anyway...I always carry a full complement of Hardheads on all my ships, and hardly ever use them The manoevrability/handling is also taken directly from the prototype.
(Edit:- Oops, I forgot, I de-tuned the pitch a bit [1.75 down to 2] to make it a bit more useable!)
The Contractor took a bit of flack when it was launched, so it's used to it. Constructive criticism is always welcome, though.
I do use a joystick (Logitech Attack 3 which is cheap but good) and you might be right, the precision toggle may be 'stick only...I don't really know TBH.
Number 1 ship is a Boa Clipper, the Bilbo Maru, which has served me very well for a long time now. If you're interested Number 3 ship is a YellOo Cab Taxi which I use from time to time building up a passenger contract reputation. It's a bit of fun, and avoids trouble at all costs (unlike the other two ).

The precision toggle is stick only.

Went from the stock Cobra to a Python, then a Boa 2 with naval energy unit replete with a rather natty black and red paint job

Now cruising along in my Morrigan that even has a cloaking device, repair system and a beer cooler I bought it on special offer at a rather nice discount funnily enough after much meandering through the catalogues and drooling over the possibilities I found mine at some astro factory or suchlike in a communist system of all places!!!

Funnily enough it even has a port mining laser though it isn't listed in the spec as having a mount for one and am wondering if it was transferred from my previous Boa2 by an over enthusiastic shipyard technician?

Even managed to hack the repair systems to sort out all my non-std upgrades including that damn landing gear that always seems to fail just as you leave orbit!!! Good job really as this happens more often than not with 24/7 cold beer in the cockpit!!

I wanted to like the python. I really did. It was just so slow. If an asp attacked, even with Injectors there is no getting away. Ramming helps, but that old tub was just a real pain. I love the idea of the Python. Dependable, with a cool history. It just didn't do it for my flying style. Especially when trading in dangerous systems.

As for my favorite ship. I dunno. Ive tried the Cobra Mk 1 and III, and an Adder along with the Python. Sticking to the Mk 3 on my current pilot. I had visions of owning a Fer-de-Lance later on in my charactor's career, but the 2 (!) energy banks and 12 TC is REALLY unattractive. I can't imagine flying it for any reason other then roleplay.

Has anyone ever owned a Fer-de-Lance? Any thoughts? I may just stick with my Cobbie. (Not overly interested in OXP ships. The Python Class Cruiser and Boa Clipper being the sole exceptions, as these seem to be more Vanilla in my eyes. The Cobra Mk. IV has me interested as well.)

Dear 'Lost'

I too wanted a Fer-de-Lance because it seemed cool. But I too found that it was not. It is a shame. But there is, now, the 'Fer-de-Lance NG'. There is a little - very little - info about it here: http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Fer_de_Lance_NG. But one can extract the following from the oxp itself.

Energy recharge rate: 4.5 [which is good, but the same as the old Ferdy]
Maximum cargo: 2tons [even less than the original model!] *but* [unlike the old Ferdy] expandable to 17.
Energy banks: 3 [one more than the original model!]
Speed: 600 [twice that of the original!]
Missiles: none [two less than the original!]

And it is pretty agile. However, seemingly, it cannot be fitted with any form of shield enhancement (though you can fit Thargoid's 'Ironhide' armour). All in all: very fast, but puny and (still) lacks cargo space.

What would be good, would be to have ships something like the following.

(1) Fer-de-Lance NG (Warrior variant)

Speed: 5.5
Banks: 4
Recharge: 5 or 5.5.
Missiles: 3 or 4 - and perhaps side plasma turrets?
Cargo: 5 (unexpandable?)
And capable of full shield enhancement and with four gun mounts - but perhaps very slightly less manoeuvrable than the original NG). And perhaps we could have a NPC version with two front lasers.

(2) Fer-de-Lance NG (Trader variant)

Speed: 4.5
Banks: 3
Recharge: 4.5
Missiles: 2
Cargo: 25 (expandable to 40)
And capable of, say, shield boosters but not military shields; and perhaps slightly less manoeuvrable than the original NG.

Also, Thargoid's 'auto-repair' system is the sort of thing that any Fer-de-Lance owner is looking for. You might be interested too in the 'hypercargo' extension. .

I think I have got carried away . .

"The Contractor is 0.5 LM faster than the Omega"
:-O

i take it you mean 0.05..?

You are right! (I've edited the original/offending post.)

UK_Eliter wrote:

Also, Thargoid's 'auto-repair' system is the sort of thing that any Fer-de-Lance owner is looking for. You might be interested too in the 'hypercargo' extension. .

Your commission cheque is in the hyperspace mail.

10% of what I receive for the download

You are too generous, Thargoid! Given all the things that you have done (/created) for the Ooniverse, you should keep all of the (er, non-existent) earnings.