Anaconda: is it worth the upgrade?

[JazHaz]

I can finally afford to buy one of these lumbering beasts. However, I want your opinions on it. Is it worth me dumping my lovely Boa Class Cruiser for one of these?

[JensAyton]

If you like being a lumbering target with lots of effectively unusable cargo space, then sure.

(By the way, I was being sarcastic.)

[JazHaz]

If you like being a lumbering target with lots of effectively unusable cargo space, then sure.

(By the way, I was being sarcastic.)

You like sarcasm, I have noticed this before!

[Smivs]

I can finally afford to buy one of these lumbering beasts. However, I want your opinions on it. Is it worth me dumping my lovely Boa Class Cruiser for one of these?

In a word, NO!
If you just want to make loads of money it might make sense, but you'd have to steer clear of trouble by avoiding the spacelanes (you know the old trick of angling away from the planet as you exit hyperspace for a while before going in).
The Anaconda is a big, slow un-responsive lump, and has no real combat capability although it has got 7 missile slots which really should be stocked with hardheads just in case.
The view out the front is odd, too. You actually have a big chunk of Anaconda visible where the HUD is.
Oh, and buy a Docking Computer. If you try to dock it manually you'll find it's got an annoying habit of not rotating quite as fast as the station! or so it seems.
Flying an Anaconda is an experience all Ooliters should try once, but the Boa Class Cruiser is probably the best all round package of all the Core ships, so unless there's a really good reason to change it...

[JazHaz]

If you just want to make loads of money it might make sense, but you'd have to steer clear of trouble by avoiding the spacelanes (you know the old trick of angling away from the planet as you exit hyperspace for a while before going in).

And I've got Deepspace Pirates OXP installed too!

The view out the front is odd, too. You actually have a big chunk of Anaconda visible where the HUD is.

Actually I got this with my Neolite Boa CC too. Just changed from the Neolite to the Griff Boa CC, so this may have changed (not tried yet).

Flying an Anaconda is an experience all Ooliters should try once, but the Boa Class Cruiser is probably the best all round package of all the Core ships, so unless there's a really good reason to change it...

Don't think I will now!

[tonyhippy]

One of my Commanders flew one of these for a while before swapping it for a big old Kirin. It is pretty much a sitting duck. With the benefit of Extra Fuel Tanks, Combat Drones and possibly Hired Guns (It being about the only ship those hired goons can actually keep up with) it can be made a bit more bearable, but with the only plus being the (overly) vast hold it has become a fairly redundant choice perhaps worth something of a rethink?
BTW am I right in thinking the size of that hold was originally due to a typo?
Actually I'd wanted one of these lumbering freight-cows for a while as I thought it would make a very different Oolite experience to the more usual zippy attack ships, and didn't have the mentioned OXPs at the time, so I might be tempted to try again.
As a thought, how would the regulars on this board change the Anaconda to make it a more attractive choice? I wouldn't want to change the speed or its Freight-cow role, but it would be nice if it routinely used some of that redundant holdspace to carry fighters or at least useable extra fuel for the Witchfuel Injectors, so as not to use up those vital Missile pylons.

[Commander McLane]

BTW am I right in thinking the size of that hold was originally due to a typo?

This is one of the more likely theories.

As a thought, how would the regulars on this board change the Anaconda to make it a more attractive choice?

Well, it is already a very attractive choice if you are a pirate in Cobra III or something even more piratey.

Honestly, I think that is what the Anaconda is all about. I don't think there is any way you could turn it into an attractive player ship.

[Smivs]

As a thought, how would the regulars on this board change the Anaconda to make it a more attractive choice?

A cloaking device and enough energy banks to keep in On all the time!

[Zbond-Zbond]

..I thought it would make a very different Oolite experience to the … usual

it sure does ! ! ! But this is one of very few ships that can accommodate some of the larger cargo contracts on offer. I probably wouldn't alter it at all -- mainly because to make it an interesting player ship so many mods = necessary (max missile slots, for fuel tanks; mega energy banks; giga recharge rate; more speed??) well, basically as mentioned above, so that it would become a different ship, not the Anaconda we know and love.

This ship appears in my ship data table, but I've never bought one:

Condor Flagship…………Ship Name
Standard if Deadly………Chance to Appear
15+……………………………Revised Tech Levels
1215 t…………………………Ext Cargo Cap.
0.52 LS………………………Max Speed
7…………………………………Energy Banks
10………………………………Missile Slots
ECC not applicable………Possible Equipment
0.8/0.4………………………Roll/Pitch
All+Special…………………Gun Mounts
4…………………………………Energy Recharge Rate
15.417.000 Cr……………Price

..also DeepSpaceDredger, 2015 t cargo (it says here) & rather slow @ 0.1 LS, but only costs 8million; another is Navy Juggernaut, 1015 t and 45 million. These seem to have most of the "improvements" sought, but are not the first things I want to buy when I've got 50-odd million credits.

[DaddyHoggy]

Given the cargo buy/sell limits in Oolite on the commodity market (which Lestradae was trying to get round - reasonably - with OSE and the Oobay Market place) - the Anaconda is a pointless ship...

BUT...

If there was an OXP for Anaconda pilots that gave them loads of missions to haul special (physically) bulky kit across the galaxy (and I'm not talking just the normal large bulk cargo contracts here) - something that had a bit more "feel" about them:

"Bring a ACME Torus Fusion generator (equivalent TC = 425) to the Quitiri system by XXXX date."

etc.

Might make one feel like owning one of these OTT haulers actually worthwhile.

[Zbond-Zbond]

ACME Torus Fusion generator

That's a pretty good idea.
At present 2 contracts are available on my Bisoge..G5 f8/f8 screen
339 t computers
341 t firearms
680 t TOTAL .. .. but it's not really worth enough to warrant the effort. Acme fusion generators would definitely be much more interesting. Could such items appear on the f9 button (currently unused)? Also, in an earlier version of Elite, the Nova Mission included a cargo-hold view in which a pile of little faces could be seen (during the mission, until they were dropped off wherever..)
-- there was a cargo hold view available on that version, and such a view could display selected Acme products, during delivery

[Smivs]

ACME Torus Fusion generator

That's a pretty good idea.
At present 2 contracts are available on my Bisoge..G5 f8/f8 screen
339 t computers
341 t firearms
680 t TOTAL...

Going off at a bit of a tangent (sorry) but I've wondered before, if you take a contract for Firearms (or Narcotics or Slaves), are these legitimate or do you still 'offend' for launching with them?

[JazHaz]

Going off at a bit of a tangent (sorry) but I've wondered before, if you take a contract for Firearms (or Narcotics or Slaves), are these legitimate or do you still 'offend' for launching with them?

You still offend! And usually end up with bounty hunters after you! Especially if you visit any main station to refuel on the way!

[Smivs]

Going off at a bit of a tangent (sorry) but I've wondered before, if you take a contract for Firearms (or Narcotics or Slaves), are these legitimate or do you still 'offend' for launching with them?

You still offend! And usually end up with bounty hunters after you! Especially if you visit any main station to refuel on the way!

No, I'm clean (as always) I just wondered, that's all.

[Zieman]

Good idea DaddyHoggy.

Nitpick: there's a typo here:

"Bring a ACME Torus Fusion generator (equivalent TC = 425) to the Quitiri system by XXXX date."

Should read ...OOCME Torus Fusion generator...