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Best sub-$200 long-range escorts?


Starfox

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What do you guys think will be the best sub-$200 escort ships, especially for long-range trade runs, especially for trade missions?  Like if I wanted to hire a few NPC escorts and go off on my own? (Obviously not in null-sec/dangerous low-sec space, I'd be in a convoy, but for travelling around moderate/lower risk systems).

I used to think the Super Hornet would be amazing, but now I'm not so sure. The Connie Andromeda seemed to be able to take down three Hornets without much of an issue, and I'm beginning to wonder if the SH will be fairly range-limited despite having a jump drive.

 

Meanwhile, you have the Freelancer Mis/Cutlass Blue which would seem to have significantly longer range and comparable or at least not significantly deficit armament. 

 

 

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Well the $200 and under rules out the Connies so it is probably a Freelancer MIS ... Then Super Hornet... then Xi'an Light Fighter... then Gladius... in that order (keep in mind that each one gets successively cheaper to operate as well - the cheaper the ship).

 

 

where did u see or hear of a connie taking out 3 hornets???

^^^The livestream multi-crew demo at Citizencon 2014.... and one of the reasons (+stats, equipment, hull, upgrade options, speed, etc...) why often mention that the Phoenix is the best 1v1 ship in the game (except for the Idris)

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The Hornet has always been known to be mostly carrier-based and for short runs. Honestly in the sub-$200 (which would exclude the connie), my best match up would be the Freelancer MIS and the Khartu Al.

Although we don't have much information for the Khartu, it was original and may still be planned as a scout/explorer ship. It would be perfect for harassing the enemy up close while the Freelancer MIS picked them off from a distance.

If the Khartu-Al doesn't turn out to work that way, I would replace it with something with a long-ranged sensor suite to scout ahead. Something along the lines of the Freelancer DUR or the new Cutlass Red. Both are equipped with the longrange Nav-E7 scanner suite. It would just depend on if you wanted more firepower or a medical facility just in case things got rough.

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FYI _ you can upgrade any ship (except snub-fighters) to be long range (just add a Jump Engine as an upgrade)

What we don't know is how fuel works, which will obviously be a huge mechanic given the Starfarer. According to the brochure the Freelancer has some of the most efficient engines around and should make good for lasting a long time in space without refueling. It's a long-range hauler first and foremost.

What we do know is that military ships like the Hornet/Gladius/Lightning are all carrier based UEE craft meant for short distances only. I don't expect to trek across the universe in my Gladius, I will need to stick it on one of the organization's Idris for transport.

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i know it took them on and a truly competent crew will most definetley rain down some lazer hell on 3 hornets but man...if thats the case my one superhornet defending my reclaimer as escort seems a bit lacking

 

Yeah, that was my concern too, especially as I'm going in for a Hull-C and those will definitely be prime pirate/troll targets. Even if they introduced an armored transport tank variant with better shields + armor + more point defense cannons in exchange for losing some cargo capacity, I'd need two of something that can handle light/medium attacks long enough for me to lumber away to the nearest jump point or for reinforcements/UEE to arrive, while not forcing me to stop a long-range run to wait for refueling too often. 

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What we don't know is how fuel works, which will obviously be a huge mechanic given the Starfarer. According to the brochure the Freelancer has some of the most efficient engines around and should make good for lasting a long time in space without refueling. It's a long-range hauler first and foremost.

What we do know is that military ships like the Hornet/Gladius/Lightning are all carrier based UEE craft meant for short distances only. I don't expect to trek across the universe in my Gladius, I will need to stick it on one of the organization's Idris for transport.

 

It all depends on how you upgrade your ship.  A Gladius can be outfitted not only with a Jump Engine but extra fuel pods as well to make it a true long range fighter.  The downside to this (as oppose to being a short range carrier fighter) - is that you sacrifice weapons for the fuel pods (since they use the same hardpoint) and you increase the weight and maneuverability with the Jump Engine - that's why Short Range fighters will be superior in 1v1s vs Long Range Fighters.

 

This dynamic makes the "larger" fighters all that more effective..... because they are already designed to perform long range in addition to fighting ........ so it gives a big advantage to a Freelancer and Connie.

 

Same kind of equation works with Bombers..... the Retaliator is longer range... and will pack a bigger punch than a Gladiator... but the Retaliator is more susceptible vs smaller more maneuverable dogfighters and missile boats - because it cant' maneuver as well as a Gladiator.

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Yeah, that was my concern too, especially as I'm going in for a Hull-C and those will definitely be prime pirate/troll targets. Even if they introduced an armored transport tank variant with better shields + armor + more point defense cannons in exchange for losing some cargo capacity, I'd need two of something that can handle light/medium attacks long enough for me to lumber away to the nearest jump point or for reinforcements/UEE to arrive, while not forcing me to stop a long-range run to wait for refueling too often. 

That's why you're a part of the org! There are thousands of us, I'm sure we will be locking down trade routes and offering a huge amount of escorts for transports. We all have different goals in the PU but it's all intertwined, that's the beauty of it. I would gladly take my Phoenix or MIS and help you out just for the possibility of someone wanting to take your goods.

If you're just wanting to throw some NPCs into a ship to follow you I would just recommend getting something easily replaceable by in-game insurance. Like the 325a or Avenger. I have a feeling in the near future when we get planetside and the universe starts opening we will be offered more ship upgrades + FPS packages to refit our ships. Save your money for those :).

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That's why you're a part of the org! There are thousands of us, I'm sure we will be locking down trade routes and offering a huge amount of escorts for transports. We all have different goals in the PU but it's all intertwined, that's the beauty of it. I would gladly take my Phoenix or MIS and help you out just for the possibility of someone wanting to take your goods.

If you're just wanting to throw some NPCs into a ship to follow you I would just recommend getting something easily replaceable by in-game insurance. Like the 325a or Avenger. I have a feeling in the near future when we get planetside and the universe starts opening we will be offered more ship upgrades + FPS packages to refit our ships. Save your money for those :).

 

Oh that's true and all, and I definitely will be joining up with you guys for the high-risk stuff, but this was just for those times when I'm off on my own/don't want to bother coordinating things with people, etc. 

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i know it took them on and a truly competent crew will most definetley rain down some lazer hell on 3 hornets but man...if thats the case my one superhornet defending my reclaimer as escort seems a bit lacking

I don't think that a constellation will be superior over 3 hornets...this vid is just a "teaser" for multicrew ships. Watch the commercial of the freelancer, it takes out 2 Cutlasses with a couple of shots.

Dogfighting is not that simple as we've already learned.

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I don't think that a constellation will be superior over 3 hornets...this vid is just a "teaser" for multicrew ships. Watch the commercial of the freelancer, it takes out 2 Cutlasses with a couple of shots.

Dogfighting is not that simple as we've already learned.

Exactly, don't put much faith into things like that. 3 Coordinated hornets would focus fire one turret at a time and boom. Once the turrets are down simply stick on the tail and blow it up.

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It all depends on how you upgrade your ship.  A Gladius can be outfitted not only with a Jump Engine but extra fuel pods as well to make it a true long range fighter.  The downside to this (as oppose to being a short range carrier fighter) - is that you sacrifice weapons for the fuel pods (since they use the same hardpoint) and you increase the weight and maneuverability with the Jump Engine - that's why Short Range fighters will be superior in 1v1s vs Long Range Fighters.

 

This dynamic makes the "larger" fighters all that more effective..... because they are already designed to perform long range in addition to fighting ........ so it gives a big advantage to a Freelancer and Connie.

 

Same kind of equation works with Bombers..... the Retaliator is longer range... and will pack a bigger punch than a Gladiator... but the Retaliator is more susceptible vs smaller more maneuverable dogfighters and missile boats - because it cant' maneuver as well as a Gladiator.

You are absolutely right.

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Exactly, don't put much faith into things like that. 3 Coordinated hornets would focus fire one turret at a time and boom. Once the turrets are down simply stick on the tail and blow it up.

 

In the commercial the Constellation only faces two Hornets, for what a commercial is worth. However, Chris stated earlier that the Constellation should be able to hold off about 3 Hornets, at least, that was the expected balance. If that's true or not we will see when multi-ships get introduced in Arena Commander.

 

If you pick your escort it is also interesting to answer the question first what the expected threat will be. Although some people will try to blow up everything they come across, I don't think that is a profitable business for pirates. As a pirate, you either want to force a ship to jettison its cargo or to capture the ship by boarding, not blow it out of the water right away. If you face an opponent, they will also make an assessment whether it is worth to attack you or not, so if you become more intimidating the less likely it is you have to worry about pirates. From that perspective, a Super Hornet is as intimidating as you could get for below $200, although I would fear a second Constellation flying in formation more. Or a Cutlass, as multi-crew ships also immediately imply multi-crew difficulties for boarders.

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@Starfox

 

I would say the Freelancer MIS will be the best long range heavy escort against big threats, but will not be the most effective against numerous smaller enemies.

 

For a long rang escort to protect against smaller targets for the same price, 3 Avengers will be formidable. They already have external fuel tanks based on the hangar model, are relatively cheap, and are built for travel unlike the 325A/Hornet.

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In the commercial the Constellation only faces two Hornets, for what a commercial is worth. However, Chris stated earlier that the Constellation should be able to hold off about 3 Hornets, at least, that was the expected balance. If that's true or not we will see when multi-ships get introduced in Arena Commander.

It was 3 hornets, 1 Super hornet and 2 regular hornets. There was a post with pictures showing the storyboard.

 

Until we know more about fuel usage we cant really comment on range on ships. We have no idea how much fuel a ship can hold right now vs burn rate.

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a fully decked out MIS freelancer or cutlas blue should do the trick stat wise since both kinda are long range by default but for the blue we have just the brochure saying that with the freelancer we have the commercial vowing on there ion tech and fuel efficency not anything official yet.

 

Personally i would go for 2 blues and 1 Mis as center formation leader as it is more of a Gunship.

Now i knew why i still had that 2 drakes left lying around XD.

Best missile barrages and surpression fire u ever want :3.

Turrets give me moar turrets :D.

 

cant wait till PU arrives :).

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To the OP steal $50 and then get two cutlass blue.. they are the American police of the star citizen world, aggressive and intimidating.

 

Plus, you can apply for any UEE ex-military gear and get a Retaliator and a load of heavy armor and weapons, which you can keep, despite not really needing it, as long as you harass the local townsfolk with it to prove you need it... or am i getting my realities mixed up? ;)

 

 

I still think 2-4 smaller mil-spec ship (hornet, gladius etc) will be fine for most missions. It depends what it is though, cos even if you've got a long journey, it seems unlikely there wont be a refuel station along the way, even if you need to make a slight detour etc. With a Hull C you'll probably be moving from planet to planet, not in the middle of nowhere, so fuel up, make the trip, get your goodies, refuel, and head back.

I think from a gameplay POV it'd be quite disappointing finding out your Hornet or w/e needs to stop at every other planet to refuel, it'd get boring fast.

 

To give a real world example, tomorrows F1 race in Russia is 309km (most are this distance within a laps-worth), no refueling mid-race, and they dont even run full tanks. What does a hauler truck do? I've no idea tbh, but 200+ miles on a single tank isnt shabby, not for a high performance vehicle.

 

So i think it shouldnt be such a big issue. I think when it comes to buying escort ships for NPC use, i'll be looking to buy in the PU, figure things out in the beta, and get what works in-game, and i'll focus my pledge money on the ships which will need escorting, Reclaimer & Starfarer, and maybe something else with the $$ left over, and CCU my Gladius to something like a Hull C, MM or Retaliator.

 

I'll spend $$ on stuff for me, UEC on me & NPCs

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Freelancer MIS or base Freelancer with guns. Cutlasses are good, too, but I don't think they'll be able to take as much punishment as a FL. However, the visibility out of the Cutlass cockpit is MUCH better imho.  Anyway, for sub-$200, if they release them again, get a FL+MIS. The Cutlass Blue is a nice alternative, but I'm partial to the FL.

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