Ship Reviews

[Philip Coutts]

I am very keen to get my hands on the Asp Explorer. It's just one of the ships that I loved from the past. I thought it would be interesting to write a short review on the ships in ED so far. I haven't flown them all so pitch in with your own experiences.

Sidewinder - I love the Sidewinder. Small, fast, pretty nimble and overall pretty tough. Alright you aren't going to rule the galaxy in it but you will have a lot of fun. I was worried when they announced this as the starting ship but I think it will make a great starting point. There is just something very fun about flying it.

Eagle - When I first tried the Eagle I was amazed, it was so quick had 3 hard points and was an excellent fighter. I thought I had found a very good bounty hunting ship......until I started taking fire and found it had been built from paper and chewing gum! With upgraded armour I think this is a decent starter bounty hunter.

Hauler - I wanted so much to hate this ugly bug but you know what, it's a great little ship for starting to trade. Pretty nimble and good at running away which you will do a lot with only 1 hardpoint. But for building up some cash in the early days absolutely brilliant.

Cobra Mk III - Pains me to say this but it is my least favourite ship so far. I just don't get on with it at all. Feels slow and after flying a Viper.....sad but I can't see myself spending much time in a Cobra. Decent ship for trading though and can certainly handle a bit of rough and tumble.

Viper - My one true love. Seriously amazing fighter. Fast as anything, tough as old nails and carries a serious punch. Do not take on a Viper lightly. Limited cargo space and jump range are the downsides but otherwise a beautiful, killer of a ship. This is the one for the bounty hunters at the minute and best avoided by everyone else!

Lakon 6 - I quite like this mid-sized trader. A decent cargo hold and not too expensive. Also has a decent level of manoeuvrability, okay you are never going to Bounty hunt in it but it's not too shabby. I think once you reach this size of ship you can really make the money start to roll in.

Anaconda and Lakon 9 - Spent too much time in the Viper having fun so I never made enough cash to fly these huge mothers. The Anaconda looks as tough as old boots and has weapons sticking out everywhere.

So thoughts anyone?

[GlobusDiablo]

Excellent post Philip

Not much to add really.

The Lakon 6 has been a very pleasant surprise for me. As I'm pants at combat, I really enjoy the huge jump range and excellent panorama windowed cockpit.

And when I do get interdicted, my two missile battery racks can deal with the most common thugs. I and if not; RUN AWAY!!!

I've got scary high hopes for the Asp though. I hope I don't get too disappointed.

[Vikinger]

I agree on many of your statements

The viper and the eagle is good fighter ships and fun to fly, however ive not used them that much in beta1.

Ive tried to do fighting in a cobra even if its a bit sluggish as a fighter ship.

My favvo ship is the Lakon6. Its so easy ship to handle and its loading capabilities.

A lakon 9 is real fun to fly but soooo slow

And ive never tried the Anaconda. Thats a ship that does not appeal to me at all.

[BiggBno]

Agree on most of them.
However I like the Cobra somewhat and it is in my opinion the only ship which can be used for piracy. Many will probably disagree and say Viper, but with only 8 cargo you are not seriously pirating, more like mugging.

The viper is to me overpowered, yes the single jump range is low but it has the largest rnage for one full tank by over 30 LY and that is a bit much I think.

I have fallen head over heels in love with my type 6, its just something with the feel of the cockpit, and it have good top speed for being such a heavy, clunky ship.

[Philip Coutts]

The Cobra is a funny one, a lot of people really like it but I would rather fly a Type 6 to be honest.

I think it's a valid point about the piracy though. I do think the Cobra would make a great pirates vessel. You can load the hardpoints and make a pretty hard hitting ship that will scare the cargo out of most people! It's got enough speed to keep up with and overhaul the cargo ships and it's got plenty of space to haul away your hard stolen goods!

[Zarkon]

Spot on commander. Agree with just about everything. I'm a big Cobra fan, partially due to playing the original Elite, but I did like the Viper during the short time I was in one. I'm a Jack-of-all-Trades by nature, so the Viper felt extremely limiting to me because of two negatives you pointed out. The Lakon 9 is a beast, and unlike the Type 6, doesn't screech at you on the hangar pad every time you exit the repair bay.

[RogueZephyr]

As far as the ships I have tried so far goes, here are my thoughts.

Sidewinder - Generic starting ship (although I would have preferred the eagle for old times sake). Spent too much time fighting with the hardpoint bug to give it a go in combat but happy enough to trade in it until bigger ships became available

Eagle - Tried it and went straight back to the sidewinder. Too flimsy for my liking

Hauler - Nice little trading ship. Never been silly enough to try and take one into combat though.

Cobra Mk III - I love the balance between cargo and weapon space (perfect for a trader like me). Hopefully it will have enough about it to make a decent exploration ship until I can get the Asp.

[Avago-Earo]

I totally go along with you sentiments. I'm in my third Cobra III and trying to like it after the Viper (which I didn't think I'd like but absolutely do). I haven't really given the Cobra enough of a fair trial though (or time for me to adjust to the different manoevrability qualities) so am still sailing her around to get used to the difference.

[Flip]

I don't dislike the Cobra, but then I didn't try the Eagle nor the Viper yet. I quite like the Lakon 6, but I tried the 9 and I hated her. OK, she looks good and has a big cargo hold, but she's way too slow and overheats way too quickly to be any fun, IMO.

[Zarkon]

she's way too slow and overheats way too quickly to be any fun, IMO.

The trick on that is to boost, turn FA off, then toggle the engines off for a few seconds. The temperature will drop to about 60, usually before you clear mass lock from the stations.