So ... after many months of swearing I'd go directly from Vultures to a Python for an "all-in-one," I finally popped for a ...
--> [Original Config (50M)] --> [Updated Config (50M)] Federal Dropship for RES mining+combat
I'll talk about why I did this later, but for now, I've got some questions now that I've gone, literally ...
"fully hardpoint/maneuvering retarded", in combat, coming from a Vulture.
- Q1 (of Turrets): I put 2E/T Beam Lasers on the sides. Aren't they supposed to auto-fire? Or do I still have to assign them a button and press it? Did this change in a version of Elite. I.e., I don't think I've tried turrets since 1.3, but I thought they auto-fired on any targetted enemy? Figured it out. Have to assign to a grouping and button, but they'll fire without the button being pressed.
- Q2 (of Targeting): I'm reading a lot about targeting Power Plants and other subsystems. I've been lazy in the past and just didn't bother, but now I cannot be with the Dropship. I should probably try to bear that 3C/G Beam and/or 2F/G Multi on some subsystems once the shields go down. Suggestions? Tips?
- Q3 (of Thrusters): Having only 50M, I need another 20M to upgrade the 6B Power to 6A, so I can get away from the awful 6D Thusters to 6A. Should I try to reduce my power consumption and costs elsewhere to get a better set of Thrusters, like 6C or even 6B, now? Stepped up 2 to 6B Thrusters, saving money by dropping 1 to 4B Refinery (9 bin), along with dropping 3 down to an 0D Shield Booster to save a bit more power. 6B Thrusters add significant maneuverability over 6D.
So now ... why did I do this?
I'll start where I came from ...
- I went Sidewinder (short-lived) -> Hauler -> Cobra -> Asp Explorer (not too long) -> Vulture
- I skipped the Adder
- After 2-3M, I tried, and hated, a Type 6, and was nearly destroyed 20 different times, and went back to the Cobra
- At 7M or so, I tried an Asp Explorer, c/o Alioth permit/discount, did some trade runs to 20M, then started mining
- I found the Vulture, with just a single 3C/G Beam, to be far more survivable, soon started doing RES mining+combat, despite the --> [Configured (20M)] Vulture having only 32 cargo, 6 bins and 1 collector
- Eventually I got enough for 2 Vultures, 1 combat (where I could take down a Python), 1 mining, so I wasn't changing equipment, but it was still a pain to come back to the station where it was stored, and switch
Again, I previously swore I'd wait for a Python. Even if I get 10+ of those "Resources Needed" (Osium, Platinum, etc...) missions where they pay 70-90K for a resource, it's still taking awhile to make money. And I wanted to change. So I went to a 96 cargo, 10 bins and 2 collector setup with the Federal Dropship. I want to get to 100M before I buy a Python, so I'm in for at least another 50M I figure.
- So ... any suggestions?
- Comments are welcome too.
After all, "I actually feel ... retarded" ... literally, retarded from effective combat, even in PvE.
But I wanted a challenge, and I got one.