Viewing 40 posts - 2,121 through 2,160 (of 2,990 total)
  • Just got Elite Dangerous
  • molgrips
    Free Member

    My current goal is to make my ship or ships practically invulnerable to NPCs which is apparently possible. Then I will work on PVE builds to see if I can take on some gankers maybe.

    But I still need to kit out the bus and start the Molgrips Spaceline, which will require moolah, so I need to mine as well. Those are my two threads of play currently. As long as I am in the bubble I should be able to spread my time between the two activities.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    I’m with D0NK on this. I think for PvE the meta is a combination of lasers and multicannons and pull the trigger until everything is dead. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case for PvP, where maximum damage per shot seems to be the way.

    Using PAs and Rails to me is about challenging myself. I know I could knock out more ships if I switched the PAs on my Funship for three more MCs. Plus I need to practice the rails for taking out the ‘angry flowers’.

    If you add the short range experimental to cytoscramblers and you can stay within 500m, they can shred any shields (around 50 dps). If you get into high speed jousting, you might as well throw stuff out of the window at them as they come past!

    Matt

    molgrips
    Free Member

    So what’s your tactic for turning a joust into something else?

    Interestingly I have found this easier since getting a PS4 Pro. It looks like it continues to draw other ships in more detail at a further distance – which when coupled with the higher res I can actually see what the other ships are doing more often.

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    matt_bl
    Free Member

    Don’t fight Vipers is number 1. I find them to be easily the most jousty NPCs.

    Really, if I’m going to be doing that type of fighting I have ships with gimballed weapons and sensible ranges. I only have cytoscramblers on the Chieftain which I use for muggings or 1-v-1 against bigger ships (those missions where they send something after you, is usually a python or conda).

    In the CZs I tend to pick on Pythons, Space Cows and Asps, basically stuff with poor acceleration so it can’t get far enough away or Chieftains and Challengers, which are actively trying to stay close.

    Matt

    molgrips
    Free Member

    My most successful tactic is to use the Anaconda with turreted weapons. They are great. They have a ‘fire at will’ mode in which they just blast whatever doesn’t like you. So when they fly towards you you use downward thrusters so they go over the top, at which point my double 2A beam lasers track them and keep firing as I turn around – so their shields are being shredded the whole time and they don’t last long. As soon as their shields are low they start evasive action which means they aren’t firing at you. I can get out of most fights without a scratch on my hull, which I can’t do in the Fer de Lance.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Cytoscramblers sound like a solution to my TTK issues, pledging today!

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    Interesting, I’d noticed that Condas seem to point down a lot. That’s always the trickier part, getting in behind them, but once I’m there in the Chieftain it’s pretty much game over (I spam them with missiles once the shields are down). When you see Vindicator Jones, he starts fights from that position and they never get a shot on him, even when he’s doing what he calls lazy flying.

    That’s sort of my point, you can get a really high level of efficiency into PvE combat. Once you’re at that point, what do you do? Step up (to medium, high CZs, wing fights, etc), step down (smaller ships) or step across to different weapons……………..

    Matt

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    TTK?

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    And just to add, cytoscramblers are fixed. In fact I think that’s common to Powerplay weaponry, doesn’t matter with packhounds though 🙂

    Matt

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’d noticed that Condas seem to point down a lot.

    There are two large on the top, two beams on the front left and right, but the huge and the two smalls are underneath. I didn’t put a turret on the huge because I don’t think it can fire backwards. But it’s kind of annoying that you can only bring half the weapons to bear unless you are facing the target. I think the turrets are better placed on the T10.

    son-of-mike
    Free Member

    wow. So much expertise here in terms of weapons, ships, engineering & combat. Hats off to you. I’ll get there one day. And that’s what I like about Elite. I don’t see an endpoint to it.

    My guess is TTK = time to kill

    I ran a bunch of missions to benefit NKL yesterday evening, stacked them up and added some trading for myself to boot. Bank balance got some nice time bonuses too.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Now I’m wondering if I could use a class 4 PA on the Anaconda. I’d need to be close to hit but it would be fun landing those those things on a target.

    son-of-mike
    Free Member

    FYI, FDev are hosting a live stream on Twitch this Thursday with CMDRs from the Deep Space Support Array – fleet carriers dotted around the galaxy to stop off at so explorers can buy a soggy sausage roll & Red Bull, think of Moto Services in space. If you can’t watch the live stream it looks like a video will make its way here;
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnY_mJh2hLU&list=PL7glm5rbPHKyFvhQ0lvUTjYye55ROtMOi

    And this is a map of the DSSA.

    crewlie
    Full Member

    Just playing with the PAs for the first time. Tricky being fixed, but once you get on someone’s tail they’re good. I’m trying to master boost bleeding to get into position but I’m not sure an xbox controller works as well as keyboard/mouse or Hotas for it.
    I’ve got 3 PAs on my Anaconda that I just stuck on to take them engineered and they’re probably not in the best positions, but they’re effective when you get a hit. It’s a different way to fight, harder work than the MC and lasers but good skills practice and I think when you can use fixed weapons it’s going to be a useful advantage.
    Oh, and I see that we won the election!

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Deep Space Support Array

    This is brilliant. I just wish they’d named themselves Welcome Break.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    @Crewlie never in doubt! Onwards and upwards!

    What is Boost bleed?

    Matt

    son-of-mike
    Free Member

    Re: NKL election win, I think I can hear “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream playing over the tannoy in Gagnan Port 😉

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    I think I can hear “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream playing over the tannoy in Gagnan Port

    …while Prof. Brian Cox winces uncomfortably behind his keyboard as that contradicts the second law of thermodynamics.

    crewlie
    Full Member

    @matt_bl Boost bleed, if I’m understanding it properly is FA off and using thrusters to direct the boost to manoeuvre onto your target. I think the same techniques work with FA on just less effectively.
    It’s in this video, he makes it look very easy. I keep practicing FA off and I’ve almost managed to get my ship through the docking slot with FA off, but very very slowly 🙂

    son-of-mike
    Free Member

    Hehe. Better not show him Elite:Dangerous then.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    So what’s your tactic for turning a joust into something else?

    that boost bleed looks like it might be worth a shot, but just from personal experience recently, 4 pips to engines, 2 to shields ignore firing for now, when they go past you jousting, dont spin 180 to face them again, turn about 90degrees wait for them too boost back towards you then curve your trajectory up to try and get on their tail as they go past again, keep throttle in the blue till you’re on the same trajectory as them, then maybe boost if you need to, to keep up with them but try not to overshoot them as they turn to come back at you. and I mostly point my thrusters at the enemy’s contrails

    And as Matt says, dont fight vipers, grrrrr.

    FA off I only tend to use to rotate faster to keep eyes on target then boost, I need to turn FA on pretty soon or it all goes squirrelly.

    I find the conda pretty good for keeping all/most guns on target, certainly better than the vette.
    3 large beams efficient & thermal vent
    2 medium MCs with high capacity and corrosive
    1 huge MC overcharged auto loader
    2x small rails longrange with feedback cacade to stop SCBs

    Ive experimented with a huge and 2 medium PAs, the beams are pretty much a permanent fixture tho.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    so NKL won the election, KN well on the way to winning the war, what should we be concentrating on now?

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    There’s a 48 hr cooldown period after the election before any other conflict can kick off. After that it’s likely war with the controlling faction for the system.

    Velniat is close to conflict for control if the system if pushed.

    Guessing it’s up to matt_bl. He’s the strategy guy here.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    It really is a matter of choice. As Perchy has said the two things that are about to happen are:

    Gain influence in Akuntsu and have a war with IPP for control of the system or
    Gain influence in Velniat and have an election with VPV for control of the system.

    In terms of an overall strategy, neither has a particular advantage or effect. I would be happy to ‘finish’ Akuntsu and see Wylie Dock under Federal control!

    The real sneaky strategy will come when we want to expand!

    Matt

    D0NK
    Full Member

    so ignore velniat and concentrate on akuntsu?

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’ll definitely be back for the war. I love a good CZ.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    Sold to the man with the Conda.

    Work in Akuntsu, with odd missions elsewhere, where required. If Kuwembaa is >62% don’t work there.

    Matt

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Pledged to Atomsk! Now to find out how to rank up and earn my pew pew.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    Pledged to Atomsk! Now to find out how to rank up and earn my pew pew

    cant get your pewpew til week 4 and you lose rank every week so unless you really enjoy powerplay, pledge, do nothing for 3 weeks then rank up (quality gameplay) you can rank up by delivering stuff or shooting stuff, delivering is easiest but it costs you quite a bit, you have to buy the delivery materials. Shooting stuff you need to pick your system (anarchy) or you’ll be getting chased by the fuzz a lot.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Yeah I read a guide earlier that pretty much says that.

    A quick guide to gaining powerplay rank easily. from EliteDangerous

    Buried money into a parts bin special Python. Pulled the multis off the Cobra and a lot of the systems out the AspX to get it flying. Not the best build ever but its solid and can hold itself together well enough. Now I need to make some money and equip milspec bulkheads.

    Took it for a spin over at the compromised beacon, took out a Master that was already scrapping with a Deadly, large beams just melted the shields. 2x medium multis and a large on the chin shredded the rest after a couple of goes. Jumped for a recharge then jumped back in, got bored so picked on a Deadly in a Cobra mk4. Ran away with my pants round my ankles, 37% shields and a 53k repair bill. We were just trading and his weapons had a bigger buff, hence the need for proper bulkheads. Some engineering wouldn’t go amiss either.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    interesting about the mining lances, but, they’re class 1 only and my miner runs 11 limpits and they are still the part of mining that slows me down, having them travel upto 4KM back and forth doesnt sound ideal. Or does only mining for 1 commodity* change things up a bit?

    *i tend to pick up everything & dump the cheap stuff later if I need space, but i normally get bored before I get a hold full of painite/whatever

    Bit of googling suggests powerplay credits works in wings, you all get 30 aslong as you all hit the targety atleast once. Bear in mind for future.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    Thanks for the guide, I might give that a try this time. Up to this point I have shifted materials to get the merits. Fortunately that is one trip in the Space Cow, but costs me 7.5M Cr.

    That’s the problem with jousty ships, once they get better rank they often use PAs which they are quite good with. The Cobra IV turns badly but can be made into a little tank. Not a good combo for us! If I am using gimballed weapons, when jousting, I try to approach in a spiral or with lateral thrust which makes his aiming more difficult. If you have fixed weapons as well you need to suck up a few shots to the face!

    Matt

    molgrips
    Free Member

    You really don’t need two large beams. Two mediums or even pulse/beam combo melt shields very quickly. You need the large for MCs IMO.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    My jousting strategy involves Chris Mackenzie. He’s my NPC SLF pilot who buzzes around the oppponent in his extremely quick and nimble Imperial fighter with PAs while I soak up the jousting in my Cutter with turreted beams / MC’s.

    In light of the war to come i’ve decided to strip all the mining kit out of the Corevette and turn it into the scary battleship it was born to be.

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    @Perchypanther good man, you know it’s the right thing to do! Corvette go Dakka!

    Nothing like an NPC wingmate in a fighter to take the pressure off. Aliyana is only a few percentage points behind me in rank now.

    Matt

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    @molgrips dunno man, that Cobra last night took a pasting before I even broke his shields. I see what you’re saying though. I look at it as more time on shields is more time getting a pasting for nothing. That said as soon as I get the cytoscramblers it’s all moot anyway. I’ll fling the medium multis back on the Cobra, get another heavy multi and a heavy projectile for the nose.


    @d0nk
    if you want to wing up for the scramblers I’m game, I’m going to start looking for the right system to work.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    yeah Im game for wing, are you already up to 4 weeks? I’m currently only on week one

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    I just pledged yesterday, hoping it’s a week on reset otherwise I’ll be a week behind you. Either way I’m still not far in.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    Been trying out my newly armed Corvette with two huge multi cannons,one large beam laser, two medium PAs and two seeker missile racks.

    It’s quite explodey. 😀

    matt_bl
    Free Member

    That’s every kind of damage covered there! I love seekers, they are totally overpowered, shame the ammo is limited.

    I got some missions in for NKL in Akuntsu, shipping a python’s worth of goods from Wylie to Glazkov (about a dozen Ls) for 1.5M. Happy days!

    Matt

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