In the unknown systems, shoot there to get them or get a mod that has them.

In MP you need to be lvl 34 or above and then the Nomads will drop weapons.

Here's how I did it in unmodded single player:

I entered the lower unknown system (from Omicron Gamma where the Corsairs have their homeworld, I think). It's the one with the two planets inhabited by robots and monkeys. There, I encountered Nomads in groups of four. I shot them down, and in most cases I got one weapon from a group of 4 ships. I stayed there for a bit, so since that time I have 6 Nomad Energy Blasters and also 6 Nomad Energy Cannons. Just too bad I can only mount 4 on a standard VHF.

But I remember there's a minimum player level that you have to have reached before Nomads start dropping anything else than batteries or nanobots. I _think_ it's 30.

Edited by - LXP on 2/6/2005 10:32:54 AM

Edited by - LXP on 2/6/2005 10:33:53 AM

I'm pretty sure the Level is 30 or 31. For some reason, I also found they dropped more often when I had more than 1 million credits as well. Based on assets (e.g. your ship and its equipment), you can have a high level with little money. Try getting up to at least 31 with 1 million credits in addition to your other assets.

the level requirement is 32 but for mp effectively call it 34

ok thanx guys , my friend has em but says that you cant shoot properly with em

Errr....

As a matter of fact, I have 4 of them mounted on my Sabre, and nothing beats that.
I suspect your friend can't shoot.

One thing's for sure...when you've used those stupid things long enough, you forget how to shoot properly with a real weapon. They don't make the ship better, they make the pilot worse.

Nomad guns are worth only as much as I can sell them for at the equipment dealer. The sell price is usually sufficient to pay for the mines I've used while killing the Nomads that dropped 'em.

----------------------------------------
Proud owner and operator of a Patriot!
Proud owner and operator of a Stiletto!
Proud ally of the Bounty Hunters' Guild!
Proud hater of Nomad weapons!
Proud user of all things underestimated!
----------------------------------------
For the last time...there is no "N" in "TURRET"!

@NukeIt:

> One thing's for sure...when you've used those stupid things long enough, you
> forget how to shoot properly with a real weapon. They don't make the ship
> better, they make the pilot worse.

It's always an enlightening experience to meet another of the billions of people in the world who claim with all their conviction their personal opinion is the absolute truth. But being biased makes life so much easier, right?

> Nomad guns are worth only as much as I can sell them for at the equipment
> dealer. The sell price is usually sufficient to pay for the mines I've used while
> killing the Nomads that dropped 'em.

The funny thing is, using the nomad guns I need neither missiles nor mines. But that, of course, must be credited to the fact that using nomad weapons makes the pilot worse.

Well, here's one more thing that's for sure: One of the most efficient ways to waste one's time is to have a discussion with a biased person - especially about a game.


Edited by - LXP on 2/9/2005 9:32:16 AM

No need to be so hostile. I hate the weapons, not the people who use them.

I don't think there is any justifiable reason for having such an incredibly unbalanced weapon in the game- Nomad weapons are limited by neither energy nor ammo, meaning that while using them the pilot does not need to worry about managing an aspect of their ship's operation which would otherwise limit the amount of firepower their ship is capable of producing. With missiles or mines, there is an absolute maximum of 50 shots per weapon before you cannot fire the weapon anymore. They are the most powerful weapons, but limited by the ammo count and relatively poor accuracy. Power-draining guns deplete your ship's energy supply so that unless you conserve energy and time your shots, you run out and are left with only one or two weapons that can still fire. The bottom line is that, using either Nomad weapon, you can leave a rock sitting on your trigger and just concentrate on flying the ship- that makes the game easier than if you were loaded with some other weapon type. In other words, it takes less skill to fly a class 10 VHF loaded with Nomad guns than it does to fly the same ship using different weapons. That isn't an attack on any one player, and it isn't an opinion, it is a simple fact.

----------------------------------------
Proud owner and operator of a Patriot!
Proud owner and operator of a Stiletto!
Proud ally of the Bounty Hunters' Guild!
Proud hater of Nomad weapons!
Proud user of all things underestimated!
----------------------------------------
For the last time...there is no "N" in "TURRET"!

Well, if I seemed hostile, my apologies, that wasn't intended.

Granted, nomad guns make things easier. Might that spoil your capabilities as an (armchair) pilot? Possibly, but not necessarily - only my opinion, of course.

After all, it's only a game, and the point is having fun, right?





Edited by - LXP on 2/10/2005 6:50:57 AM

If that's your cup of tea, yes. I find that I enjoy popping a well-placed ripper in the target's face is far more satisfying than hosing it down with an endless stream of purple pellets. It's just somehow more rewarding to blow all that money and hours of practicing on a single shot and have it hit dead on. *SCHOOMPH* *BOOM* "Aaaah...$7229 right where it counts..."

I probably wouldn't even care so much about Nomads if they weren't available in multiplay, anyway- it's fine to have a godly advantage over a stupid little AI (hell, sometimes you just need to vent stress on something weak and puny, then laugh as you run off to find more victims and rip them new...ahem. 'scuse me.), but when the same option is available against other players, then it forces them to use the same thing just to achieve a level playing field- that's what ruined MP for me; I haven't played online in ages for that reason. So I do tend to jump all over topics like these. It's more of a rant against the devs for being stupid enough to ignore such a huge balance issue (as if enough of them didn't exist already).

Edit - Sig once per thread, please

Edited by - Finalday on 2/19/2005 6:46:19 AM

> If that's your cup of tea, yes. I find that I enjoy popping a well-placed ripper in
> the target's face is far more satisfying than hosing it down with an endless
> stream of purple pellets. It's just somehow more rewarding to blow all that money > and hours of practicing on a single shot and have it hit dead on. *SCHOOMPH*
> *BOOM* "Aaaah...$7229 right where it counts..."

LOL... Okay. Nicely put. It's all also a question of personal style, as it seems. I particularly enjoy it when a pack of half a dozen Sabres or Titans comes to kill me and I'm able to take down two of them before they even reach me: "I will use what's left of you to grease my BOOOM" ... "If you've come for the boss, you will have to go right through... BANG".

> but when the same option is available against other players, then it forces them
> to use the same thing just to achieve a level playing field-

Well, that applies to any piece of equipment. I still can't see what the particular problem with the nomad weapons is.

> that's what ruined MP for me; I haven't played online in ages for that reason.

How that?

> It's more of a rant against the devs for being stupid enough to ignore such a
> huge balance issue (as if enough of them didn't exist already).

Well, if you're talking about multiplayer here, that problem will always arise - a player who cannot afford expensive, high level stuff will be in a weaker position. Same thing would apply to the 'codenamed' guns in FL because the're not easy to get until you have a decent ship.

----------------------------------
LXP, Cleaner for the Corsairs

Edited by - LXP on 2/10/2005 4:59:10 PM

Actually, many of the ships in FL are only considered useless because of Nomad weapons. There are several class 9 ships, which would otherwise be equal to the class 10s due to their maneuverability (the classic tradeoff for armor), but they are at a disadvantage because only a class 10 ship can mount Nomad weapons. Class 9 weapons are great; some are better in DPS than any of the Codename guns are (the Codenames, btw, are among the least efficient weapons...slow refire, massive energy drain, and slow projectile speed. The rapid-fire Skyblast B and Kraken 2 outclass all of them). There are also several capable vessels in the class 6- class 8 range, including a few LFs. If any of those classes had a weapon that did not drain energy when fired (or, rather, if class 10 VHF's DIDN'T have such a weapon), I'm positive they would all see a lot more use.

It isn't really a question of what you can afford- there are proven methods of aquiring all the highest-level hardware inside two hours, starting out with the basic Starflier and 1500 creds. An enterprising newbie can be up and running with a Class 10 and Nomads before another player can even find them. The meat of the game is what happens AFTER you have the ship you want- and if you want something other than trading or VHF, you're in for a nasty surprise.

The point is that aside from the two Nomad weapons, there is no "best" hardware. Some ships are strong because they are small and agile, others are strong because they have loads of armor and weaponry. However...since that "best" hardware exists, there are only five ship choices for anyone who isn't an expert pilot. Remember, FL is not an RPG, even though it does have a level system- bigger is not always supposed to be better. That's why there are four classes of ships with different roles- you are meant to be able to choose whatever path you want. As is, unless you're looking for the challenge of a lifetime, the HF and LF classes are near completely ignored, and only five ships (Titan, Sabre, Eagle, Dromedary, Humpback) are in general use- the latter two only because of their cargo capacity. There is an LF or HF pilot hanging around from time to time, and they are to be regarded with caution- anybody who sticks with a 'lesser' ride even when they can purchase anything they want is generally very, very good at what they do (or like me, reckless and stubborn).

FL was not finished- it was never balanced properly for MP. If it had been, there would be no one all-powerful anything.

Edit - Sig once per thread please.

Edited by - Finalday on 2/19/2005 6:45:22 AM