no... the Humpback is the best... and for the shield i have no bloody idea...

depends how you define "best".
if its armor-wise, take the humpback.
if its cargo-wise, take the dromedary (275 units vs. 250 of the humpback).

I hate the Humpback, I can't fight in it at all--it turns way too slowly. All I can do is accelerate toward my destination, turn off my engines, change to turret mode and thank the stars that I have a ton of armor!

I much prefer a Drone in any space where freighter survivability is a reasonable expectation. This ship holds less cargo, has less armor and weaker shields then the Humpback. However, if some creeps attack you then you can at least give them some for their trouble!

On my opinion the Humpback is not the best freighter. The freighter's priority is the cargo space. Humpback has 250 units, the Dromedary 275. Altough Dromedary has lesser armor and carry weaker weapons, with the dromedary you can turn swifter can at least shoot to ships and that's a huge advantage. With the Humpback you wait a long time till it's turned.

Why would anyone try to turn fight in a freighter? In a freighter you fight while running away; that’s the way the game was designed. Keep moving toward your destination and if you feel the need to shoot something go to turret mode and shoot while in retreat. Using that technique the Humpback is the better machine based on shield strength. I don’t care how it handles because I never ever drive it by hand. I point it to a waypoint and hit go-to. You can’t think like your in a fighter it is a different mind set. As far as capacity goes the extra 25 units in the Drome are really statistically insignificant. If I have a load that will net me over 300k an extra 20 or 30k doesn’t make much of a difference.

Ne frustra vixisse videar

reasons for the dromedary:

1. the dromedary is way cheaper than the humpback
2. it can carry more cargo
3. when you are trading, there are two things that matter: speed and armor.
now seeing that the humpback is more like a flying dino, it can barely maneuver at all, whereas with a dromedary you can easily reallocate yourself and therefore are capable of moving faster. with a humpback you are a sitting duck and have to wait until it enters a tradelane or cruise speed...

One good reason for fighting instead of running is that I seem to be hit much more while running than I do while fighting. The shielding of the Humpback is in my opinion not enough to compensate for this.

Another good reason is that fighting is more fun. Why should freighter-owners stay away from fun?

And the Dromedary is a better fighter than the Humpback. I have completed SP in a Dromedary. In MP I have done missions for the Corsairs up to difficulty 36 missions, paying a little more than 100K. I would like to see any of this done in a Humpback (SP would of course require some modding to allow a Humpback before level 20).

The armor of the Humpback isn't enough. Bad guys pound the devil out of you in the HB and there's nothing you can do about it. If you take that ship anywhere with guns big enough to damage it then it spends most of it's time as debris! That has nothing to do with having a fighter mentality. My survivability is much greater in a freighter that handles well enough to evade a missle or two.

I stand by my original statement... I think the survivablility of the Humpback is about the same as the Drone. The decreased manueverability of the HB compensates for the increased armor resulting in a ship that has the same survival chances as the Drone but is much bigger drain on resources. I buy five times as many shield batteries and nanobots for the HB as I do for a Drone. So far, for me, the best freighter is the Drone because it's way cheaper to maintain than the HB. Probably the extra cargo space compensates for the higher maintenance costs but emotionally it disturbs me less not to have to pay them.

I want to try a Dromedary but so far I don't have the reputation with that faction to land at that base. I do know where it is, though, from the single player game.

Edited by - gig on 28-04-2003 23:07:26

Edited by - gig on 28-04-2003 23:10:22

Dromedary is better than Humpback imo.
Did most of SP with a Dromedary, its the better fighter.

Gig, try being nasty to some of the good guys in the systems around the bad guys' base where Dromedary is sold. That should help your reputation.
(I suppose pointing out the obvious is not considered a spoiler.)

By the way, if the Humpback really HAS better survivability than the Dromedary (which would be it's only advantage, given the better price and cargo space of the Dromedary), I am wondering what the additional survivability should be used for. I cannot remember that I have ever been blown up during a trade run in a Dromedary. In fact, I have explored most of the Omicron and Omega systems in a Class 4 Clydesdale freighter without many problems.

No... I can't do that! The good guys like me!

I'm slowly increasing my reputation with them by killing all of their enemies that I'm not friendly with (mostly Xenos). It's slow going but it seems to be working.

Seriously, I can't attack people that I'm friendly with. I start to feel really guilty and then I have to reload. It's the roleplayer in me, I guess, rearing it's ugly head! :LOL:


Edited by - gig on 29-04-2003 22:10:24

I agree flying around in a Humpback is like trying to turn a giant tanker ship on a dime. No way it can be done, she flies just like she looks, big and pregnant.

I suggested some of you try the SP in a Dromedary if you could get it. I tried in a Drone but wound up as so much space debris most of the time. It was and still is a worthwhile adventure as it so much more difficult (read fun) when you can't just point and shoot at will.

The thing about a freighter is it's designed for self sufficency. These aspects include sheilds, Weapons and EVASION. You must be able to move away from incoming missles and other objects and at the same time have strong enough sheilds to repel the things that get through.

Further when you have had enough to piss off your day you should be able to retaliate a bit with mines, guns, and missles just to let them know not to mess with you or you'll erase their dumb asses.

One more question, the thing you are hauling is Cargo right?
So why would you not try and get the ship with the most capacity for the job you are doing?

Just some thoughts from the edge of space!

all the news that no one reads

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One more question, the thing you are hauling is Cargo right?
So why would you not try and get the ship with the most capacity for the job you are doing?

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i can see a counter arguement to this point, since the cargo is the most important part of a freighter (as it should be), why not try your hardest to protect it with more armor?

BUT i can think of more agreements with your statement than i can disagreements. while 25 more commodities might not seem like too much, it will seem like a lot when doing the higher paying trade routes (especially smuggling).

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"Only the dead have seen the end of War."
- Plato

Edited by - GodSpeed on 29-04-2003 06:47:51

Godspeed, a counter-counter-argument:
What will you win, protecting your cargo with more armor if the armor of the Dromedary protects it 100% allready?