Light, Heavy, or Very Heavy?

Thu May 15, 2003 7:50 pm by Du7andal

When I first played the game, once I got my hands on a heavy fighter, I never went back to the LF. Then I got the the Very Heavy fighters, which seemed to be the the final choice in the character development of everyone. But now I have played through SP again using only Light fighters. I have actually noticed I was easier with the advanced LFs. This may contradict all you believe, but I think I have come to my opinion on this. I like the light fighters!!

LF- The best against a single fighter or a small group, for your superior manuverablity can keep you on his six and him off of yours. Against larger groups, though, they get torn appart. A good light fighter with an excellent pilot can beat anyone one-on-one.

VHF- With excellent longevity and weapons, it's the last word in fighting against hordes of enemies due to it's ability to shirk off most blows and still deliver a devastating attack to its foe. But lack of manuverablity can hamper it from chasing down the smaller single light fighters and gives it trouble with fleeing itself. Good for those long trips into enemy territory.

HF- The compromise between the two. Average firepower, average armor, average manuverabilty, but deadly in the right hands. All the features of the VHF without the sluggish movement. Some HFs are extremely powerful (Centurion, Valkyre). Good for any job.

What about all of you? Tell me what you like!

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My conviction is like an arrow in flight, your life will only last until it reaches you.

--7--

Edited by - Du7andal on 16-05-2003 17:56:59

Thu May 15, 2003 8:08 pm by Mitlov

Some things in the game require a VHF, like exploring the periphery systems. However, what to I *enjoy* the most? Flying an advanced light fighter, like the Banshee. Comparing a Banshee to a Titan is like comparing Muhammad Ali to Andre the Giant. I was always a fan of "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee..."

Thu May 15, 2003 8:09 pm by Mitlov

By the way, I'm probably going to do what you mentioned, and try and play through the campaigns using exclusively light fighters. Should be fun. I'll be darned good at evasive maneuvers by the end...

Thu May 15, 2003 8:30 pm by maswastage|BG

I have to say I'm a fan of the VHF. As you said, they are great for killing off hordes of enemies, and, well, my name is "mass wastage"

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Thu May 15, 2003 8:39 pm by Du7andal

Also as you siggy implies WHAT very-heavy you like...

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My conviction is like an arrow in flight, your life will only last until it reaches you.

--7--

Thu May 15, 2003 8:43 pm by maswastage|BG

what do ya know? It does tell which ship I prefer

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Fri May 16, 2003 1:33 pm by gus

Heh. I'm going to try the ship in *my* sig next...

But I prefer Heavy Fighters.

Mosly because most of them can mount 6 guns.

Fri May 16, 2003 8:26 pm by redeye

I used to be a VHF man, and i think in your first trip through SP you are obviously aiming for the best.

These days tho i'm flying a Drake, like you guys say floating like a butterfly can allow you to run rings round the more sluggish VHFs. Interestingly the Drake actually has better manuverabilty than the starflier. The full list of turn rates is here. The falcon scores pretty good, does anyone fly one in MP? The Drake gets taken down quickly vs. a pack and i'm looking for some bigger guns.

Fri May 16, 2003 11:19 pm by Chevieblazer

ohh, the drake is such a sweet ship! i massacred a whole squad of hammerhead vhf with it!

Mr.Niobium

Sat May 17, 2003 1:48 pm by Sherlog

If you compare ships of the same class then light fighters win hands down in every category except cargo space.

Heavy fighters may have up to 50% more fire power (plus a better powerplant) but because they are not agile enough they get hit much more often than light fighters, which means HF need better shields than LF for the same job, one or two classes higher. And the bad turn rate means it takes an HF longer to dispatch a non-stationary target, despite the better fire power.

An exception to this is the Piranha which is supposed to be a light fighter but _moves_ like heavy one; consequently it eats much more enemy fire than the Patriot or Cavalier. Actually, the Piranha is neither fish nor fowl. It is too sluggish to be a light fighter, too weak to be a heavy one, and too small to be a freighter.

The only reason VHF appear to be good against hordes of enemies is that you get VHF up to class 10 but there are no LF beyond the class 6 Drake or the class 7 Banshee.

Sat May 17, 2003 3:13 pm by Titus

I am gonna have to say VHF rule all if you have a LF man your gonna get torn apart....in SP but me i play MP and in there if you dont have a VHF or a good hack...YOU DEAD even HF isnt too good but out of all the ships jeez the sabre is the best.....it is VHF it has better turing than a Titan and better Armor than an Eagle which makes it a top choices.....also i like hammerheads they are by far very good things to fly i just think Sabres are much better.....and you were talking about the drake!!! MAN YOU USE THAT THING IS MP AND YOUR DEAD!!!IT HAS LIKE 3200 ARMOR MAN!!! DONT USE LF UNLESS YOU USE A BANSHEE BECAUSE THOSE ARE SUM BAD ASS SHIPS BUT I WOULDNT USE A LIGHT FIGHT!!!On SP ii would use an Anubis(that is what i currently have in SP) but in MP i would suggest a VHF

Titus here OUT!!

Sure i look funny....and please dont play leapfrog with my unicorn. It hurts!

Sat May 17, 2003 5:02 pm by redeye

@Titus

I know every other bugger in MP is flying a VHF, i used to aswell. But it gets uber boring after a while, there is no satisfaction in tearing up a bunch of NPC's in a titan with n**** weapons and a class 10 shield. There isnt really even much to be said for taking out another VHF. However you take out a titan in a drake (i've heard of folk doing it with banshees and valkyries too) you will be a happy man. I am not saying it is easy and most of the time you end up dead (especially if you meet a pack) but that one time you do is better than wasting a whole pack of nomads in a VHF.

Flying a LF really forces you to sort out ur flying skills - i'd never even used engine kill before i got the drake. Plus it saves you spending hours and hours saving up for the VHF, then scavenging for the guns. I'm not saying its a good idea for everyone, or that its better than a VHF i'm just saying is possible and (IMHO) more fun.

Sat May 17, 2003 6:38 pm by Sherlog

@Titus

Please note that I said "if you compare ships of the same class".

The VHF you mentioned - Eagle, Sabre, Titan - are class 10 while the Drake is class 6. They will burn the Drake's shield and armour in fractions of a second, while it takes the Drake more than 10 seconds to hammer through the class 10 shield and armour.

But the light fighters wipe the floor with any HF/VHF of their own class and those not too many classes above. For the Drake that would be Barracuda, Dragon, Anubis etc.

Sun May 18, 2003 9:52 pm by Magson

In my Drake I jumped into Omicron Alpha while the Oucasts were hostile to me. My reception commitee was 4 Sabres. I killed 2 of them and had the 3rd almost destroyed and started thinking how easy the last one was going to be to take out when another wing of 4 Sabres showed up.

Bugged out in a hurry. No bats left, no bots left, and I'd had both of my fins shot off. Back in Omicron Theta at Freeport 9(?) I had about $30K in repairs to do, but the guns I'd tractored from the 2 Sabres I destroyed more than made up for it. So of course I bought an Eagle next, and am currently flying a Sabre. Coulda bought a Titan at one point, but it'll keep. Still having too much fun swatting Xenos in 2 shots in Liberty space ATM.

Mon May 19, 2003 6:22 pm by Du7andal

@ redeye

You're right, the LF's really sharpen your evasive skills and teach you to keep your enemies in your sights longer. As Titus said, in MP this may not work as well, but remember, do you think a Titan with a mediocre pilot would beat a Banshee or a Drake with an exceptional pilot? The LF would be untouchable! Face it, the LF has some disadvantages such as low armor and can only carry up to lvl 7 weapons. However, it has excellent manuverablity, and with low matenance repairs (uses little nanobots and batteries). Just compare the stats of the Banshee to the Anubis. Amazing.

-----------------------------------------------------------
My conviction is like an arrow in flight, your life will only last until it reaches you.

--7--

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