Where to start?

[drewjn]

Ok, I'm trying to decide on a game package to get. Right now I'm thinking of either getting the arena commander starter pack and then a higher end pack, or just put it all in a more expensive pack.

 

Only problem I see is that I do not see any other pack with Arena Commander access. Also, I wish to get a better feel for the game before I do put more money into it, thus my initial thought on buying a cheap pack first. Too many people enjoy it and have had nothing but good things to say, so I don't mind going a bit on the lam so the second choice of just getting a more expensive pack is still a viable option for me.

 

 

Now the problem also is, what pack is worth going for? Does it really matter at this stage? My goal is a tad into space combat, but I really am interested in the multi crew aspect as well. For instance, I found Guns of Icarus quite fun (granted you can get past the incompetent randoms and the small player base). I don't really see myself as a merchantman, but more towards support, recon and logistics in a sense. So exploration is also an interest.

 

Any suggestions would be great.

[rentaspoon]

If your unsure buy the starter pack and then add a standalone ship if you like it.

[drewjn]

Well, I plan to play the game regardless. I trust the developers, I like the members of the community and I have always been a fan of the genre. Reader of Heinlein, Asimov, Weber, etc. Also enjoyed eve until my desktop died a number of years ago. I finally decided to build a desktop and get myself away from laptops and consoles, so I invested 1.7k in building a computer, with peripherals costing at least another 500 usd. So.... another 200 to 300 at this point for a game I definitely plan to play is not going change much, especially with income tax return around the corner. If I can manage the game with a single 970 on medium settings, not needing a second in sli will have saved me the money anyways.

 

 

Any suggestions on package + ship types for the play style I was speaking about? If comparing to eve, I usually ran specialized ships or mid sized ones with decent firepower or versatility in small sized battles. Not sure if that means much, but thought it would be helpful in some way. Cheers, and hope to meet you guys online.

[Grrizz]

For exploration there are variants at every ship size, Aurora LX, Mustang Beta, 315p to Constellation Aquila and Freelancer DUR all the way up to things like the Carrack, I would look for things with jump drives to start with but they can be added on to ships later. If you wanted to focus more on support, recon, info running etc. things like the Hornet F7C-S/F7C-R and Herald might be more appropriate.

I would recommend going over this page, look at the description more than anything else as some of the specs are erroneous and subject to change but give you a general guide. Ships are a very personal thing IMO as there are usually several ships that are suitable for each job and later you will be able to modify ships to make them a better fit for what you want to do with them so things like looks etc. can come into play rather than just raw specs.

There are upgrade packages too so if you wanted to buy something small to start with you can upgrade the ship in the package to something else later on (not all upgrade paths are available at the moment but they have said they want to have paths to everything down the track) or you can "melt" the package for store credits and get something else. You can also buy the arena commander pass as a separate item so it doesn't have to be included in the package you buy.

[drewjn]

Thanks for the information. I realized the pass just a few minutes ago while I was searching through it all.

 

Currently the constellation series of ships caught my eye (plus they have a fighter or two inside, p52), but I know next to nothing about them. What I do find interesting is the Xi'An Khartu-Al. Two year warranty and anniversary, seems like it can be a light attack and scout craft. Perhaps interdiction? It looked interesting, but for such a price, I sort of wonder the value. The cutlass and the avenger look intriguing and I know the vanduul scythe is not available this moment. As for ones with jump drives, it is hard for me to tell, aside from understanding that if it is short range, patrol, or simple fighters, it likely wont have it.

 

If possible, mind sharing what you currently run, and how well it works, flies, or even just looks?

[Wauthar]

Thanks for the information. I realized the pass just a few minutes ago while I was searching through it all.

Currently the constellation series of ships caught my eye (plus they have a fighter or two inside, p52), but I know next to nothing about them. What I do find interesting is the Xi'An Khartu-Al. Two year warranty and anniversary, seems like it can be a light attack and scout craft. Perhaps interdiction? It looked interesting, but for such a price, I sort of wonder the value. The cutlass and the avenger look intriguing and I know the vanduul scythe is not available this moment. As for ones with jump drives, it is hard for me to tell, aside from understanding that if it is short range, patrol, or simple fighters, it likely wont have it.

If possible, mind sharing what you currently run, and how well it works, flies, or even just looks?

The Khartu-Al is currently not flyable, but it has been said that it is very fast and extremely manoeuvrable because the ship revolves around the cockpit. It really is a Scout ship with light weaponry.

I fly a 325a for the single seater firepower potential (in which it currently lacks a bit) and a Constellation Andromeda for the multi-crew and diversity of roles.

If your focus is on exploration and a bit of mercantile work, I would say the Freelancer DUR with it's capable jump drive and extra, reinforced fuel tanks is a good place to start, for a medium ship.

Other than that, the Constellation Aquila with the rover exploration vehicle and upgraded sensor array would suit too. It doesn't come with a snub fighter, though, and the top turret is removed to make place for the sensors.

Hope you can make your choice

[Grrizz]

The Constellation Andromeda comes with one p52 (others don't, one comes with a buggy though) it is a multi crew ship though so while one person can fly it its much better geared to be taken out with a crew, while you can hire NPCs to man the stations if you cant find real people it is something to bare in mind.

The Khartu-Al looks like a nice ship IMO but I think it does have a slight premium due to it being alien tech (its also a limited sale ship so its not available all the time). The Cutlass is a medium size ship that can be fitted for a few different roles, I'm not a big fan of the shape personally but some people love it, it should be quite manoeuvrable with the main thrusters being rotatable and the Avenger is quite a nice ship IMO, it has great visibility and is quite manoeuvrable, there are variants yet to come too but at the moment the stock one is fitted for bounty hunting.

You can see if the ships have jump drives fitted in the 'additional' tab under 'other' on the specs page, as I mentioned you will be able to fit jump drives to most (maybe every?) ship later on but it just means you can get exploring right from the get go if its fitted by default and means it'll be covered by the hull insurance should you loose your ship for whatever reason.

As for my ships, I started with an Aurora LX because I wanted to begin with exploring, its a nice starter ship, not as heavily armed as the LN but should have a lower signature etc. and doesn't have the big scoop covering the beds overhead window (this is where personal tastes come into the ship choice ) but as things went on and the game developed I felt happy to get more.

The second ship I got was a F7C-M Super Hornet as a dedicated fighter (actually I got the F7A hull upgrade too) then I picked up a Freelancer MAX for cargo hauling figuring that would be my last purchase and would help me get my future ships in game.

The next few ships I got via AMD vouchers and upgrades so I wasn't spending ridiculous amounts, I got the Mustang Omega as a racer and because it has a really open cockpit, I mainly keep it because I like the idea of it being a bit of a cheap racer so its put together with speed in mind while cutting corners on everything else, kinda like a Corolla fitted with a V8 lol.

Next I got a 315p because at this point I figured I could one up my Aurora explorer cheaply with a CCU from one of my Mustangs but at the same rate I really like my Aurora so kept that too and should be a good ship for drawing slightly less attention than the 315p when needed.

Then I picked up an Avenger out of curiosity and because I quite liked the look, after finding out how much visibility the cockpit had and liking how it flew I decided to keep it (wasn't sure if I would at first), I'm looking forward to seeing the variants now.

Then the final ship I got was the M50 because I loved the way it handled when they had a free trial week and while I liked the idea of the Omega, the M50 is much nicer all round especially in terms of handling. I had thought of getting rid of my Omega but the cockpit made me decide to keep it because it'll be nice to take out cruising and taking in the sights once in a while even though the actual style of it has not aged well in my eyes, the opposite of the how I see Aurora TBH, I thought that was just OK at first now I love it while the Mustangs I quite liked at first now I just think they look so-so.

Aside from possibly upgrading my Avenger to a variant I think I'm done buying ships outside of the game now lol... but we'll see, there's still a lot of time before release.

[CommanderFett]

Well I own a Cutlass Blue, 325a, and a Herald. I'm only dissatisfied with the 325a.

I will be living on the wrong side of the law, so that's what my ships are based around.

If you want exploration, the 315p, Mustang Beta or the Freelancer DUR would be your best bet, as those are immediately/nearly flyable, respectively.

Recon and/or Interdiction, you'd want either the Hornet Ghost or the Hornet Tracker, respectively.

[Grrizz]

Well I own a Cutlass Blue, 325a, and a Herald. I'm only dissatisfied with the 325a.

I will be living on the wrong side of the law, so that's what my ships are based around.

If you want exploration, the 315p, Mustang Gamma(?) or the Freelancer DUR would be your best bet, as those are immediately/nearly flyable, respectively.

Recon and/or Interdiction, you'd want either the Hornet Ghost or the Hornet Tracker, respectively.

*Mustang Beta, the Gamma's the racer

[CommanderFett]

*Mustang Beta, the Gamma's the racer

Edited. Thank you kindly

[Wauthar]

*Mustang Beta, the Gamma's the racer

Gamma is also a racer? Alongside the Omega?

 

EDIT: just checked the specs, it is labeled as a racer. The Gamma and the Omega are actually exactly the same...

Edited January 30, 2015 by Wauthar

[Grrizz]

Gamma is also a racer? Alongside the Omega?

 

EDIT: just checked the specs, it is labeled as a racer. The Gamma and the Omega are actually exactly the same...

Yea they are almost identical but the Omega has an extra fuel scoop underneath the cabin which is supposed to recharge the boost quicker (and some cringe worthy AMD advertising painted on it ).

[drewjn]

Right now, I think I am going to sucker myself into buying the Karthu-al (stand-alone), as I like the premise, the look and so forth. I also like the hangar it comes with (and it only really comes as an option on higher cost packages/ships.

 

My issue now is deciding on the actual package. Sort of leaning on getting the 325A package, one of the Hornet packages, or the cutlass blue anniversary. The cutlass may not be the prettiest lass in the party, but I think the package has the best deal in its extras and warranty.

 

 

The last question I wish to ask, which ships can be used in the arena commander at this time? I know the karthu is not available, and I think that cutlass is not the right class for the options available.

 

If you have any bits of advice, even if it torpedoes my current plan, please feel free to post.

[rucdoc]

currently the cutlass black, the avenger, all of the hornets, the 300's, the aurora's, and the mustangs, with more coming online soonish, maybe.

 

if you don't have a ship that is usable in the current arena commander CIG gives you a loaner ship that does, depending on the value of the ships you have, so even if you have a ship that isn't in the current build you will have a ship that you can use.

 

personally if you like a ship, get it, if you can afford it, the stats, controls, and functions are not yet set in stone. as everything is still in flux.

[drewjn]

I ended up going with the two anniversary editions. Can only get them now, and if I really hate them, well... melt away I guess.

 

Now.. to get myself settled in the game, thanks for all the assistance.

[Wauthar]

Oh wow, it seems that the Carrack and Herald have been added!

[drewjn]

There is also going to be a surprise on the store a week after the anniversary sale ends, or at least that was what the comm posts indicated.