First M7M??

[TheGoldElite]

I own an M7, but I was thinking of getting a m7m too, mostly for boarding operations, i'm collecting boarding pods already, I'll see if I can get a CLS/CAG to buy them for the hub automatically. In any case I was wondering what a good one to go for, I mean it shouldn't be getting into to many fights itself, shielding isn't really necessary, but I'm not sure what makes a good M7M anyways, so what do you guys prefer? My first thought was the Split one, but maybe I could make do this the Teladi version, god knows it's cheaper..

[JAFA_NZ]

I suggest you do a bunch of think missions, especially Return Ship, for whichever race you're most popular with, until they ask you to return one for them (it may not even be their model), then keep it instead.

[perkint]

Three things to look for (ignoring price):

1. Speed. Can be useful but if you are friendly with the Split the turbo makes any of them fast enough

2. Cargo bay. Hey - the thing needs to be able to carry the missiles to fire!

3. Looks. It matters to some people

Really any of the M7Ms are very good, so long as you can obtain enough ordnance for it!!!

Tim

[MarvinTheMartian]

Most here would suggest the Split or Teladi from experience.

My first was the Cobra (Split) and one thing I wasn't counting on was that it's easier to control shields (do less damage while keeping marines alive) when you're closer to the target. If I was buying again I might go for the Gannet (Teladi) for the shields, not to bothered about storage space, I don't have enough missiles to fill a cobra let alone a gannet!

Not sure what the deal is with price, in my universe the cobra is only 500K more than the gannet and by the time you put shields in the gannet is far more expensive.

As for CAG/CLS I'm doing exactly that, have a CAG that goes out and buys BPs and missiles without me having to worry about it.

[TheGoldElite]

Alright so its really between split and teladi then. Well the plan for me really is to control the shields with my Shrike, one on one I can take anything really, just start with a few typhoons and then I'll come in with IPGs, and keep shields down with that and or EBCs in the front, the only real reason I want the M7M is to use boarding pods, and a few flails to cover, though it might be easier to do it all in the M7M I dunno.

I'm really not a big missile fan,but it would be handy as backup, I'll just have to get a Big complex up and running, my plan is to build a big one ontop of a 50yield Ore Mine, and ferry the Ecells from my giant money making SCC in the same sector. I have the marauder mod, so I could even build boarding pod forges (Woot!) If the CAG thing is too much hassle.

I'll take a look at the two ships, I'll probably lean towards the Gannet, as I like big ships to have big shields, so long as it's not too slow, and alot of storage would be nice. I just thought it'd be cheaper, most Teladi ships are like 50% off the other race equivelants normally. I just checked my account and I'm suprised to see it risen to 80mil, highest its ever been, just did a string of build/assasination missions.

Maybe I'll just keep going for an m2 lol. But it'd be smarter to get an M7M first, then re-invest the next fortune in Complexes etc, build up my empire ; )

Edit* I;m sure if I steal one, police will hunt it down anyway. I'll buy one fair and square, but I wont have to buy big ships in the future !!

[A5PECT]

My first and only M7M in my current game is the Sirokos.

All I use missile frigates for is boarding, and all the Sirokos does is fire boarding pods.

In my experience the explicit stats of an M7M aren't important. It's the logistics and infrastructure behind it that make a difference. If you can keep your frigate armed and fueled, you control the the battlefield.

[twilight_echoes]

I've only used the Cobra and see no reason to change. I've no idea if it's the best, though much depends how you plan on using it.

You need never take the thing into direct combat, so shields don't matter. It's good to be faster than a destroyer so you can run without jumping, but just about every M7M is faster than any destroyer.

IMO it is ***much*** easier to cap M1s, M2s & M7's purely using your M7M, as their shields are big enough to micromanage with flails once they have been mostly stripped off with hammers.

For TL's it's easier to manage shields with something else (M3+ or corvette) simply because their shield strength is so low that it's hard to keep it fine tuned. Corvette capping is swings & roundabouts. IMO the only corvettes worth capping are ones you can't buy, because it's fiddly and tends to end up killing your marines.


Large cargobay actually is very useful, because you can carry spare gear to kit out anything you just stole (if you want to keep it) or asset strip all its worthwhile equipment (if you don't).

[ancienthighway]

Sounds to me like trying M7Ms on for size might be in order. Save the game try one; drive, fire missiles and board. Reload and try the other. Decide which you like best. Reload and try them all

[Progress-M]

As far as boarding goes, any flail/hammer/boarding pod-carrying CW M7M is capable of doing it's job and if you do it right, the differences don't really even come to play.

If you use an M6 to lower the shields and destroy the weaponry of the target, the role of the M7M is pretty much to stay put in the vicinity and fire the pods once the preparation work is done and it makes next to no difference what model M7M it is.

If you use an M7M alone to capture ships, the speed starts to play a bit of a role, but any M7M can do the job fine still.

The difference is, in a Cobra you can start closer to the target and you can maintain your distance to slower ships, whereas a Gannet needs to open fire from further away to stay outside weapons range throughout the boarding process as chances are your maximum speed is slower.

This is why the Split Cobra is the cookie cutter option: strictly speaking it can do the job in a tighter space. However, Turbo MK2 makes a really big difference and mitigates the speed differences.

You can also successfully board fast ships with a slow ship and still stay out of harms way even without the MK2 booster, it just means doing a bit of simple math to see how long you have until the target is in weapons range.

As an example the speed difference between a Gannet and a Panther is 65 m/s(3.9km/min) so if you start from 21 km's away you have about 4-5 minutes time to get the shields down, your marines in and the ship captured before you get to hear the good news from the IBL's. A Cobra can do the same starting 9-10 km's closer to the target.

In the end, a faster ship allows you to work in a smaller space but ultimately it comes down to personal preference, looks and roleplaying factors.

[garv222]

Just don't pick up the OTAS M7M since that doesn't fire boarding pods.

Neither does the skirnir, but people use that ship for wanton destruction and not boarding.

[kurush]

For boarding I think it should be definitely Cobra. Speed matters and little else except being able to fire boarding pods.

[Kor'ah]

Kracken. Fast enough to board anything worth boarding and has lots of room in the cargo bay for missiles.

[zyriel]

i agree with kurush about the cobra
cobra is my favourite m7m for boarding

[SIMON POPPLEWELL]

Go with the Cobra, it has the speed to keep it's distance from it's target which is essential imo.

[Progress-M]

oh noes, it's the cookie cutter squad!

[nponoBegHuk]

Unce you get a bit of practice, you will find yourself confident in keeping shields low with flails, without damaging the hull. While easy with slow capital ships regen, it might be a little challenging with TLs and M6 (probably M7 too). That's where speed matters - the closer you stay to the target, the faster the missiles land and you can control the shields better. I usually stay at 5-7 Km.


That's where you need speed enough to keep the pace with your target, to keep distances short without getting in direct fire range. Most M6 and non-bomber M7 will outrun you anyway but if you start at 10km, the faster your ship is, the longer is the window of opportunity to "tune" the target shields, get your marines in and jump out after they're in, without getting any damage.

I went for Argon Heavy Centaur Prototype yesterday in my Cobra, It's one of the fastest ships you will ever board, and also difficult to keep shields low. I had to jump out to the nearest gate twice to get out of range but finally got it. Of course, if I could get a faster bomber, I would!

[Lelouch]

I totally agree with Progress-M. Pick the one you like most / is the the easiest to acquire, but not Aquilo or Skirnir due to inability to fire boarding pods.

Back turret or not doesn't play that much of a difference. If speed is insufficient you can use either Turbo Boost MK2, jump-gates or single-/bi-directional strafing.

[twilight_echoes]

Interesting post nponoBegHuk.

I grabbed a Hyperion from my Cobra, using very similar strategy of starting about 9km out and ordered piracy whilst under fire. The Cobra can tank even a Hyp for a while if need be and the proximity does make management much easier. My shields were down to about 50% when I jumped clear, which I initiated as soon as the marines hit the Hyperion.

I had removed the flaks from the back of my Cobra so they didn't accidentally fry the Hyperion.

Best to equip just 1 boarding pod when chasing M6's IMO - or two & 6 marines on the M7M.

[Rhox]

Just don't pick up the OTAS M7M since that doesn't fire boarding pods.

Yet it is the second-best-shielded M7M and if you just want to level entire sectors from a safe distance, you should go with the Aquilo.

Neither does the skirnir, but people use that ship for wanton destruction and not boarding.

In my view, the Skirnir should be regarded as a ship of its own. Thanks to the shadow missiles it is worth a dozen destroyers, you can level anything big (from M6 to supershipyards) in a matter of seconds and when you do this in conjunction with the "change-to-another-ship-after-firing-the-missiles-and-jump-the-M7M-away"-trick, you can destroy the whole universe without even getting a hit in reputation!

[Lelouch]

In my view, the Skirnir should be regarded as a ship of its own.

Seconded. Argument reinforced through flail-equivalent only being available through NPC-forges. It feels a bit like someone waving a sign: "Oh come on. You don't want them anyway."

btw.: The Skirnir had 2 front turrets which could carry EMPCs and MAMLs in Patch 1.3. Really a ship of its own...