[TC] All around fighter.

[Zonzo]

Hello,


From boredom I have started again playing TC and thought finish all plots this time.
Before I have been using only M7 ships, Panther is my favorite.
Now I thought mess around with with fighter wings a bit. So, what is best all around fighter till I get access to Spytfires?
I was thinking Nova Raider, because speed and weapons but not sure about it.
Actually I got some help already from them, during Final Fury. From 2 wings (16 fighters) only 1 survived but they trashed Khaak destroyer and carrier during M418 invasion.
What is the criteria choosing fighters as in X3 games fighter combat is so damn wrong. So speed is not everything I guess.

[Alan Phipps]

There is deliberately no all-round best fighter for all situations otherwise, apart from in early game, nobody would use anything else. OOS vs IS and Player vs AI-operated performances are totally different even before you look at different ships and roles. You really need to decide where and what role you want to do most of using fighters and then find the one(s) that best suit the way you want to play that role.

[Zonzo]

Thanks for reply, I was thinking about IS.
I will try do some tests in Xenon sectors, to see how fast Q's go down and what are losses.

[Master of the Blade]

As a carrier based ship, Falcon Haulers are a good bet with 200MJ shields and large cargo bays for missiles. At the other end of the spectrum is the Paranid Perseus, as its stats are all above average other than the abysmal cargo bay, which doesn't matter when you don't need to jump it due to having a carrier.

[TTD]

You mention Fighter Wings.

In my main game ,I made good use of OTAS supplied fighters,along with a certain Split ship that carries 65 fighters !

I found this combination was good for the defend Split Military Outpost mission in the OFF plot.
I played them OOS .

[Lone Jedi]

Falcon Sentinel, Falcon Hauler and Eclipse can stay intact after a tough battle.

Stratigically, you may need a second wing of faster ships. Solano is an economic and balanced choice.

[Rhox]

Another good long-lasting ship for IS is the Falcon Sentinel. With its 400 MJ of shields and the ability to carry EBCs, it is ideal due to its quite big cargobay. One sample can be obtained as an ownerless ship in the US northwest of Getsu Fune. Another good Fighter for EBCs is the advanced Kea, which has the cargobay of a small TP (750 L) and thus can carry tons of ammunition. This one can only be gotten from the NMMC and either must be produced at the HQ or can be gotten in medium numbers with the undocking trick from the NMMC. An easier-to-get alternative (it can be boarded) would be the Blastclaw Prototype, which has 650 cargospace, but only sports 4 main guns for EBC.

best regards,
Rhox

[Zaitsev]

The Falcon Sentinel is also slow as a snail, with a top speed of only 107 m/s. 400 MJ of shields ain't going to hold up very long when even frigates can chase you down.

[Lone Jedi]

The Falcon Sentinel is also slow as a snail, with a top speed of only 107 m/s. 400 MJ of shields ain't going to hold up very long when even frigates can chase you down.

What fighters do you think would hold up very long then?

No one can chase your wingmen down if you order them to jump out when shields drop. Or do you just ignore their danger and let them survive on their own?

[TTD]

For me,it was safety in numbers.
My wing in the Kha'ak sector docked at the Split MO after each mission until OFF was complete.
Out of the original 65 fighters I had at least 40 left over after at least three protect missions.

[Zonzo]

So I have start messing around with ammunition, was hoping only lasers will do.
Thanks for replies, I will try something.

[Rhox]

So I have start messing around with ammunition, was hoping only lasers will do.
Thanks for replies, I will try something.

Lasers may do just as well, but with ammo-based weapons you have to worry less about your fighters as they do actually fire unless they run out of ammunition.

best regards,
Rhox

[Coreblimey]

IMHO the best all-round fighter just has to be the Argon Nova. Good shielding. Good cargo hold. Good weapon generator. Good hull thickness. Good speed. Good at at everything. Best at none except all-rounder.

[Triaxx2]

Nova? Really? Slow, lightly armed, and under shielded.

A better all-rounder is the Yaki Tenjin, a touch slower than the Nova Raider, more heavily armed with 9 guns forward, and one left and one right turret.

The Mamba Vanguard is also exception, being faster, with a better forward armament selection than the Nova Raider, and with equal shields.

[Kirlack]

No, not equal shields. The Nova Raider carries 75Mj of shielding, the Maba Vangaurd (one of my fave ships in game btw) only carries 50Mj. Sorry Triaxx

I usually opt for Eclipse when I'm building a fighter wing for in sector, mainly due to the combination of low speed and huge shielding, meaning the auto-pillock is responsible for far less deaths. Obviously being the speed they are they don't suit everyone, but they can keep pace with most cap ships that might want a wing of them aboard.

[Zonzo]

Topic still alive.

Nova Raider was my choice because of speed and back turret.
In real life speed and turn rate are win in air combat, this game lacks most basic air combat feature, get behind and trash opponent.
Last time I checked X games combat mechanics was X2 and it made me laugh.
Fighters had dive bombers hit and run logic, after firing short burst from lasers they turned away, gained some distance and another short burst hit and run.
Who ever wrote those piece of trash combat scripts has no freaking clue about air combat.
For example Freelancer had very good combat mechanics and NPS's where very intelligent.

Anyway, on topic.
I think, I have found a winner. It is Blastclaw Prototype (pilotless ship from Veil of Delusion). Not bad speed, large cargo space, can mount PRG's in to turrets (longer range than PAC).
As I'm using LI mod it is not difficult start duplicating them.

[Nanook]

Topic still alive.

Nova Raider was my choice because of speed and back turret.
In real life speed and turn rate are win in air combat, this game lacks most basic air combat feature, get behind and trash opponent....

Probably because in Real Life™, fighters don't have shields to protect themselves. So in the X-Universe, your tactics are based on shield strength more than anything else. One M3 may have the shields of a heavy M4 (Mamba Raider - 25 MJ) or those of a standard M6 (Falcon Sentinel - 400 MJ). And that determines how you fight in/against those ships. Oh, and many, if not most, M3's have rear turrets, which negates the "get behind and trash opponent" idea. Fighter combat in the X-Universe is a bit more complex than Real Life™.

[Zonzo]

Nanook, air combat tactics is been developed and advanced since 1'st World War and when human kind finally could fly in the space, it will be no different from current tactics.
No matter, you have shields or not, speed and turn rate will be still major factor, because you can't go against physics laws. Ignoring real life facts in game is ridiculous and misleading. All comes in to holy balancing, witch is ridiculous it's self.
So after balancing what we got? Teladi ships been towed across space buy maja snails? But hey, Teladi ships got double shield, very useful feature, when shields go down pretty fast, especially when HEPT's just love slow moving targets.
Again, Freelancer, only 1 very heavy fighter was good for PVP (Eagle) and popular choice, rest of ships where sort of meh. Especially Corsair's VHF Titan, we called it to flying brick.

[Honved]

Probably because in Real Life™, fighters don't have shields to protect themselves. So in the X-Universe, your tactics are based on shield strength more than anything else.

RL fighters also don't have to worry about energy weapon recharge, and depleting it in one pass. Those light M5 gnats run out of energy quickly, and dash away until that energy is fully restored. Between shields and energy weapons, it's nothing like 20th Century dogfighting, but isn't necessarily intended to be. If the craft behaved that way in a WWII aircraft game, I'd complain.

[Triaxx2]

Actually, real world aircraft have enough for a total of a couple of seconds of burst and then are completely out of ammo. The M60 Vulcan cannon has a truly enormous rate of fire.

@Kirlack: I suppose it has to have one good point.