What is the best M7 for a player ship ? (AP)

[Klord]

This might be a question discussed here before.
But want to make sure couple of things.

I dont have any idea to pilot an M2...they turn like bricks.

So the available option is to go for an M7.
Know in TC, Tiger was the best player ship alongside Panther. (arguably)
Have it changed in AP ?

Whatever, Im gonna buy or cap a Tiger. (like the look of it...so sexy)

What is the best weapon load out for it ? (A capital ship killer with superb fighter defense)

Thank you..

[Crezeh]

Incendiary Bomb Launchers as capital weapons, Flak Artillery Arrays as fighter defence.

FAAs for rear, top, bottom. IBL for forward.
For right and left, it could be either one, or IBLs one side and FAAs the other.
Reason being that if you turn correctly you might be able to fire forward and right/left turret at the same time. Not sure if this is true for the tiger though.

You mentioned you wanted PALCs.
The Plasma beam cannon works in a very similar way, and is obtainable in AP. It can be mounted on the Cerberus, the pirate Carrack, or the OTAS Astraeus Hauler.

To get one, get a laser tower, place it, and then destory it before its 10 minute setup time finishes. There's a chance a plasma beam cannon will drop.

Personally I'd go for a Cerberus. It loses some speed, but has more weapon slots, energy, and can even carry some fighters. All while being compatible with the PBC in right&left turrets.

The pirate Carrack has space for more PBCs, but pays for that quite heavily, particularly in shielding.

[VincentTH]

Incendiary Bomb Launchers as capital weapons, Flak Artillery Arrays as fighter defence.

FAAs for rear, top, bottom. IBL for forward.
For right and left, it could be either one, or IBLs one side and FAAs the other.
Reason being that if you turn correctly you might be able to fire forward and right/left turret at the same time. Not sure if this is true for the tiger though.

You mentioned you wanted PALCs.
The Plasma beam cannon works in a very similar way, and is obtainable in AP. It can be mounted on the Cerberus or the pirate Carrack.

To get one, get a laser tower, place it, and then destory it before its 10 minute setup time finishes. There's a chance a plasma beam cannon will drop.

Personally I'd go for a Cerberus. It loses some speed, but has more weapon slots, energy, and can even carry some fighters. All while being compatible with the PBC in right&left turrets.

The pirate Carrack has space for more PBCs, but pays for that quite heavily, particularly in shielding.

My personal preference is the Shrike. 3 things I like about it:
(1) Can dock 8 Fighters
(2) Can use Gauss Cannon, so practically your ship firing power is NOT limited to the ship's power generator. (It does to some extend, therefore "practically").
(3) A huge cargo bay, compared to other M7s.

I don't worry much about the slow speed, because the Split Mk2 Turbo Booster would even out the playing field. Did I mention about the huge cargo bay (which allow you to hold lots of EC for the Turbo booster)?

[Coreblimey]

If you fit flak weapons in all the turrets that can equip them & IBLs in the main turret, you may wish to carry some ISLs or CIGs as a swap out. Once those flaks start firing they are going to suck up all your laser energy leaving you very little to fire your IBLs.

[Karmaticdamage]

Tiger is nice but cant run the ibls long enough to take down anything bigger then a m7 in an acceptable amount of time. Personally I like the Carrack with 8 plasma beam cannons equiped. All 8 can be focused on a single target and will shred m7s and below very quickly. You get plasma beam cannons by destroying laser towers before they finish setting up.

[ajax34i]

Tiger / Panther are fast, and pretty maneuverable, but they're as big as M2's (bigger than the Boreas in size). You're not going to evade a lot of PPC or IBL fire if you're in range to shoot your own IBLs. And in AP, the insta-kill awesomeness of IBL salvos is negated by increased hull hitpoints; you definitely have to make at least a few passes with the Tiger.

Which is why you should not forget to load up on missiles (firestorms and hornets).

Personally I'd escort the Tiger with Griffon Sentinels (same speed, tiny ships, very good coverage for flaks, and can carry wings of 9), but shooting IBLs and doing passes gets boring so I'd probably just fly the Griffon Sentinel with missiles, a wing to order around, and kick-ass anti-missile and anti-fighter defenses. It's so tiny it can evade PPC and IBL fire pretty well.

Or just fly the Hyperion, with, like, a crapload of hornets and firestorms, flamethrowers in the main guns, and a couple Nova Raiders for mopping up or whatever.

[mistervec]

Depending on your current situation in-game, what resources you have available, and what you want to use the ship for, then I'd make the following recommendations:

The Split Panther makes for an excellent carrier/warship PROVIDED you have access to IBLs. On the down side, it doesn't have enough of a weapon generator to manage both that AND anti-flack batteries for an extended period of time.

The Teladi Shrike is slower and blockier than the Split Panther, but it relies on the much easier to obtain Gauss Cannon as an anti-capital weapon.

The Argon Cerberus is provides a good alternative to either. It's one of the few that can mount PBCs as anti-ship weapons. It benefits from being relatively easy to outfit and having a good weapons generator.

The Argon Astreaus is a much faster, more maneuverable, but less durable version of the Cerberus. It's the fastest of all of the M7's. It can also mount PBCs and has the same amount of shielding as the Cerberus, but less cargo space, and hull points.

Finally, the Argon Griffon Sentinel is a very flexible utility ship. It has a good mix of speed, maneuverability, and durability, but it lacks heavy anti-ship weapons. While not apparent on paper, it's not much larger than a corvette and is capable of evading most incoming fire while piloted by the player. It also has a four-weapon forward turret and an excellent weapon generator to support the numerous flak guns it can mount.

edit: I meant PBCs, not PALCs, d'oh.

[46_n_2]

every time this topic comes up i am disappointed in the lack of love for the Deimos...

with 6 gj shielding and ability to mount IBLs as well as PSGs plus a docking bay. this ship is a thing of beauty

anything m7 and below can be easily dealt with, and with some decent flying skills it can stand up to some M1/2s

[VincentTH]

every time this topic comes up i am disappointed in the lack of love for the Deimos...

with 6 gj shielding and ability to mount IBLs as well as PSGs plus a docking bay. this ship is a thing of beauty

anything m7 and below can be easily dealt with, and with some decent flying skills it can stand up to some M1/2s

2 problems: Friendly fire & Frame Rate. That's the reasons nobody likes the Deimos.

[ajax34i]

The Deimos is "able to mount IBLs" but not in the main gun battery, and not 8-12 of them. Consequently, it cannot match the alpha strike power of the Tiger, with 8 overcharged IBLs shooting from the front on the first pass. Couple IBL's on the side battery don't really do much damage.

6 ships hangar is decent, though.

[Playbahnosh]

The Griffon was my all time favorite in TC. Ever since I got it at the end of OFF, it was my flagship for all my games.

I'm not sure about AP now. With the introduction of the new M7C class, I guess I go see how they perform and I might change my mind. The Guppy and the Ariadne especially intrigues me, since they can dock a TS/TP ship. I looked at their stats and the Guppy wins in just about every area, but the Ariadne can dock an M8. I think I'll try the Guppy first, since I'm really not sure of the Ariadne's weapon loadout, it looks horrid for an M7, but the Guppy could be pretty good.

[Coreblimey]

I've just read a post that states the Ariadne CANNOT dock an M8.

[Playbahnosh]

I've just read a post that states the Ariadne CANNOT dock an M8.

I read posts stating otherwise. Anyway, if that's the case, I'll definitely go with the Guppy, it's better in every area anyway.

[Crezeh]

I just tested this in AP.

I tested Claymore, Auster Hauler, Hades, Centaur, and Helios.

I attempted to order each of these ships to dock with an Ariadne and a Guppy, the order could not be given.

So I guess that confirms that the Ariadne cannot dock M8s.

[Skism]

I agree with 46n2

The Deimos is a fine ship the second M7 I ever bought, because there is not alot that it CAN'T do, admitably I never had many IBLs (could not be bothered with feeding them...) but there are alot of things a Deimos with a scimitar wing (or a cutlass wing) with swarm missiles can do all you need is some backup for dealing with M2s and you are set because depending on load out it can literally deal with EVERYTHING else.

When you need something to 'fix' your enemy this ship does it.

[Klord]

Really interesting....But I want a player ship alongside Hyp to deal in more tougher situations.
So the speed & handling is a top priority. The only m7 I have ever piloted was Griffon in TC & Tiger has more maneuverability & speed than that.

I havent noticed that Tiger got low weapon energy & a reactor than other counterparts...but hope it will manage the all around flak coverage. (All these things only if my system can support a lot of FAAs graphical demand.

Anyway, thanks for the tips...

[Coreblimey]

I havent noticed that Tiger got low weapon energy & a reactor than other counterparts...but hope it will manage the all around flak coverage.

It hasn't. In fact the reverse is true. It has one of the best laser generators for it's class. The problem is that it is not up to firing Flaks and IBLs at the same time for more than a few seconds. For that you would require an M2.
However if you are not surrounded by many fighters your Flaks may be quick enough to dispose of them , leaving plenty of energy for your main IBLs.

[Klord]

It hasn't. In fact the reverse is true. It has one of the best laser generators for it's class. The problem is that it is not up to firing Flaks and IBLs at the same time for more than a few seconds. For that you would require an M2.
However if you are not surrounded by many fighters your Flaks may be quick enough to dispose of them , leaving plenty of energy for your main IBLs.

Thats good news...whatever, Im gonna give it a try. I like the look of it.

[Dallatorre]

The tiger have something more than others: it is a lot smaller (front-side)
It means that it's harder to hit

[Coreblimey]

But a lot, lot longer. Meaning it's easier to hit broadside!