Star Citizen: Chris Robert`s new space sim (the Wing Commander guy)

Page 222 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
I think the offer is pretty nice of CIG. They're giving you options: do nothing, CCU your Cutlass to a Buc for free, or take $10 off the purchase of a Buc.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
Instead of CCU from Cutlass to Buccaneer, if Cutlass is a stand-alone ship (and without LTI), the better way is to melt the Cutlass and use the store credits and this coupon to buy the Buccaneer. You will also have LTI at no additional cost. The only downside is that you can no longer gift a ship bought using store credits.
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,553
15,766
136
My Cutlass has LTI, I like the idea that it could become a mini gunship or even a boarding ship but its role seems ambiguous right now.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
You can upgrade to Buccaneer and later CCU at no cost to Freelancer or to F7C Hornet (when it will be on sale), if you prefer one of those. Or CCU to a ship more expensive, using this $10 discount.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
I would much rather have the Cutlass than the Bucc. This game has a lot of light fighters, but there aren't many medium class multi-role ships like the Cutlass. Plus, I think it's going to be a cool ship if you have a friend you want to jump onboard, without being a giant expensive multi-crew ship.

I'm confident that at some point the Cutlass will get its due diligence from CIG and definitely be worth having. They're completely reworking the flight mechanics for it, and what we have right now is just a placeholder.

I'll pick one up at some point, but I'm just torn on which version to get. I'm kind of bummed there's not an explorer variant - it has plenty of room inside for expanded tanks / scanners / scientific workstations / etc. Right now the only option for a smallish dual-person explorer is the Reliant Sen (which admittedly is pretty cool).

The Bucc? Really just don't have much interest in it. Already have some excellent light fighters, but I think it's cool that Drake has one now too. The more variety the better.
 
Last edited:

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
I would much rather have the Cutlass than the Bucc. This game has a lot of light fighters, but there aren't many medium class multi-role ships like the Cutlass. Plus, I think it's going to be a cool ship if you have a friend you want to jump onboard, without being a giant expensive multi-crew ship.

I'm confident that at some point the Cutlass will get its due diligence from CIG and definitely be worth having. They're completely reworking the flight mechanics for it, and what we have right now is just a placeholder.

I'll pick one up at some point, but I'm just torn on which version to get.

The Bucc? Really just don't have much interest in it. Already have some excellent light fighters, but I think it's cool that Drake has one now too. The more variety the better.

I completely agree. I think there has been such a scathing reaction to the Cutlass from the owners (and community) that it's only natural for CIG to over-react and put so much effort into righting their perceived wrongs that the Cutlass becomes one of the best hulls in the game.

It's definitely staying on my wish list.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
@Fanatical Meat
You said that you will replace that thumbnail icon yesterday.

Edit:
Post 1000.
 
Last edited:

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
Just realized tonight I have over 20 hours in BR since 2.2. Man I love this game!

350rleader.jpg
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
But how many of those hours are from 2.3 (too bad that they did not made a separate entry for 2.3 in the leaderboards)? I tried, but can't play Battle Royale anymore.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
But how many of those hours are from 2.3 (too bad that they did not made a separate entry for 2.3 in the leaderboards)? I tried, but can't play Battle Royale anymore.


I think probably 50/50. I only use the Leaderboards for personal stat checking - - I'll never do great flying a 350R, because position is based heavily on score per minute....it just doesn't have the DPS to compete with Sabres and Hornets.

Don't care though...I love flying the 350R. I waited 2 years for CIG to fix the da*n thing, and now that it works, I'm going to take advantage of it until it breaks again. :)
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
You may be soon able to put 2xSize 2 + 4xSize 1 fixed weapons on that 350R. Imagine it with 2 Tarantulas and 4 Longswords!
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
You may be soon able to put 2xSize 2 + 4xSize 1 fixed weapons on that 350R. Imagine it with 2 Tarantulas and 4 Longswords!

Source!! I've not heard this. :sneaky:

While they're at it, please give the Gladius S3 wing guns. It will still be far weaker than a Sabre, but at least it will have a chance.
 

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
Buccaneer minigame (poll) - one question every two days.

I have a suspicion that we'll be rewarded for poll participation. Just like the April Fool's joke, the Shubin mining application.....Turbulent isn't going to go through all that effort for nothing. CIG want Citizens to participate. And they've been rewarding participation.

I'm not saying we'll get another $5 coupon, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got something....
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
Source!! I've not heard this. :sneaky:

They just announced that the weapon mount system was changed.

They introduced something called twin-link.

Now, a pair of "twin-linked" weapons only need the size of one weapon + 1 and not the sum of the sizes of those weapons.
If you also have that twin-linked pair on a gimbal, you add another 1 (as before for a gimbal).

So now, two twin-linked Size 2 weapons are only taking up 2+1=3 points (instead of 4 points). A Size 3 ship hardpoint will be able to install two fixed (and twin-linked) Size 2 weapons.

Since a Size 3 weapon is only about 1.5 as powerful as a Size 2 (and also has lower speed), a twin-linked pair will be the better option as things stand now.

What they did not said is which ships will be able to use twin-links (it looks like twin links wil not be universal).

I have a suspicion that we'll be rewarded for poll participation. Just like the April Fool's joke, the Shubin mining application.....Turbulent isn't going to go through all that effort for nothing. CIG want Citizens to participate. And they've been rewarding participation.

I'm not saying we'll get another $5 coupon, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got something....

I expect a pirate icon this time.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
So now, two twin-linked Size 2 weapons are only taking up 2+1=3 points (instead of 4 points). A Size 3 ship hardpoint will be able to install two fixed (and twin-linked) Size 2 weapons.

This could potentially alleviate some of the PIP problems that mismatched loadout sizes presents.

I have my doubts it will end up on the 300 series nose though - there doesn't appear to be enough room up there to mount a pair of S2s. Fortunately right now the S3 Broadsword has the same projectile velocity as the S2 Tarantulas, so they place nice together.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
It was a bad idea to put different sized hardpoints on small ships, because this is strongly limiting the viable configurations.

Counting the weapons available to rent or buy individually, from 5 types of size 1 weapons and 8 types of size 2 weapons, only 4 or 5 combinations have a good projectile speed match:

Bulldog (2650m/s) + M4A (2600m/s) - close enough, but low damage
Omnisky III (2500m/s) + Badger (2500m/s) - perfect speed match
Longsword (1600m/s) + NN14 Neutron Cannon (1600m/s) - perfect speed match
Longsword (1600m/s) + Tarantula GT-870 (size 2) (1510m/s) - this is not so good as a speed match, but is one of the best S1+S2 combinations now (because both are ballistic and with reasonable damage for their size)

NN13 (1700m/s) + NN14 (1600m/s) - although the speed difference is borderline here, it also works because you will use these from close range only.

What I would like would be a Size 1 high damage per shot weapon (ballistic, if possible) that could be paired with Sledge II (2100m/s). Size 1 has a big gap between 1700m/s and 2500m/s (for currently available weapons).
 
Last edited:

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,701
60
91
My shoulder's almost feeling good enough that I could start playing again (with dual sticks).

Week by week it's getting better, especially after a good PT session. Maybe in the next week or so they'll take 2.4 to live and I can jump on. I wasn't active (because of surgery)in the few weeks up to the PTU invites so I never got one.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
It was a bad idea to put different sized hardpoints on small ships, because this is strongly limiting the viable configurations.

Counting the weapons available to rent or buy individually, from 5 types of size 1 weapons and 8 types of size 2 weapons, only 4 or 5 combinations have a good projectile speed match:

Bulldog (2650m/s) + M4A (2600m/s) - close enough, but low damage
Omnisky III (2500m/s) + Badger (2500m/s) - perfect speed match
Longsword (1600m/s) + NN14 Neutron Cannon (1600m/s) - perfect speed match
Longsword (1600m/s) + Tarantula GT-870 (size 2) (1510m/s) - this is not so good as a speed match, but is one of the best S1+S2 combinations now (because both are ballistic and with reasonable damage for their size)

NN13 (1700m/s) + NN14 (1600m/s) - although the speed difference is borderline here, it also works because you will use these from close range only.

What I would like would be a Size 1 high damage per shot weapon (ballistic, if possible) that could be paired with Sledge II (2100m/s). Size 1 has a big gap between 1700m/s and 2500m/s (for currently available weapons).


Part of the problem right now is that the big mass drivers don't do enough damage per shot. If they're going to keep firing as slowly as they do (which is supposed to be the balance factor, along with the low ammo velocity), then they need to be way more powerful.

For example, the Sledge II only deals out 219 DPS, and the APAR mass driver is even worse at 131 DPS. There's no point in using them when the S2 Tarantula deals out 266 DPS due to the higher fire rate and is easier to hit with because of the faster projectile speed.



I'm sure they'll all get balance passes eventually.
 
Last edited:

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,482
136
106
It's too early to do a thorough balancing, but since we'll play this game in alpha stage for a long time, some kind of basic balancing should be done in the meantime.

I am trying not to rent a Super Hornet or a Sabre and mostly use my Aurora LN (and sometimes the rented M50), but with every patch they make it worse. They managed to worsen even the Aurora's HUD (that was already bad from the displayed information point of view).
 
Last edited:

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
It's to early to do a thorough balancing, but since we'll play this game in alpha stage for a long time, some kind of basic balancing should be done in the meantime.


Yeah, even though it's early to do balancing, this stuff should be really easy. Just a 10-min. pass editing some of those values would help a lot.

It would give people more of an incentive to test other options instead of just loading up the one or two "good" weapons. It would benefit them as well as us.