So I had my first full day with the Freelancer, it's early days and with all the hype and reads ups I was expecting this to feel great. The Freelancer, like with many individual players is going to be my personal ship of choice, my "go to ship" when I just want jump into a solo game and try a few different roles.
But after spending a large part of yesterday flying around in her I just wasn't feeling it. First off, like the Connie she's not a solo ship, yes she's smaller than the Connie but I could see where having a second player or even NPC could be a benefit. This isn't a big deal as this is classed as a two man ship and I could overtime get used to flying her solo. But i hate to say it but the lack of visuals did bother me. Now I already said in another post that Lando has suggested the cockpit will be more visual on the DUR due to it being an explorer, which I'm hoping will make a difference. I also think that if your going to have such a poor line of sight then you should have a better radar/sensor display. For some reason the Freelancer has none (that I can see when messing with the huds), I know the freelancer will get a exciting 3D type of hud, which I hope is going to be a Misc thing across the board as they all have that style cockpit. But I need a good radar in place if they intend to keep with this present style.
I know it's a lot smaller ship but when I'm in the SuperHornet, it feels right and I got that from day one and I want that feel with the Freelancer. In contrast I felt more comfortable with the Connie, it's a ship I never had much expectation for but if I was given a choice so far then I'd prefer the Connie over the Freelancer. Regardless of the cost the Connie seems to out match the Freelancer, but so far doesn't need that much more work to fly.
But as I say it's only my first day, we have many more trial days and many more systems to put in place before a decision has to be made. But since day one I've always steered away from the NPC crew thing and wanted a player base game. For the first time yesterday I was hoping that the NPC crew live up to expectation as I may need to consider the Carrack as my "Go to ship" for that single player experience as well as my multi-crew ship experience. I guess time will tell.
The Freelancer will never feel like a Super Hornet, so I'd suggest that's an unrealistic comparison. Ships with the capacity to haul and do other things are not going to give you the same feel as a thoroughbred fighter. I'd be guessing that the planned 3D UI will give you the abilty to track well enough to not need the visuals of the Super Hornet. Certainly I often fly on the radar to track, not by turning my head and trying to look 'up and backwards'. I only switch to visual when I need direct line of sight, so when I'm tracking the radar is fine and that's what the UI will hopefully provide.
As you say, early days!
I find the Cutlass to be a really nice solo craft.
- It's got amazing all round vision
- some serious firepower
- incredible maneuverability
- can be flown solo
- can also accommodate two passengers
- has a moderate amount of cargo space (33 units as opposed to Freelancers 52)
- has beds
- has a head
- has a cool tractor beam (or will have)
- is an iconic looking ship
- is due a rework so will look even better moving forward
Downsides
- Currently horribly bugged on Stanton. It's larger than most single seater fighters (3m shorter than a Freelancer) but seems to be delivered to pads too small to accommodate it. This results in it hitting the structure of the space station and taking damage. I'm not sure if it's been fixed for 2.1 though. It really needs to sit on a larger pad.
- The hud is broken (missing) so you can only see speed data. Everything else is only visible on the actual ships panels. This will obviously be fixed.
- It suffers with the falling through floor bug, or did in 2.0.
So my daily solo runabout is the Cutlass which I find a better fit for general solo use than a dedicated fighter or a larger carrier.
@ Tealeaf. Your right it's a unfair comparison to compare it to a fighter. But in many ways I was trying to say that I feel more comfortable in the SH compared to any other fighter. Maybe it the number of hours I've spent in SH but I wanted that to be the same with the Freelancer in comparison to the other ships similar in its class, Cutlass and Connie.
Connie leading it for me so far..
@ Smilidon, I think they fixed the Cutlass landing issue in 2.1. I've always wrote off the Cutlass as I've counted on the Freelancer. I have a tempory Cutlass so maybe it's time I try this out also.
The Cutlass was originally touted as the "Freelancer's evil twin" :)
Ironically I just got a Freelancer DUR for trundling about and finding stuff. It's a lot faster than the Cutlass but obviously not as maneuverable as what is considered to be one of the most agile ships in the game.
The new Hangar ready DUR is much prettier than the flyable Freelancer base model though. Really looking forward to it being fully functional and flyable.
Maybe I should try my Cutlass out again since it sounds like you guys like it, was a bit buggy pre 2.1 for my liking, I'm most happy in the SH too at the minute and though I will defo keep it as my go to combat ship I do still have a couple of LTI Auroras and a ton of store credit waiting to add at least 1 more ship. I had a Retaliator but didn't get on with it somehow and though I like the Connie it feels weak, though I don't intend being combat orientated at all, so maybe a Connie Taurus for trade runs may be where I go.... I suppose when we can throw money at upgrading a Connie into a tank with better shields etc it may fit the bill, but how it's been sold/marketed (iconic bounty hunter, smuggler and millennium falcon wannabe) doesn't fit with how it feels right now to me...
I felt exactly the same in the Connie as it felt like a large glass target. Although I've never really liked the cutlass I will admit it has surprised me. When your EVAing a lot it's a perfect ship to get in and out of and the same with the freelancer. The Connie is difficult and the warden could be better, the cutlass has moved up in my ranking based on using it as it's very practical. But I still prefer the Freelancer over the two.
I have a Cutlass Blue and it is the only ship of that size that has survived in my fleet. I gradually fell out of love with everything else and really like it!
Quote from: TeaLeaf;409440I have a Cutlass Blue and it is the only ship of that size that has survived in my fleet. I gradually fell out of love with everything else and really like it!
Let me know if there is a deal on your sentinal ;)
Sorry having diverted this off topic :rolleyes: ... back on topic, has anyone got a Freelancer Max ? just wondering if it seems huge inside, stats say it should be mahoosive !?
Just for you. There's no on or off topic. I might create some more forums and split out posts into ship stuff game stuff etc.
Cheers for that, it's pretty damn huge !! ... and probably more manageable solo or with just 1 friend or an NPC crew than a Connie Taurus i imagine.... i wish i knew what those extra 2 seats in the cockpit were going to get used for though !?
As do we all, currently all three extra seats control shields and power settings.
Also we need some to change the bulb when we go to red alert
Sent from my Nexus 5
Quote from: smilodon;409497As do we all, currently all three extra seats control shields and power settings.
And that can't be right can it ? If you crew a Connie with 6 you still only have 3 bums on seats in the cockpit.... Can't imagine there's enough to do on a Freelancer for 4 dedicated pilots/co pilots .... I hope they become multi function passenger, bounty lock down seats personally !
Yes I agree they need to have another role. Either use the space for something else or for non crew seating. Currently though the HUD does look like a place holder for something else and as you say it's unlikely there will be four distinct roles for a freelancers crew, that would put it on a par with a Carrack, Connie or Caterpillar
I can think of a number of distinct roles for a Freelancer:
- Pilot
- Gunner/targeting
- Power/shield management
- Electronic warfare/hacking
- Rear gunner
- Damage control (firefighting, etc.)
Some of these can be doubled up naturally, but dividing them among a number of crew lightens the load and can improve the efficiency of running the ship.
We're forgetting the most important role in the game at the moment. Runner, this game is so much easier when you have a runner on hand and someone(s) to stay with the ship. It makes the missions easier.
But seriously 2 people should be enough for the freelancer and the HuDs are interchangeable which is great. But you could thin the roles out further to make them even easier. I wish they kept the steering on both front seats but maybe it's better for the co pilot to control shields Etc.
Quote from: Obsydian;409516I can think of a number of distinct roles for a Freelancer:
- Pilot
- Gunner/targeting
- Power/shield management
- Electronic warfare/hacking
- Rear gunner
- Damage control (firefighting, etc.)
Some of these can be doubled up naturally, but dividing them among a number of crew lightens the load and can improve the efficiency of running the ship.
Yeah I understand if they make all those panels available for the pilot to hand off certain elements we could fill four seats..... But in a real scenario, let's say me and 4 DMW friends just loaded my Freelancer Max with rare black flamingos for a trade run across half of know space for a 1000% mark up, when we're good to go do we really all want to sit in the same can twiddling one knob each ? Or do we want a pilot, an avionics guy, a tail gunner and a 2 x fighter escort ?
Quote from: AndyBee;409529Yeah I understand if they make all those panels available for the pilot to hand off certain elements we could fill four seats..... But in a real scenario, let's say me and 4 DMW friends just loaded my Freelancer Max with rare black flamingos for a trade run across half of know space for a 1000% mark up, when we're good to go do we really all want to sit in the same can twiddling one knob each ? Or do we want a pilot, an avionics guy, a tail gunner and a 2 x fighter escort ?
I agree, I'm still not convinced that these roles have enough to them to keep anyone other then a RPer amused for long.
Perhaps it will comes down to risk/reward, a bigger ship with more cargo has more to lose. if I can make twice as mush twiddling the shields on a bigger ship then going solo in a freelancer it might be worth it but probably not something I would make a habit from.
I don't want an efficient ship, I want a fun/challenging ship :)
Yep the Freelancer is billed a two crew ship. Right now the HUD on the Freelancer really doesn't let a pilot do much other than steer and fire. Adjusting power and shields even with keybinds is no easy job. I would certainly be happy to have another player working those systems. Whether they move between their seat and the tail gun or whether a third player takes that role is debatable. However I do think anymore than three crewmembers is a waste of space and the third and forth seats could be better used for some other feature.
If for some reason there were four of us on one Freelancer then I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a pilot, shield operator, power operator and tail gunner. At least everyone would have something to do. But as a serious way to fly the ship I really don't think it's CIG's plan. The Connie clearly is the ship for a group of players to enjoy and seems designed to work best with a crew of four plus.
We all remember this video. Maybe CIG will eventually place targeting on the rear seats. I doubt it will happen but it would be a fun machanic to play around with.
http://youtu.be/vO7RxsZpcKc
Off topic, but on topic in a random way, i.e. discussing options to the Freelancer/solo flying/every day ship/etc.... has there been any indication of how much cargo space the Avengers cargo variant may hold ? the Avenger is (i think) the ONLY hangar ready ship i've not owned at some point before melting, just so i could have a nosey, but it looks pretty big, is completely soloable, and as a cargo variant maybe is what i'm looking for ? but i can't see any info on how much it may carry..
Maybe i'll start a new thread on this topic when i have more time tomorrow !:g:
Freelancer v Connie, the guy ends up being a dick by taking out targets while refuelling at CryAstro but it's nice to see the Freelancer in action. So much easier to hit in the turret when your target is a Connie.
http://youtu.be/l5bv1hBjVgg
Not sure if this is a future concept or a concept that was discarded but this is designed by Zane, isnt he the guy that is in charge of designing huds? A few people think it's too busy but with the minimal views of the freelancer I think it's great.
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http://static.zanimation.com/port/images/port/images/Freelancer_HUD.jpg
I pulled a few posts (mostly my own off topic stuff) over to a new thread. I think this thread stays intact and still makes sense :)
Its my understanding that the Freelancer DUR is only hanger ready and not yet flyable, so If I were to upgrade my Cutlass Black to a Freelancer DUR, would I have access to the standard Freelancer until the DUR Variant was flyable, or would I end up with a pretty ship in my hanger and nothing to fly?
On a slightly different question... would you recommend the Std. Freelancer or the DUR. I personally think that that the bigger unmanned turrets on the DUR combined with the enhanced scanners and long range fuel tanks out weight the loss of additional cargo space and 6 (S2) missiles but I would like you thoughts on the matter.
If you upgrade to a DUR you will have the standard Freelancer as a loaner in the PU.
Whether you should go for the standard or the DUR depends on what you expect to use it for. The DUR has been customised for exploration, whereas the standard is an all-rounder. By contrast the MAX is designed for hauling, and the MIS is a missile platform combat ship.
A workmate of mine and sometimes dMw'er, Jarlev, plotted a Star Citizen Freelancer for me the other day on his 3D Plotter:
It is 95 mm front to back...
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Looks nice on my desk....
The detail is quite impressive for something that size. Nice one.