Crunch Friday - Pimp My Cobra
This week Oliver has gone a bit spoiler mad (physical ones, I mean).
In the Computer Game you can improve your ship in a number of different ways. Here Oliver explains the similar mechanics of ship improvement between the two games.
In the Elite: Dangerous computer game, I like doing this...
Gorgeous, as I’m sure you’ll agree. There’s nothing that improves the lines of the classic Cobra Mk III than a massive spoiler on the back, forward air turbines it doesn’t need and extra-long wings. In brilliant, sun burnt orange my Cobra can be spotted from a distance of ten kilometres across the barren surface of a moon, which is useful since I often get confused about how the scanner on my SRV works.
But if you thought my ship looks ‘well bling and gangster’ from the outside just you wait until you get inside! Like every ship in Elite: Dangerous the Cobra is completely customisable. And I don’t mean simply that it has better engines, thrusters, Frame Shift Drive, or power plant than a standard Cobra (although it definitely does). I mean that its basic function can be shifted according to what I stuff into its cavernous holds.
Each ship in EDRPG has a number of different ‘slots’ for weapons, utility mounts (usually defences like chaff and shield boosters), fixed components (your engines and life support) and internal components (anything you like, including cargo bays and extra fuel tanks). Each of these slots are a certain size. The Cobra Mk III, for instance, has three Class 4 Internal Components and three Class 2 Internal Components. Deciding what you want to put into these Internal Component slots changes the nature and role of your ship.
For instance, it is an easy matter to turn the Cobra into a fighter/trader. Use two of your class 4 internals as cargo bays, give yourself a full stack of weapons, a good shield generator in your last class 4 and then bulk up with some Shield Cell Banks and Hull Reinforcement Packages in your smaller class 2 slots. Voila – a ship that can fend off any vessel of its size or smaller and still pack in 32 tons of cargo.
If the thought of losing even a single ton of cargo space makes you feel queasy you can dump all your defences and pack a mighty 60 tons of cargo into the Cobra’s compact frame, but you might want to sacrifice four tons of cargo just for a simple Class 2 Shield Generator. And make sure you get some thrusters … powerful, powerful thrusters. You’ll be running lots.
Is trading for losers? Do you just want a gunship? The Cobra has decent firepower and surprising agility and speed for its size. You could emphasise its agility by purchasing powerful thrusters and an excellent power distributor. Best in class equipment can boost a Cobra’s agility from 7 to 11, more than a standard Eagle.
Or perhaps you want to out-tank an opponent? It may seem unlikely that a simple Cobra could withstand the onslaught of a larger and more powerful ship like an Asp or Python, but giving yourself military bulkheads and swathes of Hull Reinforcement Packages means you can really do it. You could even neglect your shields if you wish, and put on more armour plate. This configuration can give you a colossal Hull score of 980 and allows you to field a much smaller power plant – but leaves you painfully vulnerable to critical hits which can disable your vulnerable components. A good tank makes sure they sacrifice a few Hull points for a Module Reinforcement Package or two so that they are not disabled by a chance hit to the thrusters or power plant.
Extreme builds, like the one above, can be problematic in play. Having a ship with no flexibility to carry cargo, refuel itself in times of trouble, scan a mysterious planetary system or deploy an SRV can restrict your options in play. When outfitting your ship it is worth consulting with the other players to ensure that you have all eventualities covered between you. If four warships, like the one above, were trying to steal a new satellite developed by Sirius Corp they might well blast their way easily though the guarding ships and then find themselves scuppered when it comes to carrying the four ton satellite back to their employer. (And no, attaching it to the roof of your ship with cable ties won’t cut it!)
Those of you familiar with the Elite: Dangerous computer game will no doubt recognise this system of outfitting. It’s basically the same as the one in the computer game, except that each component gives you a definable boost to your Role Playing Game stats. For instance Sensor upgrades increase the range of your sensor scans in the computer game. In the RPG sensors give you a bonus to your initiative (because you can see and react to things earlier on your better scanners) and a bonus to your Dogfighting checks (it is clearer exactly where you opponent is and where they are going on your enhanced sensors).
In this way it is possible to build your ships in the RPG using the same online ship builders as you can in the computer game – with just a few caveats, which I’ll cover in another post.
For those of you who feel that having to modify your ship is an almighty drag, don’t worry. You can buy upgraded versions of your favourite ships straight from the shipyard. The Cobra Mk III – Inca is a nicely built fighter/trader available for just 759,070cr. Would be pirates can by the ready-made Cobra Mk III – Escort for the more princely 2,133,100cr which comes with all the interdiction and hatch breaking technology you might want as well as heavy rail guns and cannons to blast away a running opponent. For the discerning buyer, surely only the Cobra Mk III – Excelsior will do, with its best in class equipment and smooth handling, all for the poverty-warding price of 9,820,800cr.
Indeed, every ship in the game comes in multiple variants which is handy for players who don’t want to play the mechanic, or GM’s who might balk at hand-crafting every ship in the galaxy!
