Discovery Gaming Community

So I really love freighters. I love that they have significantly sized cargo holds, while maintaining the smallness of a large fighter. I love that they, unlike their larger siblings, can still thrust at 200 m/s. I love their power, their damage output with all of their turret slots, their ability to mount shields with 20,000+ energy, their thick armor...

Most of all, I love them because they're so durn cute but that is neither here nor there.:ylove:


So when I heard that freighters got a 3x powerplant upgrade in this latest update, I squealed with glee. All those Splitters on my Clydesdale? I can fire them for minutes on end without using up all my energy! And who cares if the Barragers are energy inefficient, my CSF can handle the drain with ease!

I am truly thankful for the consideration that the developers gave to freighters for the new update, and give them all lots of hugs and kisses for making this overlooked ship-class even more awesome.

But I'd like to look at a few freighters that have been "left behind."

Quote:The Humpback
With a cavernous space at its core, the Humpback has a monstrously huge appetite for cargo which it mightily secures with its unyielding armor shielding and devastating weapon potential. Being credited as a key in the modernization and economic success of Rheinland, it remains a greatly prized vessel.

Guns/Turrets: 2 / 6
Opt. weapon class: 5
Max. weapon class: 7
Additional equipment: CM, M
Hull strength: 5,800
Max. shield class: 6
Cargo space: 275 units
Nanobots/Batteries: 35/35

Hmm. Now, let's compare that to a few of the other vanilla freighters:

Quote:The Drone
Often referred to as "bees of the golden hive," this freighter class is widely recognized as playing a key role in Kusari's trade and commercial viability. The vast cargo space and significant offensive and defensive capabilities of the Drone ensure that the individual merchants are empowered to deliver.

Guns/Turrets: 2 / 6
Opt. weapon class: 8
Max. weapon class: 9
Additional equipment: CD, CM, M
Hull strength: 9,000
Max. shield class: 6
Cargo space: 610 units
Nanobots/Batteries: 60/60

Quote:The Clydesdale
Often called "the beast of burden that built Bretonia," it certainly played a significant role in establishing Bretonia as a vital actor in trade and commerce. The cargo capacity and armor are superior to other models available on the market elsewhere, making this a leading choice for tradesmen in Bretonia and abroad.

Guns/Turrets: 3 / 5
Opt. weapon class: 7
Max. weapon class: 8
Additional equipment: CD, CM, M
Hull strength: 12,500
Max. shield class: 6
Cargo space: 560 units
Nanobots/Batteries: 80/80

Quote:The Dromedary
In the frontier, the need for individuals to move great amounts of cargo securely is crucial. The Dromedary combines the best attributes of the Series Y and an entirely new reinforced structure and defensive matrix to yield and uncompromising solution for commerce and trade in the most rugged of areas.

Guns/Turrets: 3 / 5
Opt. weapon class: 7
Max. weapon class: 8
Additional equipment: CD, CM, M
Hull strength: 8,500
Max. shield class: 6
Cargo space: 650 units
Nanobots/Batteries: 65/65

Does that seem... a little unfair? The Humpback's brothers and sisters all got some nice buffs from their original vanilla stats, but what did the Humpback itself get? 25 more cargo space, 2 more bots/bats... that's it. It can't really compete with the 650 cargo hold of the Dromedary, the 12,5000 armor of the Clydesdale, or the Class 9 gun slots on the Drone. It was left behind. Why? I think I might know...

Quote:The Ragnar
The Ragnar follows same basic design of Rheinland's transport ships. However, increased power core capabilities, advanced hull plating and powerful weapons array make this vessel unique among transports. Although its main purpose is transporting classified or precious cargo, lately police utilizes several of these ships in effort to cut smuggler routes.

Guns/Turrets: 3 / 6
Opt. weapon class: 8
Max. weapon class: 9
Additional equipment: CD, CM
Hull strength: 20,000
Max. shield class: 6
Cargo space: 600 units
Nanobots/Batteries: 120/120

Aha! Now those are the kind of stats that I'd expect to see on a Humpback! But why did we add this replacement and let the Humpback drop to near-uselessness? I don't think that was really necessary.

I have a suggestion, then. The Ragnar is classified as an Armored Transport, right? So let's bump it up to Transport status, and make it the Rheinlandish equivalent of the standard Armored Transport. Give it class 7 turrets, a bit more cargo space, more armor, make it bigger, etc., and then buff the Humpback up a bit so that its stats resemble those of the other vanilla freighters. Simple, right?


Now, you may have noticed that there's another well-known vanilla freighter that I didn't mention: The Rhino. We've left the Rhino at its low status so that it can remain available to the new players as a sort of beginner's ship. But I don't think it's fair to buff the other vanilla freighters and leave this one behind, either. So I have another idea. We have a Civilian Freighter, right? It's stats are pretty good. Why not switch them around? Give the Rhino the Civilian stats, and give the Civilian the current Rhino stats. Not only will that keep all of the vanilla freighters somewhat equal, it will give the newbies a generic freighter to fly around in, instead of being forced to go Libertonian.


So pretty much, this is my long-winded way of saying "Buff Humpback & Rhino, plz!"

What do y'all think of it?

Yes.
BUT!!!! we have the grizzly. Rhino replace

' Wrote:Yes.
BUT!!!! we have the grizzly. Rhino replace

Grizzly.

Not much of a replacement. 265 cargo? Come on, we can do better.

8 magma Hammers?

Lookat that. Ouchies.

Mega ouchies

But, as stated, may main concern is the cargo space. As it is, it's more of a combat/support ship. As you say, 8 Magma Hammers = Mega ouchies. But the damage output isn't the only factor in making a good freighter.

(Besides, the Rhino is cuter:ylove:)

It is.

Definitly buff the humpback, it needs it.

The Grizzly is a shuttle built on a Rhino frame. Not a Rhino replacement. But yeah, give the civi freighter a decent model, and nerf it to starflea-freighter status. Then Buff the Rhno.

Yeah, I ?signed that

Dude. Look at the Rheinland Armored Transport. It has the -highest- base armor of any of the freighters, an extremely generous cargo hold and a ton of guns. It is one of the nastiest freighters in town.

Liberty has the Camara as its mark II freighter. The Grizzly is more of a Police/Navy combat freighter.

Rheinland is doing just fine, never you worry.

I took the RAT into PvP several times, its quiet fun, and you have a lot of time watching how you get slowly dimembered buy your advasary.

Tough ship, but far to slow for combat.