Imperial Cutter: Difference between revisions

m Minor wording improvements.
Line 41: Line 41:


==Overview==
==Overview==
The Cutter is a heavily armed ship, featuring four medium [[hardpoint]]s: two on the nacelles and two on the chin; two large hardpoints on top of the ship and a single huge hardpoint on the chin. The pilot's station is offset to the right of the ship's centerline. Notably, the exterior lights on the ship change color from blue to red once hardpoints are deployed. It has 8 utility mounts and can carry a [[Fighter Hangar]] for [[Ship-Launched Fighters]].
The Cutter is a heavily armed ship, featuring four medium [[hardpoint|hardpoints]]: two on the nacelles and two on the chin; two large hardpoints on top of the ship and a single huge hardpoint on the chin. The pilot's station is offset to the right of the ship's centerline. Notably, the exterior lights on the ship change color from blue to red once hardpoints are deployed. It has 8 utility mounts and can carry a [[Fighter Hangar]] for [[Ship-Launched Fighters]].


With a staggering 792 tons of max cargo capacity, the Imperial Cutter has the largest cargo bay of all playable ships in the game, making it an ideal ship for traders. However, it is also the most expensive ship in the game at a cost almost three times higher than a [[Type-9 Heavy]], which has a max cargo capacity of 788 tons; only 4 tons less. It also has a lower cargo capacity when shielded, as the Type-9 can equip a lower class [[Shield Generator]]. The very high rebuy and repair costs of the Cutter makes shieldless runs incredibly risky, so it is important to keep this in mind as every dink and scratch will cut rather heavily into profits and like the Type-9, it is very difficult to dodge an [[Interdiction]] in the Cutter. Combined with its required Imperial Navy Rank can make the Cutter a much less appealing ship for traders.
With a staggering 792 tons of max cargo capacity, the Imperial Cutter has the largest cargo bay of all playable ships in the game, making it an ideal ship for traders. However, it is also the most expensive ship in the game at a cost almost three times higher than a [[Type-9 Heavy]], which has a max cargo capacity of 788 tons; only 4 tons less. It also has a lower cargo capacity when shielded, as the Type-9 can equip a lower class [[Shield Generator]]. The very high rebuy and repair costs of the Cutter makes shieldless runs incredibly risky, so it is important to keep this in mind as every dink and scratch will cut rather heavily into profits and like the Type-9, it is very difficult to dodge an [[Interdiction]] in the Cutter. Combined with its required Imperial Navy Rank can make the Cutter a much less appealing ship for traders.
Line 47: Line 47:
Unlike the [[Type-9 Heavy]], it is extremely well-shielded, very fast for its size, and heavily armed, giving it far greater survivability and allowing much better use of it as a combat ship, especially in the piracy role, as it is capable of rivaling a [[Federal Corvette]], [[Anaconda]] or [[Type-10 Defender]] in combat. In addition, with plenty of internals available to mount mining accessories while still leaving the largest open for cargo holds, excellent speed for moving from asteroid to asteroid, and a sufficiency of medium weapon mounts, the Cutter is an excellent choice for mining; if rather excessive. Keeping a shield generator on will let it handle most NPC pirates; however, the Type-9 will outdo it in terms of cargo capacity in this scenario.
Unlike the [[Type-9 Heavy]], it is extremely well-shielded, very fast for its size, and heavily armed, giving it far greater survivability and allowing much better use of it as a combat ship, especially in the piracy role, as it is capable of rivaling a [[Federal Corvette]], [[Anaconda]] or [[Type-10 Defender]] in combat. In addition, with plenty of internals available to mount mining accessories while still leaving the largest open for cargo holds, excellent speed for moving from asteroid to asteroid, and a sufficiency of medium weapon mounts, the Cutter is an excellent choice for mining; if rather excessive. Keeping a shield generator on will let it handle most NPC pirates; however, the Type-9 will outdo it in terms of cargo capacity in this scenario.


When compared to the other two of the big three, the Corvette and Anaconda, the Cutter has several notable downsides; other than just the price tag. It has much less jump range than the Anaconda; though better than the Corvette and while it has impressive combat potential, its Class 7 power distributor isn't quite as able to effectively keep all its hardpoints effectively powered when compared to the Class 8 of the other two; thus the ship slightly pales in combat potential compared to the other two. While its maneuverability may be off-putting to some, it can easily be alleviated with Engineering, allowing the Cutter to reach slightly over 28 degrees of pitch on certain builds. Compared to the significantly cheaper Type-10, it has the same maneuverability and less hardpoints although its superior placement and good speed give it a huge advantage over a Type-10 in combat; and it also has much better pitch and yaw speeds.
When compared to the other two of the big three, the Corvette and Anaconda, the Cutter has several notable downsides; other than just the price tag. It has a much lower jump range than the Anaconda; though better than the Corvette and while it has impressive combat potential, its Class 7 power distributor isn't quite as able to effectively keep all its hardpoints effectively powered when compared to the Class 8 of the other two; thus the ship slightly pales in combat potential compared to the other two. While its manoeuvrability may be off-putting to some, it can easily be alleviated with Engineering, allowing the Cutter to reach slightly over 28 degrees of pitch on certain builds. Compared to the significantly cheaper Type-10, it has the same manoeuvrability and fewer hardpoints although its superior placement and good speed give it a huge advantage over a Type-10 in combat; it also has much higher pitch and yaw speeds.


The Cutter is a very effective multi-purpose ship. The ship sacrifices the exploration focus of the Anaconda and combat focus of the Corvette for trading potential. Thus traders looking for a powerhouse ship complete with style will usually find the Cutter very satisfactory, while fighters and explorers may find the Corvette and Anaconda more useful respectively, depending on preference.
The Cutter is a very effective multi-purpose ship. The ship sacrifices the exploration focus of the Anaconda and combat focus of the Corvette for trading potential. Thus traders looking for a powerhouse ship complete with style will usually find the Cutter very satisfactory, while fighters and explorers may find the Corvette and Anaconda more useful respectively, depending on preference.