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+--- Thread: Ship Fitting: Light Fighters (/showthread.php?tid=22287)
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Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - masternerdguy - 06-24-2009
Patriot, Pirahna, and Startracker oh my!
The light fighter is probably the best starting point imaginable for a player. This ship allows you to determine your path in the game and to begin exploring freelancer.
Overview of Your Fighter
Your light fire has the least armor of any group of fighters. Unlike heavy fighters and VHFs, your armor may only be 5400 or 6200. However, what you lack in sheer EHP* you make up for in turning rates. A LF is capable of turning nearly on a dime, and some ships such as the Arrow even take it a step further: sacrificing guns for even more maneuverability.
So, before we begin, remember you will have significantly less EHP than a HF/VHF at the gain of sheer turning ability. Despite your lower defenses, you can outmaneuver a VHF pilot any day. In addition, your defenses will be based very much on moving quickly.
Selecting Guns/Missiles
Guns and missiles exist and are an important aspect of your ship. Unless you want to be a completely pacifist trader, you want them.
Different guns work in different ways. When you read the description of the gun, it will say something such as "someone's weapons offer increased refire rate at a decreased range". This is vitally important! This lets you base guns around your flying style. For example, to destroy enemies head on, use more damaging and likely slower firing weapon. However to stay on a tail, fast firing weapons like the Eco Chain Gun are ideal**.
Another important facet is the energy usage. Every shot you fire consumes energy, and your ship has a limited amount. This is where optimal weapon class comes in. For a ship, you can see Maximum Weapon Class and Optimal Weapon Class. Maximum is the highest level guns it can support, and optimal is the best compromise between damage and sustained fire. You must decide whether this matters to you, since each side has its own advantages and disadvantages:
1. Maximum Damage -- You are choosing to max out your ship for the most salvo damage possible. However, you will deplete your energy very quickly.
2. Sustained Fire -- You sustain firing for longer at the expense if damage, which is good for laying down a firespray. This is also good if you are less accurate and need more possible hits.***
Roleplay is an important aspect as well, you may only use guns for your faction and allies. Even as a freelancer, carrying criminal weapons (at least in the minds of some people, whom are house police members) proves an association between you and them and labels you as a criminal. Also, carrying these weapons will be generally OORP, why would a junker use kusair police weapons?
Remember that some weapons may be anti shield weapons. "Pulse" guns are a good example, they can do thousands in shield damage but merely 100 in hull damage. Filling up with just these is not a good idea. In fact, it will make you extremely ineffective at killing. However, mixing such guns into a setup can increase your killing efficiency.
Then, different guns do different types of damage. In the description of the gun, it typically says "this weapons is strongest against ___ shields and weakest against ___ shields". Basically, choose guns for the shields you are fighting. For PVE this is a life saver as it can increase your killing efficiency. To determine the damage to deal, find the NPCs you want to kill and scan them and check their shield generator.
Finally, range is vital for aiming. Freelancer calculates a point for you to shoot at to hit the target, and this is more useful the more elegant your setup is. Simpler setups are better as they share similar ranges. Make sure that your guns shoot about the same range. More symmetrical setups are the best, filling as many slots as you can with the same gun can achieve this.
Now to missiles, there are essentially 3 types of missiles:
Stalking Missiles: Such as the windstalker and firestalker, these missiles have a greater chance to hit at a reduced damage output.
Damage: Such as the cannonball, these missiles track slower but deal much more damage on impact.
Cruise disruptors: These missiles deal very little damage and track extremely fast. They also disrupt the cruise engines of a ship on impact, these are great for holding a target in place****.
Missile choice once again reflects play style, it depends on your accuracy. However, a CD is important because it is a pvp staple. A seperate CD slots is included as well, so it does not take away damage. Finally, remember that missiles consume ammo and the same types of missile consume the same ammo supply.
Defense
As with all ships, you want an armor upgrade and a shield generator. Armor upgrades basically make your armor able to absorb more damage by multiplying it by a modifier. Shield generators are simpler, you want them to regenerate faster and be able to absorb more damage.
However, shields are not quite so simple. Different guns deal different damages remember? You are now on the side of the recipient of the damage, so you need to know what your fighting. Scan the NPCs' guns to determine the damage to defend against.
Also, remember EHP. Being able to repair yourself adds EHP and thus survivability, so be stocked up on bots and bats for your journey. They cost money, and that puts some people off, but they are much cheaper than say a lost mission or lost cargo or your life.
Now, light fighters are special. They move like there is no tommorow. You must keep moving at all times to survive, a still fighter is a dead fighter. The maneuvers you want to use evade incoming damage. This means you can dodge enemy fire and greatly extend EHP.
End Notes
The LF is an interesting ship. Like all ships it is better at one thing than another. LFs rely on evasion and turning as their primary defense, which allows time for shields to harden back up. Thank you for reading this guide, i believe it is a vast improvement on my first one.
*EHP is extended hit points, or the maximum static damage you can absorb.
**I have had much experience with the Eco Chain Gun, it is very reliable and got me interested in the rest of the series.
***In a more OORP context, this also helps deal with lag by throwing more potential hits at a target you do not always know is really there.
****If durring a pvp incident a player engages cruise engines they are running and must leave system for 4 hours, excepting traders whom can be pirated.
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - SevereTrinity - 06-24-2009
I don't get this at all.
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - masternerdguy - 06-24-2009
' Wrote:I don't get this at all.
you have to be pretty dumb then, i just have to say.:crazy:
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - Thexare - 06-24-2009
This doesn't provide any useful information about equipping Light Fighters, and certain points contradict each other.
You're trying, that's great, but think it through more. Re-read it, see if it tells you anything useful. All a novice to LFs would get from this, as far as LF-specific information, is that LFs need to rely on not getting hit in order to survive. That's it.
How much experience do you have with light fighters, anyway?
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - Elsdragon - 06-24-2009
Im just going to say this isnt eve. Unless you live in gallia, PVE dosent matter. And Class Mk 2 LF's arent newb ships. Infact, my griffin can easyly beat you. Simply,EHP does not matter. Not even battkleships sit still and pound eachother
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - chovynz - 06-24-2009
masternerdguy: Look. I appreciate the effort you are going to. I really do. I'm going to say this outright.
- Stop thinking EVE.
- Stop being arrogant.
' Wrote:you have to be pretty dumb then, i just have to say.:crazy:
- Stop trying to make guides that do not apply to Disco.
- Stop introducing new terms from a different game. Use DISCO terms not EVE terms.
- Answer challenges to your posts and information.
- Use of common sense tells you to use your bots and bats. You DO NOT need to go into the depth you have on EHP survivability and other nonsense.
- Stop using lots of words in saying exactly nothing.
- Find some place you can ADD too, instead of cluttering up the forums and wiki with useless *guides*.
- I encourage you to play the game for about 2 months before you make another *guide*
so...
Sincerely yours,
Hyung Soong/Chovynz on the wiki.
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - Hawkwings - 06-24-2009
Well, I have to say that as an experienced LF pilot, PVE is a lot more important because you can't insta-kill NPC ships, even those in House space.
Still, I have to echo the belief that this guide says nothing that a person who has played Freelancer for more than 2 hours hasn't learned already.
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - frozen - 06-24-2009
Nathan said everything i was about to say. you cannot apply EVE techniques to freelancer. eve is COMPLETELY different to how freelancer is. Freelancer is an arcade game which relies PURELY on skill of flying and aiming to kill and win. Eve requires as you've been repeating in ever "guide" posts, strategy. you don't just have a shield buster missile and a hull buster missile in eve. you got TONNES of missiles of both variants. you got TONNES of different armours, hardeners, thickeners, shield hardeners etc. where in freelancer you got the armour mk 8s which are standard now on fighters and bombers, and you got class 10 shields.
suffice to say, I suggest you laying off making guides for freelancer using eve terminology and ideas, since they will not mix. and calling others stupid because you do not see the stupidity of your own "guide" isn't a good thing. there's a time and a place for arrogance, you haven't done anything that can justify yours in the current situation.
you want a guide? use these tips coming from someone whos played this game for enough time to know most of the tricks of survival.
LFs are agile, use that to your advantage.
HFs are a good counter for VHFs as well, being a bit faster and more maneuverable
VHFs are perfect for ripping bombers to shreds, and are good for escort duties, they are the most common ships found on discovery
bombers are perfect for ripping transports, and capital ships apart, and are prone to fighters (there are exceptions based on skill)
transports are for trading, and in convoys can hold their own against pirates, and also help improve boring trade routes
gunboats are primarily anti fighter/bomber ships, but can be kitted out for either anti fighter, or anti cap. they are'nt the jack of all trades anymore.
cruisers are perfect for bombarding battleships are long range, and can survive against gunboats as well. cruisers can survive against bombers if using solaris' and having an escort increases chances of survival.
battleships are ultimate capital ships of freelancer. they have a tonne of armour, tonne of shield, enough firepower to rip apart their opponents, and are PRIMARILY as anti cap. a lone battleship with the correct kit can survive against 3-4 gunboats, or 2-3 cruisers, but 2-3 bombers can take it apart, taking into consideration pilot skill, ship sizes, and loadouts.
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those are what i can think off off the top of my head, now if you WANT to still make a guide, use those points, not references and ideas nicked from EVE.
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - Rudo - 06-25-2009
Also, with LFs you have to know your steering like nothing else. You need to be 100% aware as a stray mine or a lucky razor shot will instantly end you.
This is also unlike EVE in that gun selection and stats are irrelevant next to your ability to use them. I used to have a freelancer Arrow with Wildfire Chain Guns back in 4.84 solely to pick on bombers. It was great, I almost never got kills but I chased many people into speed dock points.
I'm a fair pilot whose strengths lie in strategy and foresight, but I'm on the weak side when it comes to piloting and aiming. Give me 16.67 guns or 2.00 guns and I assure you I can do with one as the other under any circumstances.*
*by that I mean I can get blown up
Ship Fitting: Light Fighters - tansytansey - 06-25-2009
Two shield busters is an ideal set up for any light fighter. They lack the energy to keep up sustained fire to down an opponents' shield with only faction guns. Second, any missiles on a LF is useless. LFs are designed for long, drawn out battles and having missiles is more of a disadvantage - you will run out, and then you're screwed. Third, LFs can only mount CDs, not torpedoes. So it's pretty useless telling someone they need it. Fourth, everyone buys Nanobots. Seriously, you don't need to tell people to tell them that. It's like telling someone to shoot an enemy to kill them.
And lastly, your equipment isn't worth a grain of salt if you don't know how to pilot your vessel. Very few people know how to pilot Light Fighters efficiently, I've only ever met one that can do it and he can solo 4+ bombers at once >_>