Embarrassment of Riches

Having decided in SP to do a pretty thorough job of exploring the Coalition systems, I was pleasantly surprised to find a half dozen Level 10 turrets hidden away in one of the systems. My elation at having all the risks and excitement of the exploration so richly rewarded was quickly tempered by the realization that--although I have now tried out several different VHFs and freighters, and looked at dozens of them in many ship merchants' showrooms--I have yet to encounter a ship on which to mount them. The highest mounts I can remember seeing are Level 9.

It's either time to look more closely (and maybe test drive?) more ships, or maybe to investigate a bigger class of ship. More exploration remains in other systems, too, so one way or another I hope to find a good home for my shiny new (well, newly scavenged) turrets.

Of course, this discovery happened not long after I went to considerable trouble--and lots of excitement and much getting shot up--acquiring alien guns to match the low-ish projectile speeds of Level 9 turrets I'd earlier acquired and wanted to mount on a Bullpup Mk III.

My piloting and combat skills are very slowly improving, and I'm finding my way into interesting nooks and crannies of the CF universe. I'm also getting blown up a lot and getting better at evasion. OK; you can call it "running away and hiding"; I call it "evasion".

I am certainly never bored, though.

Thanks for the quick and useful intel, guys!

I should feel foolish about the Black Eagle, denne, since I flew one for about half of the campaign and didn't notice or forgot about it. I didn't come across such high-level turrets back then, and traded in the ship before hitting Coalition space in the campaign, anyway. It's good to know, though, since I may fly one again one day. I haven't tried out any trains yet, but that's good info about the Soulforge, too, and I'll keep it in mind. So far the biggest freighters I've tried are only the Bullpup Mk III and the APC.

Ajay, thank you for the info about the Deimos. I haven't tried that one out yet, partly because it seems to get little love from those who mention it in forum posts and partly because its cargo hold is smaller than I prefer. I did acquire suitably slow Level 10 guns--it was very far from easy or safe to get them--which are a close match for the turrets' speed. I know what you mean about the power drain, having had the same problem with, for example, trying to use 6x10 Level guns and 3x10 Level 9 turrets. It's generally not worth it. Since I recently improved my rep with the Corsairs in order to get a high-level mine dropper, this may be a good time to go buy and try out the Deimos, since I think it's available in a Corsair-controlled place (time to check the Lexicon).

Tastes vary about ship preference, I know. That's why I'm trying out several for myself, despite losing money on the trade-ins. I quite liked the Eliminator VHF, for example, when I flew it for a while, and it doesn't seem to win any popularity contests on the forum. It's not as agile as many like, I suspect, or maybe folks don't like its looks, although I do. I've just traded in an APC for a return to a Haidar (I bet some pilots think that's a dumb move), figuring to go pod hunting again to improve income easier. Then maybe I'll try that Deimos, to see for myself what it's like, with and without the spiffy turret.

Martind, thanks for the advice! I got a full complement of Ancient guns to eventually mount on a Bullpup...and it wasn't easy by any means, even though I used a more suitable ship in which to hunt them. Hunting Ancients is not for the faint of heart (although it does seem to have the benefit of endearing me to the Dom'Kavash). I only picked up one Kelyrd-ray Projector during the campaign, and since I'm now back in a Haidar, I don't think I'm going to go hunting their alien owners for a while. Basically, it seems that--at least for me--the best ships for pod hunting are not the ones best for alien gun hunting. Or for aggressive trading, for that matter. When I finally try MP PvP, I'm sure that I'll be better off in still different ships, too.

That variety/diversity is part of rossfire's charm, it seems to me.

Thanks for the information, guys; you're very helpful!

Thanks, Ajay, I'll keep it in mind, and BTW I should apologize to you. I find that you had actually mentioned the Deimos Level 10 turret in an answer to me on a slightly different topic quite a while ago. I should have remembered that detail for when I finally found a suitable turret.

Thanks for the recommendation, denne. I tried out the Saracen a while ago, since it seems to be a very popular ship. It was indeed impressive, and after trying out some of the others, I may go back to it. Unless I go back to the Eliminator. I've got a feeling that the Saracen is more agile, the Eliminator somewhat better armed and with more cargo space.

Trying to find a good "Jack-of-all-trades" vessel is tricky, but fun.

Decisions, decisions.

You may be right, and I'm considering it. At least I'm unlikely to get lost. As for "weak", however, you might be surprised at how much competence I still lack at combat: I get killed a lot. I still need to master the finer points of engine killing and the like; my progress so far in CF is much more due to luck (and dogged persistence) than to skill.

I may indeed try MP, though, sooner rather than later. If I'm going to be vaporized, it may as well be among appreciative onlookers. I'll be sure to re-read the rules thoroughly first, however. And the guides, as well. I shall try to compensate for my slower reaction time by being as crafty as possible (it works in bar fights, why not in space combat?).

Thanks for the heads-up on the Saber, too.