Viper MK III vs Cobra MK III vs Viper MK IV

[PlasmaJedi]

Still kinda a newb, but the money is coming in. It'd be easy to buy either of the Vipers, but I can't tell if they are really any better than my Cobra.

Same armaments, right? Are Vipers slightly more agile? I like hauling cargo missions, but I also dabble with bounty hunting and of cpurse, need teeth to defend myself when attacked.

Any opinions on which ship is best for me? As far as I can tell, Viper MK III is a discount Cobra, and MK IV is a alternate Cobra... maybe. Does anyone use one ship over the others for specific reasons?

[Ildryn]

Cobra is extremely popular because it is a multi purpose ship.
Viper is popular in combat only.

Cobra has a 30LY jump range fully A-graded as well.

I think viper is around 12ly

In the end it depends on what you want to do.
The Cobra is capable. The Viper has better agility.

Your call bud.

[Gropax]

the Viper MK4 is more a multirole then a combat ship she has less agility then the MK3. i went from a MK3 to a MK4 and then ended up selling both for a Diamondback Scout.

[PlasmaJedi]

Well, after comparing the stats on the wiki, seems Cobra is better than Viper MK II in every way but sheilds. But that MK IV tho...

All I can really see is tougher armor, and an extra dedicated military slot. Similar performance otherwise, with only a little less cargo capacity.

Why the heck is the MULTIROLE ship the most manuverable?? Isn't that the third most important combat stat after damage and hitpoints?? Not like I WANT it nerfed, but usually the multirole unit is a bit sluggish and underpowered in combat but very helpful in other roles. Right now I see no reason the Cobra is NOT a solid fighter, Does that extra armor and dedicated military slot on the Vip MKIV make the difference in battle?

[Ildryn]

Yes it would.
Having more armor or a module reinforcement could make the difference.

[Agony_Aunt]

The CM4 is a good ship, but don't think of it as an upgrade to the CM3. Its quite a different beast. Its more of a utility ship than a combat ship. However, due to its large number of internals it actually makes a decent hull tank, so you can use it for combat.

[Arya]

Viper MKIV is arguably superior to the Cobra MKIII, even as a Multi-Role. It's slow by fighter standards, but it's extremely well defended for it's size.

[eMYNOCK]

狼 Wolfey původně napsal:

Viper MKIV is arguably superior to the Cobra MKIII, even as a Multi-Role. It's slow by fighter standards, but it's extremely well defended for it's size.

That's why the Viper MK IV is called a Heavy Fighter...

I personally use my V Mk4 still for bounty Hunting and Solo Combat Zone joy rides.

[PlasmaJedi]

So, what do you guys reccomend I put in the Military slot? Hull re-inforcement? BTW, do those need repairs or resupply?

Also, can anyone make a legit arguement for the Cobra vs the Viper MK IV? Outside of its slight trading advantages with a little extra cargo and jump eange, does the Cobra have any real advantage in combat over the Vip MK4? From what I see, the (boost) speed and turn rate might make it win in a dogfight, or give it an advantage over other types of ships. BUT... that is a LARGE boost to hull points on the Vip4, and if you add a hull reinforce, does it become really hard to kill?

[Turih]

PlasmaJedi původně napsal:

that is a LARGE boost to hull points on the Vip4, and if you add a hull reinforce, does it become really hard to kill?

Yes, if outfitted right.

[PlasmaJedi]

So I gave the Viper MK IV a try, and I have concluded it just isn't worth it. Infact it makes me wonder why it exists when the Cobra ALSO exists, or vice versa.

YES, it's very tanky with that heavy armor and with applying an armor booster in it's special military slot. BUT, it seems very vulnerable to system damage. I've never had weapons bork the way they do with that ship. After just a few runs in the RES, I kept coming home with over half health, but most of my systems damaged. My lasers malfunctioned, my thrusters malfunctioned... I lost my canopy in my Cobra once and everything else was fine. I've had engine failure before, a system reboot fixed it, and the engines worked fine. In the Viper, it wouldn't fly straight even when the engines were well above 30%.

My Cobra is so much more maneuverable, agile, and has a wide firing arc on it's gimbled guns. And that's the worst part of the Viper 4, the bottom guns. They can't reach up very far, and that's important because THOSE are the heavy guns!!! Add the much worse manueverability, and it stuggles just keeping the top guns in range, let alone the bottom guns.

It's extra armor DID come in handy, though, but I helped remedy the problem in my Cobra just by adding an armor booster. Close enough, and while being more lethal, agile, and slightly less armored, Cobra is my ship of choice.

[Ildryn]

You can place a Module reinforcement in the slot instead of a hull reinforcement.
You can also do both. You have enough spare slots.

[PlasmaJedi]

Yes, but usually when you have a unit with a major strength, that unit gets even better when you maximize that strength. A tank with tougher armor lasts longer and hits longer, if not harder. It feels like a waste to equip a module armor unit instead of a hull unit.

If there was a turn rate booser, I'd be equipping that! Vip4 needs it badly.

[Arya]

PlasmaJedi původně napsal:

If there was a turn rate booser, I'd be equipping that! Vip4 needs it badly.

Dirty Drive Tuning kits improve your turning rate by a huge margin, and are a cheap solution. Unfortunately the same upgrade on a Cobra makes a bigger practical difference, since it's base stats are higher and the upgrade applies as a multiplier. A DD3 Viper MK IV will just touch 370 MS under boost and turn about as well as an E-Rated Cobra MKIII. A Cobra MKIII with DD3 will get 500-ish MS under boost and turn like an Eagle.

As for why the Cobra is apparently more durable, it's to do with the Cobra's wierd-but-wonderful internal layout. Because the Cobra is a cargo hull it's got a huge central area for cargo and all the vital mechanical gubbins shoved out to the sides. That means a direct hit to the centre is unlikely to hit anything vital, you've got to purposely aim for the important bits using Subsystem Targetting - something NPCs aren't able to do.