Any reason to use NovaDive over Flashfire?

[DarthVindictus]

You're missing one important difference: afterburner consumption. The consumption factor on a Flashfire is 5, it's 3 on a Novadive. So the Novadive consumes engine power 40% slower while boosting.

 

I guarantee you that that's because of an engineering companion that has efficient maneuvers on your Novadrive, and not having such a companion on the flashfire.

 

In fact I just checked, and it is the case.

 

Exact same engine consumption, depending on crew member choice.

[Zoom_VI]

I guarantee you that that's because of an engineering companion that has efficient maneuvers on your Novadrive, and not having such a companion on the flashfire.

 

In fact I just checked, and it is the case.

 

Exact same engine consumption, depending on crew member choice.

 

So a better question would be is there any reason to use a objective (huge sensors) based ship over a kill based ship?

[DarthVindictus]

So a better question would be is there any reason to use a objective (huge sensors) based ship over a kill based ship?

 

Flashfires/Stings actually have the same sensor capability by default, just the Novadrive/Blackbolt can upgrade to have 25000 radius/focus, or 25000 communication, vs the Flashfire which is stuck with 15000 communication max and 20000 max radius/focus.

[Zoom_VI]

Flashfires/Stings actually have the same sensor capability by default, just the Novadrive/Blackbolt can upgrade to have 25000 radius/focus, or 25000 communication, vs the Flashfire which is stuck with 15000 communication max and 20000 max radius/focus.

 

Novedrive has a sensor slot, Flashfires do not, so even a default scout is going to have better sensors because it has that component which the Flash lacks.

 

Don't need upgrades if what your comparing against can't even slot that component.

 

Now yes Flash is the same as a Nova in by default if by default you mean nothing slotted, however the game dictates that there will always be a component equipped for each slot, so your argument is moot.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Zoom_VI

[Ramalina]

Not yet.

 

If you look at the upgrades for the Nova you see that it's real area of expertise is in Recon.

 

Once stealth, functional sensor dampening (it's partly broken right now), and coordinated team play show up in the same match having a Nova or two will potentially be very valuable to a team. Depending on how future maps and objectives are implemented there could be additional advantages to scouting roles.

 

For right now though, the Nova's recon spec advantages in comparison to a scout geared for an Interceptor role are of very low utility. I'm playing and gearing my Nova, but I'm going to be cranky if the sensor suites are still mostly useless in Feb or whenever the full rollout of GS happens.

[Zoom_VI]

Not yet.

 

If you look at the upgrades for the Nova you see that it's real area of expertise is in Recon.

 

Once stealth, functional sensor dampening (it's partly broken right now), and coordinated team play show up in the same match having a Nova or two will potentially be very valuable to a team. Depending on how future maps and objectives are implemented there could be additional advantages to scouting roles.

 

For right now though, the Nova's recon spec advantages in comparison to a scout geared for an Interceptor role are of very low utility. I'm playing and gearing my Nova, but I'm going to be cranky if the sensor suites are still mostly useless in Feb or whenever the full rollout of GS happens.

 

The addition of the rumored "stealth" ship might bring Novadrive to more prominence.

 

I will point out that Novas lost a lot of their importance when dampening was nerfed going from PTS to live. However I would rather Novadrives be a little behind the curve than to go back to the horrors of the PTS where the only viable ships where the ones with sensor components, due to the potency of dampening.

[Arkerus]

Thematically I treat them very differently.

 

My Novadive is my high speed "harass and leave" starfighter. I use it get to nodes fast and harass bogeys with blaster fire. It has better engine speed than my Flashfire and sensor range is vastly improved.

 

The flashfire has a much better weapon set and I have it set up with sensor dampening and shielding. It is for killing, not scouting.

[Tiron_Raptor]

Honestly, I also find the rocket pods to be more useful than the cluster missiles in quite a few situations, so much so that I'm actually using rocket pods on my flashfire now.

 

Burst Lasers + Rocket Pods is the king of all setups for murdering stationary targets. The rockets have a MUCH higher fire rate than the cluster missiles. And when going after sniping gunships, rockets don't give the target a loud, obvious lock-on tone to warn them they're under attack. Their first warning they get is when they start taking massive damage, which they're sometimes too engrossed to notice.

 

Cutting loose with burst lasers AND rockets at point-blank range will kill a gunship in seconds. So much so that they sometimes don't so much as twitch before they explode. It kills turrets even faster: my flashfire can wipe out all three turrets around a satellite in a single pass that lasts MAYBE 10-15 seconds.

 

But interestingly, I frequently do better in my novadive, especially when I was still using quad lasers and cluster missiles on the flashfire.

 

I've got the novadive fitted with laser cannons (I seem to have a lot more luck with those and quads than I do with rapids or lights). It does seem like it's able to travel longer distances faster than the flashfire, but they way they're set up now the Nova also has a lot longer range on its lasers. I've experimented with sabotage probes and may mess with thermite some later, but for now I'm sticking with the rocket pods.

 

I actually find the cluster missiles more useful on my strike fighters: I have my Star Guard set up with Ion Cannons as its secondary lasers, and I've managed to kill a scout in one pass by using the ions to blow off its shields and then jamming a cluster missile on its hull.

 

My Pike has Clusters and Protons, and is my newest ship so it's not particularly well upgraded yet. It does okay: if they come in close I spam cluster missiles at them, if they try to run they get a proton up the tailpipe. Might need some refinement yet, doesn't seem to work as well as some of my other ships (damage is good, kills are lacking), or maybe it just needs some upgrades.

[Dustotepp]

I play them both, with different loadouts based on what i use them for.

 

My Blackbolt/Novadive is set up for maximum boost. Using boost cooldowns and barrel roll, I can use afterburners to go from Satellite A to Satellite C and get there with boost left over. This set up (with rocket pods) is really good at claiming satellites in a hurry. I almost always open with this ship, and I will use it throughout games where I need to keep reinforcing satellite defenders. Semi-regularly I will switch to this ship just long enough to fly by an opposing satellite, take out their turrets, then boost back to the contested satellite. Then half of their offense will run back to defend, leaving the middle vulnerable.

 

I use my Sting/Flashfire for dogfighting and hunting gunships. It is a damage/evasion build.

[Eldrenath]

I guarantee you that that's because of an engineering companion that has efficient maneuvers on your Novadrive, and not having such a companion on the flashfire.

 

In fact I just checked, and it is the case.

 

Exact same engine consumption, depending on crew member choice.

 

DOH! That's on me then, I didn't know what stat that companion passive shows up in. Your point is 100% correct, I do have C2-N2 in the engineering slot, which gives 10% more engine power and 13% increased efficiency in use of engine power skills (afterburn included).

[LeonBraun]

Novadive has sensor arrays (for sensor detection or dampening) while the Flashfire does not. In addition, if you look at the ship stats, while both are scouts the Novadive's energy consumption when using afterburners is significantly lower. On a Flashfire it's like 10 engine power per second, and like 6 on a Novadive. Therefore, the Novadive has engine power for DAYS. WAAAAAY more than the Flashfire. Add the booster recharge ability, and you can zoom all over the map as often as you want, engine power becomes almost a non-issue.

 

But I'm wondering if I'm missing something here: I have C2N2 in my crew under engineering, which increases engine pool and decreases engine consumption for maneuvers (including afterburning). Is this why I'm getting so much more engine power? It seems like no comparison, it's got to be more than the 13% reduction. I go through engine power like crazy on my Flashfire, but in my Novadive I can zoom forever.

 

Enemy swarming point A and I can't defend? Fine, zoom lickety split all the way to C. Take out three turrets in 20 seconds, and the attack on A breaks really quick as they all scramble--slowly--across the map.

 

^ This right here.

 

Essentially if objective based PvP is your thing than the Novadive (or Imp equivalent) is your ship, as it's the best objective based ship in the game bar none.

 

Basically you give up the blaster overcharge of a Flashfire for better engine resource and management, which for a player that likes satellite capture will win out over an extra kill or two per match.

[NemoSD]

NovaDive and Flashfire have two completely different roles. Comparing them is like comparing a P-51 to a Corsair. They look similar on the surface, but get beyond that, and the similarities drop off.

 

Flashfire is a quick response fighter/interceptor. It uses its speed to get into a furball to help tip it favorably, or to relieve an embattled defender long enough for the strikes to get there and engage fully. It is heavier armed, and ready for the kill. (Cluster missiles by the way are awesome, try upgrading them.)

 

The NovaDive has two functions, sniper hunter, or recon. Its secondary function is objective capping. The problem with the NovaDive is that in order for it to be at the top of its Recon game, it needs a way to relay information other then prayer that the rest of the time notices the new sensor blips. In premades, it is going to be downright deadly in that it can foil any attempts to ambush. As to its anti-sniper role, strap rocket pods or sabotage probe, stack dampening so that poor gunship never sees you until it is to late, and go to town on that bad boy.

[Tiron_Raptor]

Flashfire is a quick response fighter/interceptor...

 

The NovaDive has two functions, sniper hunter, or recon. Its secondary function is objective capping...

 

Not really true, it entirely depends on how you fit them and your own personal flying style. In my case, for example, it's the exact opposite of what you describe.

 

All my really high kill scoring games have been in the Novadive, and I use the Flashfire as a gunship killer, to fairly spectacular effect.

 

The Flashfire is set up with rocket pods and burst lasers, giving an even moderately inattentive gunship no warning at all until they're already being hammered EXTREMELY hard. An interesting side effect is that it absolutely demolishes turrets, making it absurdly effective as a rapid point capper, especially if it's undefended.

 

The Novadive is set up with laser cannons and rocket pods, and I have a real tendency to just rack up kill after kill with it. It'll still light up gunships fairly well, but the laser cannons don't hit nearly as hard as the burst lasers. They've got a pretty good maximum range though, so I don't have to get quite so close to people to hit them, which makes tracking easier.