The way I test ships is..

In my plugin I set up two governments, "Blue Team" and "Gold Team" (from the DD-21 competition) which are mutual enemies. For each govt, I made a dude resource for the lightning, the rapier, the hawk, and the corvette. I set up a mission "Blue Lightning" which cause 1 lightning of the Blue team to appear in system with me. I set up other missions-- "Gold Rapier", "Blue Hawk", etc. which work similarly.

To see a rapier-lightning fight, I accept the missions Blue Lightning, and Gold Rapier, and leave the planet. I then see Blue Team's Lightning fighter destroy a Gold Team Rapier fighter with 4 missiles.

PlanetPhil probably has better way...

------------------

geeze, do it complicated, i just set up a fleet (or dude, can't remember which) of 1 cydonian rapier to appear in the levo system and a fleet/dude of 1 lethean lightning to appear in the system.
easy as pie. well, easier than pie

------------------
Kirk - Scotty, we need more power!
Scott - I kinna do it captain, I kinna reach the controls...

The lightning is a better AI controled ship, but, IMHO, the rapier is more human friendly.

------------------
"Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but it's a long one for me."
-Pete Conrad third man on the moon

if you want it for your ship, i'd say a rapier. if as an escort, or AI i'd go for lightning. rapiers have more gun fire and shield. lightnings have better speed, and better secondaries. i like the rapiers better as my own ship. i used a lightning once, then i got a different ship.

------------------
Ultimate Rebel-Rebel General leading a campaign for the Confederates' Demise

In computer hands, the lightning wins.
In my hands, the Rapier kicks ass.
Rapiers all the way!

------------------
I choose to believe that the glass is half empty.

As an escort I'd go for the lightning, but there's no way I'd fly it myself as there isn't enough cargo space to do anything except fight.

------------------

i always end up dying in a fighter, but for this vote, i would say the rapier. i last that much longer. i think they are really better as escorts, since flying a fighter and trying to become a trader is very hard.

------------------
We are all dead people on leave.

Quote

Originally posted by antihero:
**i always end up dying in a fighter, but for this vote, i would say the rapier.

**

I would agree with you if Rapiers could be put in a ship. Unfortunately, they cannot (I am assuming that we are not talking plugins).

------------------
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake. " - Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower

Quote

Originally posted by SilverDragon:
**Lightning all the way.

**

YEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote

Originally posted by Emperor Ent:
**My opinion is that the Lightning is just a suped-up Defender.

**

It's a lot more than that!

Well, if you just want to kill something- Rapier. Lightning is a beter all-around ship.

------------------

Quote

Originally posted by Luke:
**It's a lot more than that!

Well, if you just want to kill something- Rapier. Lightning is a beter all-around ship.

**

Luke, you must learn the ways of the force...The Rapier shall guide you and protect you.

Although I usually go for the Rapier, I've began to fly the Lightning more often. Speed rules...

------------------
~Captain Skyblade

CEO of the Corsair Development Team
(url="http://"http://tmgmedia.net/jpayne")Corsair Homepage(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub57.ezboard.com/bcorsairdevelopers")Corsair Web Board(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub101.ezboard.com/bstarbasedelta")Starbase Delta(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Captain Skyblade:
**Luke, you must learn the ways of the force...The Rapier shall guide you and protect you.;)

Although I usually go for the Rapier, I've began to fly the Lightning more often. Speed rules...

**

A Lightning with all the speed, turn upgrades can fly faster than any other ship, except maybe a defender.

------------------
Write your complaints here: O
Please don't write out of the space.

Quote

Originally posted by Luke:
**A Lightning with all the speed, turn upgrades can fly faster than any other ship, except maybe a defender.

**

Correct. Such a ship makes a superb hit-and-run heavy fighter, and the Lightning earns a reputation for packing quite a whallop early in the game.

------------------
~Captain Skyblade

CEO of the Corsair Development Team
(url="http://"http://tmgmedia.net/jpayne")Corsair Homepage(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub57.ezboard.com/bcorsairdevelopers")Corsair Web Board(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub101.ezboard.com/bstarbasedelta")Starbase Delta(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by cable_guy:
**< snip> corvettes are a doddle. <snip> **

Okay. What's a "doddle," cable_guy?

- KK

------------------
“You will find that our crew will be either the most valuable, loyal, and trustworthy of allies, or ... if you insist on trying to swallow us up -- the worst of enemies. The choice is yours. And should you choose to fight us ... don’t bring a knife to a gunfight!”

I would have to go with the lightning. With all the speed upgrades, prot cannons and jav rocksts, and a burner and missile jammer, the heavy rockets and misseles removed, and relpaced with shield and armor enhancements. Lets face it, projectiles are largely worthless, especially with fighters, whom will run out way before they have won a fight. The real power of a fighter is in up close dog fighting, and here speed, acceleration and manouverability rule. I have beat the game on both sides with many diffrent ships, and must say that the lightning is the best fighter to fly (for the combat missions, for the hauling missions, go with whatever floats your boat, personally i dont give a damn bout cargo space, and would rather just kill everything i see) and for that role, i would pick the lightning over any toher fighter any day, the most fun in EV is takin out the heavies with a small ship like the Lighting.
Joe

------------------

Oxford's Dictionary defines 'doddle' as...
DODDLE (dod'l) noun (colloquial) easy, a simple task.

So, to translate fully...
with a rapier, taking down corvettes is a <simple task>.

Happy to clear that small matter up.

------------------
"This lady needs to be taken to a hospital immediately"
"A hospital, what is it?"
"It's a big building with patients in, but that's not important right now"

I think groups of rapier can take down heavy capital ships. But neither the rebellion nor the Confederacy tried to use the rapier, or have a ship that launches torpedoes. That's why we never see that.
Lightning is better for taking down small ships and fighters, and even if the AI would be smarter, the Lightning would still win the rapier.

So my vote goes for (internet connection interrupted)

------------------
M'enfin!
Y'a personne qui parle français ici?

Actually, when a Rebel Destroyer encounters a Confed Cruiser, it launches lots of torpedoes. As for my vote, I would have to say the Rapier. It has more weapons arcs, better armament, better shielding and armour, more weapon space, and it looks better. However, the price of it makes you look at the Lightning.

------------------
"The heathens are upon us. Arm yourselves and go with God." Paul Benden, Commander of the Purple Sector Fleet, prior to the Battle of Cygni.
(url="http://"http://pub70.ezboard.com/bevtechsoftware")EVTech Software Webboard(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by magicianeer:
**PlanetPhil probably has better way...
**

Actually, no... :redface:

Really, we're talking about the same method. You whip up two mutually hostile dudes (yes, in the Levo system) and let them have at it. I'll run the battles ten or more times in a row, sometimes having Dude A jump into the system, then switching it around and having Dude A be the "home" team.

------------------
PlanetPhil
world keeps turning

Lightning, in any manner. It can outmanuver, outrun, and overpower the Rapier easily. But while we are on the topic, I'd rather fly the Defender, with a few armor and shield upgrades. It, with minor shielf, armor, and the thrust/manuver upgrades, can smack up any ship you want. I've seen lone defenders toast argosys with little/no effort. They're scary little fighters...And those ones AREN'T upgraded!

-Anatole

------------------
Whee!

It matters what you want to do. In swarms, rapiers can easily take out capital ships, but are only average in a dogfight. The lightning is the opposite, it easily takes out other fighters, however it is sub par against capital ships.

Personally, the rapier is my favorite, with more space, cargo, and adaptability; it is good against everything (like the 'vette).