Fractal Softworks Forum
Starsector => General Discussion => Topic started by: Gothars on October 26, 2015, 06:18:34 AM
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David posted this on twitter: (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSM-IeIU8AE45t3.jpg:large)
Interesting design, isn't it? Seems inspired by actual cruise liners. Also, while the hull proper seems clearly expansion epoch, the ballistic turret platforms don't fit that and might me post-collapse additions.
And what is that red ring on the new frigate? Probably the Luddic Path faction symbol.
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Ballistic mounts have different color and looks a bit... off with the rest of the hulls. I'd say it's modified.
And I believe I've never seen that missile weapon on the firgate before.
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The flames have either low-tech or midline color. High-tech ships have blue flames. The blue on the hull is probably a Tri-Tachyon or default paint job, like on the Buffalo.
EDIT: Shield has low-tech color, like the Venture. It is a low-tech ship.
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It seems like David's two new ships are sort of in an epoch of their own - both seem much more aluminum and steel colored and shaded than the normal Midline ships - they're more of a dull grey than the shiny and more white versions of the Civilian Liner and the new frigate (and when I say the new frigate, I don't mean the colored version here - the original one seen a quite some months ago).
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And I believe I've never seen that missile weapon on the firgate before.
That looks like the new Hammer torpedoes featured in a screenshot in the 0.7 topic.
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I wonder what its in-game function will be. At the moment there's no use in shipping large quantities of people. Maybe missions will introduce some? Evacuation or refugee transport maybe.
And I believe I've never seen that missile weapon on the firgate before.
Those are the new low-tech Hammer torpedoes.
The flames have either low-tech or midline color. High-tech ships have blue flames. The blue on the hull is probably a Tri-Tachyon or default paint job, like on the Buffalo.
EDIT: Shield has low-tech color, like the Venture. It is a low-tech ship.
Yeah, you're probably right. Flame color is low-tech, too. The paint job had me fooled.
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The flames have either low-tech or midline color. High-tech ships have blue flames. The blue on the hull is probably a Tri-Tachyon or default paint job, like on the Buffalo.
Huge smoke, that would make it low-tech, witch kinda match the smooth-but-not-too-smooth look of the new enforcer, and the shuttle-like engine section.
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We really do need more civilian type ships and in game fleets. With industry i wana see ventures with talons vs mules and sheppards. Even Hermes joining the fight
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WHOO! Those look awesome!
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Is that middle part a flight deck or drone bay?
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That liner looks fantastic and very 'real' and three-dimensional. There's actually another ship with a similar colour scheme - the Apogee.
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Is that middle part a flight deck or drone bay?
I'd say a flight deck, since the fight seems to have just started and no drones are visible. Besides, combat drones are not a mastery epoch technology (aside from the Shepherd, which is modified).
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Apogee has support drone. Combat utility isn't main purpose, tho.
And seems that liner already had undergone some modification, so... I'd open the possibility for both.
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Atlas has a flight deck. This ship could have it. Maybe it traded cargo space for more guns and maybe some other stat.
P.S. Remember that Prometheus, the fuel version of the Atlas, has more guns but no flight deck. However, the Prometheus does not have a clear runway for its LMG drones system. Atlas has a clear runway for its flight deck, and this new ship appears to have a flight deck just like the Atlas.
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I think your breakdown is correct. Flight deck for escorts makes the most sense. Drones would give too much combat capacity to a luxury liner in my mind.
I wonder if there will ever be civilian "fighter" squadrons. Like scout or recreational pods or something.
EDIT: overuse of methinks. :p
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A flight deck would make it somewhat similar to some civilian ships before (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Europa_(1928)) and during WW2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAM_ship) that had a catapult and a fighter to fight off enemy aircrafts and spot U-boats...
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Is that middle part a flight deck or drone bay?
I'd say a flight deck, since the fight seems to have just started and no drones are visible. Besides, combat drones are not a mastery epoch technology (aside from the Shepherd, which is modified).
Really? I just assumed it was a skylight.
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Now, is it destroyer or cruiser sized? I'm pretty sure it's too small to be a capital.
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I wonder what its in-game function will be. At the moment there's no use in shipping large quantities of people. Maybe missions will introduce some? Evacuation or refugee transport maybe.
I believe not every ship should be useful for a player. Even is totally bad from player's point of view, this ship could add immersion by adding NPC civilian cruise fleets, "liner with an escort" type fleets, evacuation fleets, or something else.
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Now, is it destroyer or cruiser sized? I'm pretty sure it's too small to be a capital.
It appears that the sprite for the liner is ~10.5 times longer and 4.5-5 times wider than the sprite for the Talon. This suggests a sprite which is about 250 by 108-120 (27000-30000 pixels total). Average destroyer sprite dimensions are ~113 (min 80, max 140, std dev ~18) by ~185 (min 136, max 260, std dev ~39), with an average total pixels in sprite (including empty space) of ~20000 (min 15000, max 28080, std dev ~3600); average cruiser sprite dimensions are 169 (min 128, max 220, std dev ~33) by ~232 (min 180, max 280, std dev ~37), with an average total pixels in sprite (including empty space) of ~38000 (min 35000, max 47600, std dev ~4000). This suggests to me that the liner is a large destroyer, though it's not that far out of line for being a small cruiser.
If that center-forward dark patch with a lit area at the back is a flight deck, then I'm inclined to say that the ship is a cruiser for the simple reason that the size of that patch relative to the rest of the vessel seems to me as though it's too small for a destroyer-scale flight deck (the exit for the Condor's flight deck is about a quarter the length and a quarter the width of the ship, and the Gemini's flight deck appears to take up a considerable portion of the forward section of the vessel given that fighters can launch from or land at four points on three sides of that section).
If we consider the black rectangular markings on the vessel to be windows, then I'm inclined to say that the liner is a destroyer because the 'windows' appear to be too large for a cruiser; the Apogee, Heron, Eagle, and Falcon all appear to have windows at various points on the hull (Apogee on an apparently-raised portion of the front section about where the bridge of a Federation ship from Star Trek would be, Eagle/Falcon/Heron on a raised portion towards the rear of the ship about where Star Destroyers had their command towers), but the windows on these sprites are significantly smaller than the windows on the liner appear to be.
If we consider the ships which already exist, then there's already a ship in the destroyer-scale personnel carrier slot (the Valkyrie) and cruisers are completely lacking in truly civilian vessels (and in my opinion also in militarized civilian vessels; I regard the Venture more as a demilitarized warship than a militarized civilian vessel), which would suggest that a new vessel might for the sake of diversity be placed into the cruiser lineup rather than the destroyer lineup. However, multiple ships in the same role in the same size class while the next size class up is completely lacking ships of this role would not be unique, what with there being four dedicated destroyer-scale freighters and arguably two destroyer-scale militarized freighters (I personally am inclined to regard the present form of the Gemini as a purpose-built escort carrier that happens to have enough cargo capacity to make it a potentially-worthwhile freighter rather than as a militarized freighter that has a flight deck, but I know that the game description and classification, and probably some members of the forums, don't agree with me) and no cruiser-scale freighters at all (unless you really, really want to stretch for the Venture and maybe Apogee).
Overall, I'm inclined to believe that the liner belongs to the destroyer lineup rather than the cruiser lineup. Knowing that the liner definitely had a flight deck rather than basing the assumption that it has a flight deck off of the presence of that dark patch with a lit area towards the back would be sufficient to change my inclination from destroyer to cruiser.
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Wow. Impressive deconstruction!
Makes me want to fiddle about with a thing or two on the sprite. But that said, I will not confirm or deny any speculation. :D
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I'm more interested in the new frigate getting bridge lights, it was scrapped from 0.65a but deco lights in vanilla seems to be a thing now. The liner's dark windows would further support that possibility, I doubt they will stay that way...
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It should have a flight deck so shuttles and other small craft can dock. Like the design of it. :)
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I believe not every ship should be useful for a player. Even is totally bad from player's point of view, this ship could add immersion by adding NPC civilian cruise fleets, "liner with an escort" type fleets, evacuation fleets, or something else.
I agree, I've always felt like Starsector needed a few more civilian vessels. To me it seems odd that civilians would only use a handful of ship variants.