Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1

Mods / Re: [0.9.1a] Diable Avionics 2.04 (2019/05/14)

« on: October 30, 2019, 02:58:10 PM »

I found they really came into their own once a solid anvil could be built- I cheated and used out-of-faction Eagle and Vulture-style cruisers with Arbitrator cheap armour support, supported by Storms and using Vapors, Hayles and a Haze for the flank and enclosure.

Eventually I added a Maelstrom with HVDs, IBIS, Micromissiles, Tachlance, and bow Arbitrator rockets for making hostile capitals sad, and found it to be a a marvelously flexible platform.

A pair of Maelstroms each escorted by a pair of Storms gives some tanky defenses.

For Wanzers, I went for the tougher, more survivable sort and I keep them in supporting range to strengthen the firebubble- they are not a strike package.

Edit: Early, a Hayle with Recson V for kinetic poke and six MRM racks can punch well above its weight (but I probably over PD'd with two Raptor mounts).  Just remember that flicker costs flux and don't overexpose. I think the DA fleet doctrine likes long-ranged, pokey weapons if you shop out-of-faction, but ymmv.

2

Mods / Re: [0.9.1a] Diable Avionics 2.04 (2019/05/14)

« on: October 26, 2019, 05:02:35 PM »

Actually, I think all of those roles are either well-filled- or probably inappropriate to the DA fleet. Details in the spoiler.

Spoiler

As far as "bigger tanker/freighter" goes, the Rime does both freight and tankage- not as well as a dedicated civilian ship, perhaps, but it does both, can be tuned for one or the other with hullmods, and comes with the added benefit of being a potential combat-deployable at 15DP (pads your DP score a bit).  If you want dedicated freight, I think the existing civilian options are better- because DA has no civilian ships. Everything they have is built not only for war, but for combat.

The DA tug includes salvage gear, and can be used to benefit a science mission (at the cost of everything tugs cost), and also can help turn a capital-grade fleet into a fast, strong raiding and survey fleet. This is the catchall fleet support ship, and I find it's not worth using unless you have 8-10 Rimes supporting capitals to use it. The Science ship you describe is the Apogee, and it's not mandatory. I don't think most vanilla factions have an equivalent, and a new Apogee would just be an Apogee.

If you want to mass Wanzer deployments, look no further than the Storm battlecarrier- 3 squadrons with a deployment focus on a 28DP platform. You can field just about two per Astral, I believe, and use them to bolster your Pandemonium or Maelstroms.

However, DA fleet doctrine uses Wanzers primarily as a supporting unit, not a strike package. There are other carriers (and factions) that do that better, and I think what the DA does use perfectly fits their niche.

Instead of using fighters or other small craft as strike packages, DA has frigates and destroyers with abundant room for missiles- either micromissiles, if you want to mount Hardened and go for a sustained engagement or, more likely, a stack of Harpoons supported by Recson V shieldpiercers (or HVDs if you're going to shop out-of-faction, you traitor).  Those strike packages really are their missile boats and make great pursuit and raiding units. You can mount missiles on their bigger ships, sure, but DA doctrine doesn't need big missile-focussed ships- they have small ones in spades.

Remember- the DA are not flexible. They are a fanatically militant society bent on domination, not exploration or trade. They are the edgelord weebs, they who swear that the katana should deal more than 1d10 damage, and the faction most likely to say "nothing personnel kid" when a trio of Maelstroms flicker into flanking positions and beat the hell out of you.

Trying to make them more doctrinally flexible would weaken their theme, I think, water down what makes them special, as well as infringing on the other factions who are more flexible and generic- TTC, PL, Heg, etc.

[close]

Edit: I should admit bias here- I love DA as a faction and their flavour. I'd love to see more fluff, maybe more history and background, but I love what's there.