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Author Topic: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship  (Read 5916 times)

zetagundam12

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Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« on: April 01, 2012, 06:11:44 PM »

I was thinking back to my days of playing star wars empire at war, and thought about how effective fighters and bombers were, unless opposed by a cheap fast unit: the corvette.

I think that a corvette would be a good cheap unit early game with lots of point defense to take out bombers and fighters, but with little or no weapons to be used on other warships.

just a passing thought, but it would make fighter groups a bit easier in early game.
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Vandala

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2012, 06:19:40 PM »

It would also make it easier in the late game.

Could become a problem?

K-64

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2012, 06:26:32 PM »

Aren't the really heavy fighters basically corvettes?
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mumbasa

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2012, 06:27:51 PM »

I agree that some sort of intermediary class could be beneficial, but I think that frigates like the lasher are able to fill the anti-fighter role quite effectively. The only reason EAW needed corvettes was because the capital ships completely lacked the weaponry to properly engage strike craft, which isn't really a problem in this game if you have a proper loadout for your larger ships.
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Nanostrike

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2012, 06:45:54 PM »

If you build a Frigate properly, it basically IS a Corvette.  Try a PD Laser/Advanced Optics Wolf or an MG-and-Vulcan packed Lasher.

But unlike most games, anything on here can attack anything.  So even though they're "Corvettes", they can turn their guns to bigger targets and do decently well.
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zetagundam12

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2012, 06:56:40 PM »

I was thinking faster than hounds and maybe some form of bonus to targetting or accuracy for PD weapons.
as well as being much cheaper to buy than frigates
« Last Edit: April 01, 2012, 06:58:43 PM by zetagundam12 »
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Temjin

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2012, 08:02:36 PM »

I was thinking faster than hounds and maybe some form of bonus to targetting or accuracy for PD weapons.
as well as being much cheaper to buy than frigates

Broadswords.
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Thaago

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2012, 10:48:16 PM »

Well, Broadswords are actually slower than hounds by 25. Faster than a hound is the Talon, Wasp, and Thunder right now... aside from the Thunder (which I'm convinced is alien super technology :P) these are dedicated interceptors.

I'm not really sure what kind of ship would match your description: As fast as an interceptor, enough weapon mounts to hold credible PD, enough hull/shield to survive being engaged with heavy fighters long enough to kill them... that sounds like a super-ship to me. Turn one of those PD into a railgun or a AM blaster and you have a ultra kite machine. And make it cheaper than a frigate... youchers :D

I do think there should be a hullmod that gives PD an aiming bonus - make it track like elite crew without actually having an elite crew (or better yet a fully accurate intercept solution) would be a nice mod for lashers.
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Cryten

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2012, 05:02:53 AM »

Personally I think existing light friagtes function the same as the carillion corvette later renamed the blockade runner by star wars cannon. I remember a mission in X wing where 8 waves of 2 carillion corvettes supported by a wing of x wings and b wings where used to take out a frigate (equivilent to a starfarer cruiser). That is preety much how frigates work against cruiser in starfarer, lots a bee stings and then retreat orders.
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Nanostrike

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2012, 09:54:29 AM »

IMO, Point Defense will get a lot better when we have some Ballistic Frigates with Medium Turret mounts and Energy PD gets worked on a bit (Burst PD Lasers/Heavy Burst Lasers).

That's really the main issue: Frigates are the only non-fighter ship fast enough to catch most fighters.  But only a few of them can carry decent enough PD weapons to take down Heavy Fighters before they can slip away.
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Temjin

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2012, 10:37:11 AM »

IMO, Point Defense will get a lot better when we have some Ballistic Frigates with Medium Turret mounts and Energy PD gets worked on a bit (Burst PD Lasers/Heavy Burst Lasers).

That's really the main issue: Frigates are the only non-fighter ship fast enough to catch most fighters.  But only a few of them can carry decent enough PD weapons to take down Heavy Fighters before they can slip away.

High tech frigates (Tempests, Wolves) can do it pretty well. Pulse Lasers and Heavy Blasters tear through fighter wings, especially on that quick of a platform. They're expensive and/or rare, but a Heavy Blaster-equipped Tempest is useful against just about anything, even if it's just circling around taking nasty potshots at a cruiser or capital ship while the rest of the fleet occupies its main guns.
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JDCollie

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2012, 12:11:59 PM »

I would be kinda cool to have a destroyer size vessel that sports greatly improved speed and maneuverability but is only able to mount large numbers of PD weapons.

Kinda puts all your anti-fighter eggs in one basket, but at least it would be a angry and powerful basket...
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cp252

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2012, 03:19:03 AM »

It's called a medusa I believe. Heheheh.
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JDCollie

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2012, 02:23:06 PM »

I don't think a new ship class is necessary. And while I personally would like to see a few more hulls with dedicated point defense in mind (I'm always one for variety  ;D ), there are a number of existing hulls that can be fitted quite adequately for the corvette job.
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Nanostrike

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Re: Suggestion for a new class of early game ship
« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2012, 03:10:26 PM »

IMO, Point Defense will get a lot better when we have some Ballistic Frigates with Medium Turret mounts and Energy PD gets worked on a bit (Burst PD Lasers/Heavy Burst Lasers).

That's really the main issue: Frigates are the only non-fighter ship fast enough to catch most fighters.  But only a few of them can carry decent enough PD weapons to take down Heavy Fighters before they can slip away.

High tech frigates (Tempests, Wolves) can do it pretty well. Pulse Lasers and Heavy Blasters tear through fighter wings, especially on that quick of a platform. They're expensive and/or rare, but a Heavy Blaster-equipped Tempest is useful against just about anything, even if it's just circling around taking nasty potshots at a cruiser or capital ship while the rest of the fleet occupies its main guns.

The only problem is cost.  A Heavy-Blaster or Pulse-Laser toting Tempest costs a small fortune.  And even the Wolf (My go-to PD ship) isn't cheap.

But that really brings me to the main issue: There aren't very many good Low-Tech PD Frigate options.  Once you get up to Destroyers, where they can mount Flak Turrets, that changes.  But in Frigates, they're stuck with Machine Guns or Vulcans to take out fighters.  And they're not nearly as fast or agile as a Wolf or Tempest.  It's a pretty big problem right now.
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