I realize I should have given some context to it: the whole idea was to go with a high-tech only, as carrier heavy as possible fleet, using only fighters (although the last part proved to be a bad idea, so I added some bombers).
You do need something to keep the distance between your carriers and the enemy fleet and you can either:
- pick something to directly tank the damage;
- or something to keep them busy while avoiding the damage.
I wanted as many fighters as possible, and the best value for small high-tech ships per DP is the Shrike, since you can add a fighter to it.
Unfortunately, due to the way elite Gunnery Implants works you also want some frigates to get enough ECM rating to beat the ECM of some of the Ordos fleets (say 15+ Alpha cores), hence the Wolves (and all the ECM thingies you see). The idea is for the Shrikes (and Wolves if possible) to have at least as much range as a Radiant (you got to beat their ECM for that). That way a couple of Shrikes with 2-3 Wolves can keep a Radiant indefinitely (well, until they run out of CR, thus the Wolfpack Tactics and Hardened Subsystems on the Wolves). I will admit though, that in 95% of situations you don't need as much ECM (currently 70%), so its probably a good idea to replace some Wolves with more Shrikes. Also, ECM does affect missiles (although this is not of much consequence)!
You are 100% correct about Ordinance Expertise. I started the build with Hull Restoration, since it is the best way to acquire D-mod free ships early on, and I had nothing better then Ordinance Expertise to pick. I did keep the Hull Restoration until quite late (until 216, I believe, current year is 220). After respecing, I kept Ordinance Expertise because it is still useful on a Paragon, and to be honest, both Field Repairs and Salvaging are kind of bad. Note that I want to keep Containment Procedures - it's stupid how useful this skill is for sector exploration. If I remove that, then I would definitely go for Cybernetic Augmentation and Flux Regulations.
As I mentioned about the Wolves - their main purpose is the ECM from elite Gunnery Implants (and the nav rating from Coordinated Maneuvers). I had no idea what else to do with them (expect wanting them to not die), so long range PD-boats they are. Tactical Lasers have Fast turn rate (unlike PD's Excellent turn rate) and it kinda of shows. They can still shoot missiles but it doesn't feel as smooth as with PD lasers. The 75% turn rate improves that by a lot (and its only 2 OP). As I stated in my original post, the Wolves still do stupid ***, but it's a lot less frequent when they have as high range as possible, can shoot down missiles, and have omni-shields. For some reason, on occasion, the Wolves keep ramming into the Astrals (which obviously raise their shields) and without omni-shileds they just die.
I was pleasantly surprised by how rarely the Shrikes die! In fact, they only die if they get into a bad position (say picking up an Eliminate order from the other side of the map and passing through the entire enemy fleet) or they get their engines disabled (I should probably have picked Hardened Shields over Heavy Armor). In fact, if you keep an eye on them and correct their positioning from time to time (don't let them get surrounded and avoid tach lances), they do not die! The AI seems to be doing rather well with 1500+ range, high speed and 360 degree shields.
I disagree about Helmsmanship though. I don't pilot any particular ship, just try to actively correct the AI's positioning, and here this skill shines, especially on slow capital ships. The thing about Support Doctrine is that your ships get the skills as long as they are not being piloted, so without Helmsmanship your ships are slower when you pilot them.
And since we are on the subject of Support Doctrine, the best strategy for carrier focused fleets seems to be to get as many squadrons as possible, which means no officers on the carriers so you can get the DP reduction. Carrier skills do offer a 1.5x multiplier for ships with officers, but they are kind of weak - none of them directly improve your fighters' damage, and you quickly reach squadron numbers that make the bonuses negligible. So the choice is between fewer fighters with no way of directly increasing their damage or more fighters (more carriers). Note that more carriers also means more fighter replacement, so the choice seems obvious. The situation sucks, but it is what it is, although I hope that something gets changed in the future.
You are also correct, that any ship that can tank (like say, 4 Monitors) makes your life a lot easier. Also, adding any frontal focused capital ship (say a Paragon or an Onslaught) will probably improve the build, but as I said in the beginning of this post, the idea was a bit different.
Anyway, thank you for the positive words, but I believe we might be getting slightly offtopic
