sooo... i've been using a few Knights for a bit now and.. i don't know what to think anymore. ^^
i've long considered Knight my 2nd least fav BRDY ship (after Convergence! as i've mentioned a few times already :3) but i gave it another chance now, mostly because i think the sprite actually looks really cool.
the much-criticized turret layout is rather strange, but i can see a certain charm in it. it's somewhere between "awkward" and "creative". let's call it "unconventional". :p
i think the two energy and the small starboard ballistic turrets are the main flaws, i've mostly just left them empty. i suppose they could be used for dedicated broadside loadouts, but those don't synergize well with the Arc Jet Burner, the ai has some trouble with handling them in general, and it would sacrifice the one thing that Knight is pretty good at: swarms of small missiles.
i still found a few loadouts that i like, generally using the frontal hardpoints and at least one of the frontal medium turrets for ballistic firepower (Light Needlers + Extended Gale, Volley Guns + short Gale, or even Shard Guns + Shredder Battery) and the other four universals for missiles that aren't too limited by ammo (like Scalaron Pulses, obviously, or Salamanders). the remaining ballistic turrets are PD.
i always use fighter-heavy fleets, even in vanilla (with increased ship cap) and a BRDY lineup with SS+ balance works very well with swarms of Serkets and Kraits. so having a few carriers right at the frontline that are also able to take and deal about as much damage as an additional destroyer, seems like a good idea. and with Wing Command skill and Expanded Flight Decks hullmod they can take in, rearm and launch Vespas at crazy speeds, effectively flinging near-endless chains of Fury torpedos in all directions.
so for a while now i thought i actually do like Knights after all! \o/
but... :[
for some reason they seem to have serious suicidal tendencies. at first i assumed it was just bad luck, but after several lost Knights, i doubt that's the case. despite now being piloted by cautious officers with skills and loadouts focused on weapon range and mobility, they still keep getting themselves into trouble, only backing off when it's already too late.
the really frustrating thing is that i've been using two Gonodactylus(es?) with short-range loadouts and aggressive officers (and the same Arc Jet Burners) with great success. they were the first combat ships i added to my fleet, i'm now lvl 63, and only once did one of them get disabled. iirc, there were only three other battles total where one of them fell below 50% hull.
i'm not quite sure what's causing this behaviour, but my best guess would be that it's a combination of a) cruiser class, b) carrier hybrid and c) ship system.
despite aggressive officers, the Gonodactylus seem to be a lot more careful about engaging enemies while outnumbered or against large ships. they do burn right into enemies on occassion, but usually only when they can easily deal with whoever awaits them at their target destination.
i believe the ai considers Knights as normal combat cruisers (as they are neither civilian ships nor dedicated carriers) and as such consistently overestimates their strength, not taking into account that roughly half their value comes from the flight deck. that causes them to burn into more dangerous situations more often, and not back off as quickly when things start going badly.
i can think of two solutions to this issue:
1) forcing the ai to consider them as destroyers to better match their actual combat power. i have no clue about coding, so i don't know if this is even possible, but -- assuming my above guesses are correct -- it might solve the problem quite neatly.
2) changing their ship system. giving them Burst Maneuvering Jets, for example, would likely allow them to better advance towards enemies without getting overwhelmed, and to retreat more effectively once that does happen. on the other hand, it would mean they'd lose part of what differentiates them from many other BRDY ships. :/
alternatively, a system like the dual Sentinel Drones of Eschaton or Bulwark Drone of Convergence would also remove their most reckless charges, and provide some distraction for enemies. and i think drones would also fit the carrier hybrid theme.
as it stands now, i think i'll have to 'downgrade' back to Typheus. those don't provide flight decks right in the thick of the battle and don't add much firepower by themselves (not to mention they just don't feel quite as badass), but at least they're very good at staying out of trouble.
and maybe we do get that Knight revamp at some point! ^_^