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Since I don't seem to be welcome in a similar thread... ;)
:D
I'm starting my own. This is a thread for serious capital ship discussion and brainstorming. Any ideas no matter how complex or short are welcome. I'll get the ball rolling.
:D
I'm starting my own. This is a thread for serious capital ship discussion and brainstorming. Any ideas no matter how complex or short are welcome. I'll get the ball rolling.
Capital Ship Classes
The following is a rather longer than necessary sampling of possible capital ship classes. I would assume that this is a longer list than we can reasonably expect any game not focused on capital ship simulation to have as part of its first build, but its fun to list anyway because it shows some of the real world issues that have effected capital ship design. The list is more or less in order from smallest to largest, but the sizes and costs should not be seen as exacting in any way.
Explanation of terms:
Armor Slots: See this thread – http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=msgboard&thread=1416
Equipment Slots: See this thread – http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=msgboard&thread=1494
Shields: The largest shield class of shield that can be mounted in the ships equipment slot. Only one shield can be in use at a time. The higher the number, the more powerful the shielding. Shields have a minimum power expenditure per second required to operate them, and require three seconds of charging to become active. Each time the amount of power directed to the shields is doubled, the amount of protection offered increases by roughly 50%. The maximum expenditure is eight times the minimum power for roughly triple the normal protection, though few ships can sustain this massive expenditure for more than a few seconds.
Example shields for the various classes follow (the numbers are largely placeholders and probably not well balanced):
Class Armor/Power Cost
Class I: 25/20
Class II: 50/40
Class III: 100/60
Class IV: 150/80
Class V: 250/120
Class VI: 300/200
Class VII: 350/220
Class VIII: 400/280
Class IX: 450/300
Class X: 500/320
Class XI: 600/360
Weapon Slots:
‘L’: A large weapon
‘VL’: A very large weapon
‘T’: A large weapon system mounted in a hemispherical turret. These turrets track relatively quickly and thus are effective against fighters at close range.
‘LT’: A very large weapon system mounted in a hemispherical turret. There turrets track relatively slowly and are fairly inaccurate against small targets, thus making them largely ineffective versus fighters.
Maneuverability:
The following terms are used in order from most to least maneuverable: very high, high, medium, low, very low, poor, very poor, bad, very bad, terrible, horrible, miserable, abysmal.
Corvette - 150m
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Hull: 120,000
Armor Slots: 5
Equipment Slots: 9
Shields: Class V
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 1L + 4T + 2VL
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 70
Maneuverability: Very Poor
“Corvettes are the smallest capital ships. They are typically arrow, ray, or fish shaped with relatively narrow cross sections. The are designed for speed and agility, and are far more agile than other capital ships. They are also capable of staying cloaked for much longer than any other class of capital ship. Compared to the size of their weapons array, corvettes have abundant energy to power their systems. They are often used to seek out and destroy assault craft, protect shipping lanes, to screen larger capital ship from assault by bombers, as fleet scouts, and in packs to cripple or destroy larger vessels.”
Monitor – 200m
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Hull: 200,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 8
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 2L + 5T + 2LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 50
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Monitors are small but heavily armored ships usually found protecting systems. Because they are excessively armored for their small engines, they are sluggish and slow for a craft of their size. They are rarely assigned to patrol or to the deep space fleets, but instead serve to ward off pirate attack. Their crews are often part time, semi-professional soldiers, or police officers and not of the highest quality. Nonetheless, they provide a cheap means of deploying a powerful weaponry as they are the smallest class to have a large weapon turret – much less two of those weapon systems.”
Frigate – 240m
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Hull: 240,00
Armor Slots: 6
Equipment Slots: 10
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 1L + 6T + 2VL + 1LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 84
Maneuverability: Bad
Special: 10% penalty to turbo
“Frigates are the most common capital ships because of their versatility and relatively low cost. Frigates are in many ways similar to corvettes, only much larger and more powerful. Like corvettes, they are relatively fast and agile for a capital ship and have large amounts of reserve power to operate their systems. However, unlike corvettes they mount a single large weapon turret making them much less dependent on maneuver to make a crippling attack on other large ships. They are used in much the same way as corvettes, but in areas of higher intensity conflict.”
Destroyer – 350m
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Hull: 300,000
Armor Slots: 7
Equipment Slots:11
Shields: Class VII
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 8T + 4LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 98
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: 20% penalty to turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Destroyers are the smallest capital ships designed to engage other capital ships in one on one combat. Although by no means as powerful as larger vessels, they still pack considerable punch and basically cannot be defeated by a single vessel smaller than themselves. They are the largest ship on which it is practical to mount turbo boosters. Although they are not particularly efficient on vessels of this size, they still give the destroyer much needed ability to maneuver by comparison to larger vessels. They are typically used as support vessels for larger fleets, to seek out and destroy smaller capital ships, and to hold systems in areas of lower intensity combat.”
Light Cruiser – 400m
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Hull: 400,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 12
Shields: Class VIII
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 12T + 5LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 112
Maneuverability: Terrible
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Light Cruisers were once capable of standing on the line of battle, but now they are typically used as leaders of task forces primarily composed of smaller ships. Many older vessels have been refurbished and designated as light cruisers, so it is not unusual to see a wide variety of hull designs in this class.”
Protected Cruiser – 400m
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Hull: 450,000
Armor Slots: 12
Equipment Slots: 10
Shields: Class X
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 10T + 5LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 80
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“Considered by many to be an outdated class of ships, the protected cruisers were light vessels designed to participate in the line of battle in fleet engagements. Although lacking in firepower, they had extremely heavy armor designed to thwart virtually any attack against them. Unfortunately modern anti-ship weaponry has progressed to the point that no armor can completely defeat an attack, leaving the protected cruiser out gunned and without the speed, agility, adequate anti-fighter systems, and modern electronics and countermeasures that are necessary to survive modern ship to ship combat. The few protected cruisers still in service are relegated to second line combat units, and often serve in much the same role as monitors but in larger and more important systems. A number of protected cruisers have been acquired by various means by pirate lords and other fringe groups, and frequently serve as flag ships for these groups.”
Cruiser – 475m
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Hull: 500,000
Armor Slots: 9
Equipment Slots: 13
Shields: Class IX
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 14T + 6LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 126
Maneuverability: Horrible
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“The core of any modern navy is its fleet of powerful cruisers. Capable of sustaining and inflicting tremendous amounts of damage, the cruiser is a threat to any but the largest ships in space. Typically cruisers are used to bolster the deep space fleet of major militaries, to hold and protect key systems and jump points, and in packs to seek out and destroy lone line of battle class ships.”
Armored Cruiser – 525m
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Hull: 650,000
Armor Slots: 16
Equipment Slots: 11
Shields: Class XI
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 12T + 6LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 100
Maneuverability: Abysmal
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“At one point in ship development, armored cruisers were the most feared and powerful vessels in space. Now, like protected cruisers, there time seems largely to have come and gone as they are largely obseleted by heavy cruisers and the modern line-of-battle ships.
Nonetheless, they are still powerful vessels which should not be underestimated. Their armor is as heavy are heavier than a modern dreadnought, and only the most modern and most powerful weaponry will easily penetrate their combination of heavy armor and powerful shields. The Serco still maintain a relatively large force of armored cruisers, and there are rumors that at least one pirate clan has acquired an armored cruiser.”
Heavy Cruiser – 600m
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Hull: 600,000
Armor Slots: 10
Equipment Slots: 14
Shields: Class X
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 16T + 8LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 140
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“In response to the increasingly large line-of-battle class ships being fielded by the various powers, many militaries have been producing a larger and heavier classes of cruisers in order to maintain a more credible threat vs. ship like dreadnoughts than the current cruisers. These ships are used much as normal cruisers but are sent to wherever the combat is most intense. These heavy cruisers have incredible amounts of firepower and solid hulls, but suffer by comparison to line-of-battle ships in terms of speed and available power.”
Battle Cruiser – 450m
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Hull: 480,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 14
Shields: Class VIII
Engines: 4
Weapon Slots: 10T + 9LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 100
Maneuverability: Terrible
Special: No turbo
“Fast, sleek, and deadly, the battle cruiser is the smallest class of modern line-of-battle ship. The battle cruiser has the ability to outrun any ship mounting enough fire power to destroy it, and destroy anything else. Although lightly built for a ship of its size, its maneuverability and massive amounts of excess power allow it to control the time and place of its combat, and its powerful anti-ship battery can quickly reduce any other capital ship to scrap even at great range. The only weakness of a Battle Cruiser is its lack of close support weaponry, meaning that it must be screened from fighter attack by smaller vessels and that it must be careful not to draw to close to a larger, more durable, and more balanced ship like a heavy cruiser. Battle Cruisers are usually used in conjunction with each other in large fleets designed to crush enemy capital ships in a decisive engagement, though some are occasionally assigned to penetrate enemy lines and wreck havoc as fast and powerful raiders.”
Heavy Battle Cruiser – 650m
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Hull: 550,000
Armor Slots: 9
Equipment Slots: 16
Shields: Class IX
Engines: 4
Weapon Slots: 14T + 12LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 125
Maneuverability: Horrible
Special: No Turbo
“The most modern class of capital ship, the large but surprisingly agile Heavy Battle Cruisers mount the most formidable anti-ship battery of any ship in space – an astounding 12 large turrets, twice that of a traditional cruiser. Like their smaller brothers the Battle Cruisers, they are designed to win with a combination of power and grace and are capable of fleeing whenever the odds turn against them. Also like Battle Cruisers, there lack of close range weaponry means that they must be supported in fleet actions by a screening force which protects them from bombers and other strike craft.”
Dreadnought – 750m
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Hull: 750,000
Armor Slots: 12
Equipment Slots: 15
Shields: Class XI
Engines: 4
Weapons: 20T + 10LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 156
Maneuverability: Abysmal
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“The largest and most powerful vessels in space, the Dreadnought can go wherever an opposing line-of-battle ship does not stand to oppose it – and few even of those mighty vessels dare face the brute force of a Dreadnought class vessel head on. Mounting a formidable combination of heavy weaponry and heavy armor, the Dreadnought crushes anything that it can close with. The only disadvantages of a Dreadnought are its high cost and sluggishness. Since the Dreadnought is not capable of chasing a foe, combat involving dreadnoughts tend to only occur when both sides desire it – and this is rarely, because a mass of dreadnoughts represent a considerable and probably irreplaceable portion of a naval powers presence in space. Thus Dreadnoughts are typically kept close to the home world in some secret location awaiting a propitious chance or circumstance.”
Capital Ship Primary Weapons
These weapons fit the ‘very large’ slot on capital ships and assault ships, or the ‘large turret’ slot on capital ships of Frigate class or larger. Large turrets have a relatively slow tracking rate that makes them useless against fast moving targets at close range. I’m assuming that the current ‘frigate’ is actually near the top end of the size of capital ships and will eventually be designated ‘Battleship’, ‘Battle Cruiser’, ‘Heavy Battle Cruiser’, ‘Dreadnought’, or some other line-of-battle class. I would suggest that the current ‘frigate’ be given 10-12 ‘large turret’ slots as primary weapons in addition to the anti-fighter secondary weapons it already has.
Avalon Torpedo Rack (VL) – 45,000cr
Energy/Shot: 0
Speed: 35 m/s
Damage: 12000
Proximity: 10m
Range: 20 seconds
Repeat: 0.5 seconds
Ammo: 10 (2000 per shot)
“The simplest and cheapest ship to ship weapon is simply to carry a large supply of the popular Avalon torpedoes. These weapons are typically mounted only on the smallest classes of capital ship’s, such as Corvettes, or on smaller assault vessels. What they lack in speed and accuracy, they make up for in concentrated punch, capable of blowing through any shield and delivering massive damage in a single debilitating strike. They are also highly energy efficient; make them perfect weapons on smaller ships which may lack the excess power capacity of their bigger brothers.”
Apollyon Swarm Launcher (VL) – 48,000cr
Energy/Shot: 0
Speed: 120 m/s
Agility: Medium
Damage: 15000*
Explosive Radius: 60
Proximity: 30m
Range: 20 seconds
Repeat: 0.7 seconds
Ammo: 12 (2200 per shot)
*Special: Shoots 5 sub-munitions. Each does 3000 damage.
“The Apollyon Swarm launcher is a versatile weapon capable of inflicting considerable harm to both capital ships and fighters and other strike craft. It is thus often mounted on screening and support vessels, allowing them to switch back and forth in their mission from destroying attacking fighters to supporting fire against the enemy fleet. Their primary limitation is their limited ammunition.”
Disrupter Cannon (VL) – 100,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 700 m/s
Damage: 2000
Range: 3.5km (~5s)
Repeat: 2s
“When you want to reach out and touch someone, the ship’s disrupter cannon provides not inconsiderable punch with nearly unparalleled range and accuracy. Fast enough to hit opposing fighters, and capable of defeating opposing capital ship’s merely by keeping the range, the primary disadvantage of the disrupter is its weakness vs. the heavy shielding of larger capital ships. It is also a losing proposition to duel another capital ship with disrupters should one close to close range.”
Blaster Cannon (VL) – 110,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 400 m/s
Damage: 4500
Range: 2km (~5s)
Repeat: 1.2s
“Flexible, powerful, and capable of sustaining a long battle, the ship’s blaster cannon is one of the primary weapons on capital ships throughout known space. It’s high penetration for an energy weapon lets it cut through even the heaviest armor and shielding, and its good range allows it to begin its fight while still at sufficient range to avoid torpedo attack. It’s also fast enough to threaten fighters should one stray into its field of fire.”
Ship’s Laser (VL) – 80,000cr
Energy/Shot: 450
Speed: Virtually instantaneous
Damage: 1000
Range: 3km
Repeat: 2s
“Considered by many to be an outdated weapon of little value, the ship’s laser still has the advantage of unmatched speed and accuracy. However, its high energy consumption combined with its low penetration severely limits it as a weapon. It is likely to only scorch most fighters before they can close to range, and it’s incapable of penetrating the shielding of many heavier capital ships. It is therefore rarely seen in the militaries of major factions, but its ease of construction and simple technology means its part of the arsenal of many a pirate lord.”
Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannon (VL) – 140,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 440 m/s
Damage: 7200
Range: 2.2km (~5s)
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 50 (200cr each)
“The King of the battlefield, the firing of a Mjolnir class Gauss cannon strikes fear into every spacer. No weapon can match its combination of incredible penetrating power, range and accuracy. Virtually the default weapon on modern Dreadnoughts and Heavy Battle Cruisers, the Mjolnir is also often mounted on Serco corvettes and frigates in lieu of the more typical Avalon rack. In open space, a Mjolnir equipped capital ship need fear almost nothing, but must beware close duels or protracted fights vs. blaster equipped ships because of that weapons superior cycling rate and lack of ammunition dependency.”
Hyper-Velocity Cannon (VL) – 90,000cr
Energy/Shot: 10
Speed: 180 m/s
Damage: 2200
Explosive Radius: 60m
Proximity: 30m
Range: 10s
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 50 (80cr each)
“Another weapon that’s time has come and gone, the HVC uses a series of carefully timed explosions to accelerate a projectile up to considerable velocity. Its primary advantage is that it can carry a small warhead which would likely be discharged by the powerful magnetic fields of a gauss cannon, but it cannot nearly match a gauss cannons speed or penetrating power. Occasionally found on second line screening vessels, this weapon is more likely to be in the hands of pirate lords and other independent para-militaries.”
Anti-Matter Cannon (VL) – 120,000cr
Energy/Shot: 500
Speed: 95 m/s
Damage: 8000
Explosive Radius: 80m
Proximity: Contact
Range: 10s
Repeat: 2s
“The anti-matter cannon seals a small amount of anti-matter in a magnetic bubble then hurls it towards its target. This requires an enormous amount of energy, but discharges a munition of nearly unequaled lethality. Unfortunately, the delicacy of the magnetic bubble require the weapon be only slowly accelerated lest it decay during firing, and until this technical limitation is overcome the weapon is likely to remain largely experimental. Although powerful, its inability to engage the foe at typical ship to ship ranges means that any ship relying primarily on the anti-matter cannon is likely to be dust before it is capable of launching its first salvo.”
Plasma Wave Guide Cannon (VL) – 120,000cr
Energy/Shot: 400
Speed: 120 m/s
Agility: Low
Damage: 6000
Explosive Radius: 60m
Proximity: Contact
Range: 20s
Repeat: Special*
*Special: The PWGC can only fire a single munition at a time, and cannot fire again until that munition has struck a target or been allowed to dissipate.
“Another experimental weapon, the Plasma Guide Cannon fires a dense ball of plasma which is guided by manipulating a subspace carrier wave. The result is a seeking weapon which need not rely on ammunition, resulting in reduced costs over its lifetime of service and allowing ships to rely on guided weapons as their primary weapon without being relegated to support status. At least that’s the theory. In practice, the low rate of fire of the weapon and the relatively high initial energy cost means that the weapon is rarely seen although it’s occasionally mounted on sub-capital assault craft as a harassment weapon.”
Ship’s Autocannon (VL) – 75,000cr
Energy/Shot: 12
Speed: 110 m/s
Damage: 1800
Explosive Radius: 40m
Proximity: 20m
Range: 10s
Repeat: .6s
Ammunition: 60 (90cr each)
“Cheap, easy to construct, easy to operate, energy efficient and with relatively low operating costs, the ship’s autocannon is the weapon of choice of many a back world military or would be pirate king. Essentially, autocannon’s are the spaceborn successor of old Earth primitive naval weapons. They lack the punch and range of modern electromagnetic and beam weapons, but they can be fired more quickly and without draining the battery of precious energy that could be going to the shields and other defenses. They also can provide a lethal screen of flak vs. a wave of unwary attacking fighters. Many an unwary captain in a high tech monstrosity has found himself going down in ignoble defeat to a technically inferior but tactically more gifted foe using a combination of autocannon’s and torpedoes.”
Hunter-Killer Drone Launcher (VL) – 80,000cr
Energy/Shot: 20
Speed: 35 m/s + Special*
Agility: Low
Damage: 36,000 + Special*
Explosive Radius: 270m + Special*
Proximity: Contact
Range: 180s
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 5 (10,000cr each)
Special: Although dropped with an initial speed of 35 m/s, the HK drone continues to accelerate at the rate of 5m/s^2 until it reaches 210m/s at its terminal velocity. The powerful nuclear explosive carried by the HK drone produces an EMP wave out to 350m as well as the normal destructive effects, draining 2400 units of power from unprotected ships (see discussion of EMP effects).
“Devastatingly powerful and with over the horizon range, the hunter killer drone is the standard fleet support weapon of the major militaries. Used much like artillery, Hunter-Killer drones are fired from safe distances way from targets allowing the firing vessel to retreat away from the combat once the weapons are expended. Essentially a space fighter with an AI brain and a massive bomb for a payload, the HK drone seeks out its target and incinerates it in a massive explosion. The primary drawbacks of this awesome weapon are the high cost of its munitions and the fact that’s its large delivery vehicle renders it vulnerable to conventional anti-fighter weaponry. This means a screen of fighters has a good chance of shooting down all incoming drones before they get close enough to damage their target. Also, they are essentially useless at ranges of less than a few kilometers due to there slow acceleration.”
Fighter Bays (VL) – 30,000cr
Energy/Shot: N/A
Speed: N/A
Damage: N/A
Range: N/A
Repeat: N/A
“Many commanders see the primary use of capital ships not as weapons platforms, but as service facilities for fighters and other strike craft. Why launch a weapon with a range of a few kilometers, when you can launch weapons that can strike several sectors away and deliver clouds of torpedoes with devastating speed and accuracy? Rather than mounting weapons, these ships use the space that would other wise go to turrets for flight decks and service bays. Each bay of this type can normally service two standard fighters, bombers, or strike fighters. Human pilots are preferred for long missions outside of contact with the mother ship, but many commanders make do with unassisted AI pilots for screening duty and close support.”
The following is a rather longer than necessary sampling of possible capital ship classes. I would assume that this is a longer list than we can reasonably expect any game not focused on capital ship simulation to have as part of its first build, but its fun to list anyway because it shows some of the real world issues that have effected capital ship design. The list is more or less in order from smallest to largest, but the sizes and costs should not be seen as exacting in any way.
Explanation of terms:
Armor Slots: See this thread – http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=msgboard&thread=1416
Equipment Slots: See this thread – http://vendetta.guildsoftware.com/?action=msgboard&thread=1494
Shields: The largest shield class of shield that can be mounted in the ships equipment slot. Only one shield can be in use at a time. The higher the number, the more powerful the shielding. Shields have a minimum power expenditure per second required to operate them, and require three seconds of charging to become active. Each time the amount of power directed to the shields is doubled, the amount of protection offered increases by roughly 50%. The maximum expenditure is eight times the minimum power for roughly triple the normal protection, though few ships can sustain this massive expenditure for more than a few seconds.
Example shields for the various classes follow (the numbers are largely placeholders and probably not well balanced):
Class Armor/Power Cost
Class I: 25/20
Class II: 50/40
Class III: 100/60
Class IV: 150/80
Class V: 250/120
Class VI: 300/200
Class VII: 350/220
Class VIII: 400/280
Class IX: 450/300
Class X: 500/320
Class XI: 600/360
Weapon Slots:
‘L’: A large weapon
‘VL’: A very large weapon
‘T’: A large weapon system mounted in a hemispherical turret. These turrets track relatively quickly and thus are effective against fighters at close range.
‘LT’: A very large weapon system mounted in a hemispherical turret. There turrets track relatively slowly and are fairly inaccurate against small targets, thus making them largely ineffective versus fighters.
Maneuverability:
The following terms are used in order from most to least maneuverable: very high, high, medium, low, very low, poor, very poor, bad, very bad, terrible, horrible, miserable, abysmal.
Corvette - 150m
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Hull: 120,000
Armor Slots: 5
Equipment Slots: 9
Shields: Class V
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 1L + 4T + 2VL
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 70
Maneuverability: Very Poor
“Corvettes are the smallest capital ships. They are typically arrow, ray, or fish shaped with relatively narrow cross sections. The are designed for speed and agility, and are far more agile than other capital ships. They are also capable of staying cloaked for much longer than any other class of capital ship. Compared to the size of their weapons array, corvettes have abundant energy to power their systems. They are often used to seek out and destroy assault craft, protect shipping lanes, to screen larger capital ship from assault by bombers, as fleet scouts, and in packs to cripple or destroy larger vessels.”
Monitor – 200m
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Hull: 200,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 8
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 2L + 5T + 2LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 50
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Monitors are small but heavily armored ships usually found protecting systems. Because they are excessively armored for their small engines, they are sluggish and slow for a craft of their size. They are rarely assigned to patrol or to the deep space fleets, but instead serve to ward off pirate attack. Their crews are often part time, semi-professional soldiers, or police officers and not of the highest quality. Nonetheless, they provide a cheap means of deploying a powerful weaponry as they are the smallest class to have a large weapon turret – much less two of those weapon systems.”
Frigate – 240m
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Hull: 240,00
Armor Slots: 6
Equipment Slots: 10
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 1L + 6T + 2VL + 1LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 84
Maneuverability: Bad
Special: 10% penalty to turbo
“Frigates are the most common capital ships because of their versatility and relatively low cost. Frigates are in many ways similar to corvettes, only much larger and more powerful. Like corvettes, they are relatively fast and agile for a capital ship and have large amounts of reserve power to operate their systems. However, unlike corvettes they mount a single large weapon turret making them much less dependent on maneuver to make a crippling attack on other large ships. They are used in much the same way as corvettes, but in areas of higher intensity conflict.”
Destroyer – 350m
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Hull: 300,000
Armor Slots: 7
Equipment Slots:11
Shields: Class VII
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 8T + 4LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 98
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: 20% penalty to turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Destroyers are the smallest capital ships designed to engage other capital ships in one on one combat. Although by no means as powerful as larger vessels, they still pack considerable punch and basically cannot be defeated by a single vessel smaller than themselves. They are the largest ship on which it is practical to mount turbo boosters. Although they are not particularly efficient on vessels of this size, they still give the destroyer much needed ability to maneuver by comparison to larger vessels. They are typically used as support vessels for larger fleets, to seek out and destroy smaller capital ships, and to hold systems in areas of lower intensity combat.”
Light Cruiser – 400m
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Hull: 400,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 12
Shields: Class VIII
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 12T + 5LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 112
Maneuverability: Terrible
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“Light Cruisers were once capable of standing on the line of battle, but now they are typically used as leaders of task forces primarily composed of smaller ships. Many older vessels have been refurbished and designated as light cruisers, so it is not unusual to see a wide variety of hull designs in this class.”
Protected Cruiser – 400m
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Hull: 450,000
Armor Slots: 12
Equipment Slots: 10
Shields: Class X
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 10T + 5LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 80
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“Considered by many to be an outdated class of ships, the protected cruisers were light vessels designed to participate in the line of battle in fleet engagements. Although lacking in firepower, they had extremely heavy armor designed to thwart virtually any attack against them. Unfortunately modern anti-ship weaponry has progressed to the point that no armor can completely defeat an attack, leaving the protected cruiser out gunned and without the speed, agility, adequate anti-fighter systems, and modern electronics and countermeasures that are necessary to survive modern ship to ship combat. The few protected cruisers still in service are relegated to second line combat units, and often serve in much the same role as monitors but in larger and more important systems. A number of protected cruisers have been acquired by various means by pirate lords and other fringe groups, and frequently serve as flag ships for these groups.”
Cruiser – 475m
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Hull: 500,000
Armor Slots: 9
Equipment Slots: 13
Shields: Class IX
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 14T + 6LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 126
Maneuverability: Horrible
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“The core of any modern navy is its fleet of powerful cruisers. Capable of sustaining and inflicting tremendous amounts of damage, the cruiser is a threat to any but the largest ships in space. Typically cruisers are used to bolster the deep space fleet of major militaries, to hold and protect key systems and jump points, and in packs to seek out and destroy lone line of battle class ships.”
Armored Cruiser – 525m
----------
Hull: 650,000
Armor Slots: 16
Equipment Slots: 11
Shields: Class XI
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 12T + 6LT
Fighter Bays: 2
Cargo: 100
Maneuverability: Abysmal
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“At one point in ship development, armored cruisers were the most feared and powerful vessels in space. Now, like protected cruisers, there time seems largely to have come and gone as they are largely obseleted by heavy cruisers and the modern line-of-battle ships.
Nonetheless, they are still powerful vessels which should not be underestimated. Their armor is as heavy are heavier than a modern dreadnought, and only the most modern and most powerful weaponry will easily penetrate their combination of heavy armor and powerful shields. The Serco still maintain a relatively large force of armored cruisers, and there are rumors that at least one pirate clan has acquired an armored cruiser.”
Heavy Cruiser – 600m
----------
Hull: 600,000
Armor Slots: 10
Equipment Slots: 14
Shields: Class X
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 16T + 8LT
Fighter Bays: 4
Cargo: 140
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
“In response to the increasingly large line-of-battle class ships being fielded by the various powers, many militaries have been producing a larger and heavier classes of cruisers in order to maintain a more credible threat vs. ship like dreadnoughts than the current cruisers. These ships are used much as normal cruisers but are sent to wherever the combat is most intense. These heavy cruisers have incredible amounts of firepower and solid hulls, but suffer by comparison to line-of-battle ships in terms of speed and available power.”
Battle Cruiser – 450m
---------
Hull: 480,000
Armor Slots: 8
Equipment Slots: 14
Shields: Class VIII
Engines: 4
Weapon Slots: 10T + 9LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 100
Maneuverability: Terrible
Special: No turbo
“Fast, sleek, and deadly, the battle cruiser is the smallest class of modern line-of-battle ship. The battle cruiser has the ability to outrun any ship mounting enough fire power to destroy it, and destroy anything else. Although lightly built for a ship of its size, its maneuverability and massive amounts of excess power allow it to control the time and place of its combat, and its powerful anti-ship battery can quickly reduce any other capital ship to scrap even at great range. The only weakness of a Battle Cruiser is its lack of close support weaponry, meaning that it must be screened from fighter attack by smaller vessels and that it must be careful not to draw to close to a larger, more durable, and more balanced ship like a heavy cruiser. Battle Cruisers are usually used in conjunction with each other in large fleets designed to crush enemy capital ships in a decisive engagement, though some are occasionally assigned to penetrate enemy lines and wreck havoc as fast and powerful raiders.”
Heavy Battle Cruiser – 650m
--------
Hull: 550,000
Armor Slots: 9
Equipment Slots: 16
Shields: Class IX
Engines: 4
Weapon Slots: 14T + 12LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 125
Maneuverability: Horrible
Special: No Turbo
“The most modern class of capital ship, the large but surprisingly agile Heavy Battle Cruisers mount the most formidable anti-ship battery of any ship in space – an astounding 12 large turrets, twice that of a traditional cruiser. Like their smaller brothers the Battle Cruisers, they are designed to win with a combination of power and grace and are capable of fleeing whenever the odds turn against them. Also like Battle Cruisers, there lack of close range weaponry means that they must be supported in fleet actions by a screening force which protects them from bombers and other strike craft.”
Dreadnought – 750m
--------
Hull: 750,000
Armor Slots: 12
Equipment Slots: 15
Shields: Class XI
Engines: 4
Weapons: 20T + 10LT
Fighter Bays: 6
Cargo: 156
Maneuverability: Abysmal
Special: No turbo + 20% penalty to speed
“The largest and most powerful vessels in space, the Dreadnought can go wherever an opposing line-of-battle ship does not stand to oppose it – and few even of those mighty vessels dare face the brute force of a Dreadnought class vessel head on. Mounting a formidable combination of heavy weaponry and heavy armor, the Dreadnought crushes anything that it can close with. The only disadvantages of a Dreadnought are its high cost and sluggishness. Since the Dreadnought is not capable of chasing a foe, combat involving dreadnoughts tend to only occur when both sides desire it – and this is rarely, because a mass of dreadnoughts represent a considerable and probably irreplaceable portion of a naval powers presence in space. Thus Dreadnoughts are typically kept close to the home world in some secret location awaiting a propitious chance or circumstance.”
Capital Ship Primary Weapons
These weapons fit the ‘very large’ slot on capital ships and assault ships, or the ‘large turret’ slot on capital ships of Frigate class or larger. Large turrets have a relatively slow tracking rate that makes them useless against fast moving targets at close range. I’m assuming that the current ‘frigate’ is actually near the top end of the size of capital ships and will eventually be designated ‘Battleship’, ‘Battle Cruiser’, ‘Heavy Battle Cruiser’, ‘Dreadnought’, or some other line-of-battle class. I would suggest that the current ‘frigate’ be given 10-12 ‘large turret’ slots as primary weapons in addition to the anti-fighter secondary weapons it already has.
Avalon Torpedo Rack (VL) – 45,000cr
Energy/Shot: 0
Speed: 35 m/s
Damage: 12000
Proximity: 10m
Range: 20 seconds
Repeat: 0.5 seconds
Ammo: 10 (2000 per shot)
“The simplest and cheapest ship to ship weapon is simply to carry a large supply of the popular Avalon torpedoes. These weapons are typically mounted only on the smallest classes of capital ship’s, such as Corvettes, or on smaller assault vessels. What they lack in speed and accuracy, they make up for in concentrated punch, capable of blowing through any shield and delivering massive damage in a single debilitating strike. They are also highly energy efficient; make them perfect weapons on smaller ships which may lack the excess power capacity of their bigger brothers.”
Apollyon Swarm Launcher (VL) – 48,000cr
Energy/Shot: 0
Speed: 120 m/s
Agility: Medium
Damage: 15000*
Explosive Radius: 60
Proximity: 30m
Range: 20 seconds
Repeat: 0.7 seconds
Ammo: 12 (2200 per shot)
*Special: Shoots 5 sub-munitions. Each does 3000 damage.
“The Apollyon Swarm launcher is a versatile weapon capable of inflicting considerable harm to both capital ships and fighters and other strike craft. It is thus often mounted on screening and support vessels, allowing them to switch back and forth in their mission from destroying attacking fighters to supporting fire against the enemy fleet. Their primary limitation is their limited ammunition.”
Disrupter Cannon (VL) – 100,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 700 m/s
Damage: 2000
Range: 3.5km (~5s)
Repeat: 2s
“When you want to reach out and touch someone, the ship’s disrupter cannon provides not inconsiderable punch with nearly unparalleled range and accuracy. Fast enough to hit opposing fighters, and capable of defeating opposing capital ship’s merely by keeping the range, the primary disadvantage of the disrupter is its weakness vs. the heavy shielding of larger capital ships. It is also a losing proposition to duel another capital ship with disrupters should one close to close range.”
Blaster Cannon (VL) – 110,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 400 m/s
Damage: 4500
Range: 2km (~5s)
Repeat: 1.2s
“Flexible, powerful, and capable of sustaining a long battle, the ship’s blaster cannon is one of the primary weapons on capital ships throughout known space. It’s high penetration for an energy weapon lets it cut through even the heaviest armor and shielding, and its good range allows it to begin its fight while still at sufficient range to avoid torpedo attack. It’s also fast enough to threaten fighters should one stray into its field of fire.”
Ship’s Laser (VL) – 80,000cr
Energy/Shot: 450
Speed: Virtually instantaneous
Damage: 1000
Range: 3km
Repeat: 2s
“Considered by many to be an outdated weapon of little value, the ship’s laser still has the advantage of unmatched speed and accuracy. However, its high energy consumption combined with its low penetration severely limits it as a weapon. It is likely to only scorch most fighters before they can close to range, and it’s incapable of penetrating the shielding of many heavier capital ships. It is therefore rarely seen in the militaries of major factions, but its ease of construction and simple technology means its part of the arsenal of many a pirate lord.”
Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannon (VL) – 140,000cr
Energy/Shot: 300
Speed: 440 m/s
Damage: 7200
Range: 2.2km (~5s)
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 50 (200cr each)
“The King of the battlefield, the firing of a Mjolnir class Gauss cannon strikes fear into every spacer. No weapon can match its combination of incredible penetrating power, range and accuracy. Virtually the default weapon on modern Dreadnoughts and Heavy Battle Cruisers, the Mjolnir is also often mounted on Serco corvettes and frigates in lieu of the more typical Avalon rack. In open space, a Mjolnir equipped capital ship need fear almost nothing, but must beware close duels or protracted fights vs. blaster equipped ships because of that weapons superior cycling rate and lack of ammunition dependency.”
Hyper-Velocity Cannon (VL) – 90,000cr
Energy/Shot: 10
Speed: 180 m/s
Damage: 2200
Explosive Radius: 60m
Proximity: 30m
Range: 10s
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 50 (80cr each)
“Another weapon that’s time has come and gone, the HVC uses a series of carefully timed explosions to accelerate a projectile up to considerable velocity. Its primary advantage is that it can carry a small warhead which would likely be discharged by the powerful magnetic fields of a gauss cannon, but it cannot nearly match a gauss cannons speed or penetrating power. Occasionally found on second line screening vessels, this weapon is more likely to be in the hands of pirate lords and other independent para-militaries.”
Anti-Matter Cannon (VL) – 120,000cr
Energy/Shot: 500
Speed: 95 m/s
Damage: 8000
Explosive Radius: 80m
Proximity: Contact
Range: 10s
Repeat: 2s
“The anti-matter cannon seals a small amount of anti-matter in a magnetic bubble then hurls it towards its target. This requires an enormous amount of energy, but discharges a munition of nearly unequaled lethality. Unfortunately, the delicacy of the magnetic bubble require the weapon be only slowly accelerated lest it decay during firing, and until this technical limitation is overcome the weapon is likely to remain largely experimental. Although powerful, its inability to engage the foe at typical ship to ship ranges means that any ship relying primarily on the anti-matter cannon is likely to be dust before it is capable of launching its first salvo.”
Plasma Wave Guide Cannon (VL) – 120,000cr
Energy/Shot: 400
Speed: 120 m/s
Agility: Low
Damage: 6000
Explosive Radius: 60m
Proximity: Contact
Range: 20s
Repeat: Special*
*Special: The PWGC can only fire a single munition at a time, and cannot fire again until that munition has struck a target or been allowed to dissipate.
“Another experimental weapon, the Plasma Guide Cannon fires a dense ball of plasma which is guided by manipulating a subspace carrier wave. The result is a seeking weapon which need not rely on ammunition, resulting in reduced costs over its lifetime of service and allowing ships to rely on guided weapons as their primary weapon without being relegated to support status. At least that’s the theory. In practice, the low rate of fire of the weapon and the relatively high initial energy cost means that the weapon is rarely seen although it’s occasionally mounted on sub-capital assault craft as a harassment weapon.”
Ship’s Autocannon (VL) – 75,000cr
Energy/Shot: 12
Speed: 110 m/s
Damage: 1800
Explosive Radius: 40m
Proximity: 20m
Range: 10s
Repeat: .6s
Ammunition: 60 (90cr each)
“Cheap, easy to construct, easy to operate, energy efficient and with relatively low operating costs, the ship’s autocannon is the weapon of choice of many a back world military or would be pirate king. Essentially, autocannon’s are the spaceborn successor of old Earth primitive naval weapons. They lack the punch and range of modern electromagnetic and beam weapons, but they can be fired more quickly and without draining the battery of precious energy that could be going to the shields and other defenses. They also can provide a lethal screen of flak vs. a wave of unwary attacking fighters. Many an unwary captain in a high tech monstrosity has found himself going down in ignoble defeat to a technically inferior but tactically more gifted foe using a combination of autocannon’s and torpedoes.”
Hunter-Killer Drone Launcher (VL) – 80,000cr
Energy/Shot: 20
Speed: 35 m/s + Special*
Agility: Low
Damage: 36,000 + Special*
Explosive Radius: 270m + Special*
Proximity: Contact
Range: 180s
Repeat: 2s
Ammunition: 5 (10,000cr each)
Special: Although dropped with an initial speed of 35 m/s, the HK drone continues to accelerate at the rate of 5m/s^2 until it reaches 210m/s at its terminal velocity. The powerful nuclear explosive carried by the HK drone produces an EMP wave out to 350m as well as the normal destructive effects, draining 2400 units of power from unprotected ships (see discussion of EMP effects).
“Devastatingly powerful and with over the horizon range, the hunter killer drone is the standard fleet support weapon of the major militaries. Used much like artillery, Hunter-Killer drones are fired from safe distances way from targets allowing the firing vessel to retreat away from the combat once the weapons are expended. Essentially a space fighter with an AI brain and a massive bomb for a payload, the HK drone seeks out its target and incinerates it in a massive explosion. The primary drawbacks of this awesome weapon are the high cost of its munitions and the fact that’s its large delivery vehicle renders it vulnerable to conventional anti-fighter weaponry. This means a screen of fighters has a good chance of shooting down all incoming drones before they get close enough to damage their target. Also, they are essentially useless at ranges of less than a few kilometers due to there slow acceleration.”
Fighter Bays (VL) – 30,000cr
Energy/Shot: N/A
Speed: N/A
Damage: N/A
Range: N/A
Repeat: N/A
“Many commanders see the primary use of capital ships not as weapons platforms, but as service facilities for fighters and other strike craft. Why launch a weapon with a range of a few kilometers, when you can launch weapons that can strike several sectors away and deliver clouds of torpedoes with devastating speed and accuracy? Rather than mounting weapons, these ships use the space that would other wise go to turrets for flight decks and service bays. Each bay of this type can normally service two standard fighters, bombers, or strike fighters. Human pilots are preferred for long missions outside of contact with the mother ship, but many commanders make do with unassisted AI pilots for screening duty and close support.”
" but many commanders make do with unassisted AI pilots for screening duty and close support.”
-Said hapless commanders have been known to curse the AI programmers when their AI pilots consistently rammed their mother ships into oblivion.
-Said hapless commanders have been known to curse the AI programmers when their AI pilots consistently rammed their mother ships into oblivion.
Resupply Ship: 100m
Hull: 40,000
Engines: 1
Weapon slots: 2 L
Cargo: 200
Maneuverability: low
Designed as capital ship support craft, their main purpose is to resupply capital ships with weapons, fighters, ammunition, and spare parts. A vessel designed for functionality rather than looks, the Resupply Ship has many different ports for docking. It can link up to the capital ship using its connection hose to transfer cargo while the cap ship is holding still for quick transfer of material, or using the rear mounted hose it can hook up to a vessel with a fighter bay and use that as its primary unloading port while the vessel is moving, even during a combat situation. Although the craft is to big to fit inside "outpost" stations, it is designed to move in sideways to a station and use its two protruding side locking ports to connect with the station. ( this could lead to some interesting resupply missions, having to have fighter escort to protect the exposed ship while it loads supplies)
Hull: 40,000
Engines: 1
Weapon slots: 2 L
Cargo: 200
Maneuverability: low
Designed as capital ship support craft, their main purpose is to resupply capital ships with weapons, fighters, ammunition, and spare parts. A vessel designed for functionality rather than looks, the Resupply Ship has many different ports for docking. It can link up to the capital ship using its connection hose to transfer cargo while the cap ship is holding still for quick transfer of material, or using the rear mounted hose it can hook up to a vessel with a fighter bay and use that as its primary unloading port while the vessel is moving, even during a combat situation. Although the craft is to big to fit inside "outpost" stations, it is designed to move in sideways to a station and use its two protruding side locking ports to connect with the station. ( this could lead to some interesting resupply missions, having to have fighter escort to protect the exposed ship while it loads supplies)
Love the manouverability ratings ;)
If anything I would be wary of giving every capship the capability of carrying fighters, how about removing the possibility of the lighter capships being able to mount bays and sticking in a small carrier, creating specialist ships may introduce a higher level of player-player reliance in game which otherwise might be missing if everyone had their own 'catch-all' solution of varying size. Anyway thats just my 2p.
- and, and_but_red!, and_only_gold!
If anything I would be wary of giving every capship the capability of carrying fighters, how about removing the possibility of the lighter capships being able to mount bays and sticking in a small carrier, creating specialist ships may introduce a higher level of player-player reliance in game which otherwise might be missing if everyone had their own 'catch-all' solution of varying size. Anyway thats just my 2p.
- and, and_but_red!, and_only_gold!
I don't see capital ships being as dependant on ammo based weapons as fighters are. Fighters can reload their weapons at any station (or freindly capital ship), but stations capable of servicing capital ships are few and far between. So for day to day combat I see cap ships relying on rechargable energy sources or weapons with very large stores of ammunition. The weapons that do make use of ammo need to pack a mean punch and encourage conservation in their use. Might I also add that since capital ships are bound to carry a lot of weapons, it will be necessary for each weapons or set of weapons to be powered by a seperate battery. So the aft small turrets have their own battery, the rear turrets have their own, etc. Then the main cannons can have their own set of batteries. So capital ship weapons, instead of being limited by ammunition, may be limited by energy consumption. Each weapon has its own battery instead of ammo limit, and once it runs out, you need to let it recharge.
All these ideas for capital ship use, however, may require a radical redesign of the flight interface for capital ships. It is pretty clear to me that the present system simply will not work for having to manage so many different aspects of the ship. Many tasks we do now like navigation will need to be automated. Possibly to the extent that the entire capital ship's interface will be centered on the mouse. The standard WASD for motion and arrow keys for looking (a ship with such a slow turn rate won't need the precision of the mouse) while the mouse and number keys be used for selecting weapons, targeting, and firing.
All these ideas for capital ship use, however, may require a radical redesign of the flight interface for capital ships. It is pretty clear to me that the present system simply will not work for having to manage so many different aspects of the ship. Many tasks we do now like navigation will need to be automated. Possibly to the extent that the entire capital ship's interface will be centered on the mouse. The standard WASD for motion and arrow keys for looking (a ship with such a slow turn rate won't need the precision of the mouse) while the mouse and number keys be used for selecting weapons, targeting, and firing.
Celebrim: See why I didn't want this? It took me, like, 30 minutes to read that all in depth and reference it and junk. Also, I noticed that you only have info on VL weapons, not L weapons. And you don't include anything for weapons like the current Frigate's anti-fighter guns. Finally, your Frigate? Ours has something like 700,000 hp, so yours is a *little* out. And your Battle Crusier sounds like the valk of the battlefield, fast, heavily armed and well armoured. :D You also don't specify any carriers. I would think that there should be at least one class of carrier that holds 20-40 ships and has special "point defense turrets".
Pavan: AFIAK, weapons won't be controlled by the driver. Problem solved
Pavan: AFIAK, weapons won't be controlled by the driver. Problem solved
"Pavan: AFIAK, weapons won't be controlled by the driver. Problem solved"
-So if I had a frigate I would actually have to employ someone to man each and every turret? That's insane.
And what does AFIAK mean?
-So if I had a frigate I would actually have to employ someone to man each and every turret? That's insane.
And what does AFIAK mean?
If he meant "AFAIK" then it means "As Far As I Know"
<off topic mode>
Some of these abreviations are just silly. AFAIK, IIRC
</off topic mode>
Anywho,
Each turret on the frigate is a ship, this is mostly why the frigate isn't moving, the ship parenting has a bug\isn't complete.
It makes sense for weapons to be controled by another player, in "Star Trek" one person controls the ship moving, another controls sensors, another controls weapons, then you have your minions repairing everything. Umm, i mean crew not minions.
A frigate being controled by one person is absurd, we'll just get 10 people in frigates trying to cap.
Some of these abreviations are just silly. AFAIK, IIRC
</off topic mode>
Anywho,
Each turret on the frigate is a ship, this is mostly why the frigate isn't moving, the ship parenting has a bug\isn't complete.
It makes sense for weapons to be controled by another player, in "Star Trek" one person controls the ship moving, another controls sensors, another controls weapons, then you have your minions repairing everything. Umm, i mean crew not minions.
A frigate being controled by one person is absurd, we'll just get 10 people in frigates trying to cap.
Also, I've heard (correct me if I'm wrong) that turrets not controlled by players will be controlled by the AI...
roguelazer:
"...I noticed that you only have info on VL weapons, not L weapons."
Advanced Gatling for instance. I don't see a point in describing large slot weapons in detail. We already have some. We are likely to get more.
"And you don't include anything for weapons like the current Frigate's anti-fighter guns."
Presumably, another type of large weapon. I don't put much consideration into it because I don't know very much about it beyond how much damage it does, and I know that it doesn't draw any power at present. Furthermore, that could lead me into a discussion of the current 'child ship' model - which I want to avoid getting into.
"Finally, your Frigate? Ours has something like 700,000 hp, so yours is a *little* out."
Inc has said that the current 'Frigate' is about the largest ship they plan on putting in the universe. Inc has also said that the name is purely a place holder and not indicative of what it will ultimately be called. I'm therefore assuming that the ship is something more like the line-of-battle ships at the top end of the class scale.
I actually said all that in the post:
"I’m assuming that the current ‘frigate’ is actually near the top end of the size of capital ships and will eventually be designated ‘Battleship’, ‘Battle Cruiser’, ‘Heavy Battle Cruiser’, ‘Dreadnought’, or some other line-of-battle class."
Maybe you didn't actually spend 30 minutes reading it.
"And your Battle Crusier sounds like the valk of the battlefield, fast, heavily armed and well armoured."
It is. That's not a problem. I don't have to balance Battle Cruisers vs. Corvettes or Light Cruisers. Battle Cruisers and Corvettes are completely different classes of ships. I only have to balance Battle Cruisers vs. other Battle Cruisers, just as I only expect fighters to be balanced vs. other fighters.
"You also don't specify any carriers."
No, I didn't. I don't have to, nor for that matter is there some obvious engineering reason why space ships would need to have specially modified hulls in order to be carriers. Clearly in a vacuum, in zero g, there is no need for 'flat tops'. If you want a carrier all you have to do is mount additional fighter bays in your heavy weapons slots. Then you could have escort carriers with 10 bays, or fast carriers based off a Battle Cruiser hull with 24 bays, or big fleet carriers based off a heavy Battle Cruiser hull with 30 bays.
And any ship can mount as many 'point defence turrets' as it has secondary weapon systems.
"...I noticed that you only have info on VL weapons, not L weapons."
Advanced Gatling for instance. I don't see a point in describing large slot weapons in detail. We already have some. We are likely to get more.
"And you don't include anything for weapons like the current Frigate's anti-fighter guns."
Presumably, another type of large weapon. I don't put much consideration into it because I don't know very much about it beyond how much damage it does, and I know that it doesn't draw any power at present. Furthermore, that could lead me into a discussion of the current 'child ship' model - which I want to avoid getting into.
"Finally, your Frigate? Ours has something like 700,000 hp, so yours is a *little* out."
Inc has said that the current 'Frigate' is about the largest ship they plan on putting in the universe. Inc has also said that the name is purely a place holder and not indicative of what it will ultimately be called. I'm therefore assuming that the ship is something more like the line-of-battle ships at the top end of the class scale.
I actually said all that in the post:
"I’m assuming that the current ‘frigate’ is actually near the top end of the size of capital ships and will eventually be designated ‘Battleship’, ‘Battle Cruiser’, ‘Heavy Battle Cruiser’, ‘Dreadnought’, or some other line-of-battle class."
Maybe you didn't actually spend 30 minutes reading it.
"And your Battle Crusier sounds like the valk of the battlefield, fast, heavily armed and well armoured."
It is. That's not a problem. I don't have to balance Battle Cruisers vs. Corvettes or Light Cruisers. Battle Cruisers and Corvettes are completely different classes of ships. I only have to balance Battle Cruisers vs. other Battle Cruisers, just as I only expect fighters to be balanced vs. other fighters.
"You also don't specify any carriers."
No, I didn't. I don't have to, nor for that matter is there some obvious engineering reason why space ships would need to have specially modified hulls in order to be carriers. Clearly in a vacuum, in zero g, there is no need for 'flat tops'. If you want a carrier all you have to do is mount additional fighter bays in your heavy weapons slots. Then you could have escort carriers with 10 bays, or fast carriers based off a Battle Cruiser hull with 24 bays, or big fleet carriers based off a heavy Battle Cruiser hull with 30 bays.
And any ship can mount as many 'point defence turrets' as it has secondary weapon systems.
Oww. /me goes back to his own thread.
Heh heh, all right, Celebrim, /me is going to have some fun with this:
An Itani strike force makes a surprise raid on a Secro Heavy Cruiser as it "anchors" outside a small station to make repairs.
The Itani Strike Force consists of the following:
Three Corvettes:
Corvette - 150m (I.S.S. Coronis, I.S.S. Dauntless, I.S.S. Apollo)
----------
Hull: 120,000
Armor Slots: 5 - Carbon Composite Plates (250 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 9
•Thrust Booster
•Turbo Charger
•Fire Control Relay
•Stealth Suite
•Countermeasure dispenser
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military HUD
•Early Warning Sytem
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class V
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 1L + 4T + 2VL
1L - Stingray Missile Launcher
4T - 2 Advanced Gatling Turrets, 2 Screamer Launchers
2VL - 2 Avalon Torpedo Racks
Fighter Bays: 2 (Total of 4 Valks equipped with Gravitons)
Cargo: 70
Maneuverability: Very Poor
One Destroyer:
Destroyer – 350m (I.S.S. Valiant)
-----------
Hull: 300,000
Armor Slots: 7 Carbon Composite Plates (350 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots:11
• Improved Radar
• Radio Jamming
• Radar Jamming
• Scanner
• ECM Suite
• Advanced ECCM Suite
• Diagnostic Computer
• Military Grade Sensors
• Military HUD
• Early Warning System
• Escape Pod
Shields: Class VII
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 8T + 4LT
8T - 4 Advanced Gatling Turrets, 4 Screamer Launchers
4LT - 4 Blaster Cannons
Fighter Bays: 2 - (Total of 4 Ragnaroks equipped with Avalons, Sunflares)
Cargo: 98
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: 20% penalty to turbo + 10% penalty to speed
So that's a total of 1 Destroyer, 3 Corvettes, 4 Ragnaroks, 12 Valkyries.
The Serco force consists of the following:
1 Heavy Cruiser (undergoing repairs, immobile to begin with)
Heavy Cruiser – 600m (S.D.S. Indomitable)
----------
Hull: 600,000 (Currently at 450,000)
Armor Slots: 10 Serco Proprietary Adamantium Plates (600 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 14
•Improved Radar
•Hardened Radio
•Radio Jamming Device
•Radar Jamming Device
•Scanner
•ECM Suite
•ECCM Suite
•Engineering Section
•Diagnostic Computer
•Tight Beam Communicator
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military Grade HUD
•Early Warning System
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class X (currently down for repairs)
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 16T + 8LT
16T - 6 Gatling Cannons, 10 Jackhammer Launchers
8LT - 4 Ship's Autocannons, 4 Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannons
Fighter Bays: 4 (total of 8 vultures armed with Gauss Cannons)
Cargo: 140
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
The repairs are being guarded by a fleet of 8 prommies armed with advanced gatling and sunflares, along with the heavy cruiser's 8 vultures. And, unbeknownst to the Itani strike force, a cloaked Serco Frigate:
Frigate – 240m (S.D.S. Battleaxe)
---------
Hull: 240,000
Armor Slots: 6 Serco Proprietary Adamantium Plates (360 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 10
•Hardened Radio
•Scanner
•Cloaking Device
•ECM Suite
•Engineering Section
•Tight Beam Communicator
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military Grade HUD
•Early Warning System
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 1L + 6T + 2VL + 1LT
1L - Locust Swarm Launcher
6T - 2 Gatling Cannons, 4 Jackhammer Launchers
2VL - 1 Apollyon Swarm Launcher, 1 Hunter Killer Drone Launcher
1 LT - 1 Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannon
Fighter Bays: 2 (total of 4 vults armed with Gauss)
Cargo: 84
Maneuverability: Bad
Special: 10% penalty to turbo
So that's a total of 1 Damaged Heavy Cruiser, 8 Prommies, 12 Vultures, and one Cloaked Frigate
The S.D.S. Indomitable (Serco Heavy Cruiser) has been critically damaged in a front-line battle with the Itani and has managed to limp to the nearest outpost on the outskirts of Serco space. The Indomitable is currently docked outside the station and is being serviced by repair shuttles. Her engines and shields are offline as they are being repaired, but her weapons systems are fully functional. The Itani have organized a surprise strike force to finish off the Indomitable, however, the Serco have recieved intelligence of this imminent attack. The Serco position the S.D.S. Battleaxe, a cloaked frigate, in a position to cut off the Itani assault from behind.
The Itani strike force enters the sector; the Destroyer I.S.S. Valiant, led by the three Corvettes the I.S.S. Coronis, I.S.S. Dauntless, and the I.S.S. Apollo. The fleet immediately engages the crippled S.D.S. Indomitable. However, once the fleet is well away from the wormhole, a distortion in space begins and the S.D.S. Battleaxe decloaks behind the Itani fleet to engage in a pincer counterattack!
So, my question to you Celebrim (or anyone else for that matter), what would be the outcome of this battle?
An Itani strike force makes a surprise raid on a Secro Heavy Cruiser as it "anchors" outside a small station to make repairs.
The Itani Strike Force consists of the following:
Three Corvettes:
Corvette - 150m (I.S.S. Coronis, I.S.S. Dauntless, I.S.S. Apollo)
----------
Hull: 120,000
Armor Slots: 5 - Carbon Composite Plates (250 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 9
•Thrust Booster
•Turbo Charger
•Fire Control Relay
•Stealth Suite
•Countermeasure dispenser
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military HUD
•Early Warning Sytem
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class V
Engines: 1
Weapon Slots: 1L + 4T + 2VL
1L - Stingray Missile Launcher
4T - 2 Advanced Gatling Turrets, 2 Screamer Launchers
2VL - 2 Avalon Torpedo Racks
Fighter Bays: 2 (Total of 4 Valks equipped with Gravitons)
Cargo: 70
Maneuverability: Very Poor
One Destroyer:
Destroyer – 350m (I.S.S. Valiant)
-----------
Hull: 300,000
Armor Slots: 7 Carbon Composite Plates (350 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots:11
• Improved Radar
• Radio Jamming
• Radar Jamming
• Scanner
• ECM Suite
• Advanced ECCM Suite
• Diagnostic Computer
• Military Grade Sensors
• Military HUD
• Early Warning System
• Escape Pod
Shields: Class VII
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 8T + 4LT
8T - 4 Advanced Gatling Turrets, 4 Screamer Launchers
4LT - 4 Blaster Cannons
Fighter Bays: 2 - (Total of 4 Ragnaroks equipped with Avalons, Sunflares)
Cargo: 98
Maneuverability: Very Bad
Special: 20% penalty to turbo + 10% penalty to speed
So that's a total of 1 Destroyer, 3 Corvettes, 4 Ragnaroks, 12 Valkyries.
The Serco force consists of the following:
1 Heavy Cruiser (undergoing repairs, immobile to begin with)
Heavy Cruiser – 600m (S.D.S. Indomitable)
----------
Hull: 600,000 (Currently at 450,000)
Armor Slots: 10 Serco Proprietary Adamantium Plates (600 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 14
•Improved Radar
•Hardened Radio
•Radio Jamming Device
•Radar Jamming Device
•Scanner
•ECM Suite
•ECCM Suite
•Engineering Section
•Diagnostic Computer
•Tight Beam Communicator
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military Grade HUD
•Early Warning System
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class X (currently down for repairs)
Engines: 3
Weapon Slots: 16T + 8LT
16T - 6 Gatling Cannons, 10 Jackhammer Launchers
8LT - 4 Ship's Autocannons, 4 Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannons
Fighter Bays: 4 (total of 8 vultures armed with Gauss Cannons)
Cargo: 140
Maneuverability: Miserable
Special: No turbo + 10% penalty to speed
The repairs are being guarded by a fleet of 8 prommies armed with advanced gatling and sunflares, along with the heavy cruiser's 8 vultures. And, unbeknownst to the Itani strike force, a cloaked Serco Frigate:
Frigate – 240m (S.D.S. Battleaxe)
---------
Hull: 240,000
Armor Slots: 6 Serco Proprietary Adamantium Plates (360 damage reduction)
Equipment Slots: 10
•Hardened Radio
•Scanner
•Cloaking Device
•ECM Suite
•Engineering Section
•Tight Beam Communicator
•Military Grade Sensors
•Military Grade HUD
•Early Warning System
•Escape Pod
Shields: Class VI
Engines: 2
Weapon Slots: 1L + 6T + 2VL + 1LT
1L - Locust Swarm Launcher
6T - 2 Gatling Cannons, 4 Jackhammer Launchers
2VL - 1 Apollyon Swarm Launcher, 1 Hunter Killer Drone Launcher
1 LT - 1 Mjolnir Heavy Gauss Cannon
Fighter Bays: 2 (total of 4 vults armed with Gauss)
Cargo: 84
Maneuverability: Bad
Special: 10% penalty to turbo
So that's a total of 1 Damaged Heavy Cruiser, 8 Prommies, 12 Vultures, and one Cloaked Frigate
The S.D.S. Indomitable (Serco Heavy Cruiser) has been critically damaged in a front-line battle with the Itani and has managed to limp to the nearest outpost on the outskirts of Serco space. The Indomitable is currently docked outside the station and is being serviced by repair shuttles. Her engines and shields are offline as they are being repaired, but her weapons systems are fully functional. The Itani have organized a surprise strike force to finish off the Indomitable, however, the Serco have recieved intelligence of this imminent attack. The Serco position the S.D.S. Battleaxe, a cloaked frigate, in a position to cut off the Itani assault from behind.
The Itani strike force enters the sector; the Destroyer I.S.S. Valiant, led by the three Corvettes the I.S.S. Coronis, I.S.S. Dauntless, and the I.S.S. Apollo. The fleet immediately engages the crippled S.D.S. Indomitable. However, once the fleet is well away from the wormhole, a distortion in space begins and the S.D.S. Battleaxe decloaks behind the Itani fleet to engage in a pincer counterattack!
So, my question to you Celebrim (or anyone else for that matter), what would be the outcome of this battle?
That depends on the tactical knowledge of the commanders and the skill of the pilots. If the serco defenses are commanded by a master tactician, their side will win. Actually, they have the advantage anyhow. A cloaked ship can do a lot of damage by, say, flying to the center of the itani strike force and unleashing hell in all directions. However, if the itani are smart enough they can prevail. Luck will need to be on their side, because if they don't somehow see the cloaked frigate they're toast. But if they do (ie they accidentally shoot it), they can easily win. similarly, if one side is crewed by people that have been playing for 4 days and the other has an all-vet crew, the vets will probably win. So it all depends on the skill. Remember, in vendetta it's actual players, not just percentages, that calculate if you win or lose.
"So, my question to you Celebrim (or anyone else for that matter), what would be the outcome of this battle?"
I don't know, but I think it would be alot of fun finding out.
The biggest unknown, and by far the biggest determinate of the outcome, is going to be the skill of the fighter pilots. Whoever wins the fighter battle is going to win the fight.
Off hand, I'd say that the Serco Cruiser is doomed if the Itani pilots are any good at all, and the best tactics that the Itani could use is to get in, drop alot of Avalons, and get back out as fast as they can. They have an overwhelming number of torpedoes, 60 on the Corvettes and 32 on the Ragnaroks. That would be a serious problem for any capital ship, but starting immobile, damaged, and with its shields down, its in serious trouble. The only good thing is that by the time that all three corvettes get in range, the 4 Mjolnir's may have taken one or two down if the Serco captain is smart enough to concentrate his fire, especially after they get jumped by the Frigate.
Neither fleet has particularly heavy anti-fighter defences, but I'll give the edge here to the Serco if only because they have ECM - which will probably neutralize the sunflares. Also the Serco have alot better armor, so the Gravitons aren't that big of an issue.
The Serco having a cloaked Frigate is not as much help as it could be because the Frigate is not really maximized for close up work. It's still a beast with that Mjolnir, but while the HK drone is a fine weapon on a cloaked ship, its almost useless in this particular circumstance. On the other hand, the Appolyon launcher will rip apart the thin armor on the Corvettes because none of the Itani 'vettes have ECM.
So my guess, 2-3 Itani corvettes go down for sure. The Serco Heavy cruiser almost certainly goes down, which in and of itself is enough of a blow that the Itani can probably claim a draw no matter what else happens. But which side manages to limp out of this fight depends alot on how good the fighter pilots are. If the Vultures can fight off the Valks, those gauss cannons will puncture the Itani hulls fairly quickly. If the Valks can fight off the fighter cover, once the Cruiser goes down the Destroyer and them will clean up the rest of the problems because 4 blaster cannons are going to wreck havoc at close range.
I don't know, but I think it would be alot of fun finding out.
The biggest unknown, and by far the biggest determinate of the outcome, is going to be the skill of the fighter pilots. Whoever wins the fighter battle is going to win the fight.
Off hand, I'd say that the Serco Cruiser is doomed if the Itani pilots are any good at all, and the best tactics that the Itani could use is to get in, drop alot of Avalons, and get back out as fast as they can. They have an overwhelming number of torpedoes, 60 on the Corvettes and 32 on the Ragnaroks. That would be a serious problem for any capital ship, but starting immobile, damaged, and with its shields down, its in serious trouble. The only good thing is that by the time that all three corvettes get in range, the 4 Mjolnir's may have taken one or two down if the Serco captain is smart enough to concentrate his fire, especially after they get jumped by the Frigate.
Neither fleet has particularly heavy anti-fighter defences, but I'll give the edge here to the Serco if only because they have ECM - which will probably neutralize the sunflares. Also the Serco have alot better armor, so the Gravitons aren't that big of an issue.
The Serco having a cloaked Frigate is not as much help as it could be because the Frigate is not really maximized for close up work. It's still a beast with that Mjolnir, but while the HK drone is a fine weapon on a cloaked ship, its almost useless in this particular circumstance. On the other hand, the Appolyon launcher will rip apart the thin armor on the Corvettes because none of the Itani 'vettes have ECM.
So my guess, 2-3 Itani corvettes go down for sure. The Serco Heavy cruiser almost certainly goes down, which in and of itself is enough of a blow that the Itani can probably claim a draw no matter what else happens. But which side manages to limp out of this fight depends alot on how good the fighter pilots are. If the Vultures can fight off the Valks, those gauss cannons will puncture the Itani hulls fairly quickly. If the Valks can fight off the fighter cover, once the Cruiser goes down the Destroyer and them will clean up the rest of the problems because 4 blaster cannons are going to wreck havoc at close range.
Wow, actual combat strategy and coordinated attacks. I can't wait until we see some of those.
Can anyone remember if any game in all time has had multi-player-controlled cap ships battling it out? 'Cause I can't... Imagine having that battle? *drool*
weeeeeeeee i'm lost... seeing "capital ships" posts and "capital ships weapons" WHAT IS ALL THAT? will it be in 3.3?
No. Well, probably not. Yeah, no.