Caveat-class Battlecruiser
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:58 pm
[Historical comments in square brackets]
A harkback to early Terran concepts of the battlecruiser [WW I/II], the streamlined (although no drag to speak of in a vacuum) Caveat-class was designed with battleship-calibre armament but lightly armoured and fast. Meant to "outrun ships it cannot outgun and outgun ships it cannot outrun", it is not made to be part of the battle line due to its light armour and PD protection, but to outrange and destroy ships smaller than itself. Its name was chosen as a foreboding reminder of the consequences of using it as a battleship [British battlecruiser Fleet at the Battle of Jutland, 1916], although it is well-suited to act as a commerce raider, cruiser squadron leader or in support of patrol duties.
The Caveat-class is armed with 4 railguns in twin turrets and a secondary battery of 4 gatling pulse cannons, along with 7 particle guns for point defence. Located behind the bridge is a pad for landing craft.
(Meant to be used against the vanilla ships), it will not survive a tit-for-tat exchange with any battleship (although smart commanders will manoeuvre to constantly outrange a Hecate or Cronus) but can take down destroyers and cruisers with relative ease. Even so, Caveat-class commanders should be wary of smaller ships equipped with deflectors, and note that their ship can easily be picked apart when overwhelmed. Allowing multiple smaller ships to get inside their weapon ranges can be an invitation to suicide. The ship is especially vulnerable once the sections just beside the core/bridge are destroyed. Hit first, hit hard and hit the gas.
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The ship is made with stock-only parts and should work in the vanilla sandbox. A hull-only version is included should you prefer to arm it yourself.
This is one of my first ships and on close inspection you can see numerous little holes in the ship *wonders why the stock sections have holes in them*, and I am reluctant to cover them up with doodad-spam.
Constructive suggestions appreciated.
Edit: Picture replaced with default shipmaker zoom and external host.
Edit 2: I just realised an oversight that the rear guns are larger than the front guns. This has been corrected.