The Alternative Fleet Project

Cerebrus · Post by **Cerebrus** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 7:56 am

Captain Trek wrote:If you ask me, though, the 'Balanced Destroyer' is really ugly and looks far too much like a really cheap way of getting a bunch of railguns into the air.

That is almost definitively what I had in mind when I was designing it; a cheap, modular ship, easy to put together and serving it's role well, which is to bombard large vulnerable targets, but is terrible at everything else.

I have, however, dropped two of the particle guns, lowered it's turning further, and dropped it's HP.

I was also trying to design the ship in a way similar to the stock ships, which is to say without much section overlapping.

Captain Trek · Post by **Captain Trek** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:17 am

Vanguard looks rather armored for a patrol craft. You sure it wouldn't be more fit as a destroyer? Seems pretty Hestia-like, especially in having two versions, which is what makes me think of it more like a destroyer.

I actually intended it to be between a destroyer and a patrol craft (a 1.5 point ship, if you will). Who's to say we should only have three ship sizes?

Still, I could probably tune the Vanguard into a mainline destroyer, if you guys like.

So whadda you think? Should I leave it as a 1.5 point ship or turn it into a destroyer?

Zeron · Post by **Zeron** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:11 am

I'm all in for starbases!

L0oking Glass · Post by **L0oking Glass** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:11 am

Arcalane wrote:
Going by the previous content of this post (which I note was a link to your own hard drive ) I suggest you examine the Guide on Posting Custom Ship Screenshots.

Got it. Thanks!

I revamped my Vulcan, instead of changing it i dumped the idea and came up with a new one. the Hydra.

http://www.wyrdysm.com/battleshipsforev ... /Hydra.sb2

I'll go look for a photo hosting website now.

Post by **Arcalane** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:14 am

I don't mean to sound harsh, dude, but I seriously suggest you try to work on your ship construction before you try contributing to this. Your ships have absolutely terrible and physically impossible parenting.

I know you're trying, but please, practice first.

L0oking Glass · Post by **L0oking Glass** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:32 am

Arcalane wrote:I don't mean to sound harsh, dude, but I seriously suggest you try to work on your ship construction before you try contributing to this. Your ships have absolutely terrible and physically impossible parenting.

I know you're trying, but please, practice first.

Alrite, i'm just trying to make a more realistic destroyer model like the generics the game comes with. What are the flaws anyway?

Post by **Arcalane** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:37 am

Look at the order and positioning of how everything is placed. Then compare it to the stock ships. Things should be logically connected to each other - visibly - so that they "fall apart" in a realistic manner. The problem with your Hydra is that if one was to destroy the aegis shielding, and then take out that nose piece, the entire ship would fall apart and leave just the core.

L0oking Glass · Post by **L0oking Glass** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:45 am

Arcalane wrote:Look at the order and positioning of how everything is placed. Then compare it to the stock ships. Things should be logically connected to each other - visibly - so that they "fall apart" in a realistic manner. The problem with your Hydra is that if one was to destroy the aegis shielding, and then take out that nose piece, the entire ship would fall apart and leave just the core.

So connect at those borders. right. so i should have repositioned those shields, connected the bow better, and covered the stern better. (and gotten rid of that 5&6 blaster. don't know how that got their.)

Post by **Arcalane** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:55 am

And make sure turrets are parented to the sections they actually sit on.

L0oking Glass · Post by **L0oking Glass** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:24 am

Got it! thanks Arcane. Finally a ship that will work. rated to destroy other destroyers too!

http://www.wyrdysm.com/battleshipsforev ... ach_II.sb2

last one im presenting.

Post by **Arcalane** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:26 am

...try again, man. You didn't pay any attention to what I said by the looks of that blueprint.

Captain Trek · Post by **Captain Trek** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:30 am

Frankly, the Hydra designs suck period, methinks, even without the screwy parenting...

Anyway, here is a bit of a 'personal classic' for you... the first custom ship I ever made, new and improved (and heavily modified) for the modern BSFer...

Cannonade class drone cruiser

The Cannonade class is a destroyer equipped with extensive drone manufacturing facilities, making it capable of surprsing amounts of firepower for such a small craft. The vessel is designed to swarm the enemy with its drones as it flys into combat, then rain death in the form of blaster bolts and heavy missiles down upon its enemy. The Cannonade is a fairly unwieldy beast, but its heavy engine allows it to lumber along at a pretty good clip once it does get going...

Again, the original version of this ship was the very first custom ship I ever made for the game, back in the time when many people were lobbying for a demeter armed destroyer. Since then, it has mostly languished in my custom ship folders unused, untill today... when I whipped out the design and rebuilt it with the modern ship maker...

Now, I couldn't decide wether to arm the ship with missiles or blasters, so I decided to go with both, and equip the ship with two stock copies of each. It may be too powerful, however. I'm thinking I could swap out the two missile launchers for just one (or the two blasters for just one) or perhaps swap out the two blasters for one gat or quad blaster... Maybe I should drop the point beams to particle guns as well... What do you think? In case your wondering, the weapon arcs are 50 for the missile launchers and 180 for the blasters...

Anyway, here she is... This one hold a specail place in my heart becuase she's related to my first ever custom ship... 8)

http://www.wyrdysm.com/battleshipsforev ... nonade.sb2

What do you reckon? Now don't hold back, if you think it's crap, please, please, please tell me how I can improve on it...

Cerebrus · Post by **Cerebrus** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:32 am

It seems like the Cannonade can't decide if it wants to be a mini-carrier or a strike vessel. The design is fine, but the armament is too split up.

Ethril · Post by **Ethril** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:33 am

I think it's cute.
Swap the beams for particles (or maybe a flak?). I don't know about the missiles balance-wise, but if they weren't there those sections would look too empty.

Captain Trek · Post by **Captain Trek** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:41 am

It seems like the Cannonade can't decide if it wants to be a mini-carrier or a strike vessel. The design is fine, but the armament is too split up.

Well, the idea was for it to be able to lend supporting fire to its drones in combat, like how the ship I originally based it on does (that being the drone frigate in Homeworld: Cataclysm).

Swap the beams for particles (or maybe a flak?). I don't know about the missiles balance-wise, but if they weren't there those sections would look too empty.

How about this? I've knocked a few hit points off as well...

EDIT: There are several alternate versions I'm playing around with...

1: Removing the pod launcher and replacing it with two more launchers.

2: Removing the blasters and adding a third standard demeter launcher.

3: I'll try anything else you might want to suggest...