Ambrosia Software Web Board: A rant about ship classes - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Bah. I'd like to see carriers that don't have the fighters, but have decent acceleration and are cheaper. Fighters in Ares are not nearly as nice as I, at least, think they should be, and I'd rather just have carriers become a largish warship.

------------------
I am the supreme dictator of the universe, it's just that nobody knows about it yet.

You don't get it. If HVDs weren't in multi and we started with gunships, Carriers would dominate. The fighters take the damage while the carrier DOES the damage. Also, IRL fighters would be much harder to hit and wouldn't stand still to collect energy.

------------------
Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

Not true. Whiz in with your gunship, park on a side of the carrier away from the missile launcher. Fire at will. I promise you that the gunship will tear the carrier AT LEAST to flashing red, and maybe you'll kill it if you're lucky. That's what gunships are designed to do.

------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!

Especially in a Ishiman vs. Cantharan match. That's what makes 'Make Way' such an easy chapter.

------------------
--Talon_Karrde, MoD, 61:4--
Visit [url="http://"http://www.planetarion.com"]www.planetarion.com[/url] and sign up for some real gaming experience!

Um, the problem is that the fighters would disrupt your attack.
Plus, the OTHER carriers would be munching the rest of your forces.

------------------
Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

Fighter = harmless. Gunship controlled by player = not cares about fighters. Resources devoted by enemy to construct multiple carriers = resources devoted by you to construct twice as many gunships as they have carriers (you'd probably devote some of it to cruisers, too, to get fighters).

Besides, if that were the case, I wouldn't mind building an HVD just to fly it.

------------------
"I am the supreme dictator of the universe, it's just that nobody knows about it yet."
"Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow."

Carrier w/o fighters = Battleship. Unfortunately, it doesn't get upgraded, at least not for the Obish.

The Obish are not as likely to automate systems- they're relatively new to interstellar politics, and I assume there are a very large number of them available.

Carriers are at just about the best point in terms of fighter capacity, in my opinion. More fighters, you lose power, very useful power, since the carrier is the only standard ship fully optimized to destroy fighters/cruisers. However, less fighters, and any ship with a bit of self control could decimate it from a distance. IF the overall power level of the carriers was increased, carriers would be fine with more fighters. But the carriers would then be so expensive no one would buy them (except the Sals).

Gateships must be the equivalent of current carriers. Anything else, and the races would have ridiculously powerful navies, if nothing else. However, a gateship is not precisely a current carrier either. Gateships do not actually have to enter the battle; they may simply transport the others in from outside. This means that a large fleet is no longer necessary to escort a fleet - the gatship excercises control over what enters and exits its jumpgate, and there are no problems, ships go where they wish.

------------------
-=MoC 94:19=-
"Cheaters don't really win, and winners don't really cheat. Unless you're talking politics." -Durandal
[This message has been edited by Pallas Athene (edited 11-27-2830).]

Gateships are like modern carriers. Modern carriers rarely sail up to a cruiser and start shooting at it. They send out fighters/missiles. The actual carrier rarely engages in battle. However carriers still have a fleet protecting them just in case something gets past the fighters. I think the gateship would have a fleet protecting it as they are one-of-a-kind ships. Carriers in Ares are more like the Royal Navy's type 21 frigate which carries a Lynx helicopter for anti-submarine work. It isnt a full-blown aircraft carrier but it still carries aircraft. I think Ares carriers are a bit like this.

------------------
Grand Fleet Admiral Slathkill, Supreme Commander I.M.A. Fleet

Actually, the fighters make most excellent screening. Because of the one-way fire, your HVD can Hide in your cloud of fighters, or behind your carrier, and just wail. They're excellent at blocking for you while you crush the other guy's HVD.

------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!

I wonder what the future of ship development in Ares will be?
I'd guess longer ranged and more damaging weapondry will advance beyond defense, and that fighters will be used more efficiently.

------------------
Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

It'd be hard to say. I know what ends up happening for my plug (well, you do, too), but i don't know what Nathan Lamont has in mind.

------------------
"I am the supreme dictator of the universe, it's just that nobody knows about it yet."
"Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow."

Yeah, I know .
I think that high-power long-range weapondry is the future, if the Auds and Eleejee are anything to judge by.

------------------
Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

Anything that

• Increases kills and
  
• Decreases losses

will be developed towards. Long-range high-power weaponry is probably in the cards. Also, electromagnetics will probably be used to cause beams to be drawn towards enemy ships. It would be extremely useful to have an energy-using guided weapon.

------------------
-=MoC 94:19=-
"Cheaters don't really win, and winners don't really cheat. Unless you're talking politics." -Durandal
"Fate protects fools, children, and ships named Enterprise." -Riker to Bridge Crew

What do you guys think would be the coolest Super weapon? (It should be somewhat novel)

My idea is a bunch of nano-machines that land and start building more of themselves on the surface of a ship, then begin dissassembling the ship into protons. The ship ends up as a big cloud of Hydrogen Ions. COuld be delivered via large missile, bomb, or dude with tweezers. perfect.

Let's hear yours.

------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!

Melted-particle gun. Heat matter to a few million degrees, and even charm (the force binding quarks to each other) breaks down. At this point, matter is mostly energy, so it's like a matter-energy converter. Then when it gets to target, it can barrier-penetrate the shields, resulting in the enemy getting cooked from the inside

Either that or some sort of event horizon generator.

Or a harmonic bomb - slips on and shakes the enemey to pieces.

------------------
Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

A gun that shoots huge globs of lava (it's just really hot rock) at them.

------------------
"I am the supreme dictator of the universe, it's just that nobody knows about it yet."
"Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow."

How about superheated fissioning lumps of nuclear slag? They land on the target and start corroding.

------------------
NEW NAME FOR THE DREADNOUGHT
The Hard-Boiled Egg
Why?
Because she cant be beaten!

Nova. The ship in question destroys it's own stardrive and causes a massive one-dimensional ripple.

Have it start very small and reach a size of 600x600, doing 500 damage per tick. BTW don't do this because I already have.

------------------
------------------------
"War? I'd better go and get the washing in!"

A ship built solidly from supercondensed diamond that superlights into the hostile ships, and uses its diamond armor and momentum to smash through them.

------------------
"I am the supreme dictator of the universe, it's just that nobody knows about it yet."
"Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow."

Oldie but goodie: A greaser from the freezer, just one from the vaults.

Lets talk about Ares a bit!

Well? What do you think? What ship classes are good, which are bad? What is the best super-weapon you would make? How many crewmembers ride in a Cantharaan Schooner, and how long can they live aboard!?

I think it depends on the race, due to the difference in maneuverability and cost between races for the same class of ship. For example, an Ishiman gunship is pretty mediocre, since it turns so slow that its hard to track most enemies (except for large vessels); however, a Salrillian gunship is pretty decent at fighting almost any ship size due to its speed and weapon recharge power. and it costs a lot less.

So, imo, its hard to choose any particular class, but I'd favor the Heavy Destroyers, since for any race its pretty much an all-around ship killer (weapons for both vsing small and large ships) and its pretty maneuverable...only catch is the expensive cost.

Is that fix that lets Ares run under Panther classic ever coming? I mean, I e-mailed to test it, but never got a response, and nothing has been happening it seems.

I haven't played Ares in a long, long time, but I think that the briefing of the asteroid retrieval mission implied that the Cantharians had been searching for the asteroid for a period that would have been longer than 24 hours. I'm more inclined to say that the Cantharians didn't have significant force projection in the region at the time (the locals were willing to lend you an astrominer, after all), and therefore most of the forces there would have to be self-sustaining or at least operating from a nearby base.

I do wonder...if you were going to track down an asteroid, how many insta-meals would you have to budget? I'd say at least a couple of week's worth, assuming sensor technology is similiar to what it is in Ares.