Any use for a really small carrier?

[Gandalph]

Originally posted by capnq:

quote:

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The 12 fighters and the ship arrives a firing point approximatly at the same time.

How are you managing that? When I have a carrier launching fighters on several consecutive combat turns, the fighters get strung out in a chain with each group a full move or more apart.

Oh, wait, I see you have the launching ship charging into the combat, as well. I usually trade armaments for cargo space and have the carriers set to Don't Get Hurt.

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I have found that if you put a single CSM on the ship and set the strategy to maximum weapons range, the carrier/whatever will stay effectively away from the battle and keep the fighter Groups together so they all arrive together.

[Skulky]

This is neat. I gotta try this. I've always wanted a "heli-pad" like modern destroyers or something like and escort carrier. Up until now i couldnt' find any use for the later and hadn't really thought much about the first one. I'd keep the other guy honest with PDC, and you wouldn't even always need to load the bays.

Component idea: quick launch bays, they can launch 3 fighters combat per turn and 3 fighters per game turn, so they are more in short term, but less in long term. WP attack?

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Gandalph:
I have found that if you put a single CSM on the ship and set the strategy to maximum weapons range, the carrier/whatever will stay effectively away from the battle and keep the fighter Groups together so they all arrive together.

Yeah, that what I do, the CSM helps to waste some point defence shots.

I realize using these mini-carriers won't work against someone determined to max out the PCD tech area -- but like Rautha says you can get them out earlier and surprise an opponent

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Gryphin:
"I never play against the AI"
Well, then you have just given your oppoenents something to think about. Hmm.

Well. I'm playing in several PBW games so they will just have to guess, is it in your game I'm building them??

[Gryphin]

Ruatha, I'm only in the Gallactic Bash but I'm taking notes.
SEdatabase > Players Ruatha > Ship Desgin > Destroyers with fighters

[ January 03, 2003, 22:45: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

[spoon]

Originally posted by Ruatha:
I've built a destroyer with two capital weapons, ECM, solar sails and solar panels. And a fighter bay level 1 and a cargo bay.

I suspect you'd be better off using Light Carriers with their heavy mounts and greater carrying capacity. On the other hand, it is a neat design, and you shouldn't let practicality get in the way of the Art of Ship Design. Well, unless you want to win...heh

[ January 03, 2003, 22:59: Message edited by: spoon ]

[Pax]

Originally posted by Skulky:
Component idea: quick launch bays, they can launch 3 fighters combat per turn and 3 fighters per game turn, so they are more in short term, but less in long term. WP attack?

I've actually been thinking of something similar for my mod-in-progress, Exodus; one of the traits is "Doctrine: Advanced Carriers", and it will greatly enhance fightercraft, carriers, and related components.

My notes regarding unit-launch components include this:

code:

---

UNIT LAUNCH



||Tech  ||         Cargo Capacity                        ||  Launch  ||

||      ||-----------------------------------------------||          ||

||Level || Satellite | Mine | Fighter |Adv Fighter| Drone|| Capacity ||

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

||  1   ||    10     |   5  |    5    |    10     |  10  ||    1     ||

||  2   ||    20     |  10  |   10    |    20     |  20  ||    2     ||

||  3   ||    30     |  15  |   20    |    40     |  40  ||    3     ||

||  4   ||    50     |  20  |   40    |    80     |  80  ||    4     ||

||  5   ||    80     |  30  |   80    |   160     | 160  ||    6     ||

||  6   ||   120     |  40  |  160    |   320     | 320  ||    8     ||

||  7   ||   200     |  50  |  320    |   640     | 640  ||   10     ||

-----------------------------------------------------------------------



SPECIAL: Advanced Launch Bay



Level   Cargo (kT)  Launch Rate

1         5           2

2        10           4

3        20           6

4        40           8

5        80          12

6       160          16

7       320          20





SPECIAL: External Fighter Link

  -- launch rate of 1/combat-turn and game-turn, cargo for one of required type of fighter



1 (requires small fighters); 

2 (requires medium fighters);

3 (requires large fighters);

4 (requires advanced / huge fighters);

5 (requires PF's);





Special Bay racial-trait requirements:

 External Fighter Link -- "Doctrine: Advanced Carrier" -and- "Microscalar Engineering"

 Advanced Fighter Bay --- "Doctrine: Advanced Carrier"

 Advanced Launch Bay ---- "Doctrine: Advanced Carrier"

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So, yes, an Advanced Fighter Bay VII will be able to spew 20 fighters per turn per component. Mind, they won't be cheap, and won't innately store diddly ... but the advanced fighter-launch-and-recovery systems will make for faster speeds in getting the fighters into space, fighting on behalf of the carrier.

Making fighters become and remain a viable combat option throughout the game is one of the things I want to do with Exodus ... without making them the combat choice. I want a balance between missile use, fighter use, torpedo use, and direct-beam/projectile use.

And no, I haven't picked specific sizes for each component yet.

I'm also considering an "external fighter link" ... launch/recover one fighter, with cargo space FOR one fighter, with the component itself remarkably small ... the concept being fighters that don't land INSIDE the carrier, but instead, dock TO the carrier (the External Links will, obviously, have the damaged-first trait of armor, and not a lot of HP themselves ...). Such a component would be perfect for adding a small bit of increased firepower to a ship (picture one of those destroyers carrying only 6 fighters instead of 12 ... but, it can drop all six at once ... in roughly the same "space" in terms of hull kT).

[ January 04, 2003, 13:25: Message edited by: Pax ]