A Solid Cruiser Design

[Noble713]

Ok, here is its current incarnation:


Cruiser - Attack Ship

Cost:
11kT Minerals, 200 Organics, 1800 Radioactives

Components:
1x Bridge, 2x Life Support, 2x Crew Quaters, 6x Contra-Terrene Engine II, 1x Multiplex Tracking 4, 1x Combat Sensors III, 1x ECM III, 2x Point-Defense Cannons V, 8x Meson BLaster VI (large mounts), 2x Shield Generator V


Since I designed this thing 30 turns ago, the 46 ships of the class (new construction and refits) have destroyed 32 megatons of enemy ships (equivalent of 32 dreadnoughts). This is more than my two BB designs combined (which are just as numerous).

How I use them:
These cruisers form a wall in the front fleet, with my missile-armed DDs and BBs clustered behind the central cruisers. The cruisers charge forward with the Capital Ship Missile V's accompanying them. The AI usually backs up a bit, then turns around to engage my cruisers. The cruisers bLast away at the AI dread's superior shields (Phased Shield V's, usually), then the missiles swarm in, knocking down any remaining shields and overkilling a few ships (I tend to concentrate my missile fire). The cruisers finish off any cripples and annihilate comparably-sized ships. The battle ends without my fleet sustaining any internal damage.

Pros: Plenty of firepower from the MB-VIs, faster than most capital ships (or old designs), strong ECM/ECCM suite for effective use of firepower, and easy for advanced empires to produce.

Cons: No phased shields (just researched Phased Shields IV, the 1st effective Phased Shield), no missile support, outranged by bigger guns (WMGs, Graviton Hellbore, etc.), fairly expensive for a cruiser, slower than more advanced ships.

With a numerical advantage and a little missile support, these things can knock out Groups of organic-equipped dreadnoughts with ease.

If anyone else has some designs that have proven incredibly effect, please post them and a similar description.

[This message has been edited by Noble713 (edited 13 January 2001).]