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[Virex]

I don't really see the point of having a fighter with a single box launcher. Wouldn't a multi-stage missile work better?

[Mini]

Depends how long you use it for, because at that point the fighter is basically a re-usable missile stage with a long reload time.

[Sheb]

I don't really see the point of having a fighter with a single box launcher. Wouldn't a multi-stage missile work better?

Also you have more controls with fighters: launch them out of sensor range with a dedicated sensor fighter, and then have them pick targets you wouldn't see with your main ship. Also, that mean your carrier doesn't have to reveal its position with a sensor (although you could use long-range sniping and a dedicated sensor boat.

Edit: I like the idea. As soon as I start a game again (meaning as soon as 7.2 rolls around), I'll try a missile cruiser with a single boat bay, that can either shoot normale missiles, or super-long range two-stagers, with an embarked fighter providing the sensor coverage.

[Metalax]

New thing for 7.2, Particle Lances. A modification to the particle beam weapons, similarly to the spinal mounts for lasers, they apply the following modifiers to the Particle beam when selected. They are available for research once you are about a third of the way through the particle beam techline.

2x Damage
2x Size
2x HTK
2x Crew
2.5x Power Requirement
3x Cost
2x Development Cost

In addition, and possibly most importantly, all of their damage is done in a single column, and they maintain particle beams lack of damage dropoff. This makes them very effective at penetrating armour belts, even more so than close range lasers. Lasers and particle beams will have a higher dps per tonnage, but the lances will be good for one hit kills.

[Flying Dice]

Holy hell that's nice.

[Metalax]

Also, small change to the new maintenance system, MSP's will no longer require Sorium to be constructed. This because it was pointed out that the fairly common early Sorium crunch would be a far worse stalling hazard if both supplies and fuel could no longer be produced due to running out.

Also also, Ships will no longer get a free load of MSP's on construction, they will be loaded from the colony stockpile similarly to how fuel functions. This because it was pointed out that maintenance storage bays cost 15 but provided 240 worth of supplies, making it a better idea to build ships containing storage bays, unload all their supplies and scrap them rather than building supplies normally.

[Dorsidwarf]

With the last of the old River gauss destroyers scrapped, I decided to pixel up the replacement (With its crazy turret) and the destroyer it's escorting, the HoodII.

I also added the Audacious, my pocket carrier and the experimental carrier. The one shaped like a plain tube is the Upholder scout ship. It's a size 2500 magfusion engine at 2.5X power, a fuel tank, sensors, and not much else

I don't know how Donald got in there, but he's going to make the vacuum great again.



I spent way, way too long on an internal view of the experimental carrier

[coleslaw35]

I've heard someone mention incorporating escape pods on a ship. What exactly do they mean and how would it work? I assume they mean having a tiny fighter transport thing in a boat bay. Is there a way to transfer crew to a small escape shuttle and have them pilot it to safety?

[Rince Wind]

No, escape pods are automatically used when the ship is destroyed. You can pick up the survivors later. They are standard issue and need not to be added manually. They don't have engines either. You could just try to add a shuttle with cryobays and hope that you get it out before the ship is destroyed, then pick up the survivors with it. Not worth the space imo.

[Metalax]

I've heard someone mention incorporating escape pods on a ship. What exactly do they mean and how would it work? I assume they mean having a tiny fighter transport thing in a boat bay. Is there a way to transfer crew to a small escape shuttle and have them pilot it to safety?

You can't transfer crew, but what you can do is have a boatbay with a fast fighter/FAC sized craft equipped with cryopods and possibly a jump engine. If it seems like the ship will be destroyed, launch the cryofighter and after the main ship dies have it pick up the automatic escape pods that will contain what crew survived then have it flee for safe space.

This is most likely to work if your ships are dying to missile attacks as the fighter may be small enough that it can't be picked up by their sensors and targeted at the range of engagement.

[coleslaw35]

Alrighty. Just seeing what the rest of you had to say about it. Maybe I will start including tiny escape shuttles in some of my designs now. Maybe. I've been putting off starting a new playthrough because I'm waiting for the next version where you can disable commercial shipping lines and thus save yourself a massive amount of performance in late game. Though, I don't think the next release is anytime soon.

[Girlinhat]

I'm waiting for the next version where you can disable commercial shipping lines and thus save yourself a massive amount of performance in late game. Though, I don't think the next release is anytime soon.

The button will be available on the pre-game screen, the same way that you can stop asteroid orbits you'll be able to stop civilian lines from producing new ships mid-game.  At least that's how I understood the description.  So starting a game now and having civilians stop after game start is my current plan.

[Sheb]

You're assuming saves will be compatible though.

[Karlito]

They definitely won't be. 7.2 is a database patch. Also, it might not be finished and released for months.

[Metalax]

Yep, I'd be somewhat surprised if we seen the next version before the end of April. When Steve is adding new features, as he is with 7.2, he normally playtests them for a while in his own campaign so he can see if they are relatively balanced.

As for the escape shuttle idea, I've been using something very similar to set up seed colonies due to not having yard space available for building proper colony ships.

Code: [Select]

Trojan-IV class Shuttle    500 tons     9 Crew     108 BP      TCS 10  TH 19.2  EM 0
8000 km/s    JR 1-50     Armour 1-5     Shields 0-0     Sensors 2/2/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 11.71 Years     MSP 68    AFR 4%    IFR 0.1%    1YR 1    5YR 14    Max Repair 64 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 4.62 months    Spare Berths 0   
Cryogenic Berths 400   

J500(1-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 500 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 1
Fighter S-05 EP-80 Stealth(25%) Internal Fusion Drive (1)    Power 80    Fuel Use 27.19%    Signature 19.2    Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres    Range 26.5 billion km   (38 days at full power)

S-00.2 TH-2 Thermal Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 2     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  2m km
S-00.2 EM-2.2 EM Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 2.2     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  2.2m km

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposesAs I've been fitting all military ships of 10,000 tons or more with a boat bay per 10,000 tons that has been used for scout craft or boarding shuttles, it would be fairly trivial to swap over to carrying shuttles. I may do so for at least some of them as I've been finding my scout FAC's are more effective than the scout fighters.