Dream Ship

[Vraesrial]

I like Cadar...There always seems to be some form of conflict going on with them, though, so I haven't really been able to see what they offer. I'm not saying their craftsmanship is better than Thulun's of course...

[kubla]

when using shipbuilder, are the ships you design and buy available in other games you have going or just the one you designed it in?

[qbspy]

kubla I wish you could save a template, but no luck.

[kubla]

OK kind of figured that

[qbspy]

I can't wait for ST2.

[violet]

Been going for 350 contracts and 1117 kills on Impossible. My trusty Glaive I served well, but with the sail and engine size unlocks and common encounters at 3x my level, it's time for an upgrade. A ship that can make the haul across the quadrant without stopping as I chase contracts, no matter what I encounter:



No expense spared! Scarlet Skies (my captain) doesn't bother with torps or guns because the risk of losing armor, hull, and engines before closing in for board just isn't worth it - guns and torps are there to soak damage (guns soak more frequently, and so are prioritized over torps). No pirate or House loyalist stands a chance. Not built for alien hunting, but far from Xeno fodder.

If my House rep wasn't flushed out the airlock, I'd have traded sails for engines (built at Javat for +6 engines instead of Rychart's +8 sails) and skipped the engine upgrade in favor of additional cargo space or maybe the WF recycler.

[poryg]

Sometimes torps don't soak damage, but deal it instead though, which can prove to be quite a problem :/ Countless ships have been destroyed, because torps exploded...

[slayernz]

violet How can you be losing fights in the Glaive I? It had great numbers, and should have been perfectly fine with enemy captains much higher than yours. At 300AE, I'd expect your pilot skill to be very high - and have reasonable tactics skills too. What difficulty were you playing on - your fuel efficiency seems about twice as high as it should be.

[Cory Trese]

Jun 26, 2016 6:56:36 GMT -5 poryg said:

Sometimes torps don't soak damage, but deal it instead though, which can prove to be quite a problem :/ Countless ships have been destroyed, because torps exploded...

LOL, whut?

[fallen]

It's amazing to hear that the Official Cadar Welcoming Party (a torp spread) can sometimes prove deadly?

[poryg]

I don't know if it has any real connection, but several times it happened that when all my torps were destroyed, it took the hull down in an instant. Or vice versa, blowing enemies' torps (and not necessarily in one turn!) it actually blew up the hull.

[violet]

Jun 26, 2016 17:29:40 GMT -5 slayernz said:

violet How can you be losing fights in the Glaive I? It had great numbers, and should have been perfectly fine with enemy captains much higher than yours. At 300AE, I'd expect your pilot skill to be very high - and have reasonable tactics skills too. What difficulty were you playing on - your fuel efficiency seems about twice as high as it should be.

I never lost any battles (ran from a few nastier-looking xeno). The Glaive I was a fine ship, but the upgrade was an insurance measure - one of those nasty aliens I mentioned torp-nuked me when I ran, knocking out all 15 armor, my guns, 80 crew, half my engines and most of my hull in one hit. The new ship can last longer before boarding becomes unviable.

Pilot is only 1.5x level and I'm playing Impossible, hence the poor fuel efficiency. The massive engines contribute to that as well - the engine/hull ratio makes up for the merely adequate pilot skill, allowing me to get in close. A hold full of weapons (35-60, depending) and a Hydra, bodyguard, and military officer ensure massive bonuses to first-time, initial, and sustained boarding. The armor plating and guns absorb a lot of damage, keeping it off the crew and engines. Torps absorb minor damage. The crew can take a lot of heat before losing significant boarding strength. Engines and sails can take 10 or more damage before dropping under a 2:1 ratio. The hull is fairly robust.

Strength is 3x level plus 3; Warrior is 1.5x level. I add tactics to fill levels out, and intimidate is upgraded instead of tactics every 5 points.

In summary this build sacrifices fuel efficiency and stealth for unstoppable boarding strength, fast closing actions, and damage soaking. This ship wins if it closes to boarding range, so it is designed to close fast and to soak a lot of damage in close combat and if an enemy proves difficult to chase down. It is not an economically efficient ship: WF and repair costs are high. It is a highly efficient killer, however: it evades most torps and guns at range, can soak a lot of damage both ranged and at boarding range, closes fast, and has extremely high boarding damage.

[qbspy]

They would buy a ship like the Glaive for a price of a Hummer. Only in ST.

[poryg]

This is my Alien 👽 Hunter 💀 Ship 🚢 :
Hull 36
Armor 34 (base 23)
Engines 40
Sails 40
Crew 260 (base 180)
Cargo 160
Guns 20
Torps 6

Upgrades
Dreadnought architecture
Leviathan system
Battleship architecture
Null field generator
Hyperion superstructure

No need to describe I hope. I intend to just board and win. I have huge hull and huge armor to have a nice signature.. . And also to help me with boarding a bit (no need to worry about damage that much)
My cargo allows me to store 100 weapons with ease and still have water-fuel for alien hunting. I don't care that much about money anyway, since I don't really need it.
While I have bigger casualties (once I lost 70 crew on one board against a bounty hunter) against lower crew ships, against aliens it has worked well for me so far. I just need to meet some hi level aliens to really test both my ship and captain.. .

[violet]

I would never advise Alien hunting with an engine/hull ratio close to 1:1. You'll probably be fine in most cases, given your ship's durability, and depending on the difficulty. But it only takes one tough mofo 3x your level with ace piloting skills and super engines to make closing to boarding range impossible to sink you.

I suppose it's a matter of opinion, though. I prefer speed to minimize the need for durability, you prefer to barrel through with sheer toughness.

Jul 12, 2016 13:52:33 GMT -5 qbspy said:

They would buy a ship like the Glaive for a price of a Hummer. Only in ST.

I know, right? That ship blew up dozens of pirates and military ships, and took out a few xeno, too. The factions should be throwing billions at me to get ahold of a Templar-quality warship!