Hybrid Q-Ships

[Miranda]

Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

~Wikipedia

Battle transports were a big step up in convoy protection, but with capital ship piracy going on, there's a harsh reality to face. Even a few bombers can not down a cruiser before it can pop a transport or two. Convoys require teamwork and planning by several players, and can currently be put down by just one cruiser, depeding on skill, transport weapons, etc.

My idea is to use ships we already have, but turn them into a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Take a battle transport like the Bison and give it gunboat turrets and a heavy gunboat core, perhaps a little extra armor. Then remove almost all the cargo space, drop it down to 500 or so for armor, maybe with a bit extra for docking modules.

This creates a ship that while powerful for dealing with surprise solo warships, still leaves the convoy extremely vulnerable to a couple of bombers, requiring that a fighter escort be present as well for comprehensive protection. It also leaves the Q-ship completely useless for trading, essentially making it a support ship. It could make for some interesting pirate traps too, its not against the corporate IDs to lure pirates into shooting first.

Thoughts?

---

IC Recruitment | IC Faction Information

[Swallow]

Why? You have just mentioned that successful convoy needs good escort and scouting, teamwork and preparing.

---

FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Miranda]

Why? You have just mentioned that successful convoy needs good escort and scouting, teamwork and preparing.

Absolutely, but the civilian factions don't have anything that can go toe to toe with a cruiser while the bombers rip into it, to keep it from ripping into a hauler.

---

IC Recruitment | IC Faction Information

[Lucky Luke]

My idea is to use ships we already have, but turn them into a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Take a battle transport like the Bison and give it gunboat turrets and a heavy gunboat core, perhaps a little extra armor. Then remove almost all the cargo space, drop it down to 500 or so for armor, maybe with a bit extra for docking modules.

How is that different from the gunboats we already have?

[Miranda]

How is that different from the gunboats we already have?

The only option the civilian corps have without a nerf is the Kusari Explorer, whose look doesn't fit the Liberty, Bretonia, or Rheinland corps. Heavily armed transports would make much more sense then a foreign ship.

---

IC Recruitment | IC Faction Information

[Talesin]

How is that different from the gunboats we already have?

That it looks like a Transport to bait pirates into attacking if i got the op right.

Also, scouting doesn't help against cloaked cruisers.

Regards,
Talesin

[Steven.Hiller]

I Love your idea

A supper bison i would love faster firing turrets to that pack hard damage

to have some bomber chasing ability

But Bison with supper Armour and Super weapons sound very cool

maybe missile salvos to

but please faster tracking missiles then the current ones

Wolf in sheep clothes

must be super battle transport

---

DiD YoU CoMe To B@rg@iN

[Psymple]

~Wikipedia

Battle transports were a big step up in convoy protection, but with capital ship piracy going on, there's a harsh reality to face. Even a few bombers can not down a cruiser before it can pop a transport or two. Convoys require teamwork and planning by several players, and can currently be put down by just one cruiser, depeding on skill, transport weapons, etc.

My idea is to use ships we already have, but turn them into a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Take a battle transport like the Bison and give it gunboat turrets and a heavy gunboat core, perhaps a little extra armor. Then remove almost all the cargo space, drop it down to 500 or so for armor, maybe with a bit extra for docking modules.

This creates a ship that while powerful for dealing with surprise solo warships, still leaves the convoy extremely vulnerable to a couple of bombers, requiring that a fighter escort be present as well for comprehensive protection. It also leaves the Q-ship completely useless for trading, essentially making it a support ship. It could make for some interesting pirate traps too, its not against the corporate IDs to lure pirates into shooting first.

Thoughts?

Sound alot like Junker transport with GB turrets to me...

Bison with GB turrets would be pretty awesome in my oppinion, maybe we do need some more "heavy" transports with cruiser pirating...

+10 for new ways of using existing ships!

---

[Miranda]

I Love your idea

A supper bison i would love faster firing turrets to that pack hard damage

to have some bomber chasing ability

But Bison with supper Armour and Super weapons sound very cool

maybe missile salvos to

but please faster tracking missiles then the current ones

Wolf in sheep clothes

must be super battle transport

I see it as the opposite, maybe even without a thruster. It should have greater firepower at the cost of cargo and mobility.

---

IC Recruitment | IC Faction Information

[Lucky Luke]

The only option the civilian corps have without a nerf is the Kusari Explorer, whose look doesn't fit the Liberty, Bretonia, or Rheinland corps. Heavily armed transports would make much more sense then a foreign ship.

Agreed! But instead of making ships for each House, it would be better to design a civilian GB. I mean... GB turrets, GB powercore, more armor... If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck!

In this case, it both walks and quacks like a GB.