' Wrote:I agree with AceofSpades in that our ship classification system needs fixing. If we want to use real-world comparisons... there are two types of fighter, 1 (applicable) type of bomber, and one in the middle.
Light fighters: these are interceptors, analogous to the F-106. They're light, maneuverable, and can fight equally matched opponents, as well as take out bombers. They main attribute is their speed, and therefore their response time. They can get to the battle fast, or chase down enemies that are fleeing.
Heavy Fighters: these are air-superiority fighters, like F-15s. They're meant to mop the floor with light fighters, and clear the skies so that friendly bombers can operate. They are the heavy hitters, not as fast as the interceptors, but much tougher and with a greater weapons loadout for killing interceptors and other air superiority fighters. And they can take out bombers much more easily as well.
(Torpedo) Bombers: They launch torpedoes at ships. They're not equipped to handle head-on air to air combat. They might have a rear gun for shooting the enemy as they're trying to run away. They are very vulnerable to interceptors and air superiority fighters, but just a few of them can take out a big ship in a matter of minutes.
Multirole fighters/VHFs: these are like the F-16s or F-35s. They can do everything, but not as well as the specialized ones. Their advantage is their flexibility, they can attack ground(naval) targets as well as shoot down enemy small craft. But they won't be able to do it as well as specialized fighters.
My proposal: take away the torp slot on HFs, and boost their powerplant a bit. Then balance HFs and VHFs so that HFs take out VHFs (equally skilled pilots, most of the time, etc). Then boost the max speed and thruster speed of LFs to 130/250, as opposed to 80/200. Leave cruise speed and maneuverability the same. As for bombers, well, the problem is that modern analogies of escorting and bomber interception don't work because of the disparity between offense and defense. Right now, fighters defend themselves by not getting hit, and shooting the other guy first. In Disco, our ships are much tougher, and can take a lot of hits. Unfortunately, this encourages everybody to fly bombers and try to SNAC everyone because that is the only weapon that actually poses a threat in the 40-50 seconds it takes a bomber to kill a tradeship, for instance.
Reading your post I was wondering what is the point of using VHFs again ? Your description matches current SHFs and they are quite rare.
First of all, I'd get rid of the SHF classification, and roll them into the VHF category.
Next, you'd fly VHFs because you can fight anything except big capships using them. And they get a torpedo slot, which I'm saying we should take away from HFs.
I think the Super Nova needs splash damage, it just doesn't make sense that a bomber can be an inch from its target and obliterate it without inflicting even the slightest scratch upon itself. No sense at all.
' Wrote:I think the Super Nova needs splash damage, it just doesn't make sense that a bomber can be an inch from its target and obliterate it without inflicting even the slightest scratch upon itself. No sense at all.
Well I'm not sure how discovery 4.85 handles subgroups but i think allowing a 'splash' would cause SNAC damage to multiply over all a targets subgroups giving potentially unlimited damage (= 1 hit kill).
However, this is unconfirmed.
It makes sense though, the Nova torpedo has a similar warning telling bombers to keep shields on or be obliterated by the shockwave, even though i never saw such a shockwave occur. Giving bombers some splashy snacs would really prevent them from flying up to fighters and unleash hell.
Then again, It's up to fighters to keep a safe distance between them and bombers: If they are not paying attention they should just go boom.
' Wrote:If they are not paying attention they should just go boom.
That's fair enough, but at point blank range it would be suicide firing a gun that delivers such a large payload. It's not about the fighter keeping out the bomber's face, it's about the lack of splash damage that should occur. Thinking about it, the bomber is obviously going to follow through into the detonation, isn't it?
At point blank range it'd be suicide to ram a mine / torpedo into the opponent, yet those aren't mentioned here. Just assume shielding is strong enough to absorb the blast.
Quote:Multirole fighters/VHFs: these are like the F-16s or F-35s. They can do everything, but not as well as the specialized ones. Their advantage is their flexibility, they can attack ground(naval) targets as well as shoot down enemy small craft. But they won't be able to do it as well as specialized fighterp
I think everyone can agree on adding torpedoes as something you have to carry...
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' Wrote:At point blank range it'd be suicide to ram a mine / torpedo into the opponent, yet those aren't mentioned here. Just assume shielding is strong enough to absorb the blast.
That's exactly my point...dropping ordinance with no shield is indeed ridiculous, which is why it is illogical that the SN does not affect nearby objects. If the shield is active, it's not an issue.
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