(03-04-2014, 02:02 PM)Jinx Wrote: - zoners must prove that they have a genuine requirement of a fully capable military grade battleship - and that does not mean they come up with silly population charts - but they come up with WHY they need to build them.
This should also include why you can't perform those tasks with fighters, bombers, gunboats and 2 different cruisers.
It is easier to kill a battleship with bombers than in another battleship, since you can get hit barely at all. With tactics any cruiser can solo a battleship. From my perspective, the Zoners have everything they need to defend their freeports.
Foremost, diplomacy. The key point to ensure that they have sufficient protection and as few enemies as possible. The only threat that can't be turned into an ally/neutral quickly is the Nomads, but only one Freeport is actively threatened by this due to being kinda at the front. (Omicron Delta).
Then what of your ships you can use against different enemy shipclasses:
Fighters -> Fighters, Gunboats
Bombers -> Fighters, Gunboats
Gunboats -> Cruiser, Gunboats, Bomber, Fighter
Cruiser -> Cruiser, Gunboat, Bomber
Battleship -> Cruiser, Bomber
I fail to see how you from a gameplay and lore perspective have the active need for battleship-grade equipment being built in masses in comparison to just a few built and given through SRP.
//edit - Plus escorts are needed in all cases for transports/battleships/freighters anyway.