In the current scheme of things, I see bombers fulfilling this role, as torpedo boats, and gunboats fulfilling the role of destroyers, protecing the fleet against torpedo boats.
Now, Bomber, and SNAC, are implemented into the game as a way to balance out capital ships. They are a cheap and easy solution to take down lulwut caps.
Your ship, a modified gunboat, built around a Liberty siege cruiser's gun, for instance, would do the same thing with more punch per unit, then, yes?
Considering it was still a gunboat, would it be able to pirate people?
What DPS and RoF would it's main gun have? It would have be able to take down battleship shields and dish another blow before the shields kicked back in.
If you made it incapable of defending itself against anything but Mk1 fighters, it would become redundant.
It would be bigger than a Bomber, more expencive, with less manouverability, granted, more armor and better shielding, but generally a sitting duck for capital ships to shoot at. Or the mentioned Bombers.
While I do like the idea, and am even keen on saying that this class of yours should completely displace bombers as a class, and be the Assault craft bombers are now, I'm afraid that the Bomber, as a class, is too highly established in hearts and minds of the players, to allow for this.
I was thinking along similar lines, though the concept was more akin to a 'torpedo boat.' Basically, it would be a gunboat sized vessel with armour lower than a gunboat but highter than a bomber, with level five turrets at max, but for its anti-cap duties, have 3-4 SNAC or nova launchers. It's a realistic, cheap way (along with bombers) to mess up an enemy's capship fleet.
Alright here's exactly what the ship would look like if I designed it:
Liberty's Torpedo Boat.
Take A Libby GB model, remodel the hardpoints as such.
4 Forward Mounted Class 9 (Cruiser) Weapon slots:
These 4 Guns are only capable of low-angle forward fire, much like a Forward Gun, requiring the Gunboat to "line up" its shot. Typical setups would likely involve LM's and Pulses/Missiles.
4 Rear mounted (firing arc would cover the mid/rear of ship) Class 5 Gun Slots:
Likely to be fitted with Vengeance Turrets. This, combined with its shield, would make it superior to fighters in that a VHF would have trouble hurting it before the turrets took a toll. However bombers would have little problem handling this ship.
200,000 Powerplant
Regular Gunboat Shield Slot
65000-75000 armor
Enough cargo room to only mount smaller armor upgrades (~Cap 4 and below) to minimize its tanking abillities
This would be the torpedo boat. Now to answer some of 11/10's questions:
-Its DPS and RoF would be determined not by its weapons but its powerplant. The powerplant would allow simultaneous firing of 2 Light Mortars, or 4-6 bursts from 2 Pulse Cannons, before needing to fully recharge. I would assume a typical setup is going to be 2 LM's and 2 Pulses. So yes, it has the power to knock down a shield.
-I do not wish to replace bombers. I feel that a ship like this is quite different from a bomber. It's bigger, slower, packs more punch, and has different vulnerabilities and a completely different set of tactics
-I feel that this ship would be able to pirate, and would dominate large transports but be generally ineffective against smaller transports. Also its incredible weakness to bombers, I feel, would further promote the bomber escort business and also reduce the number of gunboat escorts for traders. Or in the very least, the effectiveness of gunboats escorting transports--as such a practice really doesn't make sense.
edit edit edit edit!!!!!!!!! forgot the powerplant at first. made the ship seem overpowered, sorry bout that
-
[5:57:11 PM] InfernalTater (Lewis) [Formerly TLI-Inferno]:meanwhile, Aces 'I don't always miss my destinations, but when I do, I'm on the other side of house space.'
