Posted by: Father Tim
« on: May 20, 2019, 03:33:52 PM »As to improving the Fafnir-class in particular, I'd want it to be faster. I'd drop the big active sensors and equip it with the best passives I could make (but no electrnoic hardening unless I've already encountered enemies that use Microwave weapons). As a command ship, Fafnirs shouldn't ever be alone, in which case they can rely on other ships to 'paint' their targets for missile fire. I prefer to cruise around with only passive sensors and a single resolution 1 anti-missile/anti-fighter sensor lit up (and VB6 Aurora has a bug/feature that a ship can only have ALL or NONE of its active sensors turned on).
The Thermal Reduction MAY be a mistake -- it depends entirely on the rest of your fleet. Since weapons fire is guided by Active sensors, Thermal Reduction doesn't help you not get shot at, it only helps you not get detected in the first place. . . and (again) since a Fafnir should never be alone, it is the largest thermal signature in the fleet that you need to worry about. If that IS the Fafnir, then use Thermal Reduction until it isn't, but if you have some big-engined escort cuisers or super-fast destroyers that put out more heat than a Fafnir, the Thermal Reduction is wasted resources.
If the Fafnir is going to be a Fleet command ship, I wouldn't put any cryo-drop capacity or cargo transfer equipment on it. Marine companies for boarding defense is fine, but my fleet command ships don't do ground attack.
Personally I think the shields are too fuel-inefficent for regular use, but it's good to have them to turn on in the face of the enemy. I just wouldn't want to use them day in and day out in orbit of a hostile planet or moon.
The armour's good, the hangar deck is good, the extra berths go either way (i.e. they make a cool 'flavour' for your navy, but they are not, strictly speaking, efficient). I would be tempted to make the "mistake" of only having one missile fire control. With a two-day-plus reload time, I'd either fire a full salvo at one target, or I'd wait five seconds or two minutes or whatever between missiles, and retarget my fire control. I know that makes the ship vulnerable to losing it all to one hit, but I bet the crew could repair one fire control faster than they can reload a twenty-six-hour launcher. #:-]
Also, I can't remember if "Small Craft ECCM" is just the name for the smaller, more-expensive unit, or if it actually has a maximum tonnage it can effect or maybe it only applies its bonus to Fighter-type fire controls. It's worth checking. (Although, with so few weapons, personally I'd not bother with ECCM. Missile size 60 is big enough to mount sensors and ECCM on the ship-killers, and planets don't dodge. Shipboard ECCM seems a waste.)
To counter my previous point, I'd certainly put CIWS on my fleet flagship, unless I was absolutely confident I could keep it out of battle -- as in, I planned to leave it on the jump point so my flag staff would be in the same system, but not actually 'in' the battle. With CIWS, you'd want ECCM.
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So, to summarize, lose the troop-drop if it's not going to be commanding planetary invasions, and give it more engines. Protect it with everyting you've got in a fleet. Lose the large, noisy, Active sensor -- that sort of "Shoot ME!" sign belongs on a more expendable vessel.
The Thermal Reduction MAY be a mistake -- it depends entirely on the rest of your fleet. Since weapons fire is guided by Active sensors, Thermal Reduction doesn't help you not get shot at, it only helps you not get detected in the first place. . . and (again) since a Fafnir should never be alone, it is the largest thermal signature in the fleet that you need to worry about. If that IS the Fafnir, then use Thermal Reduction until it isn't, but if you have some big-engined escort cuisers or super-fast destroyers that put out more heat than a Fafnir, the Thermal Reduction is wasted resources.
If the Fafnir is going to be a Fleet command ship, I wouldn't put any cryo-drop capacity or cargo transfer equipment on it. Marine companies for boarding defense is fine, but my fleet command ships don't do ground attack.
Personally I think the shields are too fuel-inefficent for regular use, but it's good to have them to turn on in the face of the enemy. I just wouldn't want to use them day in and day out in orbit of a hostile planet or moon.
The armour's good, the hangar deck is good, the extra berths go either way (i.e. they make a cool 'flavour' for your navy, but they are not, strictly speaking, efficient). I would be tempted to make the "mistake" of only having one missile fire control. With a two-day-plus reload time, I'd either fire a full salvo at one target, or I'd wait five seconds or two minutes or whatever between missiles, and retarget my fire control. I know that makes the ship vulnerable to losing it all to one hit, but I bet the crew could repair one fire control faster than they can reload a twenty-six-hour launcher. #:-]
Also, I can't remember if "Small Craft ECCM" is just the name for the smaller, more-expensive unit, or if it actually has a maximum tonnage it can effect or maybe it only applies its bonus to Fighter-type fire controls. It's worth checking. (Although, with so few weapons, personally I'd not bother with ECCM. Missile size 60 is big enough to mount sensors and ECCM on the ship-killers, and planets don't dodge. Shipboard ECCM seems a waste.)
To counter my previous point, I'd certainly put CIWS on my fleet flagship, unless I was absolutely confident I could keep it out of battle -- as in, I planned to leave it on the jump point so my flag staff would be in the same system, but not actually 'in' the battle. With CIWS, you'd want ECCM.
- - -
So, to summarize, lose the troop-drop if it's not going to be commanding planetary invasions, and give it more engines. Protect it with everyting you've got in a fleet. Lose the large, noisy, Active sensor -- that sort of "Shoot ME!" sign belongs on a more expendable vessel.