Posted by: Jorgen_CAB
« on: July 26, 2013, 08:14:11 AM »I often start with very low tech as you have done and I do much the same. Cruisers is a late edition to my fleets and generally very large to incorporate everything they need to be effective. The way the game
mechanics work it is not possible to build truly independent ship until you researched many levels of jump-drive technology. I never allow more than 30% total space for engines (normal+jump). So true cruisers will come late, later than battleships. I don't require jump-drives on battleships (I usually end up building carriers rather than battleships or batte-carriers), they are not suppose to cruise and mine need jump-gates to move from system to system in most cases.
My frigates are generally smaller then my destroyers but they don't have to be. The destroyer as the role I use them as seem to be similar to yours. They carry both offensive and defensive capabilities and are the biggest ship I can generally quickly deploy to forward bases with maintenance facilities. This means that destroyers general grow from around 6000t to about 12-15000t with mid tech levels. It's not unusual that I keep both a larger and a smaller type of destroyer as game progress. I also don't usually deploy frigates with destroyer TG unless really necessary. Destroyers also usually are faster than my frigates.
When I build cruisers I generally also design a larger escort frigate to accompany them. Not as large as the cruiser but a ship that has more defensive capabilities. You might say they are light cruisers, but that would imply they actually were truly independent ships, they also lack the offensive force to be a true cruiser.
This small but powerful group can act completely independent for at least 18-24 months from any bases and 36-48 months away from any maintenance facilities. The cruiser and frigates have enough hangar space to even accommodate a full squadron of attack crafts or geo/grav-survey shuttles. The cruiser can then act as the mothership for a survey mission.
mechanics work it is not possible to build truly independent ship until you researched many levels of jump-drive technology. I never allow more than 30% total space for engines (normal+jump). So true cruisers will come late, later than battleships. I don't require jump-drives on battleships (I usually end up building carriers rather than battleships or batte-carriers), they are not suppose to cruise and mine need jump-gates to move from system to system in most cases.
My frigates are generally smaller then my destroyers but they don't have to be. The destroyer as the role I use them as seem to be similar to yours. They carry both offensive and defensive capabilities and are the biggest ship I can generally quickly deploy to forward bases with maintenance facilities. This means that destroyers general grow from around 6000t to about 12-15000t with mid tech levels. It's not unusual that I keep both a larger and a smaller type of destroyer as game progress. I also don't usually deploy frigates with destroyer TG unless really necessary. Destroyers also usually are faster than my frigates.
When I build cruisers I generally also design a larger escort frigate to accompany them. Not as large as the cruiser but a ship that has more defensive capabilities. You might say they are light cruisers, but that would imply they actually were truly independent ships, they also lack the offensive force to be a true cruiser.
This small but powerful group can act completely independent for at least 18-24 months from any bases and 36-48 months away from any maintenance facilities. The cruiser and frigates have enough hangar space to even accommodate a full squadron of attack crafts or geo/grav-survey shuttles. The cruiser can then act as the mothership for a survey mission.