Give us stronger capitalships!

[Shade]

Hello Frontier,

I would humbly ask you to look in to one major problem of the game in which it is harming the immersion of the total experience.

The so called "capital" ships are not the awesome and fear raising devices of celestial destruction which they really should be!

Comparing the battles in the vicinity of big battle ships like these in classic games X-Wing/TIE-Fighter & FreeSpace 1/2, game veterans like me are left wanting for so much much more.

The excitement of really flying close of one of these big ships which are in the middle a heated battle, ripping one and another apart with HUGE and LOUD lasers, and shooting at YOU with FLACK GUNS, the player should have a feeling of mortal danger and regret even coming close to these frightening monstrosities!

Here is a perfect atmospheric example from FSOpen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOWh142gBjA&nohtml5=False

Frontier, please give a big buff to the existing capitals and a possibly for even bigger battleships / dreadnoughts so we can have some exciting (coop?) missions for years to come!

Thanks, and I can't wait to see what the future will bring for this great game which is ED!

 

[Lord Celestine]

The Faragut Battlecruiser is a MASSIVE star ship, lack of appreciation does not suggest a lack of intensity.

also this video suits what you're looking for better

[video=youtube;T0GI2GHgwBI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GI2GHgwBI&nohtml5=False[/video]

 

[Bran Tse Mallory]

Hollywood battles... No thanks.

 

[xondk]

Give us stronger capitalships!

Hello Frontier,

I would humbly ask you to look in to one major problem of the game in which it is harming the immersion of the total experience.

The so called "capital" ships are not the awesome and fear raising devices of celestial destruction which they really should be!

Comparing the battles in the vicinity of big battle ships like these in classic games X-Wing/TIE-Fighter & FreeSpace 1/2, game veterans like me are left wanting for so much much more.

The excitement of really flying close of one of these big ships which are in the middle a heated battle, ripping one and another apart with HUGE and LOUD lasers, and shooting at YOU with FLACK GUNS, the player should have a feeling of mortal danger and regret even coming close to these frightening monstrosities!

Here is a perfect atmospheric example from FSOpen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOWh142gBjA&nohtml5=False

Frontier, please give a big buff to the existing capitals and a possibly for even bigger battleships / dreadnoughts so we can have some exciting (coop?) missios for years to come!

Thanks, and I can't wait to see what the future will bring for this great game which is ED!

It...really sounds like you haven't tried flying towards one that you are fighting against, you know, being on the wrong side of one, you know when you get too close, because you get hurt....a lot...so yeah..have to wonder, and yeah, that is hollywood esc battles, pres cened battles, yes they can 'look' more epic, but in actuality? they aren't not in my book, become predictable to say the least.

 

[lysan]

My only problem is that you can take out the heat sinks with ease. Should not be that easy, so I agree they need more punch!

 

[Apos]

We're still waiting for "just capital ships".

 

[Achilles7]

It...really sounds like you haven't tried flying towards one that you are fighting against, you know, being on the wrong side of one, you know when you get too close, because you get hurt...

Yeah very scary! One warned me I was getting too close! Well that's highly discourteous in my book, so I defected and joined the Empire..just because it is a combat zone, there's no need to be rude!! Which mighty warship did I disable it with? and how long did this epic feat take? erm Courier..10 seconds!

 

[Gedemon]

Yeah very scary! One warned me I was getting too close! Well that's highly discourteous in my book, so I defected and joined the Empire..just because it is a combat zone, there's no need to be rude!! Which mighty warship did I disable it with? and how long did this epic feat take? erm Courier..10 seconds!

How ?

 

[xondk]

Yeah very scary! One warned me I was getting too close! Well that's highly discourteous in my book, so I defected and joined the Empire..just because it is a combat zone, there's no need to be rude!! Which mighty warship did I disable it with? and how long did this epic feat take? erm Courier..10 seconds!

You shot out all the headsinks in 10 seconds? now granted a small fighter is designed for just that easier, so yeah, but even so, last time I got near one with my ships it began hammering me, maybe its become bugged since then?

 

[Shade]

The Faragut Battlecruiser is a MASSIVE star ship, lack of appreciation does not suggest a lack of intensity.

also this video suits what you're looking for better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GI2GHgwBI&nohtml5=False

You shot out all the headsinks in 10 seconds? now granted a small fighter is designed for just that easier, so yeah, but even so, last time I got near one with my ships it began hammering me, maybe its become bugged since then?

@ Lord Celestine. Beautifull! This is just the stuff I'm looking for in games like this (and yes, I'm a Kicstarter original backer and played these at the 80's on a C64...).

@xondk. 10 seconds or more... It is still ridiculously easy to have these things b*gger out after shooting at their "achilles heel".

IMHO, these ships should be more scarier with better close combat weapons, have a bigger punch and resilience to really warrent them the title of being "Capitalships"!

You would not think of handling a Star Destroyer class ship in a Star Wars setting like this by your self would you?

 

[Achilles7]

How ?

Sorry guys..not at home atm. I have a vid of this, but it was a month or two ago, so my Alzheimer's has kicked in.
.
I'll check which module I targeted, but it was from within the interior structure of the ship (Faragut I think) I remember shooting at a bulkhead; when I re-emerged the ship was dead and an NPC Asp was attacking it..I'm sure his comms were 'W T F'..I should have got a medal or at least a night with wotshername..but nothing!!
.
Long live the Empire - well, I got tired paying for cleaners (I know..I'm a traitor! )

 

[Henri]

yea....it is way too easy and there should be more capital ships...in fact we should have proper battles not this shooting endlessly spawning waves in a "zone"

Hollywood battles... No thanks.

yea arcade shooter style like we have now is MUUUUUUCH better /sarcasm

 

[tawittle]

well the capital ships can't die. I'd say that is pretty strong.

The capital ships are already balanced within the current scope of the game. If FD buffed capital ships they would probably want to tweak the spawns in CZ with capital ships because otherwise they would be nerfing all player groups trying to expand (because you fight capital ships in CZ when a player minor faction expands).

Whenever you mention capital ships, everyone gets mad because a lot of forum posters don't like the idea of epic and realistic space battles. They prefer the more arcade-y "dog fighting" battles.

 

[Shade]

well the capital ships can't die. I'd say that is pretty strong.

The capital ships are already balanced within the current scope of the game. If FD buffed capital ships they would probably want to tweak the spawns in CZ with capital ships because otherwise they would be nerfing all player groups trying to expand (because you fight capital ships in CZ when a player minor faction expands).

Whenever you mention capital ships, everyone gets mad because a lot of forum posters don't like the idea of epic and realistic space battles. They prefer the more arcade-y "dog fighting" battles.

The current capitals being unkillable because they just run away when the heat gets hot and should not even get in to that point of some lone pilot dancing around these and shooting their bung holes to cripple them because they do not have enough guns to fend for them selves to start with..

These kind of ships really should have flack cannons or similar to tear you apart if you venture too close and some more bigger weapons to kick you out of your seat when they are really starting to open fire on some bigger ships etc.!

Few weeks back in a ED news letter there were some "breaking" news about the Feds being constructing a new capital ship. Who cares as these are eventually nothing but a bit larger fed cruisers an do not really have any power projection over the balance over the feds, the imperials and the alliance as one of these ships now do not command the respect and awe that they really should when entering a system.

 

[Deathwatch]

well the capital ships can't die. I'd say that is pretty strong.

The capital ships are already balanced within the current scope of the game. If FD buffed capital ships they would probably want to tweak the spawns in CZ with capital ships because otherwise they would be nerfing all player groups trying to expand (because you fight capital ships in CZ when a player minor faction expands).

Whenever you mention capital ships, everyone gets mad because a lot of forum posters don't like the idea of epic and realistic space battles. They prefer the more arcade-y "dog fighting" battles.

I guess they could add in Frigates and other Larger NPC ships to duke it out with capitals.

 

[Gedemon]

Sorry guys..not at home atm. I have a vid of this, but it was a month or two ago, so my Alzheimer's has kicked in.
.
I'll check which module I targeted, but it was from within the interior structure of the ship (Faragut I think) I remember shooting at a bulkhead; when I re-emerged the ship was dead and an NPC Asp was attacking it..I'm sure his comms were 'W T F'..I should have got a medal or at least a night with wotshername..but nothing!!
.
Long live the Empire - well, I got tired paying for cleaners (I know..I'm a traitor! )

You need to take out all heat sink of a capital ship to make it leave the battlefield, it's not very hard, granted, but it takes a lot of time in a small ship, and a big ship can have difficulties to evade its defenses.

But the bigger threat in all cases are the other NPC that will come after you, as the NPC on your side have a very low lifetime near a capital ship... And that's wrong, the biggest threat should be the flack from the capital ship.

Sorry for reposting it, but here is a video to illustrate:
[video=youtube;b3kXEcgtUm4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3kXEcgtUm4[/video]

If you only look at it from 35:45 to 36:00, you can say that it's very easy and takes 15 seconds, but then you'll be forgetting that there was more than 30 minutes of fight around it before that

The capital ships are already balanced within the current scope of the game. If FD buffed capital ships they would probably want to tweak the spawns in CZ with capital ships because otherwise they would be nerfing all player groups trying to expand (because you fight capital ships in CZ when a player minor faction expands)..

that one is easy to balance: the more difficult it is to route a capital ship, the more combat bonds you should get from it.

actually you get 50.000 CR from routing one, which is ridiculous (FD forgot to adjust it when they've raised all combat bonds for the other ships, I've already posted a report), still tacking my video for reference, it took me 35 minutes to route the capital ship (from beginning to 36:30, using 48 dumbfire missiles in the process, those have a cost) and less than 3 minutes to kill a Python for 52.000 CR (from 39:40 to 42:14, no missile left for him...)

so I'd suggest to give it more strength (again) and raise the combat bond so that killing one in a CZ have a much bigger impact on the BGS when you cash the "kill" than for a Corvette or a Python.

another solution (but long term) is to program the AI so that it does not play a remake of the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot every time they face a capital ship (stay away from it for AI on big ships, do a quick run with missiles and jump away for AI on small ships)

 

[Jmanis]

You need to take out all heat sink of a capital ship to make it leave the battlefield, it's not very hard, granted, but it takes a lot of time in a small ship, and a big ship can have difficulties to evade its defenses.
...snip...
that one is easy to balance: the more difficult it is to route a capital ship, the more combat bonds you should get from it.

actually you get 50.000 CR from routing one, which is ridiculous.

So, i can usually get a capship down in 20-25 mins in a Python, and it's actually pathetically easy if you do one thing which isn't talked about here: take out the primary generator.

It's the capship equivalent of taking out the power generator. Its a fairly tough nut, but If you do it immediately you don't even need to use an scb. This offlines all turrets on the capship, completely taking it out of the equation. Other fighters after your biggest issue after that, but is more than manageable as the capship is no more of a threat than a cargo can, and makes a 50k bond seem excessive.

 

[Gedemon]

So, i can usually get a capship down in 20-25 mins in a Python, and it's actually pathetically easy if you do one thing which isn't talked about here: take out the primary generator.

It's the capship equivalent of taking out the power generator. Its a fairly tough nut, but If you do it immediately you don't even need to use an scb. This offlines all turrets on the capship, completely taking it out of the equation. Other fighters after your biggest issue after that, but is more than manageable as the capship is no more of a threat than a cargo can, and makes a 50k bond seem excessive.

ho, they need to balance that too, I suppose the AI will get a pass to change it's behavior when its power plant is destroyed in 2.1, let's hope they won't forgot the Capital Ships this time

But how long does it takes you to kill a Python after taking out its Power Plant ? do you not feel the 52k bond excessive in that case too ?

 

[Jmanis]

But how long does it takes you to kill a Python after taking out its Power Plant ? do you not feel the 52k bond excessive in that case too ?

A 1-3 minute engagement involving some actual considered manouvering, tactics and targetting is definitely worth 52k compared to 20 minutes of shooting a cardboard box.

 

[Bokugo]

Just....give me this....please

[video=youtube;v1Ddi_fK2fU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1Ddi_fK2fU[/video]

Not necessarily exactly all of that, but it would be nice to sign up to your side of the fight and choose to use and risk your ship or dock and be issued a loaner. I did like the limited number of ships/troops idea as well. But the main thing is how to take out a cap ship in BF2. You had to get through defensives either covertly in critical locations or dismantling the enemy cap ship one defense at a time on the outside modules.