Alliance Ships - Ideas?

sandkid

S
So the alliance currently has no ships specific to it (being new and all) and also lacks a ranking system. Personally the grind on rank only bugs me in that actual rank missions seem to be nigh impossible to find...BUT...that isn't what this thread is about!

What sort of ships should the alliance have?
The Feds are more combat oriented, sacrificing survivability and jump range for raw damage output
The Imperials are more trade oriented, sacrificing maneuverability and dmg for high shields and decent jump range

Granted, the individual ships of each side are more unique than those broad strokes - but that's my opinion of the current setup.

I personally like the idea of an exploration focused side since trade and combat seem to be taken care of as is. Essentially this would mean a ship lineup that perhaps manages heat better and has less mass / larger FSD for range. These advantages come at the typical expense of combat prowess (No huge mount on the largest vessel as an example) and internal flexibility, though the largest (corvette type) ship would still have plenty of flexibility...just smaller sized slots.

You sort of want to leave the multi-purpose role alone because in the current design, that's what the Anaconda is for - you get a not-great-at-everything but still solid ship. So I figure an exploration bent suits the alliance.

Thoughts?
 

kingbankai

kingbankai
sandkid said:
So the alliance currently has no ships specific to it (being new and all) and also lacks a ranking system. Personally the grind on rank only bugs me in that actual rank missions seem to be nigh impossible to find...BUT...that isn't what this thread is about!

What sort of ships should the alliance have?
The Feds are more combat oriented, sacrificing survivability and jump range for raw damage output
The Imperials are more trade oriented, sacrificing maneuverability and dmg for high shields and decent jump range

Granted, the individual ships of each side are more unique than those broad strokes - but that's my opinion of the current setup.

I personally like the idea of an exploration focused side since trade and combat seem to be taken care of as is. Essentially this would mean a ship lineup that perhaps manages heat better and has less mass / larger FSD for range. These advantages come at the typical expense of combat prowess (No huge mount on the largest vessel as an example) and internal flexibility, though the largest (corvette type) ship would still have plenty of flexibility...just smaller sized slots.

You sort of want to leave the multi-purpose role alone because in the current design, that's what the Anaconda is for - you get a not-great-at-everything but still solid ship. So I figure an exploration bent suits the alliance.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I thought the Alliance is a merger of mercenaries and companies?
 

sandkid

S
No no.

Winmatar.

You should be ashamed. Go replace your duct tape right now!

kingbankai said:
I thought the Alliance is a merger of mercenaries and companies?
Click to expand...

It is! You'd think alliance ships would be much more trade focused given its only powerplay leader is Mahon. Yet the Imperial Cutter (as an example) is far and away the best merchant (or pirate merchant) ship out there.
 

5 Puppis

5
For the Alliance? This feels about right.

spaceballswinnebago.jpg


(and I'd fly the heck out of it)
 

Apos

Apos
Since Didi Vatermann and Selene Jean are both Alliance alligned, it would make sense for them to focus in anything between hull or shield. The Alliance clearly has the leading experts in both departments.

And yes, multipurpose would be the most accurate role, because the Alliance generally needs rapid deployment of the joint navy instead of having a standing one. This requires ships to be able to go from sheep to wolf efficiently. Weapon value would obviously be less than the corvette or the gunship for the respective sizes though and module count would be big but biggest module size being less than the cutter and thus less cargo space.

The most fitting trade partner to make it happen would be Faulcon DeLacy, which are practically already functioning within the Alliance, with their HQs being in Reorte. However Lakon has also been tied with the Alliance in the past through a CG. Either fits.

Other than that, the players who supported the Alliance to the point of almost trippling in size didn't do it for their final reward to be the butt of a joke of players who barely understand the lore behind it.

The only problem is that even though you can make something unique for small and medium size, the big variant would end up being too similar to the anaconda.
 
Last edited:

Imgran

I
I doubt the Alliance will ever have its own ships, other than perhaps a couple freighters converted into war cruisers.

Here's a concept though. Take the Keelback, work forward with that idea. Alliance merchant cruisers. Starting with the Keelback, move up to a 150 ton ship with the same idea, heavy armor, heavy shields, many turrets, and the ability to be easily repurposed to haul cargo. Lack of maneuverability countered by excellent overall turret coverage and a weapons profile that favors lots of small hardpoints (6xsmall, 2xmed) and the ability to engage ships at any angle.

Moving up to the corvette category, take the type 9 and do the same thing. Sacrifice a couple comparments for upgraded internals, throw on a big old shield, and lots of medium hardpoints, plus two huge mounts in a position that makes it work best for turrets. The result would be something of a flying tank that could hit you for at least a bit of damage from any angle and you'd need a really good weapons setup, or really good piloting skills, to get through its shields before it could turn the heavy turrets loose on you. Try to get under it to get away from the huge turrets, it doesn't try to turn fight with you, it just rolls on you until the big guns can come to bear again.

The flying skill of a ship like that would be a different kettle of fish than most of the existing combat ships, they'd function more like undersized capital ships than overgrown fighters but in the right hands you could get a viable combat build out of a thing like that, and it might be interesting to see the Alliance do what the Dutch did, and survive a big war by weaponizing their merchant fleet rather than massively building capital ships and cruisers. Feels right for the Alliance way of thinking.

I disagree with the above about Faucon DeLacy. My impression is that Lakon would be better partners for the Alliance to develop this kind of ship, since Lakon designs the Types and have the largest share in the dedicated freighter market. Those are the guys that have chassis and concepts that are already a fit with that "weaponized merchant fleet" feel. Any Alliance specialty ship is probably going to be based on a Lakon design just like the Keelback was based on the Lakon Type 6.

Other than the Anaconda, and maybe the Python, not one Faulcon DeLacy ship is anything near what the Alliance would need to jury-rig a space fleet out of. Nearly every other ship the Alliance could easily lay hands on and engineer into a combat vessel is a Lakon design.
 
Last edited:

damon8r351

damon8r351
Well, in my headcanon, the Alliance Defence Force flies these:

-Strike: Viper Mk III and Viper Mk IV
-Tactical Support: Asp Explorer and Asp Scout
-Capital: Anaconda and Python
-Logistics: Type-6, Type-7, and Keelback
-SLF: Taipan
-Trainer: Adder

At least in my own personal continuity, the Alliance has a small standing fleet that flies the above ships, and are augmented by system defence forces that fly a hodgepodge of whatever they have onhand.
 
Last edited:

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn
Personally I think they should just be having Faulcon DeLacy variants. Tuned to be slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, odd extra utility slot, internal or hardpoint with one or 2 of the core internals upgraded to a higher class with better armour.

As a military vessel rather than standard civilian varieties it should just be a bit of an improvement on those.

With the Faulcon DeLacy range as is that would be sufficient for the Alliance to gain some parity with imp/Fed ships which they would need considering smaller numbers, and with a cost increase for them still justify why only some Alliance military would pay the extra or have less ships for the same price, while others can only afford standard or go for greater numbers.

While Lakon is the example in game with the Asp Explorer description of:
The Asp Explorer is the civilian version of the military model Asp MkII

we already know military models of ships should exist in game. As such I think it makes sense that with multiple navies in an alliance rather than a single organisation commissioning builds, military versions from those ship builders with long ties to the alliance would make more sense than a dedicated ship type.
 

Zandraak

Zandraak
Hello,
For me the Alliance is more like a pact of defense of Independants, more than a real entity.
Then if you have to make ships, they need to be "strange" one to one.
LIke if the monarchy of this planet with incredible fighters was selected by the alliance, but for the BattleShips they selected a communist plans of an other system etc.

If the Empire and Federation have a real "design", I think alliance should have a different design+History of WHY they select the plan of this "indepandant nation".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom