After having spent a bit of time with the Alliance ships, i have come to realize that while they might not be very remarkable, being very comparable to Federal ones.. they are not BAD ships. The Chieftain has a really good blend of speed, agility and firepower, while the Challenger gets a good amount of health as well, being pretty good against Thargoids and also general combat.
So, as said, they are extremely comparable to Federal ships, and definitely not very unique, but they aren't BAD. The exception is, however.. for the Crusader.
The Crusader is essentially the Challenger, but even slower, with less jump range, one smaller optional slot (6 to 5), one less Medium hardpoint, the same health, but.. it can have a fighter bay.
That's all it loses just to gain one fighter bay, which you can't fit a class 6 of without weakening your shield generator. It's a worse multipurpose ship, weaker in both health and shields, and is slower both in jump & flight speed, making it pretty much a way worse clone of the Assault ship -> Gunship divide.
The Gunship GAINS hardpoints, GAINS a power distributor, GAINS multiple sized up optional slots, GAINS health, AND the ability to have a fighter hangar. Yes, it is slow as hell, but it has the weapons, distributor, health, and multiple fighters to back it up, which at least does make it worth considering when wanting to progress from the FAS.
The Crusader, however, gains almost nothing when compared to the Challenger or even the Chieftain. It's just an overall worse ship, that doesn't gain anything more than a fighter hangar, which unlike the Gunship being an upgrade or at least a sidegrade, is pretty much just a downgrade.
If the Crusader is to be kept as the bigger, slower alternative, at least give it the module flexibility that it deserves. A fighter hangar is only an OPTION, something that is not integral to the ship, so if this ship is to be a more flexible version of the two other Alliance ships, then it should also be more suitable for other roles as well.
Honestly, i would also love a look over the other Alliance ships, because no doubt are are they seen as almost clones of the Dropship, Assaultship and Gunship, with nothing really special to distinguish them away. They're not BAD ships, just.. not very interesting, is the problem.
So, as said, they are extremely comparable to Federal ships, and definitely not very unique, but they aren't BAD. The exception is, however.. for the Crusader.
The Crusader is essentially the Challenger, but even slower, with less jump range, one smaller optional slot (6 to 5), one less Medium hardpoint, the same health, but.. it can have a fighter bay.
That's all it loses just to gain one fighter bay, which you can't fit a class 6 of without weakening your shield generator. It's a worse multipurpose ship, weaker in both health and shields, and is slower both in jump & flight speed, making it pretty much a way worse clone of the Assault ship -> Gunship divide.
The Gunship GAINS hardpoints, GAINS a power distributor, GAINS multiple sized up optional slots, GAINS health, AND the ability to have a fighter hangar. Yes, it is slow as hell, but it has the weapons, distributor, health, and multiple fighters to back it up, which at least does make it worth considering when wanting to progress from the FAS.
The Crusader, however, gains almost nothing when compared to the Challenger or even the Chieftain. It's just an overall worse ship, that doesn't gain anything more than a fighter hangar, which unlike the Gunship being an upgrade or at least a sidegrade, is pretty much just a downgrade.
If the Crusader is to be kept as the bigger, slower alternative, at least give it the module flexibility that it deserves. A fighter hangar is only an OPTION, something that is not integral to the ship, so if this ship is to be a more flexible version of the two other Alliance ships, then it should also be more suitable for other roles as well.
Honestly, i would also love a look over the other Alliance ships, because no doubt are are they seen as almost clones of the Dropship, Assaultship and Gunship, with nothing really special to distinguish them away. They're not BAD ships, just.. not very interesting, is the problem.
