Thinking about the WCU Orion

[z30]

We were having this vigorous but productive discussion in the PR forum about the Orion :

http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/forum ... php?t=5817

Spirit mentioned that she was thinking of adding a dedicated torpedo launcher to the WCU version since the front turret idea didnt' work out too well.

The Orion is basically a slugger, tough defenses but it takes longer for it to wear down an opponent. Other ships like the Tarsus and Galaxy have two missile launchers which enable them to make a quick kill even with just meson blasters for backup.

But, ships which rely on missiles don't have the endurance for a long fight. Once those missiles are exhausted the Tarsus/Galaxy are no better off than the Orion - having just two front guns to rely on.

Keep the dedicated X missile launcher, limit it's loads and keep the total number to one. In other words, lessen the Orion's current missile capacity/flexibility but add one more energy gun point.

This makes this much maligned ship superior to the Tarsus and Galaxy as an endurance fighter, a ship that can stay long in space without losing much of it's killing power due to empty missile racks.

Give it more fuel, more capacity to keep making jump after jump without having to dock.

This to my mind, would truly make it "the ship that mercenaries favor" without eclipsing the role of the Centurion/Galaxy as the ultimate figher/trading ships in PR.

Better yet, it will give this ship character - something which it currently lacks.

[klauss]

Just an idea:

What about an orion-only upgrade that turns the missile launcher into a weapon mount?
It shouldn't be difficult, using the same mount-modding technique autotrackers use.

Make it somewhat expensive, but not too much (perhaps a bit cheaper than autotrackers).

[Fireskull]

I dont like the idea of adding more guns to the orion because our mesh has places which have been build exactly for having guns placed on them. To keep the model up to date ( quality wise ), with more guns, we would have to modify the model then.

[klauss]

I'm not sure, but when I thought of that idea it was specifically because I think the location for the missile mount would go perfectly well with a gun mount. But I'm not sure... I think so.

[Fireskull]

If we absolutely must have a more powerfull Orion we can just give it 3 missile launchers.

I dunno.. I have been doing better in a Orion than a Centurion. I think the ship is fine, even though its armor specs look odd to me, as I have said in another post.

[z30]

If we absolutely must have a more powerfull Orion we can just give it 3 missile launchers.

I dunno.. I have been doing better in a Orion than a Centurion. I think the ship is fine, even though its armor specs look odd to me, as I have said in another post.

Don't touch the original ship, just make a variant - it happens all the time with armaments (Orion Ic etc...)

The "new" model isn't supposed to go into PR anyway, at least that's what I gather.

This way you can extract actual numbers on whether people really prefer the variant to the original version and not catch too much flak because some prefer the old one to the new.

The phrase "old Coke , new Coke" comes to mind

[blue_paladin42]

I think you are on to something with a third gun actually. It becomes sort of a civilian broadsword, but without the milispec torpedoes. Mabye add side turrets too, to give it better coverage. This makes it more of a "gunship" as it is described as. The third gun could replace the missle launcher all together, though I wouldn't personally recommend that. And if people like it in WCU, then they should be able to import it to PR right? And if they don't...then no one is forcing them to get this particular variant. I certainly would fly a Orion like that Its important to not give it milispec torpedoes though. Its a civilian gunship, not a military bomber.

[Fireskull]

hold on, easy there.

PR is called Privateer Remake for a reason you see

Even us, at WCU, must follow certain guidelines. We cannot change Orions into a civilian broadsword of sorts, cause they are not. I absolutely wont go for having 3 guns in that ship due to mesh problems too. New models are fine, but before you guys even begin to think about new models we have to get the ones we currently have right now.

BP, do you think its just fighters we have wrong? ^_^ wait till you see the poor shape of our capital ships.

The orion design is -meant- to have two plasma cannons as guns, thats the reason it only has two gun slots, not because its undergunned. The ship was -meant- to be cheap, 75k ( granted, the ship price is wrong in WCU too ), and since you get what you pay for, a badly equipped orion is -meant- to have a poorer perfomance than a centurion. Is it possible to have new designs? Yes, but not now, because we dont have even our current designs right.

[spiritplumber]

How about this....

* Cut the price down to 75k.

* Up the launcher capacity.

* Allow the gun mounts to support a leech or stormfire gun from the start.

[z30]

How about this....

* Cut the price down to 75k.

* Up the launcher capacity.

* Allow the gun mounts to support a leech or stormfire gun from the start.

I'm read about the leech missile, it's like an EMP weapon. But what the heck is a stormfire gun?

Upping the launcher capacity is ok, goes with the endurance theme. Ditto on the 75k. It takes you at least 75K smackers to decently equip the Orion when you first get the empty frame. That's 175K on a ship that , at times, I want to throw out the window (assuming I can even budge it in the first place).

150K hurts less, definitely.

[blue_paladin42]

Even us, at WCU, must follow certain guidelines. We cannot change Orions into a civilian broadsword of sorts, cause they are not. I absolutely wont go for having 3 guns in that ship due to mesh problems too. New models are fine, but before you guys even begin to think about new models we have to get the ones we currently have right now.

Point

Food for thought though. Something about the way privateer was made, seemed to suggest that each ship was meant to be the best, or at least better, in its field. So that there aren't REALLY any midway ships, excepting that the Orion is much cheaper. As evidence I point out that it is very possible to go to a centurion or galaxy in a tarsus, the beginning ship, without too much trouble. Also, once you get a jump drive, how hard the game is is mostly based on two things: where you are, and plot, with plot missions having a seperate difficulty from the rest of the game.

On the other hand, I could easily be VERY wrong

[Fireskull]

guys, avoid posting here from now on. go to the other post as the discussion is more developed there. Having two threads with the same subject is just messy ^_^. Thanks.

[klauss]

Yep... from now on, go to this thread