Cap ship data

[Captain{}Blood]

In order to get an idea of what all the ship characteristics are and review them, I am going to set up a bunch of different saves for various caps, freighters and then put out the info on the wiki. This way you people can get an accurate idea of how to take them down easily or at least coming out of it alive. all the hulls of the cap ships have a weak point, unfortunately, it is also on the nasty side of their biggest guns or at a point to where you will be sliced and diced in a matter of milliseconds. but that it the basic design of a heavy cap ship. Carriers on the other hand are another issue , they are well armored all the way around but like a hornets nest, if you stir one up they will you will be up to your arse in fighter cover in short order. Carriers need an emp hit in order to neutralize its sensors before you lay into it, and work fast before they repair and launch their squadrons. This is pretty much true in every game I have played like this. The problem with VS is that you cannot destroy the launching bay for some reason. In other games, I would hit with an EMP torpedo then take out the launch mop up the fighters that did get out before I took out the bays. Then start stripping the turrets off the carrier. For the pirates out there, freighters are a nut I have not figured out yet, I know you can buy an ox at any of the more well supplied trantor planets and some factories but you are going to pay about 14 mill for one and outfitting it properly is going to take a lot more. Also the cargo capacity is going to cost a lot as well. So until you can get it fitted out, use it for a very large storage locker. You can load it out nicely for trade though and most runs if you plan them out will be profitable. I made a lot of cash cleaning up the wreckage after pirate raids cleaning up the mess after taking out the pirates and scooping up what cargo was there. I will post the stats on the wiki as I get the info. I will need a way to extraxt the loadout data from the <ship>.xml files. the larger ships are just too much to right down by hand.

[loki1950]

Captain{}Blood i believe that ATM that the damage system isn't up to modeling cap ships properly so that is probably why you can't take out the launching bay.there is talk of a rewrite of it

Enjoy the Choice

[jackS]

I will need a way to extraxt the loadout data from the <ship>.xml files.

The .xml files are no longer used. Please see units.csv for all unit info.

[Captain{}Blood]

Ok, here is the lowdown on the Tesla. Equipped with the template that the game runs the AI template. This sucker is bad. as big as it is, it has a turn rate that will creep up on you like crazy. if the 36 long turret pods are not enough to cause mayhem, there are 6 heavy beams on this beast with a range of 150000 meter. P_minus Mark_XIV. I was going after a corvette in a Franklin. One of these beasts came out of nowhere and vaporized it is the blink of an eye. You need a long range beam to snipe off the turrets. and be patient. You have to clear a whole side and either the top or bottom side of the hull. You might want to get a couple of wingmen as well. to keep the turrets busy. just avoid getting in the front at all costs. You will get fried in a blink of an eye. No time to eject either. once the turrets have been cleared from one side, You should be able to get a torpedo off. It takes to or three normal torpedoes or maybe one aera advanced to finish it off. Like Sturgeon fishing, it is not going to be a quick thing to do. Of course if you had a Tesla as well, just duke it out John Wayne style. Next up, the Clydesdale.

[Shissui]

Next up, the Clydesdale.

You can buy a milspec Clydesdale at a "Trantor class" world; although they are not always available. This is the biggest ship that you can legitimately buy in VS. The stock model is never for sale.

The shields are weak compared to compably sized ships (24,000 per facing?) and they take an age to regenerate. However, I think that I was able to squeeze 0.8G out of it; and enough agility that I could dock at a Watson doing manouvers (if only it could fit in the docking square).

The armament --

4 Forward mount torpedo tubes.
10 Capship Heavy Beam Turrets
6 Capship Beam Turrets
8 Point Defence Turrets

The heavy turrets are principally mounted on the top & bottom spine, so the ship is more vulnerable from above and below than it is from the sides.

Of course, the whole point of a Clydesdale is not its guns or shields; it is the 100,000,000,000 cargo space (yes, that is 10^11). After the battle is over, if there is anything left of the Tesla, the Watson and the Kahan, you can pack them all in the hold & barely notice.

[Captain{}Blood]

I think that when multiplayer is firmed up, clans of 10 or more should be eligible for pooling to buy a Tesla. it is probably the only thing that can take on Some of the larger battle groups and have a chance of surviving. In my opinion, a clan should be allowed one Tesla and one Carrier providing they have the membership of ten per cap to make it fair so one player does not have all that unrestrained firepower. A carrier would be good for a small clan and maybe a supply of 5 wingmen they can hire off of the carrier. This way the balance is still there since they have to protect their carrier or lose the ships they have stored on it if it gets blown. Clydesdale is what you call the general purpose cargo hauler in my opinion. it is slow as hell and maneuvers even worse. I bought one.
If anyone has an opinion of the Goddard and a description of its overall characteristics, I invite them to add to this thread. From the load out, I would best describe it as the PT boat of the system.

[Shissui]

I think that when multiplayer is firmed up, clans of 10 or more should be eligible for pooling to buy a Tesla.

This need not be a problem -- in multiplayer, all you need to do is require players to put gunners in the turrets or accept a bad targetting algorithm in place of it. Then, anybody can own one. All they have to do is produce a crew for it.

Clydesdale is what you call the general purpose cargo hauler in my opinion.

A Clydesdale is *not* a general purpose cargo ship -- that would be a Mule. As the description says, a Mule can take anything that doesn't need an Ox.

A Clydesdale takes cargo space to the truly absurd. As far as I know, nobody has ever managed to fill one & likely nobody will until players are allowed to stuff entire bases in the hold. It should have no trouble at all holding a starfort with room on the side for an outpost and a relay station. Sometimes I wonder if I could put that ocean plant in the hold & carry it off to a more convenient star, but no, one hundred thousand million cubic metres is not enough for that.

it is slow as hell and maneuvers even worse.

Keep in mind that a Clydesdale is MUCH bigger than your Tesla. If you are having trouble driving it, then I suggest that you install a "mult_maneuver_enhancer" upgrade.

[Captain{}Blood]

I have, I disabled a bunch of plowshares and hyenas and I was able to make a dent in that hold, I made a killing on that haul too. I guess the trick is to have someone disable all the fighters and tractor them in. It does make a great scavenger though. I have yet to try and suck up a corvette. THe other question is where do I fence the bloody thing.
I do find the Goddard is a good general purpose exploring ship with a cargo hold big enough to handle a few contracts for cargos and the odd occasional bounty. I just do not know what the optimal gun loadout for a Goddard is.

[Nano_Lite]

I fly a hacked Tesla, and consider it fun. Yes, FUN. Of course, it's modified with manuevering upgrades and stuff. But still, it's FUN. And I bet I could fill the Hold of a Clydesdale with starships. O_O

Capship flying does take some experience and some brains, but it's very rewarding. =D

[Captain{}Blood]

I think if a clan had a tesla and there were 36 players on the guns, One at the helm , another at fire control for weapons, this could be really cool . especially with everyone on teamspeak calling out targeting and battle info.
IF the MMO ever gets worked out, that could be quite a blast, literally.
Even have someone running the damage control console.