Mercury Torpedo Frigate

[Natalya]

I should have put light in the title... But I'm pretty sure that I put in the OP that you might also call it a gun boat because it's not very big.

[fredde]

it looks really nice and has a good backstory also i love the railcannon turret if you have enough parts you could make second mercury and have them escort your cruiser

good job!

[Ranger S2H]

question: how do you take out fast, agile fighters with fixed laser cannons?

other than that its a cool ship, could you post a pic of it next to your destroyer?

[Natalya]

The side-deploying ones can rotate too. All the way up and down.

[The Shadowscythe]

The side-deploying ones can rotate too. All the way up and down.

Heh, that is pretty awesome - got any pics? (of the rotation?) I have to admit, one of the hardest parts for me was designing a laser turret that had a full 360 rotation on the X axis, as well as a 180 degree rotation on the Z axis (thus giving it a full field of fire).

[james+burgundy]

If I am understanding you right then would something like this not work?

[The Shadowscythe]

If I am understanding you right then would something like this not work?

Not really, the X axis does indeed have a 360 degree rotation - the Y axis has a dead zone around the edge - rather than a 180 degree area of rotation - its more like 140 degrees - which renders the weapon useless for kill zone tactics.

Oh and a brief explanation of kill zone tactics - every Scythian ship has two "kill zones" which are the "top" and "bottom" of the ship respectively where every turreted weapon on the ship can combine their fire into a wall of death - where every cubic inch of space is filled with as much fire power as possible. Basically - think broadside tactics adapted to work in the 360 degree environment of space, avoid enemy fire for as long as possible - get above or below your target - and then blast them to hell and back once the target is in the dead zone, and then move onto the next target - repeat until everything is dead.

(Yes, I watched a LOT of the Battlestar Galactica remake - but to be fair, it should be the bible of all things space combat in my opinion.)

[Natalya]

Your killzone tactic is thinking only 2-dimensionally. All you really have to do is use roll, pitch, and yaw of the ship itself to aim the killzone towards the enemy.

[The Shadowscythe]

Your killzone tactic is thinking only 2-dimensionally. All you really have to do is use roll, pitch, and yaw of the ship itself to aim the killzone towards the enemy.

True - but thats why I have fighter wings and (in an ideal world) multiple ships to throw at the enemy until one gets through - and the top/bottom kill zone can be directed from any direction (tilting 90 degrees and getting alongside for example, or attacking from an oblique angle) its just those kill zones are on the top/bottom of their respective vessel rather than an entire fleet attempting to get over or under vessels.

I personally tend to think of space combat as a pairing of SHIP classes and ranges - the first instances being the extreme long range - where fighters, interceptors, bombers, probes, dropships (or boarding craft, marine ships or whatever you want to call them) and long range missiles tend to be launched from their carriers here (with some craft kept as a reserve) - no actual combat occurs at this range (unless ships are equipped with some king of super-long-range weapon, that usually tends to miss due to evasive actions on the targets part).

Long range tends to be when large-scale vessels (Dreadnaughts, and Battleships/cruisers of various types) start to engage long-range fire - any craft or equipment launched at extreme long range tend to pull ahead of the fleet.

At medium range, things get interesting - fighters, interceptors, bombers missiles, drop ships and probes collide with each other, leading to quick and bloody dogfights - followed by small craft penetration - individual craft break through each others lines to attempt attacks on the opposing fleet. At this range, large scale vessel fire increases considerably, frigates and destroyers tend to be the first ships to suffer considerable damage - while larger vessels exchange death by paper cuts.

Short range - at this range, frigates, destroyers and cruisers start to exchange fire - specific anti-fighter ships tear into the dogfights that inevitably spread. This is when things get quick and deadly - and the "Furball" begins - it becomes impossible to keep any form of formation or combined arms strategy as ships tear into and get torn into with equal ferocity. This is usually when the first large vessels take serious damage.

At close range - things become an absolute furball - allied and enemy ships are right on top of each other and the battlefield becomes a death trap - at this point, any fighters, interceptors, bombers, missiles, dropships and probes get released directly into dogfights and it would be impossible for individual ship captains to form any kind of total battle strategy - and so are forced to take decisions based upon the bet course of action for their individual vessels and crew.

As for how the battle is won - that's down to individual strategies and luck rather than dictating vessel classes and ranges - this is just how I tend to "Class" the stages of a fleet battle unfold in my mind, rather than a steadfast bible of how they should be played.

[Warhead]

I'm really liking the Assyrian Mercury with all it's added features and surprises. Nice Escort Frigate.

Now, how many can you make? I recon two of these and the Venus would make a nice squadron.

Would the laser turrets prove just as effective as point defence against missiles?

If the three ships were to be data-linked (which should take up at least one weapon space in the lead ship) then the escorts could provide coordinated fighter and missile point defence as a group instead of as individual ships. It's what I will be doing with mine when I get around to it... when ever that is.

[The Shadowscythe]

I'm really liking the Assyrian Mercury with all it's added features and surprises. Nice Escort Frigate.

Now, how many can you make? I recon two of these and the Venus would make a nice squadron.

Would the laser turrets prove just as effective as point defence against missiles?

If the three ships were to be data-linked (which should take up at least one weapon space in the lead ship) then the escorts could provide coordinated fighter and missile point defence as a group instead of as individual ships. It's what I will be doing with mine when I get around to it... when ever that is.

Ooooh, I like this idea, its basically an AEGIS system in space . . . then again, I like all space stoof . . . but this idea is win! =D

[Warhead]

It hasn't been made official but the way I see it Immortal TechTM is advanced and this is the next stage in recent R+D innovation. All my ships are in Data-Groups. They're currently researching multi-targeting and ECM. We already have doppelganger power signature decoy missiles.

[james+burgundy]

Your killzone tactic is thinking only 2-dimensionally. All you really have to do is use roll, pitch, and yaw of the ship itself to aim the killzone towards the enemy.

Here this will take care of all that xy, killzone, pitch, roll, and yaw crap.
BOOM

[Tuefish]

Awesome work Natalya, excellent use of the railgun design.
Also I think overall it looks like a "Higgins boat" LCVP, which is awesome.

[Ranger S2H]

not sure u should use it to escort the sonks, as far as i can see, its built in a bit of a different style. maybe if you put more dark red pieces in it?