Voronesh said:
Uhrm 2 things, rather minor. Yer cant go screaming at a noobie can i now ^^.
Oh, go ahead, I've got thick skin.
Voronesh said:
Interceptor draining is a whole new job for fighters. Hasnt been here in SFOS, or rather existed back in pre-SFOS and is back with a vengeance.
So . . . not actually new, then
Voronesh said:
As a full fleet example: Vree can never match EA for fighters. They have great AF weapons but low hull. Fighters swoop in shoot down low hull ship and leave.
It's the "leave" part I find suspect. While fighters can certainly withdraw from the ship they just targetted, it is unlikely that they will withdraw far enough that they'll not be subject to return fire of some kind - fast fighters only move 12-15". IIRC. You are also assuming sufficient damage from one round of firing to take out the targetted ship, something that's only likely against a ship that is already heavily damaged or otherwise weak (such as a patrol vessel, or, I suppose, the Vree). This doesn't strike me as the end of the world. Small or weak-hulled ships should be vulnerable to massed fighter attack; if they aren't, one has to wonder whay so many races have fighters.
What this rule change seems to have done is up the threat of fighters to the point that fighters are worth taking; as escorts in larger games, and as a direct threat to low priority ships in smaller ones. While I understand that this is different than the case in SFoS, and that this difference will require some adjustment, I'm not convinced it is "bad".
Put it this way. The last game I plaed I had a poseidon and two rail hyperions against six Cenurion ships, and got my butt kicked form here to next tuesday. With the new rules, I suspect I still would have lost, but hopefully I would have been able to do a credible amount of damage beforehand, and, more importantly, the game would have been more interesting. Fighter stike forces will still be tought to play, I suspect, since even with the new fire rules, most fighters simply don't have the firepower to take out a large vessel, even if they swarm, while large vessels have more than enough firepower to take out carriers and fighters. But a fighter wing adds much more to a gunline than it used to.
Speaking as someone who associates space combat with swarms of fighters (pick your inspriation - Star WArs, BSG, Space above and beyond, or, you know, B5), it's nice to know that there is actually a reason to take them in game.
FMB