Drazi Firerapator - can't we make a better ship

[skavendan]

Fireraptor-class Battleship War
Despite sporting the latest artifi cial gravity and enhanced systems the ISA has provided, it is clear to any analyst that the Drazi
have not learned a thing. The ship is simply a larger and more powerful version of existing craft, concentrating on speed and
agility with weapons focussed forwards.

Speed: 10
Damage: 75/18
Craft: 4 Sky Serpent Flight, 6 Star Snake Flights
Turn: 2/45o
Crew: 85/20
Special Rules: Anti-Fighter 2, Carrier 2, Advanced Jump Engine
Hull: 6
Troops: 6
In Service: 2269+
Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Missile Rack 30" F 6 Precise, Slow-Loading, Super AP*
Particle Cannon 30" F 6 Beam, Double Damage
Solar Cannon 25" B 6 Beam, Triple Damage, Slow Loading
Particle Repeater 18" F 15 Twin-Linked, AP
Heavy Particle Blaster 10" F 10 Double Damage, AP
*Slow Loading when crippled

Given the high ISD I added AJE

 

[Ripple]

That does look like a war class vessel...

Might drop a flight of Star Snakes as you'll never get them out anyway. One flight launched to start with, one Scramble first turn to launch the Snakes, one Scramble as you lock horns to launch the four Serpents. This ship isn't as SA dependent as many drazi due to a good front arc beam.

The Drazi purists will tell you the second beam has to be bore as well btw. I'm not sure they aren't right in that regard, but I'd rather see it this way, in some ways. I do think the Particle Cannon should have shorter range than the Solar Cannon, as that is the standard. Say 24 inches instead.

If I could, I would have built the 'raptor to be the Flying Fortress to the Dog fighter classes of 'bird, 'hawk and 'falcon. Give it side guns and some more AF, the fighter complement you have is good with missiles and beams.

But nice design... maybe just a tad too much up front for folks...

Ripple

 

[Tolwyn]

To much beams for my taste.
It has too high variance in damage output.
I'm still missing any type of side batteries.

 

[Da Boss]

Quite nice

I'd probably amend as ripple suggests...............

re beams - same number of Beams as the Storm Falcon

 

[skavendan]

To much beams for my taste.
It has too high variance in damage output.
I'm still missing any type of side batteries.

I didn't change the beams at all left as is just added more range.

Your missing side weapons because its not lumbering so ner

 

[katadder]

you did change the beams, one is now foreward arc instead of bore.

 

[skavendan]

Yeah I'd put that down to range since its a combined thing really range / arc.

Which they have said should be B arc no big to me.

 

[Ripple]

I think he ment he didn't change the number of AD on the beams, just increased range and widened one arc. Brings the ship into the real War PL range, lacking significant side guns... but heavy to the front and bore.

If we were doing a flying fortress build we could reduce the long range firepower to give it side guns and/or reduce the overall beam firepower to get all around guns, but this build an appropriately up gunned Stormfalcon.

It increases the Fore arc firepower in a way similar to the change from Firehawk to Stormfalcon. In that change, you added and opened the tertiary weapons to Fore, and now your opening the secondary beam and added the missile rack and increased range and a couple more flights. The range is new... but not over the top for a War hull, and something we see in most other races that the Drazi have mostly lacked.

Given that the Drazi give up more to buy up due to the need for sinks (even with TTT and Attack Run), I don't see a balance issue here with this ship. The exact numbers on the long range guns could be argued by a AD here or there, but my question is does the basic approach bother anyone?

Ripple

 

[Tolwyn]

To much beams for my taste.
It has too high variance in damage output.
I'm still missing any type of side batteries.

I didn't change the beams at all left as is just added more range.

Your missing side weapons because its not lumbering so ner

So it is still not worth taking, the Warlock is not lumbering and it has damn much side weapons. Give the Fireraptor some decent side guns so it has something to bite back when flanked otherwise it will get outmanouvered too often.

 

[Ripple]

I tend to agree on what will happen with it... and don't believe side guns would have ruined the Drazi-ness of it, but Matt doesn't agree.

I would like to see some side guns, something like a side repeater or just dice from some particle beams.

But what are you going to do, I'd also like to upgrade the Star Snake to a non-weak gun so you can have interceptors just like everyone else (except the abbai... even the Raiders were given standard non-weak fighters).

Ripple

 

[Tolwyn]

Jup, fully agree.

If Matt should read this: Please give the Fireraptor some sideweapons so it no longer is one of the most never used ships in the game :wink: