Well, for starters, I hadn't registered the lack of jump pointon the strike carrier in the new edition. Just goes to show. Especially since the one time you see the thing, just about all it does is jump in and out.
That said, the custom ship enhancements are very nice. I can see a number of combinations without thinking that would be very beneficial (modified freighters with afterburners and interceptor grid as a blockade runner, for example).
Obviously the weapons benefit the strike carrier and modified freighter (missiles! something with some range! Yarrrr!) more than the battlewagon and dreadnought, but then things like the heavy armour is amusing for the dreadnought (at a cost of being speed 3!).
In fact, heavy armour and expanded hull on a dreadnought produces a proper brick outhouse of a ship. 72 damage and 102 crew protected by hull 6 is comparable to a Bin'Tak class dreadnought - except that you have interceptors 4 on top. I worry, in fact, if that's a fraction too tough.
The battlewagon benefits a bit from Track that Target!, giving it occasional 1-dice heavy laser shots, and you have the option of twin-linking up the pulse cannon.
Probably the thing I'm most glad to see is the essentially free upgrade from Deltas to Delta-2's. I suspect that that'll almost be the standard first choice for the Strike Carrier unless you're using it for some specialist role (with a Boarding Party and Afterburners it's not a bad light planetary assault ship, and with 2 fighters starting deployed thanks to Fleet Carrier it can afford to give up Carrier 4).
I have to say I think this is a fantastic change. None of the upgrades look entirely useless, but none are too bad (except possibly the flying bunker, noted above), and it makes the raider fleet the most varied out there. I look forward to having a try with the new fleet.
Err....Let me just make one comment. Not entirely convinced that salvaged/allied ships should get these options. Raider-built ships are underpowered and deliberately so, so won't get too bad by a free boost. Most of them are slow enough, for example, that a -1 speed for heavy armour is a big deal.
The league of Non-aligned worlds, by comparison, has some extremely nasty warships and making them better for free is not on. Taking the 'flying tank' combination on league ships, by comparison, is rather dirty, especially those who are intended to be fairly fragile. For Example:
A firehawk ends up with 33 hit points and 38 crew - better than a nova dreadnought - and can easily afford to sacrifice a point of speed (especially when operating with battlewagons!)
How about a hull 6, 40 hit point, 48 crew vree saucer at raid priority? It's still speed 7.....
A salvaged milani carrier with extra hangar and advanced fighters goes from 4 flights of Kothas (which most people don't always even bother to launch) to 5 flights of Delta-Vs, which are pretty competent fighters.
Twin-linking a pulse cannon is fine (Advanced Targeting). Twin linking a Super armour-piercing, double damage antimatter weapon (Xill) or a missile rack (Darkhawk) is not fine. Especially since the latter will also be packing two more missile rails than normal at medium range.
How about a Brivoki with a 20% increase in durability and command +1?
That said, the custom ship enhancements are very nice. I can see a number of combinations without thinking that would be very beneficial (modified freighters with afterburners and interceptor grid as a blockade runner, for example).
Obviously the weapons benefit the strike carrier and modified freighter (missiles! something with some range! Yarrrr!) more than the battlewagon and dreadnought, but then things like the heavy armour is amusing for the dreadnought (at a cost of being speed 3!).
In fact, heavy armour and expanded hull on a dreadnought produces a proper brick outhouse of a ship. 72 damage and 102 crew protected by hull 6 is comparable to a Bin'Tak class dreadnought - except that you have interceptors 4 on top. I worry, in fact, if that's a fraction too tough.
The battlewagon benefits a bit from Track that Target!, giving it occasional 1-dice heavy laser shots, and you have the option of twin-linking up the pulse cannon.
Probably the thing I'm most glad to see is the essentially free upgrade from Deltas to Delta-2's. I suspect that that'll almost be the standard first choice for the Strike Carrier unless you're using it for some specialist role (with a Boarding Party and Afterburners it's not a bad light planetary assault ship, and with 2 fighters starting deployed thanks to Fleet Carrier it can afford to give up Carrier 4).
I have to say I think this is a fantastic change. None of the upgrades look entirely useless, but none are too bad (except possibly the flying bunker, noted above), and it makes the raider fleet the most varied out there. I look forward to having a try with the new fleet.
Err....Let me just make one comment. Not entirely convinced that salvaged/allied ships should get these options. Raider-built ships are underpowered and deliberately so, so won't get too bad by a free boost. Most of them are slow enough, for example, that a -1 speed for heavy armour is a big deal.
The league of Non-aligned worlds, by comparison, has some extremely nasty warships and making them better for free is not on. Taking the 'flying tank' combination on league ships, by comparison, is rather dirty, especially those who are intended to be fairly fragile. For Example:
A firehawk ends up with 33 hit points and 38 crew - better than a nova dreadnought - and can easily afford to sacrifice a point of speed (especially when operating with battlewagons!)
How about a hull 6, 40 hit point, 48 crew vree saucer at raid priority? It's still speed 7.....
A salvaged milani carrier with extra hangar and advanced fighters goes from 4 flights of Kothas (which most people don't always even bother to launch) to 5 flights of Delta-Vs, which are pretty competent fighters.
Twin-linking a pulse cannon is fine (Advanced Targeting). Twin linking a Super armour-piercing, double damage antimatter weapon (Xill) or a missile rack (Darkhawk) is not fine. Especially since the latter will also be packing two more missile rails than normal at medium range.
How about a Brivoki with a 20% increase in durability and command +1?
