[Hellstryker]

So now that my life has settled down a LITTLE bit and I've managed to not die, the FRED itch has hit me again and while I'm not planning on giving specifics at this time, the 26 mission campaign I have in mind (broken into 3 acts) will run as a side-quel to FS1, from the eyes of the crew of the GTD Legion (later Intrepid).

I'm going to need to know which build of FRED/FSO is currently in use, as well as some help with lore and ships.

While I plan on using the GTD Reliant as an older Terran destroyer for a certain mission, I'll also need some FS1 era stealth fighters and bombers, and I'm going to need ranks for the Vasudans as well. I was told to refer to Shrouding the Light for zod ranks, but I can't find them documented anywhere.

So, to summarize I need:

FS1 era pre-Loki Terran/Vasudan stealth fighters, pre-Athena bomber, and Vasudan ranks.

Any input would definitely be appreciated, I'll be judging ship candidates by appearance (both quality and aesthetics matching FS1 era ships), and canonity (for example "Could they build that yet"?) also most people seem to consider TV-war era stuff head-canon, which is eating at me because the Shrike would make an excellent stealth fighter

[Axem]

Well the SCP forum always has the latest recommended build in a sticky thread, and the installer typically has the latest recommended builds available as well.

If you're looking for ships, there's always the user-made ships page on the wiki, or you can browse through my old newsletters and check out ships that were released that might not have made it to the wiki yet.

And I wouldn't worry too much about needing to keep your campaign ultra-heavily consistent with other people's campaigns. I mean Frontlines is another pre-FS1 campaign going and they're just going with their own flow of things. Instead of being tied down to someone else wrote 8+ years ago, jazz things up! Give that Shrike a black paint job and call it a stealth fighter!

[Trivial Psychic]

I'm not sure if there were any "stealth" fighters at that point.  My suggestion would be to use the Angel scout.  It was mentioned in FS1 having been the basis for the Valkyrie interceptor.  Someone made one and it has been included with the Port ships.

[Hellstryker]

It was an appropriate solution.

[Black Wolf]

And I wouldn't worry too much about needing to keep your campaign ultra-heavily consistent with other people's campaigns. I mean Frontlines is another pre-FS1 campaign going and they're just going with their own flow of things. Instead of being tied down to someone else wrote 8+ years ago, jazz things up! Give that Shrike a black paint job and call it a stealth fighter!

This. If there's one thing that trying to develop the modpack for FL has taught me over the last few months, it's that you absolutely can not be picky about what you do and do not take. The fanon and various head-canons of the various FS campaigns (and those who play them) is a mess, and not one that you can realistically expect to reconcile. Moreover, it's not like we're rolling in period-appropriate options for ship mods - frankly, we can't afford to be picky when doing Great War and Pre Great War era campaigns. If you find a ship you like the look of, ignore where it's been used before and grab it.

That said, if you're thinking about the Uly, may I make a suggestion? Consider making use of this instead of the base model. One idea I'm waiting for a chance to use is that the Ulysses was originally created years before the Shivan incursion, as an attempt by the Terrans to emulate Vasudan technology, a sort of testbed vessel - that was the Bad Ulysses. When the Shivans showed up, and Terran-Vasudan hostilities cooled, one of the first things the Terrans did was show the Zods their attempt at aping their tech. The Zods made a few suggestions, a few changes, and vastly improved the design, which was able to then be manufactured almost immediately. That explains (kinda) why the Terrans and Vasudans were able to field a joint project so soon after they stopped fighting, as well as why we never see any Vasudans flying this supposed "joint fighter" - the Terrans already had 95% of the ship built, as a Terran fighter, and the Vasudans just perfected it for them.

If it was a stealth fighter, so much the better. The Uly already has the flat shape that we see with the Pegasus, and if its stealth was imperfect, it's distinctly non-terran looking design might help it pass a cursory, long distance visual check during the T-V War. With a bit of fluff, you save having to use the actual Uly, and add a little bit of depth to your TV War backstory.