[Mustang19]

It all depends on the beams. Seeing as how most FS capships carry only a handful of beams, I assume that beams or their reactors are pretty expensive, otherwise it'd be smart to just fit a whole bunch of cheap beams on a Fenris.

The Orion has the strongest broadside of any destroyer in FS, so it may very well be that expensive. But I've never seen cannon evidence of exactly how much anything costs. In fact, the closest thing to a cost estimate I've seen is in the FS1 ref bible where it says that the Ursa is "the price of a small moon".

[Mobius]

We know that the cost of one Orion is superior to the cost of paying its crew for 3 years.

It all depends on the beams. Seeing as how most FS capships carry only a handful of beams, I assume that beams or their reactors are pretty expensive, otherwise it'd be smart to just fit a whole bunch of cheap beams on a Fenris.

You're right, but you forget Mrs. Eyecandy. There should be classic laser turrets and missile launchers too

[TrashMan]

Yeah, but you'd have to be pretty damn "unwary"... even the AI doesn't get hit by those things.

The point I'm making is that although the Aeolus seems excellent because against an individual fighter (ie Alpha 1) it is very efficient, but against a wing or so of bombers, it isn't that tough. I'm actually going to feature an AI bomber attack on an Aeolus in my next campaign, just to... make a point.

Actually, against AI bomber attaks it's VERY efficient.

Rememebr the mission escorting the bastion? Sihvan bombers attacks in a clustered group, and our good cruiser than concentrates all of it's flak and AAF firepower into a rather small cone shaped area for a killer effect. That's besouse..well..AI is dumb. And the mission designer clustered the bombers.

I've seen an Aeolus kill 12 bomber wings easily like that. HOWEVER, spread those bombers in a wing about so they attack from different sides and it's efficiency drops significantly.

[Snail]

The bombers were targetting the Bastion. Should they have been attacking the cruisers themselves, they would have been toast. The Aeolus just does not have enough AAA to destroy a load of bombs coming its way.

[Goober5000]

No, the bombers were targeting the Aeoluses.  Look at the mission in FRED.

[Snail]

ORLY?

How come they weren't fried though? They were at super low health.

[Goober5000]

Because the Aeolus is the biggest, baddest, and meanest cruiser EVER. The Aeolus will smack you up.

[Mustang19]

Why, you ask? Becuase the Bastion and Aeolus had serious fighter escort. The fighters are assigned to guard the Aeoluses, not the Bastion, at mission start, so no wonder they seem invincible. Plus, the bomber hordes in Clash of the Titans II don't actually get fighter escort until very late in the mission, when the Dragons show up, IIRC.

[Mars]

I was the one who suggested the Hecate may be cheaper than the Orion, and I had my reasons.

Think about it... the Hecate can only carry about 4 more squadrons than the Orion... and the Orion far outruns it.

Fighters provide a much better defence than any of the turrets a hecate has... and the Orion has less surface area for fighters to cover. A possible justification for the Hecate's suckiness is that it was designed to be a cheap carrier instead of the more expensive battleship type orion, I simply voiced it

[Mustang19]

Personally, I'd go with the 4 more squadrons. But the Bastion is referenced to have 10 squadrons, more than the normal 8, so perhaps the Orion's capacity can be expanded. Also note that fighter complements are always made in terms of "combat spacecraft" or "fighter squadrons", so you probably could get rid of a few Hygeias, Hermes, and so on, to make room for additional fighters.

[TrashMan]

I never heard that the "normal" Orion complement was 8 squadrons...

AFAIK, it's 10 squadrons..Bastion is no exception ot the rule, that's the standard count.

[Mars]

I never heard that the "normal" Orion complement was 8 squadrons...

AFAIK, it's 10 squadrons..Bastion is no exception ot the rule, that's the standard count.

A squadron consists of 12 fighters (see Collie cutscene)

The Orion is said to accomodate 24 fighter and bomber wings (see FS2 Tech data)

A wing is 4 fighters (see Collie cutscene)

24 * 4 = 96 total fighters and bombers in an orion

96 / 12 = 8 total combat squadrons in an orion

Haven't I said this before?

[Snail]

Phear Mars. Nothing can stop his canon wrath ('cept for Venom, he screws canon)!

[Mars]

*sigh*  I was only supporting my argument

[Fabian]

After paying close attention to the Aeolus in "Second Front" I can only second the statement.

The Aeolus is so WOW ...

I must admit, yes I was a bit late to intercept those bombers and I saw what the Aeolus made out of them.

That was jaw dropping ...

I really will not underestimate it again ...

cu

Fabian

[karajorma]

The Orion is said to accomodate 24 fighter and bomber wings (see FS2 Tech data)

And that's the flaw in your argument.

For over 30 years, the GTD Orion class was the largest ship in the Terran-Vasudan armada. Over two kilometers in length, bristling with dozens of death-dealing turrets, the Orion is as awesome in repose as it is in battle. All GVTA Orions have been retrofitted with the latest anti-warship beam weapons, as well as flak and AAA turrets for dealing with fighters and bombers. The Orion's cavernous hanger bays easily accommodate more than two dozen fighter or bomber wings.

More than 24 != 24.

[Snail]

16 != Dozens

[karajorma]

ummm. What?

[Koth]

For over 30 years, the GTD Orion class was the largest ship in the Terran-Vasudan armada. Over two kilometers in length, bristling with dozens of death-dealing turrets, the Orion is as awesome in repose as it is in battle. All GVTA Orions have been retrofitted with the latest anti-warship beam weapons, as well as flak and AAA turrets for dealing with fighters and bombers. The Orion's cavernous hanger bays easily accommodate more than two dozen fighter or bomber wings.

16 != Dozens
See the point ?

[karajorma]

Ah. Well if anything that simply proves that you can't trust the techroom article at all then.

So then the only figure we have is the one from the Bastion CB ani and there is no reason to believe that it isn't the standard number for an Orion.