[Crybertrance]

I know its too late, but I'll say it anyways..
I was just playing "The Blade Itself" and while I was facing the 3rd Corvette (after the Ania and Thas....?) and the Corvette constantly fired beams straight at me (down the launch bay, to be exact) Now I find it increasingly weird that the launch bays of ships like the Karuna and Solaris are directly in line of beam fire from Tev ships. Imagine a Raynor firing its frontal beam at the Karuna head-on. Since the armor plating is significantly less in that area (only an airlock?) It would be a significant weak-point in the structural integrity of the ship, that too, right in the wrong place! the FRONT of the ship! 

[Fury]

Rule of cool.

[Deadly in a Shadow]

Rule of cool.

Exactly, the only guys suffering from beam-into-fighterbay fire are pilots sitting in fighters and bombers which launch in the middle of such a beam.

[Dragon]

The fighterbay is not such a big target, and keep in mind that Karuna isn't designed for such warfare. Raynor firing it's front beam at a Karuna would gut it no matter what, by the way.
In fact, because it's a mostly AA/"anti guerilla" ship, so having the fighterbay protected by main guns and a fair amount of flaks (not to mention rather hefty side plating) is a rather good idea, since it'd protect if from bombers and gunships.

[-Norbert-]

The inspiration for the Karuna, the Omega from Babylon 5, did have very massive doors to protect their fighterbay. But in FS2 it would be a bit hard to do that and still use it as a fighterbay.

On the other hand, Spoon somehow managed to give the Challanger's main gun a door that opens up before firing, or by SEXP (I have no idea how it works, but I saw it work)... Would something like that also be possible for a hanger, either auto-opening when ships start, or triggered via SEXP to allow landings?

[Commander Zane]

The Phoenix Rising does that I believe.

[MetalDestroyer]

I confirm, the Phoniex Rising has animated door for his fighterbays.

[headdie]

Doors have long been possible in FS but the rigging is a pain if you want sliding rather than rotating doors and requires the use of invisible objects.  Then you have to trigger them.

[Dragon]

Actually, the problem is that there's no simple SEXP to open bay doors on a ship, they open only when a ship is launching or landing. Perhaps Steve-O will add doors to his new Hyperion, porting them to Karuna should be possible.

[BlasterNT]

Well, also, it really must be a pain for fighters launching/landing from/to a ship in combat to dodge the friendly mass driver/gauss gun bolts...

[Mars]

Well, also, it really must be a pain for fighters launching/landing from/to a ship in combat to dodge the friendly mass driver/gauss gun bolts...

Strangely, they don't seem to do much damage when they hit (have been hit a few times) nothing like flying into shield piercing beams.

[Crybertrance]

Wouldn't it still be a significant structural weak-point? Airlock doors would have to be quite HUGE to be comparable to the armor-plating on the rest of the ship. If the doors were huge, it would contain more ummm.. mass? It would require substantial energy and time to open and close repeatedly, not to mention an event of a door failure, which would leave the entire ship wide open (excuse the pun)

Well, also, it really must be a pain for fighters launching/landing from/to a ship in combat to dodge the friendly mass driver/gauss gun bolts...

Another good point, this would make take-offs and landings during engagements illogical, 'cuz the ships would be blasted by friendly fire, but I do find I weird that those powerful guass cannons which supposedly are cruiser/corvette killers, do no/little damage to fighters? (Im looking at you, Mars)

[Aesaar]

The reason mass driver do next to no damage to fighters is probably the shields.  Torpedoes have the same problem.  The Helios does 6800 damage to hulls, but only 136 to shields.  Likewise, the Karuna's mass drivers do 300 damage to shields, but 1200 to hulls.  Apocalyses do only 50 damage to shields, but 500 against hulls. 

For some reason, the Narayana's do double that.  One would think the extra fuel required to increase the range would cut down on the payload.

[Fury]

For some reason, the Narayana's do double that.  One would think the extra fuel required to increase the range would cut down on the payload.

Try comparing sizes of Apocalypse missiles fired by Karuna, Narayana and Solaris.

[Mars]

For some reason, the Narayana's do double that.  One would think the extra fuel required to increase the range would cut down on the payload.

Try comparing sizes of Apocalypse missiles fired by Karuna, Narayana and Solaris.

No way O_O I've never noticed that.

Apparently you guys thought of everything.

[Crybertrance]

For some reason, the Narayana's do double that.  One would think the extra fuel required to increase the range would cut down on the payload.

Try comparing sizes of Apocalypse missiles fired by Karuna, Narayana and Solaris.

  I'd think you guys used the same base for all torpedoes...

[Crybertrance]

The reason mass driver do next to no damage to fighters is probably the shields.  Torpedoes have the same problem.  The Helios does 6800 damage to hulls, but only 136 to shields.  Likewise, the Karuna's mass drivers do 300 damage to shields, but 1200 to hulls.  Apocalyses do only 50 damage to shields, but 500 against hulls. 

For some reason, the Narayana's do double that.  One would think the extra fuel required to increase the range would cut down on the payload.

It just dawned on me, what if the GTVA developed some kind of sheiding system for Cap-ships... they would basically be invulnerable to UEF cap-ship attack!

[Aesaar]

I wouldn't count on anyone developing capship shields.  It seems to be a problem even for the Shivans, since they don't shield everything they have.  Considering their losses to GTVA bombers, seems to me they'd want to if they could.

And why would the GTVA want to develop them anyway?  Beams pierce shields, so they're nearly useless against Shivans.  A capship shield would use a spectacular amount of power that would only be useful against bombers and UEF weapons (a war they're winning handily anyway).  They'd be better off using the power on more beam cannons.

Try comparing sizes of Apocalypse missiles fired by Karuna, Narayana and Solaris.

  I never noticed that.  Ok then, disregard. 

There's probably a reason why they don't all use the Narayana's.  Space considerations or something like that.

[-Norbert-]

Why are all the torpedoes for the different ships called the same anyway?
If they have different stats and sizes, shouldn't they have different names also? At the very least a size designator, version number or the payload, rather than a #<shipclass> at the end of the name.

[Crybertrance]

It seems to be a problem even for the Shivans, since they don't shield everything they have.  Considering their losses to GTVA bombers, seems to me they'd want to if they could.

Firstly, we never EVER knew the full extent of the Shivan armada, let alone their combat technology. It would be foolish to think that the SJ Sathanas was their flagship in anyway (at the end of FS2, they appeared to be like mere cruisers [considering their numbers]). Also, even the Shivans must have thought it waste to deploy any remotely considerable advanced tech to battle the Tevs 'cause they were winning the war anyways (withe ease). So, we never really know if they actually developed shield tech (maybe we would if FS3 came out).

A capship shield would use a spectacular amount of power that would only be useful against bombers and UEF weapons (a war they're winning handily anyway).

"A war they're winning handily anyway"......  Ummmm, I don't think that they are that well off, The GTD Hood was nearly destroyed by the UED Eris (In Asteria, I believe), The GTD Carthage by the Wargods (If that other damn destroyer didn't show up). They were also major command cruisers. Even the Serkr group was badly damaged by the UEF. Even that Raynor destroyer during the Blitz would have been destroyed if it did not have those "fast jump drives". I believe the GTVA would greatly appreciate if they could prevent this damage to their major battleships.
Also, I think you are underestimating the power of UEF bombers, do you forget, the amount of damage a squadron of Durgas or Vajdhadras can do? Theyd tear down a Diomedes Cruiser in seconds...

Why are all the torpedoes for the different ships called the same anyway?
If they have different stats and sizes, shouldn't they have different names also? At the very least a size designator, version number or the payload, rather than a #<shipclass> at the end of the name.

Yeah, I agree, maybe a size designator atleast...