[Solatar]

I'm working on a little something on my own time (don't get your hopes up on a release...my HD just died yesterday so I'm starting from scratch..) involving the Terrans, Vasudans, and a 15 or 16 year war (no Shivans). I'm letting the Terrans use Apollos, Valkyries, Athenas, Hercs, and Medusas. I'm debating on whether they should be allowed to use the Ulysses however. I just noticed that the "style" (at least texture/material wise) is very similiar to that of the Valkyrie, and there is very little Vasudan asthetic influence.

Do you think the Terrans could have come up with it by themselves? I'm thinking of tweaking the stats a bit to reflect that they didn't have Vasudan technological help (I'm assuming Vasudan engine tech). If you think they could have come up with it, then what differences, in your opinion, would the original and the pure terran one have?

Off the top of my head I'd have to say something to do with the engines, maybe less power or less afterburner. Also, I'd imagine it would carry slightly heavier armor since there were no shields (180hp compared to the Apollo 240 and the Valk 200).

Discuss.

[Kie99]

Terran fighter design tends to be heavier than Vasudan equivalents.

Also you should know that the GTA were working on a shielding system.

[Solatar]

I've heard that they were working on shield tech, something about a Ross 128 deflector array, but I can't find canon info on it. Just out of curiosity, do you know where you heard it?

I guess I could give the Ulysses heavier armor and make it less maneuvarable.

EDIT: The MOD takes place several years after 2335 (long enough for my to justify new weapons technology, maybe around or slightly before 2340 or something). It might be believable to "delay" the release of the Ulysses, citing something about it being in development in 2335 but failing due to insufficient technology levels. Revamped and released after several years of technological advances.

[phreak]

Originally posted by Solatar
I've heard that they were working on shield tech, something about a Ross 128 deflector array, but I can't find canon info on it. Just out of curiosity, do you know where you heard it?

MX50 tech description in FS1

[Solatar]

hmm...thanks, might try to incorporate that.

[aldo_14]

IIRC the Ulysses was actually the first Terran fighter designed for the game, and they changed it to a hybrid because the later ships looked too different.  I would be hesitant to use the Ulysses, though; I'm not sure including would be worth the inevitable complaints over it being a hybrid ship, and I'm not sure how much benefit adding it would be of.

Oh, and the deflector shield array at Ross 128 is mentioned IIRC in the techroom data for the MX-50 missile ('tests against the deflector array at Ross 128' or similar phrase).

[Solatar]

Yeah, I think it was the first ship to be designed.

I think I'm opting for the hybrid part of the Ulysses being in internal technology. After all, the Interceptor is nice and Terran metal looking. The Thoth is also a hybrid, but it doesn't look anything like anything a Terran would put into it.

In fact, as previously stated, the Ulysses looks like it carries the same kind of armor as the Valkyrie. I'm gonna have to work out a pretty weird tech description if I do use it though...

Anybody have any thoughts on other designs? The Zeus or the Ursa? I think the Ursa would have been in development for a while, but you never know.

[WMCoolmon]

Changing the color of the hull would go a long way towards making it look like a pure-terran design.

[Andreas]

Originally posted by WMCoolmon
Changing the color of the hull would go a long way towards making it look like a pure-terran design.

Umm...but doesn't that make it a little bit cheap, then?

Wasn't the GTF Ulysses a Terran-Vasudan joint effort? The GTA propably wouldn't have built something like it if the T-V war would have been raging on for years after 2335, I mean, they already have the brand-new Valkyrie, which does what Ulysses is supposed to do, only hell of a lot better.

Anyways, Terrans were close to completing the Avenger cannon before the Shivans appeared in 2335, as well as the shield system, so really, the war would have been over for the Vasudans quite soon after that, unless they would have developed their own tech by reverse-engineering Terrans designs, which propably wouldn't be such an easy task.

Just my two (GTA) cents.

[Nuke]

 :thepimp:

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Solatar
Yeah, I think it was the first ship to be designed.

I think I'm opting for the hybrid part of the Ulysses being in internal technology. After all, the Interceptor is nice and Terran metal looking. The Thoth is also a hybrid, but it doesn't look anything like anything a Terran would put into it.

In fact, as previously stated, the Ulysses looks like it carries the same kind of armor as the Valkyrie. I'm gonna have to work out a pretty weird tech description if I do use it though...

Anybody have any thoughts on other designs? The Zeus or the Ursa? I think the Ursa would have been in development for a while, but you never know.

Well... if anything, I'd suggest stating it was made as a result of working with captured Vasudan craft (the Vasudans have better reactors IIRc; that'd be a good reason for copying them) - you'd still have the hybrid aspect, but it'd be explained as such and you wouldn't have to worry about people nit-picking the design as being too 'T-V' or anything.

[Fergus]

I think they would have had the Ulysses in development, think of the times that other aircraft, boats, planes, cars, houses..anything really have been in development.  And IIRC the Great War didn't exactly last very long, most likely the Vasudan assistance to fighter R&D would have been in refining certain sections of the figher (reactor I would assume).

[Black Wolf]

Play with the Texs a little bit and it should be fine. Especially if you introduce it as a significant ship rather than just plonking it into the available ships pool - get the backstory out there quite clearly and nobody should mind.

[Solatar]

The tech description I've got so far says that in 2335 spies carrying Vasudan reactor technology were killed, so the Ulysses project was put on a back burner of sorts. Two or three years afterwards, sufficient technology was obtained to continue the Ulysses project and eventually finish it.

Currently working on making it have a color scheme similiar to the Medusa, but I'm not sure how I like it.

EDIT: Definantly planning on it having a nice role in something (not sure what yet...but something).

[WMCoolmon]

Originally posted by Ai No Koriida

Umm...but doesn't that make it a little bit cheap, then?

Wasn't the GTF Ulysses a Terran-Vasudan joint effort? The GTA propably wouldn't have built something like it if the T-V war would have been raging on for years after 2335, I mean, they already have the brand-new Valkyrie, which does what Ulysses is supposed to do, only hell of a lot better.

Anyways, Terrans were close to completing the Avenger cannon before the Shivans appeared in 2335, as well as the shield system, so really, the war would have been over for the Vasudans quite soon after that, unless they would have developed their own tech by reverse-engineering Terrans designs, which propably wouldn't be such an easy task.

Just my two (GTA) cents.

I've gotten the impression that the Valkyrie is meant for fast intercept - ie shooting down bombs, missiles, and bombers - while the Ulysses is more for outmaneuvering other fighters and destroying them.

[Solatar]

Valkyrie = intercept missions against bombers and heavy fighters (when the Valk takes damage, it can run away. But it also can run the enemies down)
Ulysses = blow up fighters, "hit me if you can".

[aldo_14]

The Valk is an interceptor
(IMO; this means it's fast - built off a scout fighter - lightly armoured, average weaponry, designed to chase down bombers and take them out with guided weaponry)

The Ulysses is a space superiority fighter (I think it's design changes in FS2, though; IIRC it's a space sup in FS1 and the assualt fighter is the Herc)
(IMO; this means it's average, but focuses on armour and maneuverability over speed - it also carries a wider range of guided and unguided missiles - and is designed to attack any other kind of fighter, particularly interceptors which threaten allied bombers)

[Charismatic]

Well iv never thought of the Ulysses as any kind of a 'good' or 'usefull' fighter, only because of its loadout is major sucky. If it had, as you said, better terran design, or color, and a little bit more loadout, i think it be a great improvement. I perfer to take more weapons, then faster speed; i dont choose to hit and run when damaged..

[aldo_14]

Well.... you do realise that a) you can change your loadout and b) there are other ships to choose (the Ulysses is the way it is to balance out the other fighters strengths and weaknesses)

After all, a fighter is only as good as its pilot.......

[kv1at3485]

Loadout on the Ulysses is fine when you think about the ship it's supposed to be going after: Dragons.

For anything else, take a Herc.