Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 10:30:27 am

Title: Hippocrates Discussion (Split from WIP thread)
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 10:30:27 am
Too much griders and the ships stop looking solid and ends up looking more like a unfinished construction project. I prefer it to be closer to hte original - solid armored block, but with interesting greebling stuff.
Well, the Hippocrates is already really weird shaped. It looks like a few random hits anywhere could break it into pieces. I like this look to it, it strengthens that feeling of uselessness.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mars on November 07, 2008, 01:55:50 pm
It always appeared to be several blocks held together with supports.

This emphasizes that feeling.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 07, 2008, 02:10:35 pm
Snail, that design isn't random. It's meant to help...with that design it's pretty easy to contain virus/bacteria propagation...an infected medical ship would be good for nothing.

Too bad this aspect of the Hippocrates has never been exploited(as far as I know).
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 02:11:50 pm
Snail, that design isn't random. It's meant to help...with that design it's pretty easy to contain virus/bacteria propagation...an infected medical ship would be good for nothing.
What I meant is that a few stray shots would break it apart. Which is partially true given it has only 10,000 HP...
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 07, 2008, 02:17:48 pm
It's correct, but keep in mind that the Hippocrates isn't supposed to be attacked in a hostile environment. To be honest I fail tu understand why :v: armed it, I would have left it as a pure civilian vessel - it's not a military transport like the Argo.

A weak structure is the price the Hippocrates needs to pay for its exceptional performances as hospital ship.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 02:19:07 pm
It's correct, but keep in mind that the Hippocrates isn't supposed to be attacked in a hostile environment. To be honest I fail tu understand why :v: armed it, I would have left it as a pure civilian vessel - it's not a military transport like the Argo.

A weak structure is the price the Hippocrates needs to pay for its exceptional performances as hospital ship.

What I fail to understand is why a hospital has a LTerSlash and an AAA beam.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Topgun on November 07, 2008, 02:20:27 pm
too protect them from drug addicts?
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 02:22:08 pm
too protect them from drug addicts?
Well, shouldn't the Argo, which needs to protect itself from high-tech rebels and Shivans, have BGreens, then?
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 07, 2008, 02:23:50 pm
Yeah, not only :v: armed the Hippocrates but they also exaggerated in doing it... :wtf:

It may be a table entry glitch...like the Mentu having no beams, the Moloch having only SReds or the Orion having 3 BGreens...
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Topgun on November 07, 2008, 02:24:50 pm
too protect them from drug addicts?
Well, shouldn't the Argo, which needs to protect itself from high-tech rebels and Shivans, have BGreens, then?

well, the argo is kinda dainty... I mean, can you fit a bgreen on it?
besides, I was kinda joking ;)

BTW I guess it was for balance.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 02:25:57 pm
besides, I was kinda joking ;)
So was I.

It may be a table entry glitch...like the Mentu having no beams, the Moloch having only SReds or the Orion having 3 BGreens...
Well, mistake or not, it's canon.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 07, 2008, 02:26:52 pm
So...the Mentu's table entry overwrites the Mentu's tech description? :rolleyes:
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 02:28:27 pm
So...the Mentu's table entry overwrites the Mentu's tech description? :rolleyes:
Well, doesn't stop you from changing it yourself. ;)
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Hellstryker on November 07, 2008, 04:07:52 pm
It's correct, but keep in mind that the Hippocrates isn't supposed to be attacked in a hostile environment. To be honest I fail tu understand why :v: armed it, I would have left it as a pure civilian vessel - it's not a military transport like the Argo.

A weak structure is the price the Hippocrates needs to pay for its exceptional performances as hospital ship.


I'm finding myself agreeing with alot of people I don't normally agree with in this thread  :nod:
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Snail on November 07, 2008, 04:10:39 pm
I think everyone is in agreement that giving a hospital heavy weaponry was a weird thing...
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Topgun on November 07, 2008, 04:42:38 pm
At the first sign of trouble the ships captain's first instinct should be to run.
No, this is FreeSpace, you fight it out until you get to that node, Solider!
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Titan on November 07, 2008, 06:48:55 pm
yeah. In freespace, a ship as hottrodded as the millenium falcon is perfectly legal.  :P
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mars on November 07, 2008, 06:53:48 pm
I think it probably has the beam to fend off pirates in the like. Undefended military transports are unlikely to be carrying anything important. An aircraft carrier sized hospital would be an attractive target.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Droid803 on November 07, 2008, 07:00:40 pm
Heh? The Hippocrates? Weakly armored?
Its got more HP than a Fenris which is basically an armored block.
The hippo is tough.

But I still like the exposed look - it's awesome.

Its LTerSlash is probably there because it was also designed to evacuate civilians and treat wounded military personnel, often near the field of battle where a stray cruiser may come around. The Hippocrates we see in the game are probably all owned by the military. A civilian one (if there are any) probably wouldn't have the anti-warship beam cannon.
The Argo doesn't have heavy armament because part of its role is as a marine boarding craft. Its only going to dock with a ship which is pretty much disabled and disarmed, meaning it doesn't need heavy armament at all.

I think it probably has the beam to fend off pirates in the like. Undefended military transports are unlikely to be carrying anything important. An aircraft carrier sized hospital would be an attractive target.

And that.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: TrashMan on November 08, 2008, 06:10:05 am
A weak structure is the price the Hippocrates needs to pay for its exceptional performances as hospital ship.

We all know that structural design and Hit point don't have a sane relation in FS2.
Any thing having a thin neck/connector is a bad design for a warship (realisticly speaking). Heck, a stray shot could sever the Sobek or Hatsheput or Hecate in half. :lol:
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: lostllama on November 09, 2008, 06:41:13 am
The Hippocrates was probably armed because of the NTF refusing to recognise BETAC. And to fend off asteroids, as someone has already said. Originally it may have been intended to have been unarmed/have minimal armament but the circumstances changed with the NTF rebellion. I dunno.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 09, 2008, 06:43:43 am
Excuse me, but isn't the Hippocrates a bit older than the rebellion?

And asteroid fields aren't supposed to be anywhere. I don't see the point in using a LTerSlash against asteroids, though.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on November 09, 2008, 06:47:05 am
I think it would be quite effective :nervous: In one slash, it can take out quite a few asteroids, and it can do that every 15 (or so) seconds.

And I think I like the one with the armored panel most.

EDIT: K, I didn't know beams are supposed to ignore asteroids. Still, I think it would work well.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 09, 2008, 06:54:43 am
Aren't anti-warship beams supposed to ignore asteroids? :wtf:
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: lostllama on November 09, 2008, 06:57:22 am
Excuse me, but isn't the Hippocrates a bit older than the rebellion?

Yes you're right, see the quote below. What I meant was, perhaps the Hippocrates' were originally designed to be unarmed or to just have minimal armament, but then later on the GTVA retrofitted them to be more heavily armed due to the threat the NTF posed when the rebellion began about 30 years later. I'm only speculating of course. :)

Chronos freighters IIRC are a civilian design but were brought into military service in FS1. Same with the Faustus.

From the tech room description:

Quote
Terrans developed the GTM Hippocrates early in the post-war Reconstruction period. With the outbreak of the NTF insurgency, the GTVA has once again called the Hippocrates into active military service. Its on-board facilities provide state-of-the-art medical care to thousands of patients. Hippocrates also help transport refugees out of contested systems into the safety of Allied-controlled regions. The unusual design of the Hippocrates enables its crew to isolate sections of the ship quickly in the event of quarantine or hull breach.

Note: original post edited slightly.
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Romanmolf on November 09, 2008, 06:59:54 am
Aren't anti-warship beams supposed to ignore asteroids? :wtf:

Yes, I think.   :rolleyes:
Title: The Hippocrates\\\\
Post by: Mobius on November 09, 2008, 07:10:04 am
Yes you're right, see the quote below. What I meant was, perhaps the Hippocrates' were originally designed to be unarmed or to just have minimal armament, but then later on the GTVA retrofitted them to be more heavily armed due to the threat the NTF posed when the rebellion began about 30 years later. I'm only speculating of course. :)

Yes but yours is an assumption. It's fanon.
Title: Re: Hippocrates Discussion (Split from WIP thread)
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on November 09, 2008, 07:30:15 am
Whoops - I seem to have broken the individual post topics. :nervous:

Oh well, first split, first move. I thought I'd break something more. ;)
Title: Re: Hippocrates Discussion (Split from WIP thread)
Post by: Akalabeth Angel on November 11, 2008, 03:25:09 am
        Why not arm it? You think the Shivans or the NTF are going to respect the non-combatant status of a medical ship? You might have Hippocrates paired with Elysiums roving through battlefields looking for survivors after the fight has moved on. If a stray patrol of fighter craft return to the site you'd want some sort of protection to buy you the time to get out of there.
Title: Re: Hippocrates Discussion (Split from WIP thread)
Post by: Mongoose on November 11, 2008, 03:33:30 am
Putting the LTerSlash and AAA beam on there might just be a matter of having the necessary hull space and reactor power to do so.  Hell, I'm sure Command would happily slap a BGreen on a Fenris if it were physically possible to do so.  If you know a ship's going to be used for active military service, and you have the means to arm it comparatively well, why wouldn't you?