Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Thaeris on February 11, 2010, 04:25:30 pm
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Pretty straight forward with little possibility of heated political/socially-related deviations - What's your favorite roll in FreeSpace to perform?
Personally, my all time favorite role has to be Heavy Assault/Tactical Bombing (think Athena/Zeus for the latter). There's nothing better than ripping cruisers apart! :D
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I also like to have a lot of firepower and possiblity to carry torpedoes, while still retaining abillity to dogfight.
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Heavy Assault. I could tell you why, but that would be spoilery.
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I like bombers, somehow... I feel safer when close to a very masive object while in space :nervous:
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I like the suicide kings way of life.
Mostly intercepting bombers and fighters with the occasional surgical anti-subsystem strike.
I guess that falles under recon/tactical, right?
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I always seem to be chasing bombers down or taking out the beam cannons on cruisers, also i like fast nimble craft, assault and bombers just feel like I'm dragging along waiting to get ripped to pieces by something
edit:
I went intercept
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Light bomber. Among many to come, I am sure, I really enjoy being a threat to anything- having the capability to fend off fighters AND kill a proper capital ship with some determination and grit is killer.
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heavy bomber. i feel insanely powerful ripping apart destroyers by unloading 3 banks of bombs at it. second choice would be space superiority, the all-powerful badass, or "superjuggernaught in a figher" as i saw it put somewhere else.
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Space Superiority for me, the Myrmidon is definitely my favorite fighter in the game. If given a choice I'd also go with an SOC operative just because I really enjoy suicide missions (as long as they're just in a game that is ;) )
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Heavy Assault - cause I rather choose not to dodge but I just sometimes might want to ;)
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Space Superiority for me, the Myrmidon is definitely my favorite fighter in the game. If given a choice I'd also go with an SOC operative just because I really enjoy suicide missions (as long as they're just in a game that is ;) )
I approve. :P
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Heavy bomber for me. I like taking down the big targets more then a dozend of fighters
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Space superiority, no doubt. That way, I don't get closer than I need to to the giant slashing beams of death. :nervous:
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Other:
Having been through a few real life warzones myself i'm happy to relegate myself to that quaint little recruitment office on gammal draconis 4 just enticing teens in with sweets them shipping them off to boot for a world of pain. I've done my part and have four scars plus surgery to prove it.
Let generation x do their part.
Bitterness. . . . . . Absolute bitterness.
That or EOD. Which is my trade.
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End of Days? ;P
If it wasn't obvious before, space superiority, because I am teh multi-role, though I hate bombing which means staying on the SS side of Heavy Assault lets me take things that do everything (hi eri).
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Heavy assault/light bomber.
I fell in love with the Herc I since the very second I fired in Tenderizer. I like the Hercs, the Ares, the Athena and the Zeus (yes, especially the Zeus).
But I don't like the Artemis, because of it's firing points and low weapon energy.
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Space Superiority...
Nothing better than being maneuverable and owning everyone that warps in.
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Heavy assault. Even in space superiority, I often use a Myrmidon (which is somewhat sluggish).
Nothing like blowing away fat targets =)
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I honestly like heavy bombing and heavy assault a great deal too, but nothing gets my adrenaline pumping nearly so much as a good interception mission. Something like BP's (in)famous "Forced Entry" is pretty much the epitome of fast-paced insanity. Sit still for a few seconds, and you'll find yourself looking at a failed mission.
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It's a tough choice between space superiority and interception roles.
I dislike being in bombers, I feel like I'm suffocated by their lack of movement both in linear and angular dimensions. It's the same in IL-2, I really dislike being a bus driver.
Assault missions are okay too, but in the end I'd say I prefer interception role over others. A lot of it depends on mission design, though. If I have good space superiority support, then intercepting is very fun. If there are hordes of bomber wings jumping in at different sides of battlefield simultaneously while I have a wing of Dragons up my tailpipe, it's not so enjoyable as you just know this is going to go horribly wrong in a very short time.
Space superiority missions are fun when all you need to do is clear the space of fighters and keep it clear for interceptors or bombers to do their work. If you end up having to do interception in space superiority fighter, it absolutely blows because you lack the response time that speedy little interceptors give you (this is why Perseus is worse interceptor than Valkyrie, but better overall ship as it can do both space superiority and interception decently enough for most situations).
Paradoxally the Herc 2 is actually a fairly nice intercept platform but mainly because of it's ability to mount more Trebuchet missiles than a Perseus.
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I'd do a little of everything, including possible commanding a cruiser or something of the sort
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Space superiority, in an Erinyes(Herc 1/FS1-era). :P Also, escort/bomber intercept with 8 Prom-S is fine, as long as you aren't getting too swamped(Exodus, in both FS1 and FS2, are some of my favorite missions).
Recon would be good, too. I liked ST:R's version of Return to Ross 128; give me a quick little ship with a few high-power guns(Loki/Pegasus)to quickly dispatch a pesky guarding fighter or two, if truly needed.
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End of Days?
No, Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Lets face it. The yield of bombs in Freespace means if anything went wrong i'd never know what hit me anyway. If it all went pear shaped.
I wouldn't mind manning one of those planetary beam cannons either. Looks fun.
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Planetary beam cannons? I think most FS beam cannons are automated a la Mjolnir Beam.
Anyway, I change my mind. Nothing like blowing **** up while cruising in a Herc. ^_^
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;-)
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*reads*
Bloody hell, you blokes must never have read about bomber crews in the Second World War (or seen then in Freespace) if you want to be bomber pilots. :P
Intercept, for me. I've always had the heart for fighters, and interception/pursuit squadrons are the roots of the Fighter World.
EDIT: Rephrase: Fighter Culture.
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*reads*
Bloody hell, you blokes must never have read about bomber crews in the Second World War (or seen then in Freespace) if you want to be bomber pilots. :P
Intercept, for me. I've always had the heart for fighters, and interception/pursuit squadrons are the roots of the Fighter World.
actually the route of fighters in war is as the Recon/Tactical option above from the aerial artillery spotters during the WWI era in unarmed 2 man by-planes, the first air battles were between these spotters firing handguns at each other which then evolved into fully fledged combat a few years into the war
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Yes.
I was talking dedicated fighters. Members of the Observer Corps firing pistols at each other is the roots of Air Combat in general. :P
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tell you what if the first target ever realized he was being shot at by another aviator It must have been a real wake up moment
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Oh indeed, I wonder who that was...
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The royal air corp was founded by the royal engineers. As a royal engineer I claim ownership of all modern air combat.
Now get back on topic plox. ;)
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tell you what if the first target ever realized he was being shot at by another aviator It must have been a real wake up moment
"Wait...what the hell? We can do that?"
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Heavy Assault/Light Bomber
there's something magical about having both firepower, armor and being just nimble enough.
I fell in love with the Athena - it's a firggin jack of all trades and I've used it in any mission in FS1 I possibly could. I'm currently waiting for an answer to my request to marry it.
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I like space superiority since it is well balanced, Mymidon being the best with its 6 forwards guns, but it depends on the mission. I think the Ulysses sucks because it is too manueverable to control easily and all its other drawbacks. I never fly the Ulysses. A well balanced bomber like the Sekhmet is ideal anytime I like to make surgical strikes with trebuchets and use Helios torpedoes since it can store the most Trebs and can haul a decent number of Helios', as well as it having some nice forward cannons when using the Prometheus S and decent speed and manueverability. That bomber seems the best all around without the speed drawbacks of Terran bombers. But the best thing I could use in normal missions that is better than space superiority and I would like the most if it is a non-bomber role would be a fast heavy assault fighter like the Tauret because of its secondaries and the Erinyes because of its primaries, but Tauret for missions that are more for going against enemy freighters and warships and the Erinyes in missions that are more for going against enemy fighters and bombers. Erinyes isn't good against cruisers like the Tauret is since it seems to have weaker armor. The most spec-balanced fighters and bombers are best for me.
...........?
Tauret = missile boat, that's about it, I used to use it well but I wouldn't call it space superiority.
Sekh = Medium bomber, and any ship with only one primary weapon control system is pants.
Eri >>>>>>>>>>> Both for anything below Corvettes because it can mount a maxim (while still having a weapon for space superiority) to either defang or just outright destroy the opposing cruiser/etc.
Nevermind that the eri out turns both, has smaller target profiles than both and can pack as much of a punch as both combined exc. missile payload (=not important against targets lower than corvettes).
And as for the myrm... I'm not even gonna start.
Heavy assault/light bombers that aren't literally just long range sniping platforms (trebs/maxim) with some defencive stuff (tempest/proms/kayser) for "well the guys doing the actual work just failed", are useless, considering a uly can turn 2 or 3 times in the turning arc of a sekh/athena, and that means it can get in shoot you down and leave before anyone else gets to bother it, means those ships fail because a) they don't have a heavy enough payload to actually be worth deployment b) they really just don't have the manoeuvrability to put up any sort of fight vs anyone of equal prowess, and c) they're bad at both things at the same time.
Why make babyjesus sad? :<
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Went for space superiority.
I just love the dogfights (especially now, when you actually have to HIT the silhouette, and not shoot in the "general direction")
What is the best SS fighter in your opinion guys?
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I absolutely love the Myrm, mostly because it's got six guns mounts and the energy to actually use them for a while. The three missile banks help a bit, but I only use missles against ships that are too fast for my guns.
The only real drawback to the Myrm is the inability to mount Harpoons.
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I choose heavy bomber. I just like BOMBING wheee.
Tho' I'd love to have something like "override target locking" ability
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Heavy assault/light bombers that aren't literally just long range sniping platforms (trebs/maxim) with some defencive stuff (tempest/proms/kayser) for "well the guys doing the actual work just failed", are useless, considering a uly can turn 2 or 3 times in the turning arc of a sekh/athena, and that means it can get in shoot you down and leave before anyone else gets to bother it, means those ships fail because a) they don't have a heavy enough payload to actually be worth deployment b) they really just don't have the manoeuvrability to put up any sort of fight vs anyone of equal prowess, and c) they're bad at both things at the same time.
Why make babyjesus sad? :<
Are you badmouthing my wife????? :mad2:
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Tho' I'd love to have something like "override target locking" ability
Exactly. And I do not know why we have to wait 30 seconds before firing from the same bank :mad:
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It's called reload time. Deal with it.
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It's called reload time. Deal with it.
Thanks for such an enlightening comment.
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Tho' I'd love to have something like "override target locking" ability
Exactly. And I do not know why we have to wait 30 seconds before firing from the same bank :mad:
Um, sry, but
LOLOLOLOLOL WUT!
I meant that you can't shoot bomb unless the target is locked (the funny thingie going "deedeedeedeet")
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Thanks for such an enlightening comment.
Sorry, but that's what it is. It's a gameplay mechanic that the designers thought necessary and fitting for their universe. If you don't like it, you can alter the tables to remove it. But be aware that that will make the AI a horror to deal with.
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Thanks for such an enlightening comment.
Sorry, but that's what it is. It's a gameplay mechanic that the designers thought necessary and fitting for their universe. If you don't like it, you can alter the tables to remove it. But be aware that that will make the AI a horror to deal with.
/me shudders at the thought of rapid firing seraphim's during escort missions
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Thanks for such an enlightening comment.
Sorry, but that's what it is. It's a gameplay mechanic that the designers thought necessary and fitting for their universe. If you don't like it, you can alter the tables to remove it. But be aware that that will make the AI a horror to deal with.
Thanks for clarification of your point, point taken. (no sarcasm)
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I like to think of the ordnance arming as well. Like the heavier stuff cycling up a fusion warhead or some techno crap ;)
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Went for space superiority.
Likewise, although I'm pretty much always planning to be able to intercept bombers and shoot out beam turrets somehow too.
I just love the dogfights (especially now, when you actually have to HIT the silhouette, and not shoot in the "general direction")
What is the best SS fighter in your opinion guys?
Perseus, easily. Fast, reasonably tough, good weapon compatibility, good gunmounts.
Thanks for such an enlightening comment.
Sorry, but that's what it is. It's a gameplay mechanic that the designers thought necessary and fitting for their universe. If you don't like it, you can alter the tables to remove it. But be aware that that will make the AI a horror to deal with.
Actually, it would just up the stakes: all of the bombs will get launched pretty much at once. If you're in position to shoot down the bombs, it makes them easy, tightly-grouped targets... but if they do all land, target is in a world of hurt.
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As far as bombers go, I tend to not see the point beyond Ursa/Sekhmet(and maybe the Artemis, but bad gunpoints). If it's a cruiser, a wing or two of Erinyes or Hercs should suffice, especially if Trebs are employed to remove offending AA beams and flak. If it's bigger, it's probably a much nastier target to have to attack.
Ursa can carry Maxims(or Disruptors/Akhetons, in a pinch) in it's second(er, first) primary bank to avoid having to spend extra payload on Trebs, plus the triple 'gunrack' is incredibly tightly grouped compared to most fighters/bombers that are Maxim capable.
Kayser turret is good at scaring Shivans off, at least(can occasionally kill Manticores by itself, and I've had at least one occasion where I ended up simultaneously 'dogfighting' two of the leftover Basilisks in Slaying Ravana, one targeted and kept above me for the sake of the turret, and attacking the other with my 'anti-fighter' bank).
Helios/Harbinger is also always a bonus if available, and while the Boanerges is more effective at emptying its full payload of Helios, it definitely needs more competent escort.
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Hmmm... good question. I said space superiority.
The Perseus is by far my favorite. During a multiplayer team dogfight, it was me in a Perseus against 4 guys in Erynies and Herc 2s. I managed to stay alive for 8 and a half minutes before the host ended the game.
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As far as the whole "reload time" thing goes, I for one wouldn't mind seeing a mod where you (or maybe capships?) could fire bombs (or torpedoes, whatever) as quickly as you wanted but where the ammo limit was actually meaningful. Like... a (missile) cruiser has 32 torpedoes on board... fire them too slowly, and they'll get shot down one at a time... fire them too quickly, and it's overkill (and you're out of missiles)... or you could even get really unlucky and have all of them blow up prematurely thanks to the first torpedo's shockwave... but I digress.
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As far as the whole "reload time" thing goes, I for one wouldn't mind seeing a mod where you (or maybe capships?) could fire bombs (or torpedoes, whatever) as quickly as you wanted but where the ammo limit was actually meaningful. Like... a (missile) cruiser has 32 torpedoes on board... fire them too slowly, and they'll get shot down one at a time... fire them too quickly, and it's overkill (and you're out of missiles)... or you could even get really unlucky and have all of them blow up prematurely thanks to the first torpedo's shockwave... but I digress.
Taking the offtop a little bit further...
Mod in which one could steer the flak canons/laser turrets/beams would be kinda cool ;)
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As far as the whole "reload time" thing goes, I for one wouldn't mind seeing a mod where you (or maybe capships?) could fire bombs (or torpedoes, whatever) as quickly as you wanted but where the ammo limit was actually meaningful. Like... a (missile) cruiser has 32 torpedoes on board... fire them too slowly, and they'll get shot down one at a time... fire them too quickly, and it's overkill (and you're out of missiles)... or you could even get really unlucky and have all of them blow up prematurely thanks to the first torpedo's shockwave... but I digress.
Taking the offtop a little bit further...
Mod in which one could steer the flak canons/laser turrets/beams would be kinda cool ;)
Go make it. It's definitely doable with scripting.
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I voted other, because I'd use a heavy assault fighter (the Erynies) for interception. It has enough speed (only 10 m/s slower than the Perseus on Aburn), the firepower (duh) and the durability to charge into formations of bombers. It's also good enough in the handling dept. not to need fighter escorts.
I'd also use the Perseus for space superiority, it makes a nice light fighter that dogfights well but it doesn't have enough firepower to punch through bomber formations.
And finally, the Sekhmet looks like a good escorter/antifighter missile launcher to me; somewhat like an overgrown, but better handling Potato.
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As far as heavy assault goes, nothing beats the Herc 2 in my opinion. With the ability to do about any mission, a heavy assault mission can quickly (and effectively) evolve into an intercept or space superiority mission - then it's back to raping cruisers. :cool:
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I just wish the Perseus had a little more energy to play with; I prefer the Prom-S to the Kayser most of the time, but for a little extra damage output on a fast four-gun fighter, I can make an exception.
Going by the tables, the Ulysses and Perseus have the lowest power output of any Terran or Vasudan fighter in FS2(the Ulysses has almost half the gun energy capacity, though). About half the Shivan fighters have at least slightly better energy systems than the Perseus, and of the rest, the Manticore's and Astaroth's energy only has to support two cannons, and the Dragon is only worse in having 2/3 of the gun energy capacity.
Eeeh...little wonder the Erinyes seems so effective as an interceptor in comparison to the Perseus: slightly more missiles, almost 2/3 more power output, nearly comparable AB top speed and acceleration, more AB capacity, with slightly less AB energy consumption, and marginally higher AB recharge. Doesn't seem right for a fighter that's supposed to be almost as cutting-edge. :confused:
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Heavy assault, if you're in a good enough fighter (the Ares) it's ideal for nearly all missions
Bombing - destroy the engines with Trebuchets, blast away from outside of its range using Maxims
Escort - snipe enemies with Trebuchets
Dogfights - get a bit of space between you and your opponents, fire Tornadoes
Tactical bombing - Maxim/Trebuchet combination
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Regarding the cruiser ammo limit, has anyone fixed the set ammo limit in the fred cap loadout editor yet?
It never seemed to make a difference.
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Fighter pilots make headlines.
Bomber pilots make history.
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Fighter pilots make headlines.
Bomber pilots make history.
Amen.
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...And fighter-bomber pilots change the balance...
:D
Go Herc 2!
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I'm interceptor/tactical. I like speed, I like good weapons, and I like living on the razor's edge. Any time there's a Valk, Perseus or Horus nearby, I'll take it.
Though I'm not an interceptor in multiplayer. There it's heavy assault and space superiority.
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So yeah, sustaining Maxim-fire indefinitely :D
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Off topic (and regrettably, I may have had something to do with it becoming off topic)...
I like heavy assault. But bomber intercept can be fun too, under the right circumstances.
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In FS2, I'd probably prefer to be a heavy bomber pilot. Assign me a
small moon Ursa and I'll be good.
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I really want to see (B17) Flying Fortress style bombers in Freespace, crews of 8+ FTW.
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That was one of Blackwater Ops big selling points wasn't it.
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I really do like the Sekhmet bomber if any bomber is to be used in a mission. It seems so well balanced.
Personally I think it's a game-breaking superbomber which probably explains why it's never given to the player in the course of FreeSpace 2 campaign.
(Sort of like if you think of KotOR, and how it would feel to play Taris with Force Wave, unlimited force points and a light saber in your arsenal...)
It's justifiable in-universe though, what with it being basically a vasudanized Nahema. :rolleyes:
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You don't get fly it?
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It's never made available for you in the campaign, the Sehkmet.
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It's justifiable in-universe though, what with it being basically a vasudanized Nahema. :rolleyes:
Sort of, the plothole with that being it's a Mekhu design, based on a Hammer of Light design, based on a Shivan design(which means Vasudans of at least one faction found Nahemas, or something incredibly similar, all the way back in the Great War, yet as far as the Tech Database is concerned, the Nahema appears to be a brand new design, meaning the PVE/Vasudan half of the GTVA apparently didn't share the intel, for some reason.)
I've got to say the Loki's more impressive than I originally gave it credit for. The only thing the Pegasus is really missing is Kaysers, and the Loki can carry either two pairs of them, or go Kayser/Maxim, and while not infinite, it would take several minutes of fire for the Maxims to completely drain the Loki's gun power on maximum weapon energy. 1/3 less missiles than the Peg(no second bank), and not as perfectly placed for Tempest usage, but still decent(same compatibility, save TAGs).
While the handling isn't the same, it has a slight edge on the Perseus, and afterburner top speed and general AB performance is identical to the Peg. If you can't readily kill it, or disable/disarm it from safely out of range, you can almost certainly leave it in the dust, and jump out once you're clear. All in a pretty durable(400s/250h), compact, Great War-era(!) package.
If I had to pick a preferred role for 'real', recon-tactical looks pretty attractive, given Lokis are probably a dime-a-dozen in FS2, as opposed to more recent designs which only elite/SOC squadrons/pilots would probably get a shot at.
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I'd love to see a "tactical operations" campaign with GTVA/SOC pilots operating the Loki against NTF forces. The Loki is my second favorite by far!
...The option: "tactical/recon" was originally intended for special missions - think things along the likes of "Enter the Dragon" and in using the TAG missile. Unfortunately, most of the FS missions where you do interesting "special purpose" ops with special equipment are quite tough and usually not all that fun. Of course, there's always surgical strikes against special targets. So, as someone suggested before, the Suicide Kings might make for a tactical squadron, though they're much more of an interceptor squad by any account...
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Interception - Suicide Kings FTW. Nothing better than a constant bomber hull crack (Exept Seraphims that won't die so easy).
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/me has voted.
Wow. So many people like doing heavy assault/light bomber roles.
Ares forever, even till a supernova. :D
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;-)
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It's never made available for you in the campaign, the Sehkmet.
I thought I did fly it in the main campaign, or maybe it was a fan made campaign.
You definitely didn't fly it in the main campaign. It was available in Derelict and on Multiplayer though.
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That baby got me through more rebel intercepts than I can remember. . . . Where's that mission gone?
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Oh Derelict...
That's where I remember it from.
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Out of curiosity, which assault/space superiority fighter do you prefer?
If it's available, either makes of the Hercules or the Myrmidon.
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I just split out a crap-load of off-topic posts in here and dumped them in another locked thread; I'll save my comments for there. Sorry if I nerfed anyone's post that was half-on-topic.
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;-)
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You're right on this one, that's the only place where we see them in main campaign.
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Good to see so many people enjoy heavy fighters; The stuff i'm making is almost custom-tailored to such players at this point here!
I suppose same goes here, Heavy Assault to Light Bomber roles sounds best for me. Close second is Interceptor/Fast assault, when missions are tailored well to it (Preferrably lots of action, instead of just having to fly huge distances)
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;-)
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I like blowing stuff up. Bomber FTW.
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I like blowing stuff up. Bomber FTW.
So, you prefer beer-chucking to popcorn? :drevil:
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I picked heavy assault. I like guns, and I like missiles. It's great when your wing is capable of taking on multiple cruisers in the same mission, not all at once though.
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Recon/Tactical just because it's classy o.O
... and i would say Space superiority next.
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Without much experience, my classic response would've been heavy assault.
But if I'd to come in with seasoned knowledge, definitely Intercept or Space Superiority, considering the Perseus is usually my craft of choice. I've been toying a bit with the Loki as well, but not too much.