Amongst many ideas spinning around my head at the minute is one for a post Capella setting within a year of the collapse of the Capella nodes. A small but significant part of the back story is Admiral Petrach being instructed to lead a strategic review of the GTVA fleet based on his experiences in the NTF conflict and the Shevan incursion looking at the effectives available equipment, the tactics employed, and the training/capability of GTVA personnel. This is important for the story because I want to use it for a justification for the fleet structure used and I want it to appear in some form in the Intel section of the tech room.
The problem I have is that for an in depth review that supposedly takes 2-3 months I can only come up with 8 points of criticism and 8 recommendations, some of which seem a little weak. I also thought that this would make an interesting discussion for why certain events happen in game the way they do.
below are the points i have managed to come up with, I have hid them in spoiler tags so if anyone wants to form their own thoughts independent of mine they can
Criticisms
1 the Hecate was a poor replacement for the Orion as the pinacle warship with it's anti capital armament being unable to effectively engage corvettes and larger directly
2 The Deimos while a valuable fleet asset and made for a more effective line support ship than any cruiser was to light to tacke heavy destroyers without signifficant fighter/bomber support
3 The fleet structure at the time of the Capella incident was split with the Terrans usinf fleets and the Vasudans using Battle groups, this needs unifying
4 The Shivan incursion exposed a worrying focus on the Lucifer which committed the Aliance to a fixed approach leaving them exposed to new Shivan tactics
5 The GTVA Command had a dissregard for the potential for shivan escalation in the nebula which exposed the alliance to shivan counter attack
6 GTVA Security Council ignored warnings that the destruction of the Knossos might not collaps the nebula node
7 GTVA command placed too much emphasis on the GTVA Colossus
8 On a number of occasions GTVA command acted in the NTF's favor in order to persue objectives with questionable benefit
Recommendations
1 The Orion class need to be maintained as a heavy destroyer untill a suitable replacement can be brought online
2 The GTVA needs to invest in a new destroyer class to replace the Orion in a heavy destroyer role
3 An intermediate class/classification between Corvette and Destroyer needs developing
4 While effective in some situations the Sobek has been overshaddowed by the Deimos class and a companion/replacement design with more emphasis on anti capital firepower should be considered
5 The GTVA Armada should have a unified fleet structure with the largest sub division being fleets and battle groups being used for sub divisions of fleets
6 A more flexable solution to massive shivan warships should be divised, the second incursion proves that we are a long way from going toe to toe with the shivans
7 Beam cannon research should be more heavily invested in
8 the creation of a planned "last resort" system to seal jump nodes should be created
How about:
Further stratification of fleet classes. Hecate class (as stated) did poorly as a frontline destroyer but effectively as a carrier, prompting the development of a fleet carrier class, serving as flagships for each fleet. The heavy destroyers take on the roles of primary engagement destroyers, as the Orions did in FS2 (as you stated). I also propose the development of a light destroyer, useful for conducting individual missions beyond primary support of main fleet assets, most useful for SOC. Give it good reactors, some AAA and defensive weapons, and a single nose-mounted heavier beam (though perhaps not as strong as a BGreen) for rapid shock-jump attacks. There would also be a number of dreadnaughts, like the Colossus' little sisters, which are primarily heavy-beam carrying ships, with little or no fighterbays. These would be built for rapid response to any Sathanas incursion by attacking with two or three at a time by jumping in on of its lesser-armed vectors, then being able to jump out again should it turn to bring its main guns to bear. I still consider the Deimos to be of use as fleet support, and the cruiser class as the oft-touted anti-fighter defense role. As you also stated they'd need an emergency contingency for node-collapse if it became necessary. They should therefore create a purpose-designed node-buster ship, with just enough destructive power to collapse a node. Give it primarily AAA defenses and of course entirely AI-controlled during its run to the target. It would basically be one BIG cruise missile with defensive weapons... kinda like the "Dreadnaught" missile from ST:Voyager... but nowhere near as AI-sophisticated.
Further stratification of fleet classes. Hecate class (as stated) did poorly as a frontline destroyer but effectively as a carrier, prompting the development of a fleet carrier class, serving as flagships for each fleet. The heavy destroyers take on the roles of primary engagement destroyers, as the Orions did in FS2 (as you stated). I also propose the development of a light destroyer, useful for conducting individual missions beyond primary support of main fleet assets, most useful for SOC. Give it good reactors, some AAA and defensive weapons, and a single nose-mounted heavier beam (though perhaps not as strong as a BGreen) for rapid shock-jump attacks. There would also be a number of dreadnaughts, like the Colossus' little sisters, which are primarily heavy-beam carrying ships, with little or no fighterbays. These would be built for rapid response to any Sathanas incursion by attacking with two or three at a time by jumping in on of its lesser-armed vectors, then being able to jump out again should it turn to bring its main guns to bear. I still consider the Deimos to be of use as fleet support, and the cruiser class as the oft-touted anti-fighter defense role. As you also stated they'd need an emergency contingency for node-collapse if it became necessary. They should therefore create a purpose-designed node-buster ship, with just enough destructive power to collapse a node. Give it primarily AAA defenses and of course entirely AI-controlled during its run to the target. It would basically be one BIG cruise missile with defensive weapons... kinda like the "Dreadnaught" missile from ST:Voyager... but nowhere near as AI-sophisticated.
What you're describing is pretty much the Blue Planet GTVA, although I support the. . .
node-buster
Now what in those spoils anything?
Criticisms
1 the Hecate was a poor replacement for the Orion as the pinacle warship with it's anti capital armament being unable to effectively engage corvettes and larger directly
Recommendations
1 The Orion class need to be maintained as a heavy destroyer untill a suitable replacement can be brought online
2 The GTVA needs to invest in a new destroyer class to replace the Orion in a heavy destroyer role
No need for that. Use the Hattie.
Even accounting for a defense in depth, I would have expected to see ten destroyers deployed to deal with the Sath, not three.
Logistics. Nuff said.
I'll answer your comments specifically.
Criticisms
1 the Hecate was a poor replacement for the Orion as the pinacle warship with it's anti capital armament being unable to effectively engage corvettes and larger directly
Actually I believe Volition didn't put much emphasais on Hecate firepower since it never actually engaged a worthwile opponent. I've previously said that the only time true Hecate firepower was demonstrated was when the Aquitaine engaged the Tiamat and Abaddon (Moloch corvettes), but they're just corvettes. I would've wanted it to prove its worth by engaging an Orion destroyer, comparable in size yet supposedly "less heavily-armed" than the Hecate. On that, I recommend improving the Orion by extending its anti-fighter armament, then you have a perfect destroyer that can resist flanking techniques, unlike the Hattie (which, like the Ravana, only really focuses firepower on her starboard arc).
2 The Deimos while a valuable fleet asset and made for a more effective line support ship than any cruiser was to light to tacke heavy destroyers without signifficant fighter/bomber support
Frankly, I think the corvette is an excellent design. It can handle multiple cruisers whilst not taking too much punishment (considering it has 2.5 times the armor of some of the heaviest GTVA cruisers around), and can bring in a motherfrakkingly devastating anti-fighter/bomber firepower. Also, based on FreeSpace tactics, I think the ultimate destroyer-killers are either bombers or the Colossus. The GTVA fondly brings in a much bigger ship than their target, such as when they deployed the Psamtik to handle 2 NTF cruisers, or the Colly to handle the Repulse.
3 The fleet structure at the time of the Capella incident was split with the Terrans usinf fleets and the Vasudans using Battle groups, this needs unifying
IMO seperating Terrans and Vasudans in different fleets is fine. It's quite hard for officers from different races to handle their respective fleet, primarily due to cultural differences. An Alliance is enough. Did the British, Americans, and Russians fight in mixed armies during the World Wars? Not usually.
4 The Shivan incursion exposed a worrying focus on the Lucifer which committed the Aliance to a fixed approach leaving them exposed to new Shivan tactics
I think it was the Lucifer that the GTA and PVE really feared during the Great War. I mean, it was INVINCIBLE. NOTHING could stop it in hyperspace during that time, perhaps even a massive amount of warships combined with several dozen wings of bombers. Plus, destroying the Lucy is the key to destabilizing any Shivan threat, since they get "disorganized" when their command ship dies. And now, with beam weaponry, the GTVA just needs a warship that surpasses it in size and strength - that's why the Colly was made.
5 The GTVA Command had a dissregard for the potential for shivan escalation in the nebula which exposed the alliance to shivan counter attack
I can agree with that. Perhaps they shoud've sent numerous scout wings to explore the nebula, though I believe this is just useless given the said size of the system (10-20 lightyears). Command wasn't aware that it was heavily infested with Shivans.
6 GTVA Security Council ignored warnings that the destruction of the Knossos might not collaps the nebula node
When was that ever announced? I don't recall of any.
7 GTVA command placed too much emphasis on the GTVA Colossus
Like I said, they built the Colossus to fend off Lucifer-class warships, which is the most effective way in weakening a Shivan incursion. Also many members argue that the 20-year Project Colossus also consisted of designing new, powerful weapons and technologies, which led to the making of a new fleet.
8 On a number of occasions GTVA command acted in the NTF's favor in order to persue objectives with questionable benefit
Quite true. One of my previous theories was that the GTVA actually WANTED Bosch to communicate to the Shivans, but hiding the info from the masses so the leaders won't get kicked out of their palaces for doing what they think is right.
Recommendations
1 The Orion class need to be maintained as a heavy destroyer untill a suitable replacement can be brought online
Personally I view the Orion and the Hatshepsut as the two top destroyers of the GTVA; while the Hattie can bring in a lethal amount of concentrated firepower, the Orion can handle a wider area of defense with its evenly-spread beams.
2 The GTVA needs to invest in a new destroyer class to replace the Orion in a heavy destroyer role
Like I said, the best plan would be to devise an Orion with better anti-fighter capabilities.
3 An intermediate class/classification between Corvette and Destroyer needs developing
We already have one. It's the NTF Iceni; faster than any warship ever constructed, and has the armament, fighterbay, and nearly all the hitpoints of a destroyer. :p
4 While effective in some situations the Sobek has been overshaddowed by the Deimos class and a companion/replacement design with more emphasis on anti capital firepower should be considered
I've never really done a keen observation on exactly how deadly against capitals the firepower of the Sobek is, but I can say it probably has enough.
5 The GTVA Armada should have a unified fleet structure with the largest sub division being fleets and battle groups being used for sub divisions of fleets
We never really know the exact classification on ship groupings throughout the FreeSpace series.
6 A more flexable solution to massive shivan warships should be divised, the second incursion proves that we are a long way from going toe to toe with the shivans
With 80 Juggernauts plus the great possibility of a massive complement of a probable several hundred destroyers, thousands of corvettes, and tens of thousands of cruisers and probably over a million fighters and bombers, I doubt the GTVA will be able to scracth the paint on the Shivan War Machine. They just can't do it. They don't have the resources and fleet assets to handle such a powerful foe. Even with great tactics the Shivans are just TOO MANY.
7 Beam cannon research should be more heavily invested in
I don't think we have any reference pointing to just how much effort the GTVA did in the development of beam weaponry. The Shivans seem to be able to secretly adopt whatever the technology of their adversary is, and more; how did the Shivans suddenly gain better beams in every warship, and flak guns?
8 the creation of a planned "last resort" system to seal jump nodes should be created
Isn't the Bastion and Nereid enough for the job?
Hmm...now I begin to realize how interesting BP treated Freespace weaponry, and in the way they improved it.