I am trying to work on my own massive universe project and thus far I have far too many questions and design issues to iron out before things can work out smoothly. One of which I have to ask now is how your view is on highly specialized ship loadouts.
Ex:
The PCGs Grendel (Phoenix Corp. Gunship)
A 50 meter long super heavy craft built to the unusual and frighteningly demanding specifications laid down by CEO Jack Phoenix himself, the Grendel is a gigantic and symbolic counter to the small and agile Tau Ceti Alliance's Beowulf fighter. The Grendel mounts a tremendous 26 meter long multibarrel assault cannon in its main body, two gauss rifles under the body modified to accelerate heavy dumbfire kinetic rockets at extreme speeds, and large interior wing mounted interceptor missiles. The Grendel, true to name, is a monster of space. Disturbingly fast and agile for its size.
The problem? The Grendel can NOT mount anything else for the main gun. It is the assault cannon or bust. Also the Heavy Missile Gun (that gauss cannon) can only mount weak seeking but fast moving seekers or dumb superfast powerful rockets. The wing mounts can only mount medium sized missiles, nothing else. The key tactic behind the Grendel is much like the Russian Mig 31, a super large, super fast craft with the main difference being that the Grendel saturates the fight space with extreme firepower and strafing runs. It may be unusually fast and agile for its size, but a Ulysses can fly circles around the thing. The 'counter' against the intercepting Beowulf is mainly a competitive thing. Where one faction chose small, cheap, mass produced ships, another counters with the biggest thing out there that can simply shrug off whatever the smalls can do to it. Indeed the Grendel has a built in Shield Fan unlike virtually all fighters, meaning it has shields as opposed to none.
Would you embrace being forced into specific fighting styles? Or would you prefer a bit more freedom in choice and style?
