(Assuming that the above ship is intended for the FreeSpace 2 universe and is used within GTVA space...)Hah, yeah, nothing makes a science ship a science ship better than a total lack of any defensive turrets. We need more ships with no guns on them because well, the GTVA isn't ALWAYS fighting. There also have to be safe havens where no battles are fought, no wars, where commerce is strong and nobody needs guns, just a few hired mercs for basic protection if necessary, and nothing more.
I mean COME ON, do you really think the GTVA would give CIVVIES access to even a
Subach HL-7? Their recruits arent even TOLD about the Subach until they pass basic training. You're told about the Subach in the first mission of the game as if you've never heard of the weapon before in your life and are told you are "authorized" to use it. That implies that anyone NOT with the GTVA using Subachs are NOT authorized to use them and are breaking the law if they are found to be using them.
And in the safest systems of the GTVA, where no pirates lurk and danger is minimal, you still need science ships to monitor weather on planets, observe distant stars, monitor anomalies and scan for subspace instabilities and that kind of thing. You aren't going to waste money on a military-grade Faustus (as weak as it is) for inner-system patrol in the safest of areas when war isn't happening and everyone is happy.
The ship in this thread fits that bill perfectly as a commercial/civilian grade science vessel for peaceful operations within GTVA controlled space. I just can't see it with any turrets on it --- it would destroy the beauty of it.
Excellent, excellent work.
