[Coolhand1980]

What would you have done different in the FS2 campaign? What tactics would you have employed to defeat the Shivans if at all posible? What could a smart command have accomplished differently than what played out in the regular campaign?

Personally, I would have directed the fighters to spam EMP missles on shivan cap ships while Terran capships pound them to dust with beams. I would have ordered all terslasher beams to be upgraded to regular beams.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Arrays of SSGs around the nodes especially the Knossos.  Anything coming through gets vaporized or severely damaged before it even has a chance to fire a beam.  Of course a few destroyers in the area for backup never hurts and they keep a constant fighter patrols to knock out enemy fighters/bombers before they can disable the SSGs. 


Oh and the one I still believe the GTVA probably did: A second Colossus.  Standard procedure why build one when you can build 2 at 3 times the cost?

[Nuclear1]

1. Deploy Alpha 1
2. ?????
3. PROFIT!

[FUBAR-BDHR]

He said what would you have done differently.  Deploying Alpha 1 is not different. 


On the other hand you plan just might work if we:  CLONE ALPHA 1

[Nuclear1]

1. Put Alpha 1 in charge of the Colossus.
2. ?????
3. Win war.

[Charismatic]

If alpha 1 was in the colossus it would have died way sooner, because A1 WASENT there to take out the 3\4 or 4\4 beam cannons on the sathy.

[Woolie Wool]

Well, first of all I would sent the idiot who gave the Colossus firepower far less than its size would suggest out an airlock. Another thing I would do would be to create coordinated attacks between different capship formations with one expendable ship or group of ships relaying targeting data to a larger main force that would ambush the Shivan formation's rear.

A third would be to retire the GTF Myrmidon and replace it with the Perseus as quickly as possible.

Other decisions:

-Replace existing blob turrets with upgraded models similar to modern fighter cannons.
-Retire the Subach HL-7 and Prometheus R and reinstate the Avenger in their place.
-Develop new Terran cruiser classses specializing in AAA for use as convoy escorts. Retire the Fenris, Leviathan, and Aten.
-Refine and miniaturize the TAG missile technology to create rockets that can expose stealth fighters and keep them on radar for several minutes at least. Of course, the Shivans don't seem to have stealth fighters, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
-Recall existing Serapis fighters and upgrade their shields, and reassign them to space superiority roles.
-Create true interceptors to fill the role of the GTF Valkyrie and  GVF Horus after reassigning the Perseus and upgraded Serapis to space superiority. Keep the Valkyrie and Horus in active duty as an interim solution.
-Reinstate the Chronos in active service if it truly is retired and not just a ship that was in service in FS2 and simply not seen.
-Retire the GVB Osiris.
-Deploy Mjolnirs in large numbers whever a blockade is set up.
-Deploy Sekhmets instead of Bakhas against the Sathanas.

Maybe I should apply for GTVA fleet R&D chief instead?

[Herra Tohtori]

Deactivate and disassemble or demolish the portal to Nebula the first time you got the chance. Shivans are trouble, you can research the bloody thing somewhere else if you want but there's shivans on the other side and you might want to keep them there.

If keeping the portal open is of utmost importance, heavily fortify both the Knossos portal and the node to Capella on both ends. Mjölnirs, Meson Mines, missiles batteries, a few destroyers... that kind of thing. I never understood how they always used rather small forces to "blockade" nodes... General evacuation of Capella system might have been justifiable but problematic considering it's importance for the GTVA.

Also, I concur to the Colossus being underarmed. If it really had such puny reactors that it could only power the beams that were on it you could just strap several Mjölnir RBC's onto it's surface. And as far as heatsinks go, if they can have sufficient heatsink on something the size of Mjölnir, I don't get what the problem with heatsinks was in Colossus... perhaps they SHOULD have been designed for magnitudes of more abuse.

[Jeff Vader]

He said what would you have done differently.  Deploying Alpha 1 is not different.

K.

Discharge Alpha 1 after his first mission. And see just how well the GTVA would do.

[Nuclear1]

Send in the sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads?

[NGTM-1R]

Not attempt to fight a war on two fronts. Defend the Gamma Draconis system, deploy scouting craft into the nebula solely for advance warning; they should avoid contact with the enemy. Begin evacuating civilian dependents and non-war-industry workers from Capella at once, and make efforts to fortify the system. Focus on holding the line against the NTF and isolating them until the Colossus has been deployed. If possible, use the Colossus only as a linebreaker at the Polaris node, allowing the GTVA to assert its advantage in numbers in a system-wide engagement, before dispatching it to stand guard at Capella or Gamma Drac depending on which is easier to support.

And remember that the GTVA's advantage against the Shivans is in the quality of their fightercraft, so I should attempt to combat Shivan ships with fightercraft wherever possible, and capitals should not assume a leading role except in a situation where they will bring a crushing firepower advantage into play.

[Wobble73]

If I were Command, I'd tend my resignation and sign up for the flight school. After all, why be back at base barking orders when you could be in the thick of it?

[Dilmah G]

Also, I concur to the Colossus being underarmed. If it really had such puny reactors that it could only power the beams that were on it you could just strap several Mjölnir RBC's onto it's surface. And as far as heatsinks go, if they can have sufficient heatsink on something the size of Mjölnir, I don't get what the problem with heatsinks was in Colossus... perhaps they SHOULD have been designed for magnitudes of more abuse.

It depends I suppose. Those heatsinks were designed for a specific power output and no-more, it was never intended that the Colly should have to use more firepower than what it was designed to do. If the GTVA had known about the Sath, surely they would've designed larger heatsinks. For it's surface area, I think the Colly is armed well enough, both it's broadsides being covered there's not much else to do is there, however, I think they should've designed a new type of beam cannon with a larger power-output for a ship of such magnitude.

[terran_emperor]

If i was Command...hmm

well id

Do what Woolie Wool has said

Id also
-Keep the Harbinger and Tsunami in service
-Replace all Blob-Turrets with a mix of Rail Guns and the Rapid-Fire Plasma Phalanx used by the Omega Destroyer from B5
-Give the Colossus decent armarments and replace its crew because though they died heros, they were still complete Frak-heads.
-Id introduce Carriers

-Introduce Battleships to the fleet. Now before Karajorma starts arguing with me like he did with Trashman a while back, i will state how i see Battleships working in the FS universe. Battleship would be bristling with weaponary, but have no fighterbay. I way i see them working is that battleships would emerge from subspace in the middle of enemy fleet formations, deliver a series of fast devestating strikes and jump out. As a Rule, Battleships opporate in groups of 3 or 4 and never indivually and always be accompanied by a couple of support wings of cruisers.

http://efni.org/Earthforce_Navy_EFNI.htm - I'd use this as a basis of the fleet organization - except apply it to 14 fleets and 14 Battle Groups.

Id also move away from the dependancy on Beam-Weapons. I mean the Colossus with similar armarments to the B5's Omega Destroyer. If i could, id replace the almost the entire GTVA Fleet craft with the Babylon 5 Earth Alliance ships (Canon and those from EFNI[dot]net). Just about the only ships id keep are the Perseus, Herc I+2, Ares and Erinyes fighters and the Aeolus cruiser and the Deimos corvette. Hell, id even go as far as to try and build my own Mercury and Columbia class Battlestars if i could

[NGTM-1R]

The irony here is the number of people who are advocating things beyond Command's control or ability, like widescale deployment of experimental technologies or total fleet redesign.

[Dilmah G]

The irony here is the number of people who are advocating things beyond Command's control or ability, like widescale deployment of experimental technologies or total fleet redesign.

Yeah I see your point

In reality, we are mostly suggesting things for the GTVA to trial, rather than Command. Command's power stops really at what forces go where, not devising experimental armenants etc.

[TrashMan]

Blockade the Knossos with every friggin thing I can scrounge up.
Fortify is to such redicolous level that everybody in the universe will think me insane.

But it would be worth it tough.. Imageine a Sath jumping in only to be greeted by 3000 beam cannons opening up on it

[Dilmah G]

But it would be worth it tough.. Imageine a Sath jumping in only to be greeted by 3000 beam cannons opening up on it

......Imagine the lag! 

Dude seriously, what the hell would happen to my frame rate, it would like a hit a brickwall or something

[Lucika]

I'd create 2 or 3 (or more) Hadeses instead of the Collie.
And I would enter the portal but only to establish a defence until the studies are done. After that, retreat and blow the whole hell up!
Yup, and deploy more ships against the rebel run to the portal. I don't believe that "our forces are currenty tied down" crap. You should always have a few reinforcements at hand.

[Woolie Wool]

I'd create 2 or 3 (or more) Hadeses instead of the Collie.
And I would enter the portal but only to establish a defence until the studies are done. After that, retreat and blow the whole hell up!
Yup, and deploy more ships against the rebel run to the portal. I don't believe that "our forces are currenty tied down" crap. You should always have a few reinforcements at hand.

Yeah, build three jury-rigged, half-completed shells of Terran super-destroyers with some obsolete Shivan beam cannons hastily bolted on and no point defense at all. Good idea.