[Ghastly]

I've been considering starting on a short alternate campaign (started planning it. I'll probably only really use it to learn FRED, after I finish all of the tutorials and become competent) from the perspective of a pilot serving on the Colossus. My question, how much am I allowed to mess around with the story a bit? For example, I thought it was odd that during High Noon, the Colossus was relying on support from the Psamtik's fighters, since it carries two squadrons, if I recall correctly. I wouldn't really change it much (campaigns like this are more enjoyable if they don't rewrite massive chunks), just maybe an explanation for why the Colossus' fighters are elsewhere for some parts, and fleshing out some behind-the-scenes battles.

[headdie]

You can completely rewrite the story if you wish, so long as it is fun, reasonably consistent with itself and the back story to that point and in a working state on release. 

I wish you luck, remember there is a sizable community here with regulars that are happy to help if you hit a problem (it helps to word it nicely )

[-Norbert-]

If you don't stick to the main campaign story, make sure to explicitly write so in the release thread (best in bold, massively big red letters) or otherwise every 3rd post will be "but it wasn't like that in FS2!" 

[Ghastly]

Alright. I'll still try to stick as close as possible, though, with maybe a bit more thrown in to allow more content, like the Colossus deploying some fighters and bombers to destroy a Ravana-class that slipped around, and might attack while it's engaging the Sathanas, to explain why the Colossus' fighters weren't there during High Noon (and returning to guard the Colossus from some other ships that jumped in after the Sathanas was destroyed, to take advantage of its weakened state, maybe?).

I might need some help planning it out. I'm not totally sure of the Colossus' deployment between its unveiling and its duel in High Noon.

[Scourge of Ages]

If you just want to add stuff that could have happened, as long as it's reasonable to believe that it could have, there should be no problems at all. If you want to completely change something that we know for sure happened, that's fine too as long as you let people know that that's what you're planning.

[NGTM-1R]

The Colossus' movements are actually fairly circumscribed by FS2, I think. We know where it was and what it was doing for pretty much the whole time.

[Luis Dias]

The Colossus' movements are actually fairly circumscribed by FS2, I think. We know where it was and what it was doing for pretty much the whole time.

As in being extraordinarily incompetent in high noon, getting 18 months worth of repairs due to being "close" to a shivan  juggernaught.

Perhaps it was the stress. Too many expectations for the young ship.

[SpardaSon21]

The Colossus damn near melted its reactor and heatsinks when it overloaded its beam cannons.  I'm not surprised it needs significant repairs.

[Ghastly]

The Colossus damn near melted its reactor and heatsinks when it overloaded its beam cannons.  I'm not surprised it needs significant repairs.

That was my justification as to why it needed massive repairs after the battle,despite not taking damage, when I played it (I played on easy and got all four beam cannons in Bearbaiting).

That, for the campaign, would also be my justification for a defense mission after the Sathanas is destroyed. The Colossus blew out its engines and most of its beam cannons in the battle, so you have to defend it until it gets its engines back online.

[headdie]

works for me

[Luis Dias]

Yeah, well, it's a case of rushed FREDing. Designers designed the missions considering that the player wouldn't get the 4 cannons in their first attempts (and that's a good guess), and so the Sathanas always beams the Collossus a little bit. The problem comes when there's no canon to fire the Collossus and still it has to be repaired for more than a year.

So sure, I accept the version that it "overheated" n stuff, but it's the lamest excuse I've ever seen for bad designing. It's like they forgot the possibility of alpha 1 actually getting all the canons and when they remembered, they added some clues to fix the giant plot hole.

And it smells, since there is no reason to "overheat" the beam cannnons at all. The Collossus had all the time in the world to destroy Sathanas.  Unless you argue that given more time, Sathanas would have jumped and that would have been very dangerous. But given that the Sathanas is unarmed, what kind of immediate danger does it pose? It's just not credible. You could well imagine the Collossus jumping right after Sathanas to get its job done too.

IOW, it doesn't work "for me". When I play that mission, I just shut my brain down so I don't get annoyed.

[Polpolion]

I've been considering starting on a short alternate campaign (started planning it. I'll probably only really use it to learn FRED, after I finish all of the tutorials and become competent) from the perspective of a pilot serving on the Colossus. My question, how much am I allowed to mess around with the story a bit? For example, I thought it was odd that during High Noon, the Colossus was relying on support from the Psamtik's fighters, since it carries two squadrons, if I recall correctly. I wouldn't really change it much (campaigns like this are more enjoyable if they don't rewrite massive chunks), just maybe an explanation for why the Colossus' fighters are elsewhere for some parts, and fleshing out some behind-the-scenes battles.

The colossus had a fair bit more than two squadrons, as I understand it. Yet I think it launched maybe a single wing the entire campaign. Makes me wonder how long it takes to prep a wing to launch since all these destroyers never seem to launch any when during combat that's not going well.

[Ghastly]

The colossus had a fair bit more than two squadrons, as I understand it. Yet I think it launched maybe a single wing the entire campaign. Makes me wonder how long it takes to prep a wing to launch since all these destroyers never seem to launch any when during combat that's not going well.

The cutscene after Sixth Wonder says two squadrons. Also, the Lucifer launches more wings, in-mission.

Also, makes me wonder why they think Sathanas-class juggernauts are so dangerous. If the Colossus can send out even just a few wings of bombers, they should be able to destroy the beam cannons easily enough.

[MatthTheGeek]

Sath are dangerous because they house a ****ton of fighters and bombers, and because they can annihilate anything in seconds with shock jumping tactics. Sending a few bomber wings to take out forward beams won't help you much if a Sath jump in range of your home ship.

[Qent]

The colossus had a fair bit more than two squadrons, as I understand it. Yet I think it launched maybe a single wing the entire campaign. Makes me wonder how long it takes to prep a wing to launch since all these destroyers never seem to launch any when during combat that's not going well.

The cutscene after Sixth Wonder says two squadrons. Also, the Lucifer launches more wings, in-mission.

Also, makes me wonder why they think Sathanas-class juggernauts are so dangerous. If the Colossus can send out even just a few wings of bombers, they should be able to destroy the beam cannons easily enough.

"60 wings" = 240 fighters/bombers = 20 squadrons?

[Marcov]

A good way to take out the Sathanas:

1. Have a bomber wing armed with Akhetons and Trebuchets quickly neutralize its rear LRed.
2. Have a Hattie jump in and quickly pummel down the Sath's fighterbay
3. Have several wings of bombers disable the engines
4. It's all yours (just be sure to send in all invading ships at the rear)

Given that the GTVA probably has a destroyer count near 80, let's just do that for every single Sathanas Juggernaut

[Dilmah G]

That's assuming your Hattie's going to survive long enough not to get defanged by Sathanas bomber wings or for the Sath to not turn around and wonder what on Earth such a small creature was doing spitting at it and promptly rectify the situation using its forward beam cannons.

The way I see it, you're inevitably going to lose ships when you go toe-to-toe with a Sathanas. Saturating the immediate area with friendly ships would produce such a volume of friendly beam fire and hull mass that a lone Sathanas couldn't neutralize every vessel.

[The E]

A good way to take out the Sathanas:

1. Have a bomber wing armed with Akhetons and Trebuchets quickly neutralize its rear LRed.
2. Have a Hattie jump in and quickly pummel down the Sath's fighterbay
3. Have several wings of bombers disable the engines
4. It's all yours (just be sure to send in all invading ships at the rear)

Given that the GTVA probably has a destroyer count near 80, let's just do that for every single Sathanas Juggernaut

You forgot two things. One is a step between 2 and 3, which should read "Cross fingers and hope the Sath doesn't figure out how to turn". Two is that "80 destroyers" is a massive conjecture on your part. And even if you had them in canon, remember that canon also states that the Shivans have at least that many Sathanases. And then there are the Demons, Ravanas and Liliths that the Shivans also have.

[MatthTheGeek]

Also, that supposesyou're jumping the Sath, and that the Sath doesn't jumps you. And 80 destroyers doesn't mean 80 Hatties or Orions. You also have Hecates and Typhons in there. They won't help much in term of offensive anti-cap firepower against a Sath.

[Titan]

what's to stop an inherently faster ship, say, a corvette, or even multiple cruisers, from manuevering with the Sath turns in order to stay behind it. It'd have to be fast, like an Aelous, but depending on they location relative to the Sath, they should in theory be able to stay behind it. Heck, have 3 Aelouses, 1 pummels the engines out of commision while the other two provide cover or even bait.