Author Topic: favourite canon fighters.  (Read 27346 times)

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
In Port, Hornets are pretty good bomber killers. Aside from that, they're good for retail AI-controlled heavy fighters against freighters/cruisers.

I've yet to play FS1 retail, but from what I heard, aspect-seeking missiles where much less good than in FSPort.

They were. The Interceptor was definitely sub-par, and the Phoenix V was all but useless. It couldn't hit anything faster than a transport, but in that case, Hornets did more DPS. And unlike the Trebuchet, the Phoenix V didn't have the range advantage to justify its bomb-like maneuverability.

I loved FS1 because it was the first space sim I ever played, and it introduced me to a great genre, but when you look at the difference in secondary functionality between retail FS1 and even retail FS2, secondaries in retail FS1 really kind of sucked. The only one I remember using and abusing was surprisingly the Synaptic, since I flew Athenas so often. I don't know how or why, but the submunitions always netted me a bunch of kills.

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
"Neutrality means that you don't really care, cuz the struggle goes on even when you're not there: Blind and unaware."

"We still believe in all the things that we stood by before,
and after everything we've seen here maybe even more.
I know we're not the only ones, and we were not the first,
and unapologetically we'll stand behind each word."

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuVi5BHurhY
QD says PV useless = NO!

Don't they behave a little more like Trebuchets in the port? I remember them being fairly awful in retail FS1.

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
Not really.
Watch the vid, their behaviour is kinda moot :P
"Neutrality means that you don't really care, cuz the struggle goes on even when you're not there: Blind and unaware."

"We still believe in all the things that we stood by before,
and after everything we've seen here maybe even more.
I know we're not the only ones, and we were not the first,
and unapologetically we'll stand behind each word."

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
Not really.
Watch the vid, their behaviour is kinda moot :P

Yeah, I see what you mean - pretty much any missile would hit in those scenarios, so using the one with the biggest boom is good. But the general usefulness of aspect-seekers in retail FS1 was still pretty woeful, at least compared to what we have now. Maybe it's just that I'm spoiled because Harpoons, Tornados, and Trebuchets all improved so much over their predecessors that the comparison is hardly fair. Secondaries in FS2 definitely improved more than the primaries or ship tech did...except for Synaptics. Synaptic 2: Electric Boogaloo was disappointing.


 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
Aspect seekers = pointless in both versions of FS.
There is only tempests, occasionally rockeyes, and a boatload of primaries (unless you're bombing or doing some strategic/tactical **** where trebs are ok).
"Neutrality means that you don't really care, cuz the struggle goes on even when you're not there: Blind and unaware."

"We still believe in all the things that we stood by before,
and after everything we've seen here maybe even more.
I know we're not the only ones, and we were not the first,
and unapologetically we'll stand behind each word."

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
Aspect seekers = pointless in both versions of FS.
There is only tempests, occasionally rockeyes, and a boatload of primaries (unless you're bombing or doing some strategic/tactical **** where trebs are ok).

I like to do surgical strike kinda stuff, hence the Athena preference in FS1 that I mentioned earlier. Trebs are ridiculously good. But Tornados aren't too bad, and Harpoons usually hit their target...not saying they're good, mind you. Some of us don't have godlike piloting skills.  :p

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
I like to use aspect-seekers in situations when I can't afford to spend too much time hunting every single target. For example, against a botload of Dragons when I'm far enough from them (before they close in to knife range, or when they're engaged with wingmates). Or in Multi against AIs, when lag makes killing a single Mara with primaries/tempest last half an hour.
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Re: favourite canon fighters.
I like to use aspect-seekers in situations when I can't afford to spend too much time hunting every single target. For example, against a botload of Dragons when I'm far enough from them (before they close in to knife range, or when they're engaged with wingmates). Or in Multi against AIs, when lag makes killing a single Mara with primaries/tempest last half an hour.

Yeah, if I'm in something with a good missile capacity, I'll usually chew the rear quadrant up with primaries, fire some Tornadoes, and let them ram themselves up the tailpipe of the fighter I was chasing off, especially since I usually fly ships that have more missiles than maneuverability. You really don't want to be trying to primary everything in an Ares.  :p

 

Offline Kolgena

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
How come those dragons die so fast??

You make them seem as useless as basilisks.

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
How come those dragons die so fast??

You make them seem as useless as basilisks.

Dual fired Phoenix Vs. They do hurt quite a lot. It's just the question of getting Dragons to sit still long enough.

  

Offline Mongoose

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
Aspect seekers = pointless in both versions of FS.
There is only tempests, occasionally rockeyes, and a boatload of primaries (unless you're bombing or doing some strategic/tactical **** where trebs are ok).

I like to do surgical strike kinda stuff, hence the Athena preference in FS1 that I mentioned earlier. Trebs are ridiculously good. But Tornados aren't too bad, and Harpoons usually hit their target...not saying they're good, mind you. Some of us don't have godlike piloting skills.  :p
Yeah, my fine aim is crap, so Harpoons are usually way more useful than Tempests for me. :p

And I love the Phoenix V trick in that mission.  It's almost the only way of getting rid of the Dragons quickly enough to be able to protect all of the escape pods from the Basilisks that soon jump in.

 

Offline Hades

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
The thing with Trebs is that while they're pretty okay at long distance, providing your target is an AI target, they're absolute crap in close quarters. Harpoons don't turn nearly fast enough in FS2 to actually track a target well, Harpoons are actually better than Hornets and Tornadoes for anti-fighter duty.

Tempest is still the best, though.
[22:29] <sigtau> Hello, #hard-light?  I'm trying to tell a girl she looks really good for someone who doesn't exercise.  How do I word that non-offensively?
[22:29] <RangerKarl|AtWork> "you look like a big tasty muffin"
----
<batwota> wouldn’t that mean that it’s prepared to kiss your ass if you flank it :p
<batwota> wow
<batwota> KILL

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
The thing with Trebs is that while they're pretty okay at long distance, providing your target is an AI target, they're absolute crap in close quarters. Harpoons don't turn nearly fast enough in FS2 to actually track a target well, Harpoons are actually better than Hornets and Tornadoes for anti-fighter duty.

Tempest is still the best, though.

Yeah, if you're in a fighter that can get up close and personal, nothing will quickly and completely melt other strikecraft quite like Tempests. I rarely have the luxury of being that close in an Ares, though. Trebs are absolutely evil in head-on passes since the high rate of closure makes it more difficult to dodge them. If you're trailing an enemy, Harpoons will almost always catch them. I sort of feel like they lack stopping power, but I'm used to a lot of firepower projection in the heavy/strategic assault role. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been had Interceptors not sucked in FS1. The Valk would have been great with a good aspect seeker. Banshee off the shields (yeah, I just verb'ed Banshee), fire and forget.  :yes:  Alas, I was far too busy shamelessly abusing Synaptics and tight Avenger firing points in the Athena between making Stiletto runs at turrets. I miss the Athena every time I play FS2.

Edited for sleepy spelling error.

 

Offline Commander Zane

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
The Valkyrie is awesome with Furies. Even if it is just one bank 120 managed shots can slaughter ships.

 

Offline Hades

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
Yeah, if you're in a fighter that can get up close and personal, nothing will quickly and completely melt other strikecraft quite like Tempests. I rarely have the luxury of being that close in an Ares, though. Trebs are absolutely evil in head-on passes since the high rate of closure makes it more difficult to dodge them. If you're trailing an enemy, Harpoons will almost always catch them. I sort of feel like they lack stopping power, but I'm used to a lot of firepower projection in the heavy/strategic assault role. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been had Interceptors not sucked in FS1. The Valk would have been great with a good aspect seeker. Banshee off the shields (yeah, I just verb'ed Banshee), fire and forget.  :yes:  Alas, I was far too busy shamelessly abusing Synaptics and tight Avenger firing points in the Athena between making Stiletto runs at turrets. I miss the Athena every time I play FS2.

Edited for sleepy spelling error.
There's your problem. Heavy fighters such as the Ares are poorly suited for dogfighting, but instead are better for attacking convoys, cruisers, and harassment of larger vessels. Also, interceptors in FreeSpace 1 were good, they actually did what they were advertised, interception. The ones in FreeSpace 2 are incorrectly labeled, the Perseus being more like an Apollo MK II and more of a space superiority fighter than the Myrm ever was, and the Serapis being more like an Anubis MK II, which was also a space superiority fighter.
[22:29] <sigtau> Hello, #hard-light?  I'm trying to tell a girl she looks really good for someone who doesn't exercise.  How do I word that non-offensively?
[22:29] <RangerKarl|AtWork> "you look like a big tasty muffin"
----
<batwota> wouldn’t that mean that it’s prepared to kiss your ass if you flank it :p
<batwota> wow
<batwota> KILL

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
Yeah, if you're in a fighter that can get up close and personal, nothing will quickly and completely melt other strikecraft quite like Tempests. I rarely have the luxury of being that close in an Ares, though. Trebs are absolutely evil in head-on passes since the high rate of closure makes it more difficult to dodge them. If you're trailing an enemy, Harpoons will almost always catch them. I sort of feel like they lack stopping power, but I'm used to a lot of firepower projection in the heavy/strategic assault role. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been had Interceptors not sucked in FS1. The Valk would have been great with a good aspect seeker. Banshee off the shields (yeah, I just verb'ed Banshee), fire and forget.  :yes:  Alas, I was far too busy shamelessly abusing Synaptics and tight Avenger firing points in the Athena between making Stiletto runs at turrets. I miss the Athena every time I play FS2.

Edited for sleepy spelling error.
There's your problem. Heavy fighters such as the Ares are poorly suited for dogfighting, but instead are better for attacking convoys, cruisers, and harassment of larger vessels. Also, interceptors in FreeSpace 1 were good, they actually did what they were advertised, interception. The ones in FreeSpace 2 are incorrectly labeled, the Perseus being more like an Apollo MK II and more of a space superiority fighter than the Myrm ever was, and the Serapis being more like an Anubis MK II, which was also a space superiority fighter.

Yeah, I know the Ares/Erinyes aren't really meant to dogfight in, hence why I mentioned that I find aspect-seeking secondaries useful after QD said he doesn't like them much. I just like the middle of the road role where I can be useful against any sized target, hence the heavy assault/surgical strike platforms.

The Ares handles worse than a wheelbarrow with a flat tire, but a couple of well-placed Kayser blasts to the face and a Harpoon or two up the tailpipe is enough to discourage the special attention I get from fighters.

You're right about the lack of a true interceptor in FS2, though. The Valk would probably get carved up by AA beams, though - the Serapis sure does. If it had been my game to make, I would have had a dedicated interceptor with some sort of extra perk for being saddled with paper armor and low missile capacity - like a reduced chance of being by AA beams, being a small and quick target and all that.

 

Offline Marcov

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Re: favourite canon fighters.
Isn't the Erinyes a better dogfighter than the Ares?

I flied the Ares in the last mission and was the only fighter I survived in without being blasted to hell by Shivans (though I died with the supernova).

So tho the Ares isn't a good dogfighter you still have a massive shielding hp; once the shields are out and your hull is hit, things aren't going to end well. Though you'll probably be hammered by Dragons, you'll survive long enough to beat the crap out of them with just a few direct hit Kayser shots.

But the Ares can sustain a very decent amount of firepower thus is able to maintain the good standing of the hull integrity.
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Re: favourite canon fighters.
Isn't the Erinyes a better dogfighter than the Ares?

I flied the Ares in the last mission and was the only fighter I survived in without being blasted to hell by Shivans (though I died with the supernova).

So tho the Ares isn't a good dogfighter you still have a massive shielding hp; once the shields are out and your hull is hit, things aren't going to end well. Though you'll probably be hammered by Dragons, you'll survive long enough to beat the crap out of them with just a few direct hit Kayser shots.

But the Ares can sustain a very decent amount of firepower thus is able to maintain the good standing of the hull integrity.

The Erinyes has better maneuverability and it's faster. Slightly. And the 2 extra gunpoints of the Erinyes may look good on paper. But the Ares can sustain fire of energy-eating primaries like the Maxim/Kayser for longer periods thanks to the highest energy recharge rate of any craft (except the Terran Mara), plus it's much more durable and has almost twice the missile capacity. I just can't like the Erinyes, no matter how hard I try. Between the Herc II and the Ares, it's an unnecessary middle ground to me.

But, people who are exceptionally accurate with primaries can unleash hell in an Erinyes. I'm just not that good.  :p

 
Re: favourite canon fighters.
The Eri turns as fast as the herc mk2 and will trounce Ares/mk2s in fights with ease.

The Ares, and stuff like it, that's too heavy, is only good against crappy AI on crappy difficulties. Let alone vs people..
"Neutrality means that you don't really care, cuz the struggle goes on even when you're not there: Blind and unaware."

"We still believe in all the things that we stood by before,
and after everything we've seen here maybe even more.
I know we're not the only ones, and we were not the first,
and unapologetically we'll stand behind each word."