[Liberator]

The Node Thread in General Freespace made me ask this question to which no one over there answered:

Why is the Durga a sufficient threat to "almost" single-handedly prevent the GTVA from deploying significant forces directly to Earth?  BP's own Tech Description says that production has been kept artificially low by the council.  So this suggests less than 100 of them.  How exactly is this a threat to BP era GTVA destroyers and they're escorts given that GTVA anti-small craft capability roasts pretty much everything that gets within it's envelope within 20 seconds.  Between fighter screens and specialized escorts, the Durga's wouldn't even get close.  Unless they have Plot armor, which would make me cry foul very loudly.

[Commander Zane]

Slammers rape the almighty **** out of GTVA Strike Craft.
Durgas have Redeemer cannons that have high range.

[Snail]

A couple Durgas are easily capable of killing a corvette in a few seconds. Those things aren't dicking about.

[MatthTheGeek]

given that GTVA anti-small craft capability roasts pretty much everything that gets within it's envelope within 20 seconds.

That's pretty much the description of the UEF point defenses here, not Tev's. The Tev defenses were designed to shoot down bombs and face multiple sucky Shivan crafts, not a handful of highly advanced fleet bombers.

Between fighter screens and specialized escorts, the Durga's wouldn't even get close.

Fighter screen ? What fighter screen ? Oh, you mean the slowass fighters easily dispatched by a few Kents ?

Jokes aside, BP canon clearly states that the UEF fighter corps is significantly superior to the Tev one. Mainly because, as stated above, it was designed to fight multiple, sucky Shivan fighters instead of few, elite pilots flying very high-tech crafts.

[Snail]

Also the Vajra. When it does appear it'll probably kill **** quick. For now though the stats can't really be said to be indicative of what it's capable of.

[Liberator]

Wait, so the Durga has an Anti-capital CANNON?!?!??!??  On a fighter.  In a faction that can't manage to figure out beam cannons.

You'll forgive me if I sit over here in the corner and giggle at the inconsistency.

[MatthTheGeek]

... wait what.

Where's the inconsistency, please ?

Oh, and also :

In a faction that can't manage to figure out beam cannons.

You mean, in a faction that, despite the fact it never needed to have any sort of meaningful battle fleet, built the equivalent of five whole Tev battlegroups, and proved a match for the GTVA might for 18 months, despite that beam tech that seems to important to you.

[Luis Dias]

UEF fighters and bombers will just **** tev's fleet in no time that's why.

This is also the reason why TEV's strategy is one of beamrape + fly away as fast as possible, or, like, tricking you into thinking you have some destroyer cornered and then subspaceemerge-over-your-ass-n-beamrape your frigates with another destroyer.

Think of this war more like a tricky game of Judu. If you go too deep, your ass will be wiped to the floor.

[Commander Zane]

The Archer is an anti-subsystem slug cannon.
The Redeemer (I think the Vajra too) is an anti-matter hull breaking slug cannon.
Forgot what the UX Accelerator was, but Kentaurois can use them.

It's not like they use energy reserves, they are limited to ammunition magazines, so in that regard they're not so much advanced as they are simple but effective.

[MatthTheGeek]

You're also coming over here and starting a debate about the Durga, while not knowing its basic stats like the weapons it's wielding ? You'll forgive me if I sit over here in the corner and giggle at the inconsistency.

Contrary to the Boanerges or even the Ursa, the Durga is a survivable heavy bomber. It will survive in situations where full squadrons of Tev bombers would have been destroyed a few hours earlier, and it will get the job done nevertheless.

Not to mention that, contrary to the Tevs, the Feds can and will afford a fighter escort for their bombers, instead of throwing them away. Like Simms says in a cut sequence :

Almost feel sorry for the poor bastards, don't you? A third the training their fighter pilots get, glorified warhead buses to fly without even a turret to give 'em cover, and half the time their escorts get pulled.

[Snail]

I want my Sidhe

[The E]

The Durga is a very real threat to Corvette-class ships, because its primary armament alone is capable of severely damaging one, and its shields are heavy enough to withstand a couple minutes worth of AA fire. 2 or three Durgas can destroy a Cv in less than a minute, and they can severely damage a DD if covered appropriately. They are even somewhat credible dogfighters, to make up for the lack of rear-mounted turrets.

Wait, so the Durga has an Anti-capital CANNON?!?!??!??  On a fighter.  In a faction that can't manage to figure out beam cannons.

You'll forgive me if I sit over here in the corner and giggle at the inconsistency.

There is no inconsistency. The Redeemer cannon is one more application of the UEF's expertise in antimatter handling and materials science. As with ship-mounted gauss cannons and rail guns, the UEF was able to develop this technology further than the GTVA because they didn't have much choice.

The Archer is an anti-subsystem slug cannon.
The Redeemer (I think the Vajra too) is an anti-matter hull breaking slug cannon.
Forgot what the UX Accelerator was, but Kentaurois can use them.

Correct for the Archer and Redeemer. The Vajra has been remodelled to be a rapid-fire anti-cruiser gun (but given that the Vajradahara can carry Redeemers in one of its other primary banks, this is not as great a drawback as you might think). The UX Accelerator is what amounts to a fighter-mounted sniper rifle.

[Snail]

Would it be correct to say the Redeemer is similar to the Maxim in terms of operation?

[The E]

Yeah, it's a good analogue. Although I think the Redeemer is a bit more effective.

[Snail]

The Gattler is also similar but not nearly as good, I guess...

[Commander Zane]

Correct for the Archer and Redeemer. The Vajra has been remodelled to be a rapid-fire anti-cruiser gun (but given that the Vajradahara can carry Redeemers in one of its other primary banks, this is not as great a drawback as you might think). The UX Accelerator is what amounts to a fighter-mounted sniper rifle.

Ah so it's being changed then.

[Liberator]

Ok, I'll buy that they can do the deed.  But it still strikes me as falacious that a hull plate that can withstand sustained direct plasma fire for several seconds is going to be devastated by the energy discharge from a anti-matter explosion.

Also, how would you provide a player piloting such a "broken"(yeah I said it) ship a competent challenge since multiple team members have stated that it's deliberately a)nigh-on impossible to kill and b)packs a game breaking wallop from it's primary armament.

I mean once upon a time, someone said that BP wasn't going to go the route of other campaign/mods and retain the destroyer as something to be feared.  But with the Durga, it seems you guys are drifting a bit, actually screw it, you guys are firmly into the MOAR! AND BIGGAR! EXPLOSIONS! AND GUNS! arms race at a scale that is that almost Lensman is scale.  I really expected better, but I guess I shouldn't have.

[LordPomposity]

But it still strikes me as falacious that a hull plate that can withstand sustained direct plasma fire for several seconds is going to be devastated by the energy discharge from a anti-matter explosion.

EDIT: On second thought, I'll replace the flamebait I posted here with something no more productive, but at the very least less insulting. Namely:

ANTIMATTER IS SERIOUS ****ING BUSINESS

[Commander Zane]

Ok, I'll buy that they can do the deed.  But it still strikes me as falacious that a hull plate that can withstand sustained direct plasma fire for several seconds is going to be devastated by the energy discharge from a anti-matter explosion.

Also, how would you provide a player piloting such a "broken"(yeah I said it) ship a competent challenge since multiple team members have stated that it's deliberately a)nigh-on impossible to kill and b)packs a game breaking wallop from it's primary armament.

I mean once upon a time, someone said that BP wasn't going to go the route of other campaign/mods and retain the destroyer as something to be feared.  But with the Durga, it seems you guys are drifting a bit, actually screw it, you guys are firmly into the MOAR! AND BIGGAR! EXPLOSIONS! AND GUNS! arms race at a scale that is that almost Lensman is scale.  I really expected better, but I guess I shouldn't have.

Because last I messed around with Durgas, Redeemer fire alone still does very little damage to Destroyers, and as said before they're actually defended unlike GTVA bomber wings so they will be more difficult to take down. Then there's the Vajradhara, which given what it's supposed to do you'll likely only see it in what, a single mission maybe as an act of desparation?
Durgas in R1 appeared in one, two missions? They're not thrown around in droves like the Artemis, but used sparingly when deemed necessary.

Also, if they're so game-breaking they would've ganked the Serkr Team effortlessly, which they failed to do.

[Spoon]

I want my Sidhe

Don't worry, you will