[Alex Heartnet]

Has anyone else noticed just how easy a target the Apollo's engine subsystem is?  Its shields are really the only thing keeping it from being disabled by a few disruptor shots.  And a disabled fighter is almost as good as a dead one.

Try it sometime when playing the 'Avenging Angels' mission.  You don't even need the ML-16 for that mission - just bring along full disruptors, destroy the engines on the enemy Apollos, and let your wingman deal with the other fighters.

The combination of hostile, unshielded Apollos and disruptor guns is a rare combination, true, but if someone ever made a mission that requires disabling an Apollo, it would be perfectly playable...

[MatthTheGeek]

It's not a bug, it's a feature !

Seriously, if you're starting with huge unshielded engines, we're gonna get on the Hecate very quickly

[Kolgena]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

[KyadCK]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

Ever run into something with a Uly? Goodbye sensors. The list goes on and on, but as subsystems go comm isn't too bad in comparison. (unless it your first play-through and you want to know the story that is)

[ssmit132]

Let's not go into the Hades' terrible subsystem armour...

[Thaeris]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

The placement of the sensors ususally makes rather good sense, actually. What doesn't make any sense is that you're crashing into spaceships with your own space ship... and surviving!

[KyadCK]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

The placement of the sensors ususally makes rather good sense, actually. What doesn't make any sense is that you're crashing into spaceships with your own space ship... and surviving!

Well, a tempest is a 3-5 Kiloton warhead. So I guess if you factor in it takes several of these incredibly powerful missiles to down a fighter, I guess it would be like ramming two fallout bunkers together in space and them both surviving. The fact the average fighter is about the size of a small fallout bunker is just an added bonus.

[Kosh]

As I recall weak subsystem armor was a common problem on Terran FS1 era stuff.

It's not a bug, it's a feature !

Seriously, if you're starting with huge unshielded engines, we're gonna get on the Hecate very quickly

At least the Hecate could make up for it by having lots and lots of engine subsystems.

[SypheDMar]

As I recall weak subsystem armor was a common problem on Terran FS1 era stuff.

I remember the FS2 Erinyes having this problem, too.

[qwadtep]

As I recall weak subsystem armor was a common problem on Terran FS1 era stuff.

Vasudan, too. STL taught me to be really careful with the Osiris lest I accidentally completely disable myself with my own bombs.

[TrashMan]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

The placement of the sensors ususally makes rather good sense, actually. What doesn't make any sense is that you're crashing into spaceships with your own space ship... and surviving!

Well, a tempest is a 3-5 Kiloton warhead. So I guess if you factor in it takes several of these incredibly powerful missiles to down a fighter, I guess it would be like ramming two fallout bunkers together in space and them both surviving. The fact the average fighter is about the size of a small fallout bunker is just an added bonus.

Gameplay balance = equal universe fluff.

In cutscenes, beam cannons tear trough a capship instantly. In the game, it takes several hits. It's always the same in any game. You shouldn't take "ship X can survive 20 hits from Y" seriously.

It would be like me saying that X-Wings can tank 20 laser shots from TIE-Fighter. They can in the game, but in the movie/universe? No, not really.

[KyadCK]

Ever accidentally run into something while flying a Valkyrie? The comms system is on the nosecone and made of tin foil. Lots of Freespace ships have nonsensical subsystem placements.

The placement of the sensors ususally makes rather good sense, actually. What doesn't make any sense is that you're crashing into spaceships with your own space ship... and surviving!

Well, a tempest is a 3-5 Kiloton warhead. So I guess if you factor in it takes several of these incredibly powerful missiles to down a fighter, I guess it would be like ramming two fallout bunkers together in space and them both surviving. The fact the average fighter is about the size of a small fallout bunker is just an added bonus.

Gameplay balance = equal universe fluff.

In cutscenes, beam cannons tear trough a capship instantly. In the game, it takes several hits. It's always the same in any game. You shouldn't take "ship X can survive 20 hits from Y" seriously.

It would be like me saying that X-Wings can tank 20 laser shots from TIE-Fighter. They can in the game, but in the movie/universe? No, not really.

But since FS is, first and foremost, a game, then the gameplay aspect is the 'correct' and the little addon movies are the 'fluff', unlike StarWars where it is the other way around.

And unshielded, those primaries that just 'bounce off' the shields normaly do a huge amount of damage, only needing a few shots to kill any fighter, the difference is shields recharge.

EDIT: Only beam just wiping out a ship in one shot that i can remember that -wasn't- done by massive damage ingame was the Lucy cutting into an orion with the same beam it used to glass a world. Could be wrong though.

[Pred the Penguin]

I think he might be talking about the final cut scene in FS2... which apparently I can't even remember the name of.
I haven't played Freespace in sooo long I should just go die.

[Cobra]

Lolno. In Endgame you could see beams carving chunks out of the armor. The FIRST cutscene has the Lucifer go 'LOLPWNAGE' with its planetkiller beam and punch a hole through the Orion.

[Pred the Penguin]

That just goes the show you that I haven't played in a long time. I don't even remember any of the cut scenes.

[Aardwolf]

Lolno. In Endgame you could see beams carving chunks out of the armor. The FIRST cutscene has the Lucifer go 'LOLPWNAGE' with its planetkiller beam and punch a hole through the Orion.

Perhaps that Orion had already sustained a few hits prior to then?

The intro also has a Herc that appears out of thin air.

[Cobra]

It's always come from off-screen to me.

[mjn.mixael]

 lolno the Herc just pops into existence.

[KyadCK]

Lolno. In Endgame you could see beams carving chunks out of the armor. The FIRST cutscene has the Lucifer go 'LOLPWNAGE' with its planetkiller beam and punch a hole through the Orion.

Perhaps that Orion had already sustained a few hits prior to then?

The intro also has a Herc that appears out of thin air.

I hold by my statement that the Lucifer didn't use an anti-ship beam, but an anti-planet beam on the orion in the intro. Certinly makes the 1-shot kill thing more likely considering what the same beam did to Vasuda.

[Kolgena]

lolno the Herc just pops into existence.

I can't believe I never noticed. The herc actually poofs into existence!