[Hades]

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.

Only one it was instant was in the intro cutscene, all other cutscenes featuring beams were not.

[mralexs]

My gripe is that to ST Azrael can't be disabled 

[Cobra]

Random bump much? And yes, the Azreal can be disabled.

[Trivial Psychic]

Ever try and disable and escape pod? 

[Droid803]

Should be possible with subsystem disruptor guns. Anything else would probably kill it by accident.

[Cobra]

Hit it with with a single MX-50 or Rockeye. >_>

[Droid803]

But it'll blow up!

[Scourge of Ages]

But it'll blow up!

dis·a·ble/disˈābəl/
Verb:    1. (of a disease, injury, or accident) Limit (someone) in their movements, senses, or activities.
             2. Put out of action.

[mralexs]

Something I've never personally observed but have heard about a lot: the Azrael can't be disabled because of the placement of the engine system.

read that on the wiki, and I believe it is true

[Dragon]

It can be disabled, it's just difficult. It's engine isn't exposed, but near hits also affect subsystems.

[TrashMan]

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.

No, not really.

A game restricts the creator by it's need for balance. A universe/setting is always created in the head first. It is then turned into a move/game/book format. And that product is always gonna be limited by medium. A move, being less limited is practicly always closer to fluff than a game by it's very nature.

Fluff is the original concept/idea.

[TrashMan]

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.

There is no difference really. Any weapon powerfull enough to engage captial ships in space is an anti-planet weapon.
Heck, a normal railgun wi  ldo terrible things to planet.
From space, it's frighteningly easy to frack up a planet.

[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.

There is no difference really. Any weapon powerfull enough to engage captial ships in space is an anti-planet weapon.
Heck, a normal railgun wi  ldo terrible things to planet.
From space, it's frighteningly easy to frack up a planet.

A beam designed to cut through a few meters of metal (and fail at doing so for a few attempts) does not make an anti-planet beam. A beam that cuts through about 500 meters of Orion in one shot on the other hand...

Either way, fluff vs in-game is very balanced in Freespace. No beams but the one that wipes out an entire planet ever kill anything in one shot in cutscenes; just like in game. If anything, ships are MORE fragile in-game then in cutscenes.

[MatthTheGeek]

A beam designed to cut through a few meters of metal (and fail at doing so for a few attempts) does not make an anti-planet beam.

A beam designed to cut through a few meters of capital-grade armor, armor that is able to resist several megatons of nuclear ordnance, sounds more than able to wreak significant havoc on a planet's surface.

Remember how ridiculously powerful FS ships are. A single Apollo with ML-16 and Furies, even without shields, could eliminate all of the USA's army on his own.