[Molaris]

Out of curiosity, why don't the UEF have space turrets? The GTA has space sentry turrets (laser and beam), but why don't the UEF? I understand the best of their weapons require ammo (gattlers, mass drivers, etc.,), so sustaining such armaments could be expensive, but even simple weapons like the UEF light/medium/heavy lasers, PDLs, or Flak Turrets would help them greatly. Was it something the Devs decided to leave out, or is there are particular reason the UEF doesn't bother with such defensive measures? i just came to realize it earlier in searching through the models of the recent release and thinking on the gameplay.

[Colonol Dekker]

Because it are superior GTVA thinking.

Buntu-scum aren't worthy of turrets.





srsly... I have no idea, I agree that they'd have a role in the Federal armouries. Maybe they'll turn up in the future. Pun intended.

[MatthTheGeek]

The fact we don't have any UEF-looking sentry gun doesn't help.

[Colonol Dekker]

Alastor reskin?

[Molaris]

perhaps it's because their ships are already well armed for anti-fighter engagements, or they just saw little use for them. The UEF doesn't use Corvettes, and the cruisers (from my understanding) only really became heavily used well into the war (especially the Custos). The main bulk of their fleet is composed of Frigates (well armed frigates I will add) and 3 destroyers total. Perhaps they never dreamed of having to face such a massive conflict, so they never invested much time into defensive platforms.
 
They'd really be handy against some of the newer subspace missiles that the GTA has. Small missiles would require some level of upkeep, but make them have just enough punch to stop the Raynor's and Titan's missiles from impacting on friendly installations and yet still have a generous ammo capacity should things go from bad to worse that they can defend their posts for a decent amount of time before needing rearming.

Although, now that I think about it, long range Trebs could prob pick them off too easily (at least the anti-fighter/missile turrets). It would probably actually just cost more and solve little.

Thought it might make for a decent discussion and I wanted to see what people thought.

@MatthTheGeek - is it cause no one made one, or that you just saw it making little impact on the gameplay/story. I'm not trying to sound like a negative nancy, just curious.

[headdie]

how about this one, a FS1/2 era fighter is usually worth 4 or more sentry guns, now a UEF fighter is generally worth several GTVAs, not only this but a fighter can be used for multiple applications, SGs are usually just cannon fodder.  Economy wise it probably makes more sense to build 1 fighter than 4-10 sentries which given the situation in sol even before the GTVA barged in the military didnt really have the resources to waste on inefficient, limited application stuff.

[Molaris]

i am satisfied. thanks all

[Klaustrophobia]

general purpose sentry guns are only relevant in MASSIVE numbers or against un- or under-armed transports.

[Luis Dias]

It makes sense for pre-WiH Sol space to be filled with sentry guns, specially the corridors used by freighters incapable of subspace warp. There's not only the issue of random piracy, there's also the well identified threat of the GEF. A UEF fighter may well be a good escort, but are their lives as expendable as robot guns parked in space? Or, if "parked" is too immobile and inflexible, a fleet of sentry guns with a small engine programmed to escort every convoy isn't "stupid". More so in a time of war (think how easier for Laporte would have been the first mission of WiH).

This is one of many silent "good ideas" that never went to make it to WiH for obvious reasons: the devs can't think and produce everything. I consider the saga a really amazing development of the entire FS canon in almost every single detail. Probably the main writers will even come up here and teach us how silly I am being, that the UEF hasn't any sentry gun because of a simple and important detail I'm missing or underemphasizing (like the uselessness of FS era sentry guns against modern threats).

[headdie]

general purpose sentry guns are only relevant in MASSIVE numbers or against un- or under-armed transports.

Sentry guns are best employed as force multipliers rather than the core.  In a situation where there is a more significant threat in the area such as fighters or a warship the turrets then work to harass opposing forces, weakening and distracting them so the main force can operate with less resistance.

Having said that, that is probably the only mainstream situation whey they will prove a notable effect and requires a prepared battlefield, a situation difficult to force with the degree of mobility demonstrated in the FSverse.

[General Battuta]

It makes sense for pre-WiH Sol space to be filled with sentry guns, specially the corridors used by freighters incapable of subspace warp. There's not only the issue of random piracy, there's also the well identified threat of the GEF. A UEF fighter may well be a good escort, but are their lives as expendable as robot guns parked in space? Or, if "parked" is too immobile and inflexible, a fleet of sentry guns with a small engine programmed to escort every convoy isn't "stupid". More so in a time of war (think how easier for Laporte would have been the first mission of WiH).

This is one of many silent "good ideas" that never went to make it to WiH for obvious reasons: the devs can't think and produce everything. I consider the saga a really amazing development of the entire FS canon in almost every single detail. Probably the main writers will even come up here and teach us how silly I am being, that the UEF hasn't any sentry gun because of a simple and important detail I'm missing or underemphasizing (like the uselessness of FS era sentry guns against modern threats).

Civilian shipping security is part of the second chunk of the interview with the UEF civilians that popped up a while ago. The sentry gun question is a good one, but ultimately not quite the right answer to the UEF's shipping security needs. Sentries rely on density and overlapping fields of fire for effect, so they're pretty great for guarding small static targets like a cargo depot, but slapping them down on every gate corridor was eventually judged (after some dispute) less of a safe bet than relying on the combination of the UEF's superb subspace tracking network and the ability to vector in fighters in response. The civilians in the interview would have a bit to say of this, of varying valence.

The GTVA has since painstakingly disassembled that tracking network.

[qwadtep]

Maybe all the UEF's sentry guns were just destroyed earlier in the war and nobody bothered replacing them since they'd just be treb fodder anyway.

[Mars]

Maybe we just haven't encountered them yet?

[Qent]

If any existed, I would think we'd have seen them in Darkest Hour.

[crizza]

Wasn't there something about Apocalypse batteries around the antimatter farms?
That would be somekind of a sentry turret...a hell of a sentry turret

[headdie]

Wasn't there something about Apocalypse batteries around the antimatter farms?
That would be somekind of a sentry turret...a hell of a sentry turret

they could be station mounted

[Flak]

Sentries with Khatvanga would be quite effective I think