Another Newbie question!!

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:13 pm

Hi all, I've recently downloaded Fleet Ops and I'm loving it, enjoyed Armada II but Fleet Ops just blows me away, the graphics alone are fantastic.  Ok after reading a few things about the races tech tree and ships and weapons I've got a question, the Federation Steam Runner, I don't have a build option for this ship!!  Is this right, should I have it, or is it being added at a later date??  I'm currently running Fleet Ops version 3.2.6, is this the most up to date version at the moment?  Also I've noticed that my Venture class ships never get any combat experience bars no matter how many kills they make.  I can only apologize if I've missed a post concerning these topics or if I'm using an out of date Fleet Ops.

Cheers for your help and patience.

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:14 pm

Yes, she will be coming back in the next patch Star Trek Armada II: Fleet Operations - On The Run

Scouts and civil units don't receive rank ups 

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:17 pm

Cheers for the quick reply and clearing those things up. 

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:19 pm

Fed steam runner used to be like the warpin teuto, the long range torp spewer for the feds. It was removed and will be reintroduced in the next patch as a build able ship... I believe. It used to be purely warpin? but not any more... as far as I know.

3.2.6 is the latest version. The next patch has been underway for some time now, it still may be a little while though, the game mechanics are being given a complete overhaul. Hard to say when it will be out. I'm hoping by summer.

Venture class, as in the scout? I don't think scouts rank. For any race. Are you really getting that many kills with scouts?

Edit: What Dom said

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:24 pm

Venture class, as in the scout? I don't think scouts rank. For any race. Are you really getting that many kills with scouts?

Edit: What Dom said

I tend to send half a dozen scouts out prowling for enemy scouts or wounded ships and was surprised when they got kills but no rank bars, but as explained to me now, none given so I don't feel as hard done by. 

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:30 pm

Hmm. If you go to the news section, theres a thread called Scout Me In.

Can read that on more uptodate information.

Basically scouts are going to be given a larger role in context.

They will be built much faster, not necessarily cheaper though. Weapons Range will be Sensor Range.

Therefore, scouts will be even more important. Medium and small range vessels can't see very much. Putting in a scout or two will help out your fleets.

Speed is also being adjusted... I think. Scouts will be more on par with fast destroyers, not as quick as they are now. I think... maybe double check that though.

posted on March 13th, 2012, 6:30 pm

I tend to send half a dozen scouts out prowling for enemy scouts or wounded ships and was surprised when they got kills but no rank bars, but as explained to me now, none given so I don't feel as hard done by. 

PROTIP: scouts are really expensive when used in numbers. a smaller number of fast destroyers would get the job done far quicker and cheaper and could also be used for loads of other stuff.

scouts are only really useful for scouting and their specials. even the borg and klink ones.

posted on March 13th, 2012, 7:26 pm

PROTIP: scouts are really expensive when used in numbers. a smaller number of fast destroyers would get the job done far quicker and cheaper and could also be used for loads of other stuff.

scouts are only really useful for scouting and their specials. even the borg and klink ones.

The klingon scout has another great use (in the very early stages of a game): It can intercept and destroy the starting-scout of most other factions - putting the opponent to a neat disadvantage in the beginning.

posted on March 13th, 2012, 8:28 pm

The klingon scout has another great use (in the very early stages of a game): It can intercept and destroy the starting-scout of most other factions - putting the opponent to a neat disadvantage in the beginning.

i usually find that it can only make the other scout run away and repair. still partially useful, but then your scout isn't scouting either, so really neither side gets an advantage. also both players have to micro their scouts.

posted on March 14th, 2012, 5:58 pm

The klingon scout has another great use (in the very early stages of a game): It can intercept and destroy the starting-scout of most other factions - putting the opponent to a neat disadvantage in the beginning.

If it can find it and/or catch it. Fed scouts are usually too fast, Romulan scouts are cloaked so that leaves only the Dominion scouts.

The ability sounds great, but it has very little practical use.

[godsvoice]

posted on March 14th, 2012, 6:18 pm

Last edited by godsvoice on March 14th, 2012, 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The Klingon scout does have a useful early game use I find. It is more defensive than offensive though I find.

If you were to build two refineries and research station/field station at home base, then expand with both constructors to your expansion immediately with your scout. You have a very credible force early on for any single or double destroyer group.

I.e. Two sabers fails against double Klingon constructor and scout. Especially when you have time to build a yard at the expansion to repair the constructor and or scout. If you get both refineries up and a yard, if you can get your constructors and scouts to drop the shields of a saver for example, you can do a 5x transporter and capture it.

It might not work against a borg probe so well, maybe it might I dunno. But ships like brels, sabers, bugs, can get shot down in lower numbers.

Then again, this is AI stuff I've noticed it with.

EDIT: if you add any single ship to this early game start for klingons (2 constructor, 1 scout) the force only becomes that much more powerful.

I.e. 1 brel, 2 constructor, 1 scout. 1 kbeajq... 1 Kvort. Now imagine any 2 ships.

Suddenly, even early on that expansion is pretty well off for the Klingons: 1 kbeajq, 1 brel, 2 constructors, and a scout. Of course, the more time that goes on, the less effective that group is. But for consolidating an early expansion, that force has always been sufficient in my books.

Also consider the threat of popping ktingas. If you really wanted to ambush or shut down an early raid... 2 constructors, 1 scout, 2 of any destroyers, plus X numbers of ktingas.

The problem is you can't really keep your 2 constructors tied up at one expansion like this. But once you've taken that one expansion, you can move your two constructors and 1 scout to another expansion. And do the same. You keep that group of three always moving together.

posted on April 9th, 2012, 12:44 am

If it can find it and/or catch it. Fed scouts are usually too fast,...

Most people move their scout in a straight line to your base. Fed / Dom have the same speed, Borg is even slower.

i usually find that it can only make the other scout run away and repair. still partially useful, but then your scout isn't scouting either, so really neither side gets an advantage. also both players have to micro their scouts.

Klingon Scout
Depends heavily on the map though.
On large maps without Crystalid nebula (green one) you can easily kill the Fed / Dom Scout. No Mutara or Fluid (purple or blue) and Borg shouldn't be a problem either - if there is a Fluid one the interception can easily backfire by losing shields and getting borded by the Borg scout.
Rom & Kling scouts are obviously cloaked.
Don't intercept the enemy scout directly, wait till it's far away from home - distance to enemy base (travel time) is important - then engage.



OT: more fun with scouts (usually not a good idea ):
- In team games move all your scouts to one enemy, preferable Romulan player, and start killing his miners.
- Most players love to move their cloaked scout right next to your starbase, if you're Romulan wait a while with your scout, upgrade it, profit.
- Use the Borg scout as additional boarding party for Borg Assim-Assim rush (recrew it whenever you can).