KA2 8th Race Poll

posted on January 16th, 2013, 3:43 pm

In the SFB background material, the Lyrans have a couple of significant items of tech, which may serve as inspiration if the Lyrans make the cut:

1) The ESG. Used offensively against enemy ships or defensively against drones, fighters, shuttles, or mines. In the background material, the Lyrans tended to avoid weapons like drones and fighters because of the operational difficulties of using them with ESGs ("Hey pilots, launch now. We'll have the ESG down in a few moments as we should have rammed the enemy vessel by then -- after all, what could go wrong?!")

2) They were the first to develop PFs, a class of ship that was smaller and more fragile than a frigate, but packed around the same punch, and cost around half as much to produce. They had limited strategic range, though, and had to be carried to their operational area on a larger ship, usually a dedicated PF tender. These tenders usually carried a flotilla of six PFs, had light weapons and improved sensors, and often would only be on the fringe of battle lending electronic warfare support to the flotilla and using its limited repair capability to keep damage PFs in the fight.

3) Their catamaran hull construction was uniquely suited for fast and easy uprating of ships to a heavier class -- frigates became war destroyers; destroyers became war cruisers; light cruisers became battlecruisers; heavy cruisers became dreadnoughts -- and potentially even battleships.

How (2) and (3) could be represented and balanced in a game where some of the inherent limiting factors (command limits especially), I'm not sure.

posted on January 16th, 2013, 4:45 pm

Currently the ESG is in game, portrayed in a similar way to the Gorn GDDS (which was probably inspired by it anyway). It works as a nice advanced weapon for the Lyrans, but they still lack that punch that other races have with secondary weapons. The Tholians work with no Secondary weapons, but only because their ships are so weird anyway. Perhaps a homage to SFC Disruptors could be the Lyrans using "Megaphasers" as a form of secondary weapon? They would work well with their "sabre dance" tactics.

Again, a Lyran PF (the Occicat) is also in game currently. I plan to have the Lyrans use them offensively rather than defensively like the Gorn. Ergo the Lyrans would get a Psuedo-Fighter Tender rather than a stationary outpost.

As for a super weapon/ability, well currently;

Federation - Super Battleship (Yamato)
Klingon - Fire-whilst-cloaked Bird of Prey
Romulans - Stolen Tech (can capture and use some enemy advanced weapons)
Gorn - Suicide ship (Glormaskt Class)
ISC - Subspace Technology (gates and warping in Mirror Universe stuff)
Tholians - Subspace Gates also
Hydrans - Early access to fighters, no shipyards needed for cap ships

So Lyrans? Offensive Psuedo-Fighters and perhaps another SFC weapon; The Mauler

What about the Terran Empire? They could gate in like Tholian ships, which would be a nice touch. Perhaps they could have a FleetOps style "Warp-in" where they open a gate to the Mirror Universe and a random vessel responds.


Appologies for that brainstorming, but how about that? So

Lyrans:
"Sabre Dance" tactics; constantly moving and grinding down the enemy.
Psuedo-Fighters
Mauler superweapon

Terran Empire:
Can gate in a random vessel
Gate technology
Limited access to cloaking devices

Which do you guys prefer?

posted on January 16th, 2013, 4:56 pm

i like the idea of terrans haveing a limited access to cloaking devices

posted on January 16th, 2013, 6:43 pm

I haven't decided on either Lyrans or Terrans yet, but I did decide to redo an old design I came up with for an Imperial Destroyer, the Mako Class

Attachments

MakoClass.jpg (198.36 KiB) Viewed 678 times

posted on January 16th, 2013, 9:10 pm

If the Lyrans are going to have a super weapon. Then it would be the mauler device. A super ESG or something else perhaps.

posted on January 16th, 2013, 10:18 pm

If I'm correct. I think the lyrans won. But I may be wrong.

posted on January 16th, 2013, 10:19 pm

Correction. I am right.

posted on January 16th, 2013, 10:33 pm

I would like to hear your opinion Squire James. What do you think about the outcome.

posted on January 16th, 2013, 11:51 pm

I'd have to say that the best race to add would be the Terran Empire! After all, how many Star Trek games or Armada II mods have the Terran Empire as an additional race. One answer I have been seeing... None!

posted on January 17th, 2013, 1:14 am

sorry about your disapointment. I was actually expecting the lyrans to loss.

posted on January 17th, 2013, 1:48 am

Well Delta, on here the Lyrans won, but on the poll I posted on the FleetOps Facebook page, the Terran Empire won overwhelmingly. Adding the two poll together leaves us with :-

Lyran Star Kingdom : 6 Votes
Mirak Star League: 1 Vote
Sha'Kurian Duchies: 1 Vote
Terran Empire: 10 Votes
None, 7 is enough: 2 Votes

Ergo you can see my issue. I mean, I could technically add both the Lyrans and Terran Empire, but whatever race was added second (the 9th Race) would be unplayable in multiplayer. I guess I could add the Lyrans as a balanced, multiplayer side, and then throw in the Terran Empire as something a little wild for instant action.

posted on January 17th, 2013, 1:57 am

from what I see the lyrans are a multiplayer faction and the terrans are a campein faction. is that correct?

posted on January 17th, 2013, 1:59 am

I heve to log out.

posted on January 17th, 2013, 7:15 am

Well, here's the thing

Armada 2, and therefore FleetOps (AFAIK) is hard coded to support only 8 races in Multiplayer. In Instant Action mode, you can have almost as many as you like (i've heard talk of people with 15 or 20 races). But in Multiplayer, if you try to select a race past number 8, it will reset you to an earlier one.

So if I had the Lyran Star Kingdom as race 8 and the Terran Empire as race 9, if you tried selecting the Terran Empire in Multiplayer, it would randomly change your race to one of the first 8.

It does however mean that the Terran Empire doesn't need to be as balanced, as if it's only an Instant Action race, it can be used either by the player to stomp the AI, or by the AI as a challenge to beat

Think of them like the "Boss General" in Command & Conquer Generals.

posted on January 17th, 2013, 1:00 pm

That did not exactly answer my question. Though I'm understanding what Fleetops does with multiplayer a little bit more.