Thrawn's Revenge

Ascendancy [SoaSE] => Ascendancy Discussion => Topic started by: A.J. on March 10, 2016, 03:33:54 PM

Title: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 10, 2016, 03:33:54 PM
So firstly, I just want to say that I love this mod. I've been playing as the NR mainly, and I don't know if it's just me, but I've been having standard in-system ships outrun my scouts. So just a suggestion to either give the scouts a speed boost if that's not already in the works, or to just make the scouts more scout-like. Maybe the sensor pod ability could come back? Also, just because it's my favorite Cruiser, I think you guys should incorporate the Assault Frigate Mk II. But that's just a wish. Continuing to explore, and just want to say you guys have done amazing work!
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 10, 2016, 05:24:35 PM
Problem with the Mk 2 is that it is nearly identical stat-wise to the Mk 1, at best slightly trading some maneuverability for extra shield power.  It wouldn't really add anything to the NR's lineup.  Plus I think it's ugly. ;)
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 10, 2016, 07:23:21 PM
And it was less commonly used than the MK1.  2 ships filling the same role, 1 being common and one being uncommon, I imagine the team would always choose to use the common of the 2 unless there was a really good reason not to (I also happen to think the MK 1 is gorgeous compared to the MK2).
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 12, 2016, 04:42:24 PM
Well, on appearances, I definitely have to disagree. I think the Mk II is what a real Cruiser looks like. :-D That was just mainly wishful thinking. But I always saw those two as the Mk I being an anti-starfighter/anti-frigate type ship. Whereas the Mk II was meant for Cruiser to Cruiser fighting, and able to take on capitals as well. But that's just been my take. Though maybe in place of that, the Majestic-class Cruiser. From the Mon-Cal. That is a very pretty ship to me.

And just as a side note, warheads don't seem to have much of a damage rating. I always figured they would be a bit more prevalent.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: kucsidave on March 12, 2016, 05:02:42 PM
I have to agree with tlmiller on this one. I wouldn't say that the Mk II is ugly, but it would be a real pain in the back to make a good model of it. There is almost no flat surface on it's hull, which I never really liked. That's my main problem with the flying fishtanks too(Calamari cruisers)
But the main thing is that Mk II were rare compared to the MK Is. This is the main thing that decides it for me.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 13, 2016, 12:38:41 AM
I hear ya there. Though I will say I've seen a pretty good model on another mod, but I didn't like that one as much as this one. I'd say that's what I like about it is the smoother contours, yet tons of weaponry. I was a huge fan of the Mk I until I found out she was pretty much all laser cannons, vice turbolasers. I will admit I like that though, flying fish tanks. Ha ha ha, that's a good one
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 13, 2016, 03:33:46 AM
Mk II is also lots of lasers, few turbos.  Wookiepedia lists the two models as having the exact same weapons roster: 15 lasers, 20 quad lasers, 15 turbos.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 13, 2016, 09:33:38 AM
They must have changed it lately then. That's where I check ship stats usually as well, and they had the Mk II with quad turbos and the Mk I with quad lasers. I just went and looked again, and now it's the other way around, to my dismay. Ha ha, I'm still a bigger fan of the Mk II though. But not as much, because I like a cruiser cruiser. A heavily armed ship that's still fairly maneuverable, and smaller.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 13, 2016, 03:35:13 PM
20 quad turbos would have the Mark 2 being stronger than a Victory SD.  I'd bet that was a typo at some point that got fixed.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 13, 2016, 04:15:36 PM
That's actually what's listed for the Mk I on there. I went and looked it up earlier because I remember seeing something like that before.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Vulcanus on March 13, 2016, 05:21:51 PM
I wouldn't place much stock on the type and number of weapons listed for any ship on the Wook as it is not a primary source but rather a bunch of fanboys bickering about their personal preferences. Many ships have had several different weapon configurations listed for them in different sources over the years. Wook tends to use the most recent one, though that doesn't necessarily make it any better than earlier accounts. And sources are sometimes misunderstood, for example the TIE Bomber on the Wook is stated to have twice the warhead load it is actually given in the original source.

Recently FFG has been updating a number of previously undergunned MonCal ships to have much heavier weapons.

And I personally don't really care how many weapon emplacements a single ship has, since it's the power output that counts IMO.

As for the Assault Frigates, in the few written sources about the Mk.II it is described as a light, fast, MonCal shielded ship, whereas in their first appearance in the Raid on Obroa-Skai four Assault Frigate Mk.I:s together with their fighter complements have Pellaeon with the Chimaera resigned to retreat. And in the Battle of Bilbringi "The two Rebel Assault Frigates broke to either side of the beleaguered Golan II, delivering massive broadsides as they veered off." So if anything, it is the Mk.I that is the brawler of the two, charging headfirst against an ISD II and getting up close and personal with a Golan II.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 13, 2016, 08:09:16 PM
Good points there, Vulcanus.  The Mk 1's shape also seems more conducive to a fast brawler - slim forward profile making it hard to hit on approach, but a relatively huge pair of side facings would allow a lot of broadside power.  I tend to see it as a ship that slips in, gets off a heavy punch in passing, then gets out before it takes one back - pretty much exactly as that firing run on the Golan has them performing.

Edit: also, the Mk 1 is closer to the original Dreadnaughts in design still, and that was very much a ship-to-ship brawler.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 13, 2016, 11:41:43 PM
Yeah, the MK1 kept almost all the Dreadnaughts weapons, just lost a lot of weight making her far more maneuverable, gained some shields, lost a LOT of crew requirement, and because of the increased draw on her power plant, lost some rate of fire from her weapons. 
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 14, 2016, 10:42:51 PM
Where would be a good place to go for sources on ships/ship power then? I tend to use Wook quite a bit to compare ships. And if that's the case, maybe the Mk I could be upgraded to be more of a fast brawler. I mean, that's another thing, I'm a huge fan of the Dreadnaught, both Victory SDs, and the Vindicator. Let's just say I use the boarding party ability a ton. Hearing all this is definitely enlightening about the Mk I, and I'm becoming a bigger fan of it, now my suggestion would be to up the ante on it, instead of it being an anti-starfighter/anti-frigate ship.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Vulcanus on March 15, 2016, 08:44:00 AM
Where would be a good place to go for sources on ships/ship power then? I tend to use Wook quite a bit to compare ships. And if that's the case, maybe the Mk I could be upgraded to be more of a fast brawler. I mean, that's another thing, I'm a huge fan of the Dreadnaught, both Victory SDs, and the Vindicator. Let's just say I use the boarding party ability a ton. Hearing all this is definitely enlightening about the Mk I, and I'm becoming a bigger fan of it, now my suggestion would be to up the ante on it, instead of it being an anti-starfighter/anti-frigate ship.

It's perfectly fine to use Wook, most of us do, as long as you stay critical and keep in mind that it's the sources that count. And of course, now that most sources are legends you can pick and choose what you want to fit your personal canon. I tend to value how a ship's abilities were thought to be by the author that designed them and/or how they appear in the movies/novels the first time we see them. For example, the K-Wing never had turreted lasers when it first appeared and I'm fine with that since I prefer it as an Early Cold War nuclear bomber-type that relies on outflying enemy interceptors on its way to hit the target. Similarly most later sources keep telling us about how the Y-Wing is slow and rugged, yet that doesn't match their original design as a bomber stripped-down to maximise speed or their performance in the movies (in ANH Y-Wings are not rugged but fragile, in RotJ we see Y-Wings casually vaping TIEs and then flying inside the DSII superstructure alongside A- and X-Wings, chased by TIE Interceptors)
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 15, 2016, 05:06:16 PM
For comparisons of fighter performance, I tend to look to the X-Wing games series myself.  Sure, in the movies you see Y-Wings die in one hit, but EVERY fighter in the movies dies in one hit unless Luke is flying it. ;)
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 16, 2016, 03:49:48 PM
For comparisons of fighter performance, I tend to look to the X-Wing games series myself.  Sure, in the movies you see Y-Wings die in one hit, but EVERY fighter in the movies dies in one hit unless Luke is flying it. ;)

I always loved X-Wing Alliance for fighter comparisons.  Seemed to follow how they're described very well (plus had a lot), and improved on the engine of the earlier games.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 16, 2016, 04:50:08 PM
Agreed.  It also had a huge roster, including lots of fighters only mentioned once or twice - cloakshapes, preybirds, etc.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 16, 2016, 04:57:49 PM
First time I ever flew a blastboat was that game.  Instant love.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 21, 2016, 04:47:37 PM
X-Wing Alliance? I don't recognize that. I know of course of the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games. Those were two of my first games, and I loved them. I hated the Neb-B frigates in that game, they were tough!
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 21, 2016, 05:03:25 PM
Alliance was the last game in the X-Wing series.  Came out in 99 with better graphics than any of the previous games and a single player campaign based around Ace Azzameen and his family as they go from being a private shipping company to Rebels.  A very solid game.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 21, 2016, 08:38:59 PM
Alliance was the last game in the X-Wing series.  Came out in 99 with better graphics than any of the previous games and a single player campaign based around Ace Azzameen and his family as they go from being a private shipping company to Rebels.  A very solid game.

And most importantly (IMO), supports 3 axis joysticks, so if your stick supported it, finally had roll on an analog control of it's own, not part of a buttom combination that replaces pitch.


I still play XWA on the occassion.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: Pali on March 21, 2016, 08:59:55 PM
Haven't played the others in so long, I'd forgotten that it was the first to do so.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 22, 2016, 01:46:53 PM
What platforms does that game work with? As much as I enjoy my battle commander status, I wouldn't mind hopping back in the cockpit once in a while to personally take out some TIEs. :-D
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 22, 2016, 01:56:13 PM
All the series runs on any Windows now.  I have the whole series on steam on Windows 7 & 10.
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: A.J. on March 22, 2016, 05:31:47 PM
That's outstanding. I'll definitely have to pick that up on there then. And invest in a new joystick
Title: Re: NR Scout and possible Cruiser add
Post by: tlmiller on March 22, 2016, 05:40:19 PM
Yeah, they specifically backported the XvT engine to X-Wing and TF in order to allow for resolutions higher than 800x600 on the newer windows.  Then patched all 4 games (X-Wing, Tie Fighter, XvT, and XWA) in order to run on the newer windows.  So the steam versions would only allow multiplayer with other steam versions.  Watch for a pack sale, I think when I got it I think I paid like $30-40 for all 4 games on steam.