Boy, Carracks have BIG windows.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-05-19 01:46am

What's the engine:volume ratio? Could these ships be expected to keep up with things like ISDs? If so, hardly 'slow'.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2006-05-19 01:49am

Stark wrote:What's the engine:volume ratio? Could these ships be expected to keep up with things like ISDs? If so, hardly 'slow'.

Wait.. I remember Thrawn used to have Lancers running along side ISDs. I doubt he would do that if the Lancers couldn't keep up. Also, there was one X-wing book where Antilles was afraid that Y-wings couldn't outrun a Lancer.

So what is the actual speed of these things?

President Sharky · Post by **President Sharky** » 2006-05-19 03:56am

Supposedly the Carrack can match the sublight acceleration of an X-Wing fighter. I think the original EGVV stated this.

Jim Raynor · Post by **Jim Raynor** » 2006-05-19 04:29am

President Sharky wrote:Supposedly the Carrack can match the sublight acceleration of an X-Wing fighter. I think the original EGVV stated this.

Yes, that's what the EGVV says. The Imperial Sourcebook states that the Carrack was given such powerful engines to make up for the fact that it didn't carry any starfighters.

Hawkwings wrote:If it were up to me, I'd take out the facilities for the 4 external-mounted TIEs, and add some anti-fighter weaponry. That would pretty much complete the ship.

Those 4 TIEs aren't regular fighters, but TIE/rc recon variant. They're probably important for the patrol role. Besides, the Carrack is already supposed to be a good anti-fighter ship when armed with point-defense lasers.

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Wait.. I remember Thrawn used to have Lancers running along side ISDs. I doubt he would do that if the Lancers couldn't keep up. Also, there was one X-wing book where Antilles was afraid that Y-wings couldn't outrun a Lancer.

So what is the actual speed of these things?

Both the ISB and the EGVV say that the Lancer is a slow ship, with the the ISB explaining that it was only designed for stationary fighter screening. Supposedly, Thrawn thought up new ways to use the Lancer alongside ISDs (instead of placing them on the perimeter of the fleet, where they were easy targets), but the EGVV doesn't explain how, or even if they had to keep up with ISDs. Maybe the missions in which they were used in such a manner didn't require a lot of movement.

This looks like another case of EU writers making things up without thinking everything through.

That X-wing novel where Wedge thinks a Lancer can outrun a Y-wing is just damn problematic (a trademark of that series

). It doesn't fit in with any of the WEG or other old EU sources, and it's downright stupid when you look at the Saxton and Saxton-like accelerations from later sources. A Y-wing is supposed to have an acceleration of 2,600G, while the Venator, explicitly stated to be a fast capital ship, has an acceleration of 3,000G. If the Lancer could outrun a Y-wing, it wouldn't be slow at all.

Lazarus · Post by **Lazarus** » 2006-05-19 02:04pm

Wouldn't windows be rather pointless a lot of the time for starships, seeing as how in deep space you wouldn't be able to really see anything, what with the lack of photons and all. This probably still applies relatively close in to a system as well. I remember in 40k they actually mount huge spotlights on some of the ships so they can see, but then that's 40k...

Vanas · Post by **Vanas** » 2006-05-19 02:39pm

Hawkwings wrote: If it were up to me, I'd take out the facilities for the 4 external-mounted TIEs, and add some anti-fighter weaponry. That would pretty much complete the ship.

I think the essential guide says that the Ions can be stripped out and replaced by lasers for additional anti-fighter punch. Plus, it puts the fear of God into Y-wings as this monstrosity calmly out-accelerates them, lasers blazing.

Perhaps more useful for when they're dragged into fleet operations than when they're simply running as HM Customs and Excise.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2006-05-19 02:48pm

Lazarus wrote:I remember in 40k they actually mount huge spotlights on some of the ships so they can see, but then that's 40k...

Errr. Those are landing and running lights.

Post by **Coyote** » 2006-05-19 03:30pm

And, according to some sourcebooks, I think WEG, the Lancer only has 1 week of consumables, making it necessary to "parasite" off of larger vessels in convoys for extended operations.

The Lancer's hull is supposed to be weak, and it has no anti-capship weapons. It exists to protect Star Destroyer bridges.

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2006-05-19 03:37pm

Coyote wrote:And, according to some sourcebooks, I think WEG, the Lancer only has 1 week of consumables, making it necessary to "parasite" off of larger vessels in convoys for extended operations.

The Lancer's hull is supposed to be weak, and it has no anti-capship weapons. It exists to protect Star Destroyer bridges.

Don't forget that due to all the "Advanced Electronics" of the guns, they cost almost as much as an ISD!

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-05-20 11:18am

The standard KDY bridge pretty much has floor to celing sized windows

On the Executor and Comms Ship maybe, but the standard ISD does not have bridge windows.

Observe

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/chron/isdface2a.jpg

No windows. The "windows" we see from the inside of the ISDs are likely viewscreens.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2006-05-20 11:51am

chitoryu12 wrote:The eyes may not be perfect, but show me an electronic device that jams your eyesight.

Ever try looking into an oncoming car's high-beams?

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-05-20 12:37pm

Actually, the windows are the three dark triangles above the vertical lines in the middle.

Darth Tanner · Post by **Darth Tanner** » 2006-05-20 03:07pm

Do Tie fighters (Interceptors in particular) have the ability to fly by instrument alone or is eye sight required? In the courtship of princess Leia, Han blinds a Tie Int by forcing its cockpit window to auto tint to block out excess light and it then crashed into something. Surely having the ability to fly by instruments is needed in space where you might be fighting a long distance from a star (ie no light!) or in some sort of nebula/dust cloud, let alone the speeds your traveling would make moving around by eye alone quite dangerous, especially in formation.

On the other side of the argument the X-Wing books have Ties flying by themselves from hanger to hanger by remote control so there must be some sort of sensor system that does not revolve around eyes.

Lazarus · Post by **Lazarus** » 2006-05-20 05:46pm

Errr. Those are landing and running lights.

Really? On the original Battlefleet Gothic cover illustration, the one now included in the main 40k rulebook, there are lots of spotlights shining out from the battleship into space, not really running lights because they are directed beams. Same in Fire Warrior, the Imp vessel there has spotlights, you can see them in the FMV sequences.

The reason I mention the whole light issue is a few of the user posted pics on the OP linked site, some of them are taken in deep space maps, and you can hardly see the ships at all.

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2006-05-20 06:57pm

Han blinds a Tie Int by forcing its cockpit window to auto tint to block out excess light and it then crashed into something.

The pilot was executing high-speed maneuvers, so just the time it took to look from the blackened window down to the instruments probably killed him.