Best EU ship designs

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-07-05 03:32am

I really like the design of the TIE Phantom, more so than say... the Defender. The Defender strikes me as silly, with those three bent-wing solar panels (or whatever they are). The Phantom's wings are straight, angular, and sharp. There is more of a related ancestry to the TIE Interceptor and Fighter than the Defender has with either one.

It also looks big, like it could be used for space superiority.

LeftWingExtremist · Post by **LeftWingExtremist** » 2006-07-05 04:19am

I like the sovereign class dreadnaught (possibyl even more than the eclipse) in pure aesthetics.

Dark Primus · Post by **Dark Primus** » 2006-07-06 05:04pm

I have always been a fan to the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers.

But I also like the idea of putting firepower nearly equal that of a ISD-mark II into a ship that is only 65% of it's size, the Defender Star Destroyer. That is a huge technological improvement adding heavier firepower into smaller ships and still have at least two fighter squadrons, and 30-40% stronger shields.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2006-07-06 05:36pm

Dark Primus wrote:I have always been a fan to the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers.

But I also like the idea of putting firepower nearly equal that of a ISD-mark II into a ship that is only 65% of it's size, the Defender Star Destroyer. That is a huge technological improvement adding heavier firepower into smaller ships and still have at least two fighter squadrons, and 30-40% stronger shields.

All they did was add more automation (which craps on redundancy), throw out the extras (like the prefab base), and remove most of the supplies, which they could do thanks to the reduced crew and using tenders. No improvement at all, actually.

Alan Bolte · Post by **Alan Bolte** » 2006-07-06 06:14pm

So, they took out everything that made it capable in the cruiser role, meaning outside the core worlds it's no more or less than a pocket battleship?

Also, I didn't really like much of what the EU did with Mon Cal designs. They just tended to be uninspired, and none that I can remember were as good as the originals.

I'm a big fan of the original interdictor, the Imobilizer-418, as well as the carriers with the forked noses.

Vicious · Post by **Vicious** » 2006-07-06 09:05pm

I have to add my support for the Tie Phantom and the Marauder-class corvettes. Some of the nicest looking and reasonable (The Phantom is basically a TIE Fighter without the cloak performance-wise) EU ships.

I also have a special appreciation for the Ravager*-class cruiser seen in KOTOR2.

*This is the first and only ship we've seen of her class AFAIK, so I think by Naval tradition, as the lead ship of her class she names the class.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-07-06 09:09pm

LeftWingExtremist wrote:I like the sovereign class dreadnaught (possibyl even more than the eclipse) in pure aesthetics.

I thought this ship was just a silhouette image? Has it been used anywhere?

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2006-07-06 10:40pm

Stark wrote:
LeftWingExtremist wrote:I like the sovereign class dreadnaught (possibyl even more than the eclipse) in pure aesthetics.
I thought this ship was just a silhouette image? Has it been used anywhere?

Not really, but it has been Modled for a nice Space Game.

<http://warlords.swrebellion.com/albums/ ... gnside.jpg>

LeftWingExtremist · Post by **LeftWingExtremist** » 2006-07-06 10:53pm

Stark wrote:
LeftWingExtremist wrote:I like the sovereign class dreadnaught (possibyl even more than the eclipse) in pure aesthetics.
I thought this ship was just a silhouette image? Has it been used anywhere?

well to be honest im sorta using basing my opinion off the "silhoutte image" seeing that I haven't seen it anwhere else.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-07-06 11:49pm

Crossroads, that seems to be only very slightly related to the far more compact, blocky silhouette.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2006-07-07 12:03am

Sharpshooter wrote:
The whole lot of you wrote:::Snip banter on the 2000::
Doesn't some fluff material and the like point to it as being marketted more like a space RV than a dedicated cargo hauler?

But anyway, that's my choice, none of this dicking around with an offset cockpit, no compensator mobile WMDs, nothing. The Marauder is sort of nice, though, and the Phantom is nice and slick.

A ship shouldn't need excuses in the manual, that's the mark of a bad ship.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2006-07-07 12:12am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:
Sharpshooter wrote:
The whole lot of you wrote:::Snip banter on the 2000::
Doesn't some fluff material and the like point to it as being marketted more like a space RV than a dedicated cargo hauler?

But anyway, that's my choice, none of this dicking around with an offset cockpit, no compensator mobile WMDs, nothing. The Marauder is sort of nice, though, and the Phantom is nice and slick.
A ship shouldn't need excuses in the manual, that's the mark of a bad ship.

It's actualy described as a personal transport, so I don't see the issue. Since the ship is taller and has more bulk on the outside, as it were, and if you don't try to fit anything stupid, like a ring corridor or something, there's actually a shit load of space it the YT 2000

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2006-07-07 02:36am

Stofsk wrote:I really like the design of the TIE Phantom, more so than say... the Defender. The Defender strikes me as silly, with those three bent-wing solar panels (or whatever they are). The Phantom's wings are straight, angular, and sharp. There is more of a related ancestry to the TIE Interceptor and Fighter than the Defender has with either one.

It also looks big, like it could be used for space superiority.

The defender was okay, though I thought the Avenger (TIE-advancecd mark 2) was better looking as game-based TIES go.

The Phantom is nice too, but it reminds me too much of the "tri-fighter" Uglies from I,Jedi.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2006-07-07 02:53am

nightmare wrote:
Dark Primus wrote:I have always been a fan to the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers.

But I also like the idea of putting firepower nearly equal that of a ISD-mark II into a ship that is only 65% of it's size, the Defender Star Destroyer. That is a huge technological improvement adding heavier firepower into smaller ships and still have at least two fighter squadrons, and 30-40% stronger shields.
All they did was add more automation (which craps on redundancy), throw out the extras (like the prefab base), and remove most of the supplies, which they could do thanks to the reduced crew and using tenders. No improvement at all, actually.

Not quite. The defender class SD (or rather the Nebula) was 2/3 the size of an ISD, but only carried about 80% of its weaponry (carrying fewer weapons of equal power was key to the "New Class" project.) so the actual margin of superoirity was smaller than that. The reason it was *effectively* comparable to an ISD was supposed to be due to fire-control concerns and an optimization for more agile, longer-ranged ships (they had higher accuracy at longer ranges, and could thus score roughly as many hits as an Imperial ship despite the longer range. Thus, despite the fewer number of guns, the effective firepower was supposed to be comparable. No idea about the effective range, though.)

In many cases, the designs were highly specialized as well, which means that the internal volume of the ships was devooted to one or two roles at most (IE whereas an ISD could field ground troops, act as a carrier, or as a warship, a New Class vessel might do one or two fo those things, but probably not all of them. Given the philosophy that the New Republic Defense Force was not supposed to be an "occupation/invsaion" force, this does not really seem like a design constraint.)

It was just more than that though. New-class ships were more along the lines of Pre-Clone Wars Old republic vessels. That is, designed for-short ranged, defensive operations in specific segments of space. They lacked the long-range power projection capability of previous ships On top of that,
they often lacked the operational endurance of their Imperial counterparts: while ISDs could operate for years without resupply, a New Class ship could last for a few months at most before needing resupply. (this also allows them to cut down on crews.)

They were also, ultimately, viewed as being much more expendable than previously, due to metnion of increase in firepower. Thus, the increased automation and reduced crew complements would make sense, as well as the other design roles.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-07-07 03:11am

Connor MacLeod wrote:The defender was okay, though I thought the Avenger (TIE-advancecd mark 2) was better looking as game-based TIES go.

The Phantom is nice too, but it reminds me too much of the "tri-fighter" Uglies from I,Jedi.

I agree with the Avenger, that was nice (and not seriously overwanked), I guess the main problem I have with the Defender is that it has everything and the kitchen sink installed. Then again... it is fun to play in a superfighter.

I never read I, Jedi so I don't really have a problem with Uglies. Though I remember that was one of KJA's little innovations.

Where do you get your information on the Star Defender, Republic 'New Class' vessels?

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2006-07-07 04:53am

I've grown to like the V-wing Airspeeder. I know there isn't much love for this thing and in RS it was basically a twitchy, unflyable deathtrap until you upgraded it, but it really won me over. I like the lines

DesertFly · Post by **DesertFly** » 2006-07-07 06:32am

Not the most glamorous of names, but you would never mistake an Ithullan Ore Hauler for anything but unique. I mean, c'mon, it's made out of a giant bug! How cool is that?

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2006-07-07 08:56am

Connor MacLeod wrote:Not quite. The defender class SD (or rather the Nebula) was 2/3 the size of an ISD, but only carried about 80% of its weaponry (carrying fewer weapons of equal power was key to the "New Class" project.) so the actual margin of superoirity was smaller than that. The reason it was *effectively* comparable to an ISD was supposed to be due to fire-control concerns and an optimization for more agile, longer-ranged ships (they had higher accuracy at longer ranges, and could thus score roughly as many hits as an Imperial ship despite the longer range. Thus, despite the fewer number of guns, the effective firepower was supposed to be comparable. No idea about the effective range, though.).

Never disputed that it has similar firepower, what I was talking about was how they got it: by cutting down on extras rather than improving the technology by a large degree. That's specialization in a nutshell, so we're talking about the same thing.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2006-07-07 12:08pm

The Vengance Star Cruiser is my favourite. I acutually like its armoured texture. It looks, overall, like it was designed by a different yard that believed in big thick armour plates...

Vanas · Post by **Vanas** » 2006-07-07 02:26pm

I'm going to have to go for the Vengance, too. Screw dagger-shaped, it's a full-blown sword.

As for fighters, the TIE Phantom looks like it could back some serious kit in the back if needs be, kinda a TIE Jeep, I suppose. That and the Avenger, as I like the octagonal viewport.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2006-07-08 07:34am

The Republic Class Star Destroyers. The firepower of the ISD with the organic lines of the Mon Cal Cruiser.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2006-07-08 09:21am

Lord Pounder wrote:The Republic Class Star Destroyers. The firepower of the ISD with the organic lines of the Mon Cal Cruiser.

It's a pity we don't see more of those ships. Those RSDs probably had their uses, though it seemed as if the NR never got rid of its hodgepodge tendencies.

starfury · Post by **starfury** » 2006-07-08 10:34am

Tie avenger, a powerful high-end fighter that is not a wanked out fighter like the defender or the missile boat, Star-wing gunboat was pretty cool too.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2006-07-08 11:25am

Rather than say what's wanked out and what not, is it possible with the existing tech? Or rather the cost estimates are too low?

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2006-07-08 11:31am

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Rather than say what's wanked out and what not, is it possible with the existing tech? Or rather the cost estimates are too low?

Or it tries to fill every role and do it exceptionally well? That's my opinion on the TIE Defender and why I consider it wank.

But I love the Avenger, and of course my all time fav EU craft is the YT2000.