Glass cannons are exactly what
battlecruisers should be. You have a specialized ship with an extremely focused role that they are very good at performing, but thin armor that makes them vulnerable. It is essentially the 'promise' of the battlecruiser concept: big guns, high speed and light armor. It has all the dash and bravado of their real-life counterparts, along with the same weaknesses.
I mean, just read this little snippet from Wikipedia about the real-life BCs. It's essentially
exactly what we got with the T3s, and it's no small wonder that that's the design of BC that makes the most sense:
Quote:They were similar in size and cost to a battleship, but while they typically used the same large-calibre main armament as a battleship, battlecruisers sacrificed armour protection in exchange for speed.
Throughout the First World War, the battlecruiser was principally used to provide a fast and hard-hitting addition to a battleship fleet. Battlecruisers formed part of the navies of Britain, Germany, Australia and Japan in World War I. While battlecruisers took part in several raids and skirmishes as well as the Battle of Jutland, the latter was the only pitched battle of the war between dreadnought battleships.
The fault lies with the T2 (and, to a lesser extent, T1) BCs, who are more like 'supercruisers' than they are true BCs. And that's where you run into the issue of 'why the **** should I fly cruiser X when I can pilot BC Y?' And the answer, of course, is you shouldn't, because the T2 and T1 BCs basically out-cruiser cruisers, and, in light of that, there is no strong reason to fly a cruiser at all.
Frankly, in the not-too-far-flung future, I wouldn't mind seeing the role of the T1 and T2 BCs changed signficantly. I know that would make the ubiquitous drake owners all short circuit and threaten to cancel, but, as the OP said, the presence of these 'super ships' with all upside and very minor weaknesses has essentially nullified an entire class of vessel; something that really shouldn't be happening in this 'there's a role for every ship' universe. I'd love to see cruisers again, and I'd love to see
all BCs become specialized (but powerful in their role) vessels.