Lygos
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Posted - 2005.12.31 22:59:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Lygos on 31/12/2005 22:59:43
I think that the real problem may have been that Battleships were inaugurated with full use of the 8 slot design.
Much as I think techII ships should only be more specialized rather than simply better versions of techI ships, I have to believe that the battleship concept was flawed.
A techI battleship with only 4 or 5 turret or missile slots, and perhaps a larger number of utility slots would have been more appropriate, not to mention easier to balance. Of course, there's nothing we can do about it at this point. Not only have battleships been around forever, but we also have a class with XL turrets introduced.
I don't foresee any class introduced between battleships and dreadnaughts in the near future. Not simply because I wouldn't know what to call them besides Leviathan, but because I think we already have them in the current battleships. To be perfectly honest, I draw an entire blank when I attempt to discern any possible development beyond Kali in the statements made by the game owners.
Introducing a smaller 4gun battleship between what we have and battlecruisers would be flawed. The damage profiles, target selection protocols, and general stats on the different classes are so close together that a BS with 4 normal guns would probably do less damage than a battlecruiser. Take into account the newer sig radius effects on damage from smaller guns, coupled with the small amount of tanking difference between cruisers and battleships, and the problem becomes even more convoluted. Adjusting any one of those details would throw the entire current balance between frigates and battleships out of whack. The whole system would have to be reviewed and adjusted from top to bottom. It's probably better just as it is.
The only effect I could concieve of would be to make the targetting signature of same class guns vary. A high damage cruiser gun with a large signature would be the ideal tradeoff as it would have a harder time hitting other cruisers at closer range. A smaller signature battleship gun would hit cruisers more easilly, yet do less damage against other BS than if the pilot had selected a normal 400m targetting signature gun. This wouldn't incorporate the aesthetics you desire, but it would encompass the mechanics fairly closely.
"I'm being facetious half of the time, ironic the other half, and serious for the remainder. By now, no one is ever certain which." |