Vanguard Carrier?

[Shadow Reaper]

I'm staring at the Kraken, and because the Vanguard have the very narrow landing gear up front, it appears to me Vanguards will fit on the 4 small landing pads. What do you think? If it sits, it fits? Looks to me they'll fit, though the Cutty would not because it's landing gear is so wide.

I've been trying to get around the relatively slowish Q travel times of small and medium craft for deep space exploration. If the Kraken could sit 6 Sentinels and carry the Harbinger and Hoplite modules for them, that is like 18 ships carried and there's room inside for a couple Sabres besides.

So a Star G, Carrack, Polaris and Kraken would make a really nice exploration fleet, especially once you add all the small craft and vehicles they can carry. I do love the Vanguard however, and half a dozen Sentinel frames makes a powerful stealth bombing group, stealth recon group, pack of 8 player shuttles, etc. Seems just about right for 50 players on a three week adventure.

 

[Richard Bong]

Maybe the one of the two bigger pads, not the little ones. Remember the Cutty takes up a small pad on Olisar, the Vanguard, due to length got moved to the bigger ones.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I'm confused by your answer. The Vanguard is about 1/3 longer than the Cutty, but much of that length is fore of the forward landing gear so could simply hang off the front of a pad.

If Vanguards used to spawn on small pads, doesn't it stand to reason they'd be able to land on them?

 

[Talonsbane]

Personally, I'd be more interested in seeing a Kraken loaded with Eclipse bombers suddenly drop out of Quantum or exit a jump port close by a fleet of Cap ships they'd be targeting. Then as soon as the Eclipse bombers have launched, the Kraken jumps away to safety since it can be spooling it's drives while the bombers are being prepped & launched.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Great observation. It looks like the Kraken could fit 9 Eclipse, but we'll need to wait and see.

 

[Talonsbane]

Great observation. It looks like the Kraken could fit 9 Eclipse, but we'll need to wait and see.

If your math proves correct about my theory, I suspect that several people onboard unsuspecting Cap ships facing off against those 27 size 9 torpedoes heading their way will be either having an "Oh shit" moment or feel hopeless like the falling potted flowers from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy saying "Oh no, not again."

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Word with 3.10 was that missiles can be locked and fired all at once now. Is that true of the Eclipse or does it still have the sorry cycle time between shots?

I haven't generally been a fan of the Eclipse because short range bombing is hard to do, but I can see small groups specializing in the terrific damage a Kraken with a bunch of Eclipse could do at great range. I think too, since you don't expect the Eclipse pilot to do much other than launch torps, one player could conceivably lead an entire wing by himself. That means much greater rewards for the whole Kraken crew. What you don't get with that strike package is much situational awareeness. You're mostly flying blind. Dangerous business for bombers with pea shooters for defense. Teamed with a Polaris and some scouts though. . .death on a platter.

 

[Talonsbane]

Word with 3.10 was that missiles can be locked and fired all at once now. Is that true of the Eclipse or does it still have the sorry cycle time between shots?

I haven't generally been a fan of the Eclipse because short range bombing is hard to do, but I can see small gorups specializing in the terrific damage a Kraken with a bunch of Eclipse could do at great range.

Exactly my thinking. Now if instead of having the Kraken be by itself, but have it as part of a group that would make it look like it's escorting a trade convoy, then the enemy fleet detecting the other ships with it would potentially ignore it heading their way until it was too late by thinking that it was a resupply of goods to their area.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I'm thinking of killing mostly Vanduul. What you need is a reason to choose a wing of Eclipse over another Polaris, and if that wing can be commanded by a single player, and the Kraken by just 4-5 others, you have your reason.

 

[vahadar]

Don't forget your Endeavour Hope. Kraken can only spawn ships owned by its owner when spawned, otherwise you need other people ship on deck since you cant spawn more ships during flight.
The Hope will be useful to replace losses in the middle of space since it is the only ship that allows to spawn ships in space and not only on station.

My 2 cent on a perfect small fleet : Kraken + Hope + Polaris + Starfarer + Carrack, and a minimum of 14 various ships that can dock and QT with the fleet (8 in Kraken, 4 in Hope and 1 in Carrack and Polaris).
Or at least 8 escort ships that can jump with that fleet (if ships on Kraken deck can't be allowed for jumps, we don't know yet, we just now for QT).

This is my current goal.

 

[Michael]

I would be careful with that statement.
The Endeavor spawning ships is a 5 years old design. Haven't followed the Endeavor closely so if there are more recent news i'm glad beeing corrected.

 

[Han Burgundy]

*Spits on ground* Nyet. Drake for purist. Three Bucaneers, one Herald, one Cutty-Black, one Cutty-Red, and manymany Dragonfly. Is versitile force, much power for killing with swarm. Missiles expensive, single use. Wasteful. More money for пьянка.

 

[Printimus]

If you dig back into the Q&A for the kraken as well as whatever videos talk about it, you would know that you can technically fit any ship you want on the decks, but they wont be protected or anything.

 

[Richard Bong]

I'm confused by your answer. The Vanguard is about 1/3 longer than the Cutty, but much of that length is fore of the forward landing gear so could simply hang off the front of a pad.

If Vanguards used to spawn on small pads, doesn't it stand to reason they'd be able to land on them?

The Cutlass uses a small landing pad, at all landing zones, but requires the larger size pads on the Kraken. The Vanguard requires bigger pads than the Cutlass, at all landing zones. So, if it fits at all, it is one of the bigger pads.

 

[Bambooza]

Don't forget your Endeavour Hope. Kraken can only spawn ships owned by its owner when spawned, otherwise you need other people ship on deck since you cant spawn more ships during flight.
The Hope will be useful to replace losses in the middle of space since it is the only ship that allows to spawn ships in space and not only on station.

My 2 cent on a perfect small fleet : Kraken + Hope + Polaris + Starfarer + Carrack, and a minimum of 14 various ships that can dock and QT with the fleet (8 in Kraken, 4 in Hope and 1 in Carrack and Polaris).
Or at least 8 escort ships that can jump with that fleet (if ships on Kraken deck can't be allowed for jumps, we don't know yet, we just now for QT).

This is my current goal.

As far as I was aware spawning of ships i simply a stop gap until full presistence comes online after which where ever your ship is it will remain until moved by someone.

I would also be careful of landing ships on pads smaller then they are listed for. They have been working on the physics grids and in the last monthly report talked about implementing outside physics actions to internal physics grids. This means things not in a seat have the possibility of being thrown around and cargo not on a grid has the potential of flying around and damaging things. Right now we can place boxes anywhere because the internal physics grid is not impacted by anything outside of it.

While they have not said anything on it as of yet i also wonder if ships landing on smaller landing pads then the ship size will not be secured to the landing pad. And I wonder if there will be some impact of landing at small POI's and either not being able to trade if your ship is to big or some sort of cargo handling delay due to not being on the pad.

As for the Eclipse they did talk about loading times (might have been for the Polaris still looking) it had to do with if the ordance was wing mounted or not. IE the Polaris with 4 tubes can launch 4 at a time while the Javelin and Retaliator can only launch 2 at a time.