The worst problem with getting a new shiplist to work is that people need to adopt it, otherwise it fails. However, GSA seems to be split between the Adv crowd and the rest of us, so there actually might not be much interaction - either because of different game interests or some kind of hostility. This could make adopting a new list easier, since not everyone would need to have the same one if we don't all play together; at least there's one positive part about a splintered community.
Firesoul's OP Plus is a good list, but I don't believe it was designed for PvP BPV-based games.
So what would a new shiplist have?
- Switch late era to accommodate all ships up to but not including X1. Then, X1 would be switched to advanced era, and regular Adv X2 would be deleted entirely.
- Or, tone down and balance the Adv X2 a little. For example, give the Fed XCA four heavy photons to match the archetype Federation cruiser and match the opposing Klink XCA. (Not my idea, but I forgot to ask him if he would mind his name here).
- Eliminate, or at least tone down the Lyran Democratic Republic ships. Marc Michalik, author of the 'KKtacman' (http://www2.hawaii.edu/~craiga/kktacman.html), said it perfectly - "Without the same level of 'strategic awareness' that is present in SFB, there would be no reason to use Lyrans if the LDR were available." I personally don't understand why some things are possible, either, like the L-DCBP having 6 dizzies and 48 power compared to the L-BCHPp (4 and 46). If they could fit this junk in on the LDR then why didn't the Lyrans include it? Maybe it had weapons breakdown in SFB. Some LDR ships also keep the Lyrans in the dark, as in the case of the DFDD at 144 compared to the L-CWLP at 147.
- In general, some ships cost too low in the point-oriented nature of Gamespy. The I-CW comes to mind!!!! And a few others, like the G-DND. I am guessing here, but if certain ships weren't included in the stock SFC2 lists, then they couldn't have been used much in SFB, and there was probably a reason for that-->they shouldn't be used so often in SFC.
- Battle tugs and tugs in general make for more variety in campaigns, but are pretty cheap in PvP. A good original early era CA/CC match just isn't the same with stuff like the Z-TBT or CBT whatever.
- Maulers are getting old. I believe in tossing some of them out, so they are rarer choices in matches. This would also make them more of a risk to fly, if the only mauler you could afford was a class or two lower than other opposing ships at a given BPV. For now, hosting rules that allow only one mauler per team have worked well.
Please add some more ideas. Are there any good Dynaverse server lists that would work for Gamespy (I haven't looked at Hardcore yet)?
Sadly, most of your complaint list revolves around the problem that has been plagueing SFC since Day 1, SFC I.
In that most
any ship limited somehow by SFB, once it's limits are stripped out because of SFC's "no limit" nature, wind up being over-powerful...
However, that doesn't mean that they're invulnerable. In many cases, an appropriate dosage of "counter-cheese" can deflate these ships quickly...
Specific counters:
X-ships, sadly, only other X's fill that role...
LDR ships are primarily knife fighters, in that Gatlings and ESGs are only effective within range 3 or less. Outside that reach, most LDR ships are fairly weak. And, once an LDR loses shields, they fall apart quickly because most of their hull went bye-bye to support all them extra guns... To kill an LDR fleet, your best bet is long range gun-fighters (PPDed ISC like the DN/CC/CA/CM/CS lines, Hellbore Hydrans, Torp-heavy Feds, possibly Klink saber dancers and Gorn if you're good with them) flown to stay outside of range 4 at all costs... Remember the adage "never bring a knife(-fighting LDR) to a gun-fight", just remember to have the guns, not the LDR...
Maulers (at least the Taldren-included "stock" Klink/Rommie/Lyran models) are typically one trick ponies with a narrow fire arc. Again, a primarily long-ranged fleet flown to stay outside of that danger-arc & range should handle maulers appropriately. Also, once a mauler "fires his wad", put and keep pressure on it, don't give it a chance to recharge the batteries that power the mauler, and it's ineffective after it's first shot...
Battle tugs, IIRC, are plagued by a high power-to-move ratio & very poor turn arcs. This usually relegates them to "perma-starcastle" status, so appropriate anti-castle tactics should dispense of them appropriately. Just remember to watch out for that FA arc, that's where
most of that tug's DN-level firepower is concentrated...
The I-CM series is the ISC's CW-level line, they've been in stock SFC since EAW... there's not really much you can do against them, other than fly really good...
The G-DND (the last ship you mention) is just as conjectural/limited as the R-KHK, L-EGO, and other super-ships. Just pick an equally cheesy opponent and smack it down...
Another tip is to learn some of the other cheese options available... Carriers (once you learn their tactics, if you can afford them) tend to out-cheese anything else, fast cruisers are typically evil if flown well as they can handle high (27+) speed while charging most/all weapons.
Oh, to answer the question you posed about the LDR:
A breakaway province of the Lyran Empire, the LDR consists of a total of 7 (F&E) hexes, arrainged in a 6-hex ring with the center being #7. There are 3 bases situated in the 6 hex ring (alternating hexes), and the center hex has LDR HQ/and a DD-sized shipyard.
Notice the DD-sized shipyard. This meant that all CL and bigger ships were literally irreplacable by the LDR's resources. This practically ensured that the big ships would spend 90% of their time at a base, especially since it was a short trip from a base to any potential LDR trouble spot. Since bases have things like plush staterooms and spare parts in abundance (the kind of things you find in a hull box), it was almost a no-brainer that most of the hull (outside of say, enough steerage-style bunkhouses and spare part storage to sustain a 2-week mission) should be converted into extra guns, so that a small LDR ship could blow up much larger enemy ships. That travel restriction is what allows the LDR to be as overgunned as their contemporary Lyran counterparts...
Topic: Ideas for a new GSA shiplist (Read 13603 times)