Introducing the Freyr-class

[george moromisato]

Corporate Command will include a new player ship called the Freyr-class gunship. It's a Rasiermesser design with a swivel mount compatible with all Rasiermesser weapons.

Check out the spec sheet:

[Deltax]

That ship looks awesome! I cant wait to see what the 3rd playership for CC looks like.

Ooo swivel mount, great for people who cant aim like me!

[Ttech]

Why hello there Freyr Class!

[Exovian]

This is looking great! I'll be very interested to see if the new ships compare favorably to a Wolfen.

[digdug]

ohh, new laser and swivelling launchers ! That's going to be very interesting to play with !

[Aury]

Very nice! Looks like fun!

[PM]

I will be brutally honest. The model and texturing are done well, but the design is an ugly eyesore when viewed at from any direction other than straight down.

As for its stats. If the expansion does not include more useful Rasiermesser weapons, the swivel will be irrelevant in my hands (but not for enemy Freyrs I need to kill). With only four non-weapon slots AND .22c speed, device selection is really tough! Two of them will be taken by reactor and shield (likely by design). That leaves two non-weapon slots left. If the adventure includes Elysium, then jumpdrive is a must-have - it is the Enigma runeword (from Diablo 2: LoD) of Transcendence because it enables optimal game-winning strategies. That leaves one device slot left. With .22c, the Freyr will not be able to run away from very many things. Thus, I will want a Titan engine minimum. (Wolfen does not need an engine, but anything with less than .25c does, unless the player wants to die if he cannot outgun the enemy.) But, that leaves no room for patcher arm, cargo hold expansion, missile defense, or that cursed plot item from Nares station (I never do that mission with the Wolfen unless I have no other choice). With 40 tons of mass, it can haul more than Sapphire or Wolfen before turning slows. The higher hull mass also means I can equip slightly heavier armor and devices without giving up turning speed. (Weakening the 16 ton IM90 in the 1.2 beta helps too, it may not be a must-have anymore.) At least the Freyr has 50 tons of cargo space, the bare minimum I tolerate on ships. (Cargo hold is must-have on Wolfen because 35 tons is not enough for the compulsive looting I do.)

[Bruno]

I kinda like it. Looks nice, vintage, probably classic Rasiermesser design. I could buy that ship if it handled well.

About specs, is not the game also about choices? Freighter/gunship/hybrid, should not be all alike. A powerful swivel-mounted gunship will be limited in cargo/non-combat devices so you need to be creative to overcome the disadvantage. It is very good that gamebreaking strategies are hard to execute and have consequences. Want to loot everything in the galaxy and make a Scrooge McDuck moneybin? Use the EI500, its perfect.

[Atarlost]

I will be brutally honest. The model and texturing are done well, but the design is an ugly eyesore when viewed at from any direction other than straight down.

As for its stats. If the expansion does not include more useful Rasiermesser weapons, the swivel will be irrelevant in my hands (but not for enemy Freyrs I need to kill). With only four non-weapon slots AND .22c speed, device selection is really tough! Two of them will be taken by reactor and shield (likely by design). That leaves two non-weapon slots left. If the adventure includes Elysium, then jumpdrive is a must-have - it is the Enigma runeword (from Diablo 2: LoD) of Transcendence because it enables optimal game-winning strategies. That leaves one device slot left. With .22c, the Freyr will not be able to run away from very many things. Thus, I will want a Titan engine minimum. (Wolfen does not need an engine, but anything with less than .25c does, unless the player wants to die if he cannot outgun the enemy.) But, that leaves no room for patcher arm, cargo hold expansion, missile defense, or that cursed plot item from Nares station (I never do that mission with the Wolfen unless I have no other choice). With 40 tons of mass, it can haul more than Sapphire or Wolfen before turning slows. The higher hull mass also means I can equip slightly heavier armor and devices without giving up turning speed. (Weakening the 16 ton IM90 in the 1.2 beta helps too, it may not be a must-have anymore.) At least the Freyr has 50 tons of cargo space, the bare minimum I tolerate on ships. (Cargo hold is must-have on Wolfen because 35 tons is not enough for the compulsive looting I do.)

It sounds like you're picky. That's fine, but being picky means some ships simply won't serve you.

I find the .2c of the sapphire adequate for evading anything truly dangerous and 50 tons of cargo quite generous and don't care about optimal play with a jumpdrive so I'd have no problem with this ship unless it has a lower armor limit than the sapphire.

[PM]

It sounds like you're picky. That's fine, but being picky means some ships simply won't serve you.
...
I find the .2c of the sapphire adequate for evading anything truly dangerous and 50 tons of cargo quite generous and don't care about optimal play with a jumpdrive so I'd have no problem with this ship unless it has a lower armor limit than the sapphire.

Of course I am picky! I like playing with power, and the more powerful and competitive options there are, the better.

Most things that threaten me are gunship swarms because they are fast and common. Most are at least .20c, and you cannot outrun that with a stock Sapphire. Destroyers or bigger are less of a threat because most are too slow to catch you. At best, they can try to snipe at you with ion lancers, plasma archcannon, or homing missiles.

About specs, is not the game also about choices?
...
Want to loot everything in the galaxy and make a Scrooge McDuck moneybin? Use the EI500, its perfect.

That is why games have tiers, and many serious players gravitate toward high tier characters and eschew or disdain low tier or joke characters. I am writing my opinion on its specs based on my experience of the standard game. If a stronger ship can exploit a gamebreaker strategy, but a weaker ship cannot, I have no reason to use the weaker ship, no matter how attractive the weaker ship may appear to be. I may try a weak character or ship if I have not tried it before, but once its weakness reveals itself, I will abandon it for a stronger option.

If the EI500 had one more weapon slot, it would be perfect. As it is, two weapon slots and early game low speed are more obnoxious than the Wolfen's weaknesses. (And now that the Fracture cannon cannot be enhanced by longzhus, EI500 no longer has a swiss army knife weapon to rely on at endgame.) EI500 also does not look as sporty as the Wolfen.

As for the Freyr's appearance, I do not like its shape, despite the quality of the model, and I am being honest about it.

[george moromisato]

My plan is simply to give the player interesting choices.

I have statistics that collect the number of games started with various ship classes and their outcomes. I believe it will be possible to use this data to determine the both the popularity and viability of specific ship classes.

If I see some ship classes under- or over-represented, then I probably should adjust the specs (or other game mechanics) to compensate.

Unfortunately, I can't always tell why a class is over/under used. For that I appreciate critical analyses like PM's (and others).

Specifically on the Freyr, there will be additional Rasiermesser weapons suitable for it. I don't know if this will be enough to compensate for its trade-offs relative to the Wolfen, but hopefully testing will reveal that.

[sun1404]

I think making the ship's frontal part a bit smaller, more streamlined, will make it look better. The big head makes it looks... not aerodynamic? I know it's supposed to be in space and aerodynamic doesn't matter at all, but still gunships should be more slender and agile, I think. Also, maybe bend the wings up a bit, so it's more horizontal than vertical.

Still, if you only talk about top-down view, the ship's good enough already, and that's the only view we'll ever see in the game.

[Atarlost]

Of course I am picky! I like playing with power, and the more powerful and competitive options there are, the better.

Most things that threaten me are gunship swarms because they are fast and common. Most are at least .20c, and you cannot outrun that with a stock Sapphire. Destroyers or bigger are less of a threat because most are too slow to catch you. At best, they can try to snipe at you with ion lancers, plasma archcannon, or homing missiles.

If you have trouble with swarms in the base game that's a weakness you have, not one universal to all players. Swarms die like flies to the better omnis and spread weapons as long as you keep a sapphire or wolfen light enough to turn quickly. The same is going to be true of the Freyr, except more so because even without the unspecified additional Rasiermesser weapons an omni flenser is good against all swarming enemies.

That is why games have tiers, and many serious players gravitate toward high tier characters and eschew or disdain low tier or joke characters. I am writing my opinion on its specs based on my experience of the standard game. If a stronger ship can exploit a gamebreaker strategy, but a weaker ship cannot, I have no reason to use the weaker ship, no matter how attractive the weaker ship may appear to be. I may try a weak character or ship if I have not tried it before, but once its weakness reveals itself, I will abandon it for a stronger option.

The real problem isn't that the Freyr isn't suited to a gamebreaker strategy. The real problem is that a gamebreaker strategy exists at all.

[PM]

I wrote swarms threaten me because they can keep up with or outrun my ship, and they are encountered much more frequently than big ships. Big ships are usually not a problem. If big ship beats my ship up, I can run away, and most lack the weaponry to hit my ship easily as I flee. (Exceptions: KM500s from pirates, beam spam from worldship, and plasma archcannon from Phobos.) I cannot run away from a gunship swarm of Corsairs-IIs, Wind Slavers, or Barbaries if I start losing a fight. If my ship is slow, add Zulus, Vikings, Luminous, and Sandstorms to the list. Slow ship also means I cannot run away from retribution if I wanted to pick a fight with Ferians or other green faction.

Omni weapons are nice for... any situation that does not require high DPS, but such weapons are rarer than most. One game, I did the Dvalin trap because no omni-weapon spawned in the game for my Wolfen, except for a puny omni laser that came too late in the game, and reluctantly gave him junk to get an Akan 600. Omni or spread weapons are not a given early on unless your ship starts with one, like the EI500.

In standard game, Rasiermesser weapons are of dubious usefulness. MAGs are much less ubiquitous than missiles for NAMI launcher, and fodder enemies do not carry MAGs (or other non-NAMI missiles for that matter) to loot. Flensers are good if you find one early. Problem is they are much less common as loot, unlike some form of turbolaser. Akan requires ammo, and I dislike primary weapons that use ammo. (I dislike ammo, so it better give me something useful, like doubling my firepower via launcher.) Rasiermesser launcher before the 1.2 beta was a joke, good only for basebusting... which a lancer or howitzer can do just as well.

I do not know of any omnidirectional Flenser in the standard game. The only standard omni-kinetic I know of is the RK15, and that is made by NAMI, not Rasiermesser; and it is not a Flenser.

The real problem is that a gamebreaker strategy exists at all.

Agreed. As long as some ships are able to exploit gamebreakers but others cannot, the stronger ships will be the choice picks. Even single-player games are not exempt from this. You can find guides or other gaming forums which say something to the effect of:

Newbie: Help! I'm can't get anywhere in this RPG?
Gamerz: Wat R U usin'?
Newbie: This cool-looking ship that's too slow and can't kill things.
Gamerz: Well U R the suck! U would've pwned with the block!
Newbie: What block? This ship? I... it looks ugly.
Gamerz: LOL! Noob!

[Atarlost]

I do not know of any omnidirectional Flenser in the standard game. The only standard omni-kinetic I know of is the RK15, and that is made by NAMI, not Rasiermesser; and it is not a Flenser.

Um, I'm pretty sure the Freyr description says any Rasiermesser weapon mounted on it goes in a turret. For the Wolfen there are no omni-flensers, but for the Freyr all flensers are omni, or at least swivel. You can handle swarmers up to sandstorms with an RK-15. A turreted flenser will do just fine. Even a swivel if you don't overload since the swivel will do the fine aiming and anything but hornets and wind slavers will bunch up behind you unless hostile gunships have been made faster since 1.1.

Actually, didn't the Freyr say 22% c? Most gunships do 20%. They won't just bunch up behind, they'll fall behind and bunch up into an ever smaller stream. The only things in the base game you really have to worry about by virtue of your "slowness" are wind slavers and hornets. And both have weak armor and no shields.

Every "flaw" you've suggested with the ship is either that you think it looks ugly from angles it won't be seen at in game or it doesn't mesh with your idiosyncrasies. Not every player is you. It's perfectly okay for player ships you hate with the passion of a thousand fiery suns to be in the game as long as they're not obligatory. Other people will love them who hate your preferred choices.