How many ships do we need?

[Varrangian]

Ok we now know that there will be at least three classes of ships per faction. For the Feds those will be Escorts, Science, and Cruisers/Exploration. For the Klingons they will have Raiders, Cruisers and Carriers.

From what has been described it sounds like ship advancement will be both horizontal and vertical. What I mean is that you will not have to progress from Escort to Science to Cruiser to get the best ships. Instead if you like the Escort class you can continue to advance into better Escort style ships. Please note this is not my opinion on how it should work, but how it appears it will work.

This begs the question. How many ships will we need for each class? I would argue that the worst possible thing they can do is make it so there is only one ship choice at each "level". I realize we will have the ability to customize out ship from "saucer section to nacelles to interiors." But even at that it would make ships too cookie cutter and lead to ultimately very boring game play.

So how many ships do we need per level for each class?

[LordDave]

Starships can be fairly modular. My guess is that you'll have some ships that have very little customization ability and then you'll have a FFA ship creation fest which basically gives you a list of parts (some you can and some you can't get yet) and let's you mix and match based on what you need/want/play style. Like you can have a saucer section with double phaser banks, but less crew quarters. Or one that has extra photon banks instead of phasers. An hull section that has a bigger engineering section(faster repairs), but slower speed, warp nacelles that give you faster warp, but drain your energy, ect....

But we'll have to see.

[Desterion]

If klingons had carriers, i might actually be tempted to play them.

[Varrangian]

If klingons had carriers, i might actually be tempted to play them.

Pick up the Game Informer Article. I'm not making these things up. Carriers for Klingons is confirmed.

[KL0k]

my opinion regarding this is.. for progressing and changing ships, beside special ops missions, a captain stays at the ship. making the best out of it, get experience with its strenghts and weaknesses, tweaking stuff, the crew get used to it and all that.
taking that into account, thinking about the gameplay, i think it shouldnt happen to often or in other words we shouldnt be able to change the ship every turn, otherwise it would feel like "oh, i like this ship.. no, there are npc ships bugging me on the mission, i want another one so i can shoot the sh' out of them". i mean.. if you're planning to be a diplomat, be a diplomat, if you're a scientist, be one, and if it gets to hot, get your ship out there fast or call for reinforcements^^.

[Manx]

It is not exactly a deal breaker for me; but I would like to see around three ships per role, per level. One 'standard model' Dominion war era class, one older but maybe larger alternative (say Galaxy or Ambassador generation), and one brand new class.

For example, say if the Saber class was the escort 'standard' for a particular rank, there might be a New Orleans class alternative (I keep seeing them called frigates, which suggests escort to me), plus a new, more advanced design.

Of course, this would mean inventing a lot of new ship classes.

[Trekkie]

I think that the number of ships should be enough to at least see some variety in starship choice but not so many that it becomes overwhelming - at least initially. That being said, it is difficult to say an exact number, but it depends on how different each ship is from another.

[Reinkaos]

I hope they have USS Titan class vessels, regardless. Not sure what class they are, but they're ace :) Luna class?

[Reinkaos]

I'd like to see at least 3 for each class of ship, so you can have a "specialist" escort vessel, but you can also have an escort vessel that has good capabilies in both sciences (better sensors than the standard Escort), and general exploration (better shields/medical capabilites?), as standard.

On top of this you'd be able to customize your ship, but the basic class of the ship would always be predominant. This would mean a player would be able to specialise as they see fit, and it would mean you couldn't judge a ship's capabilities from just the way it looks.

[Duckdee]

So how many ships do we need per level for each class?
As many as possible! :D

I can't get the idea of 5 weight catergories out of my head; light, light-medium, medium, medium-heavy, heavy. Not sure what the point would be, though.

[Silverspar]

I hope they have USS Titan class vessels, regardless. Not sure what class they are, but they're ace :) Luna class?

USS Titan is a Luna class (http://www.stogeek.com/wiki/Luna_class) starship. The deisng was recently created and shown in the novel Sword of Damocles, very good book, I suggest it for reading. I suggest the entirety of the Titan novel series actually.

Most of the information written on the Luna class in that article is what I've been able to gather looking at the schematics and reading the actual books itself.

[Varrangian]

So if we had vast amounts of "customization" (e.x. hull, nacelles, saucer, and even capabilities like weapons, shields, sensor etc... ) would we need multiple "ship" models?

Yes I'm playing devils advocate for my original question.

[ianobs]

So how many ships do we need per level for each class?


i would say somewhere between 1 and 10. just a guess

[Manx]

So if we had vast amounts of "customization" (e.x. hull, nacelles, saucer, and even capabilities like weapons, shields, sensor etc... ) would we need multiple "ship" models?

Yes I'm playing devils advocate for my original question.

If I remember the Game Informer article correctly, the ship shown in the customization section only changed its saucer section and nacelles/pylons. I'm pretty sure the secondary hull remained unchanged. Since seeing that, I have come to suspect that some parts of the ship can't be changed, perhaps so that a simple refit doesn't result in a whole new class of ship. That way, a Galaxy class can always be recognized as a Galaxy class no matter what you do to it (OK, you might have to squint a bit, but still...).

So, having at least one alternative might be a good thing; just so we don't get stuck with something ugly that we just can't change. :D

[Duckdee]

So if we had vast amounts of "customization" (e.x. hull, nacelles, saucer, and even capabilities like weapons, shields, sensor etc... ) would we need multiple "ship" models?

Yes I'm playing devils advocate for my original question.

I'd say probably not. Give around 10 ships overall, with everything mix-n-matchable. Maybe some extra parts that aren't from any ship, as well.

[marscentral]

As many as possible! :D


Yup!

So if we had vast amounts of "customization" (e.x. hull, nacelles, saucer, and even capabilities like weapons, shields, sensor etc... ) would we need multiple "ship" models?


It depends on how much the base ship effects the end results capabilities and gameplay I suppose. For example, will one class of science vessel always be faster than the other science vessels that level, no matter what customization is added.

[callsign11b]

I like a assortment but your going to have to have stadard model types for npc ships. I like to see scout, escort, destroyers light and heavy, curisers light and heavy, battlecruisers, battleships, stations, and starbase that you cand command and then add your own touches to these classes.
I don't know about carriers. never seemed to fit right to me in star trek battles.
fighters being small and destroyed easly by a capital ship and carriers offensive puch is its fighters.
in a carrier you be always tied to fleet operations. don't exactly take a carrier to bring medical supplies to a sick planet. or make first contact.
I don't know just me and my thoughts. :confused:

[Tribbler]

Ok we now know that there will be at least three classes of ships per faction. For the Feds those will be Escorts, Science, and Cruisers/Exploration. For the Klingons they will have Raiders, Cruisers and Carriers.

From what has been described it sounds like ship advancement will be both horizontal and vertical. What I mean is that you will not have to progress from Escort to Science to Cruiser to get the best ships. Instead if you like the Escort class you can continue to advance into better Escort style ships. Please note this is not my opinion on how it should work, but how it appears it will work.

This begs the question. How many ships will we need for each class? I would argue that the worst possible thing they can do is make it so there is only one ship choice at each "level". I realize we will have the ability to customize out ship from "saucer section to nacelles to interiors." But even at that it would make ships too cookie cutter and lead to ultimately very boring game play.

So how many ships do we need per level for each class?

I would say for a dynamic, versatile, and ambitious captain who wants to know all the different qualities of a ship to determine his best, I would have to say 7.

I don't know why but it sounds good.

Yep absolutely 7, no more, no less.

[dh8d1]

Ok we now know that there will be at least three classes of ships per faction. For the Feds those will be Escorts, Science, and Cruisers/Exploration. For the Klingons they will have Raiders, Cruisers and Carriers.

From what has been described it sounds like ship advancement will be both horizontal and vertical. What I mean is that you will not have to progress from Escort to Science to Cruiser to get the best ships. Instead if you like the Escort class you can continue to advance into better Escort style ships. Please note this is not my opinion on how it should work, but how it appears it will work.

This begs the question. How many ships will we need for each class? I would argue that the worst possible thing they can do is make it so there is only one ship choice at each "level". I realize we will have the ability to customize out ship from "saucer section to nacelles to interiors." But even at that it would make ships too cookie cutter and lead to ultimately very boring game play.

So how many ships do we need per level for each class?

IMHO, your captain should be allowed one ship, and one ship only at a time. Once it is destroyed, you can select another ship with the same rank and playtime as long as it was destroyed honorably. If you suicide you should lose some of your standing and thus not be able to select the same prestige of ship.

The debate on what classifies as suicide and honorable should not be hard. Knowingly going up against something you know you can't possibly win vs opposing ships overwhelming you accidentaly is easy to determine.

[Varrangian]

IMHO, your captain should be allowed one ship, and one ship only at a time. Once it is destroyed, you can select another ship with the same rank and playtime as long as it was destroyed honorably. If you suicide you should lose some of your standing and thus not be able to select the same prestige of ship.

The debate on what classifies as suicide and honorable should not be hard. Knowingly going up against something you know you can't possibly win vs opposing ships overwhelming you accidentaly is easy to determine.

You didn't read my question correctly. :rolleyes:

[dh8d1]

You didn't read my question correctly. :rolleyes:

Perhaps your question was a bit vague?

Asking "how many ships do we need per level for each class" doesn't specify if the "we" you speak of is a collective, or every individual at once.

It's now apparent you mean collectively, not every individual at once.

[Silverspar]

IMHO, your captain should be allowed one ship, and one ship only at a time. Once it is destroyed, you can select another ship with the same rank and playtime as long as it was destroyed honorably. If you suicide you should lose some of your standing and thus not be able to select the same prestige of ship.

The debate on what classifies as suicide and honorable should not be hard. Knowingly going up against something you know you can't possibly win vs opposing ships overwhelming you accidentaly is easy to determine.

Wow, you just don't want people to play the game do you? That kind of punishment is well past harsh and overly cruel, especially for your casual MMO player. MMO distributors are in the business to make money, not make people turn away.

[Varrangian]

Perhaps your question was a bit vague?

Asking "how many ships do we need per level for each class" doesn't specify if the "we" you speak of is a collective, or every individual at once.

It's now apparent you mean collectively, not every individual at once.

Or you just want a flame war :rolleyes:

[dh8d1]

Or you just want a flame war :rolleyes:

No... I misunderstood the question. I am human, and as such I can make mistakes. Especially with vague questions. :-)

[dh8d1]

Wow, you just don't want people to play the game do you? That kind of punishment is well past harsh and overly cruel, especially for your casual MMO player. MMO distributors are in the business to make money, not make people turn away.

I do want people to play. I want to play with other people, that's why I like the MM in MMORPG.

Punishment? How is penalizing suicide punishment?
How many starfleet captains do you know of that switched ships on a daily/weekly basis?

[JMD10222]

Pick up the Game Informer Article. I'm not making these things up. Carriers for Klingons is confirmed.

Very true, but they have not said that the Federation will not have them as well. ;)

[Varrangian]

Very true, but they have not said that the Federation will not have them as well. ;)

Given the tone of the article it would appear that the Feds have their three ship classes and the Klingons have their classes. So no I don't think Feds are getting Carriers.