Cap Ship defense gaps

[ojew]

I've been playing around with destroyers for a little while and noticed one strange thing about the capital ships. They don't often have defenses on their underbelly, not one solitary point defense turret. This seems to leave the AI very vulnerable when attacked from below.

Understandably full coverage would make torpedos pointless and kill most of the fun, but without gravity there is no down (except for the main drive axis, I guess) so why the asymmetric defenses?

Having said that this is my first post so I won't just complain. This is quite possibly the best space combat game I've played, above niggle notwithstanding.

Cheers,

Oli.

[BladeDragon]

Asymetric design is a constant. we put in the universe a "Eliptic" wich gives a sense or "right side up", the capships in SS always attempt to maintane thier eliptical orientation, the "grid" when you are in thrid person is the eliptical plane.

I admit the gaps in the defense guns is questionable, several of the capships have glaring blindspots, mostly the ventral section of the ship.

[Burzmali]

And rarely have guns defending their reactors [&:]

[valiant619]

[8D]

I usually go straight for the fusion generator knock it down a bit either via ASM or guns... then bounce from system to system... it seemed when I did what I listed above each new untouched system really took a pounding until the ship went critical. [>:]

Cheers,

Tod

[Pheagey]

poorly guarded fusdion reactors..The best one yet is the Spectre. Not from below like people have said
BUT come at it from a right angle (~90*) and right in front of the wings/arms hit it with a laser and watch the sucka bleed...

anyway, aa the Z axis is not used much be the AI or nuch more than a human fighter once in awhile. But ur right. Maybe a PDB or two...

[Burzmali]

"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."

[ojew]

The AI seems to keep its operations in the plane, and the weakness doesn't show. Obviously this isn't true of people: If you send in one destroyer in the plane and another from about 30 degrees below half your torpedoes are certain to hit. The destroyer in the plane has to get their attention first though.

The best (worst?) example of this was when I sent my destroyers to help attack another bunch of capital ship that were already engaging my allies. When I hit one ship from below it just started spinning on the spot. It managed about three revolutions before the last torpedo struck home...

[TheDeadlyShoe]

That's quite possibly because you knocked out its flight computer.

[Pheagey]

Note to self: add Z axis PDB's to all ships....

[ojew]

Fair point... I hadn't thought of that:)

[ojew]

Excellent. My work here is done..