Babylon 5 Mod for X3 Terran Conflict

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Board -> English Forum -> Babylon 5 Mod -> Poll discussion...should EA transports be armed?

Answers: 21 < [1] 2 >
A2597 King for a day Posts 239	# Thread - 2010-07-27 at 11:01 PM So I was about to vote...and then thought about it, and decided it warranted a topic! I'd honestly be OK with a turret on the freighters, but it would do no good in all honesty. So then I thought "is it possible to "buy" a fighter escort? Or could we have some fancy scripted "mayday" wares like a fighter drone that you drop it, and it calls in some fighters from the nearest station/jumpgate? Could that script go further and have a random chance of having a warship jump in right on top of you to defend you? (How cool would it be to have a mayday drone? drop it, have fighters jump in at the gate, you flying as fast as you can towards the gate, them coming to rescue you? And then once in a blue moon, after almost getting used to the fighters coming, an Omega jumps in and obliterates the pirates in seconds, sends you a "Glad we could help" message and jumps out? Maybe even have a random chance of nothing happening....leaving you all alone in the night? Basically, I'd say rather than turrets, lets make things more interesting and true to the show? (and infinitely more time consuming to code, haha)
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Amras Moderator Posts 880	# Answer: 1 - 2010-07-27 at 11:20 PM I made a Maint.bot with a weapon looooong time ago. I think if a freighter need a weapon he should buy one of these: http://b5.hc-gamer.de/index.php?mod=gallery&action=com_view&fold ers_id=2&where=15 That's why I vote for No. ------------------ We are one!
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R3DSKULL Beginner Posts 12	# Answer: 2 - 2010-07-28 at 6:45 AM As i have not recieved my copy of x3 so i can play this wonderful looking mod. I am not 100% sure what transports they have But if they have the skylark class transport which was commonly seen in b5 series this ship comes with an optional 6 pulse cannons. So it can be effective in defending itself vs some fighters. here is an excellent site with some great info on some of EAs ships http://www.b5tech.com/oldb5tech/earthal liance/earthallianceshipsandvessels/eart hotherships/skylark.html i do notice that the Ships of the Galaxy ships are used from Mongoose publishing. But to answer your question i voted yes. I would like to see the game be as accurate as possible to the show. Last edit by R3DSKULL at 2010-07-28 at 6:47 AM (1x Edited)
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Amras Moderator Posts 880	# Answer: 3 - 2010-07-28 at 9:38 AM Yes, but those ships never had weapons: http://b5.hc-gamer.de/index.php?mod=gallery&action=com_view&fold ers_id=2&where=10 http://b5.hc-gamer.de/index.php?mod=gallery&action=com_view&fold ers_id=2&where=94 ------------------ We are one!
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R3DSKULL Beginner Posts 12	# Answer: 4 - 2010-07-28 at 11:03 AM true that we know of we never actually saw much of them in the show except getting blown up or right outside b5. So i would say there is creative liscense and in all objectivness any smart business man would hire an escort or retrofit weapons depending on the legality of his cargo.
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Amras Moderator Posts 880	# Answer: 5 - 2010-07-28 at 11:23 AM Like all the oil frighters which where board by pirates at Somalia and elsewhere. Did they have a little weapon or an escort? mmm i don't think so. fights a lonely fight for the "No" ------------------ We are one!
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I_E_Maverick Moderator Posts 1424	# Answer: 6 - 2010-07-28 at 12:32 PM i totally agree with amras there and i like the idea of buying escorts. of course not all freighters are unarmed, but for the ea for example there werent any weapons seen during the show, which is different for narn and centauri freighters for example. also, having freighters armed would make escorts nearly unncessary which kills escort mission types mostly. if you think further, this would also mean that any ship can have weapons, so why should be passenger liner unarmed? why shuttles? imo all civilian ships should be unarmed, like it is today with cars, ships and stuff, they are not allowed to carry weapons at all.
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Lagasch Beginner Posts 6	# Answer: 7 - 2010-07-28 at 3:43 PM I think standard civilian shuttlecraft and freighters should be unarmed except some special craft like the narn freighter seen in the show fighting the centauri in front of babylon 5. But you can create some special variants only used by organisations on the fringe of illegalty. Players could by them from pirates or special free spacedocks. To prevent these vessels from beeing seized by the authority you need to equip them with sensor jamming devices. Besides, I love the idea of Amras with the mayday call. Gives a real B5 feeling! (Players can also call upon a distress call!)
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croxis Rock the board Posts 73	# Answer: 8 - 2010-07-28 at 5:26 PM There could be enough weapons to fend off a couple of fighters. Not enough to destroy them fast or fend of a wing of raiders. ------------------ -- David - Proud to be saving the Universe sense 1984! -- Member of Firstones.com
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SAVOTW Moderator Posts 1519	# Answer: 9 - 2010-07-28 at 5:33 PM My concern with escorts is that they get hung up fighting one band of enemies while you end up flying into another. And providing escorts for every single mission could be a pain, there are 2 in 'Milk run' and that still seems not enough. A badger rear turret on the back(top) of the personel shuttle would be almost unoticable, yet keep them off a direct shooting line at you...even if you cannot space them. The other option is a few of the weaker missiles maybe? or some sort of compromise in the middle. NPC escorts isn't too bad...player ones take more thought. EDIT On maydays....unless the ship jumps right on top of you, any rescue might be too late. I think it takes around 4 direct hits to remove your EM defence grid and a further 4 to destroy your ship(Mistral)...so not much time for a rescue party..but i like the idea. Last edit by SAVOTW at 2010-07-28 at 5:35 PM (1x Edited)
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Amras Moderator Posts 880	# Answer: 10 - 2010-07-28 at 5:48 PM a hint to to maintenance bot with a weapon You can buy them for your freighter, and when someone is attacking you they will leave the ship and defend it. ------------------ We are one!
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A2597 King for a day Posts 239	# Answer: 11 - 2010-07-28 at 8:11 PM @Savotw: Freighters have so little health? 8 hits total to dead? Hmm...well, that could prove problematic for the Mayday idea... How quickly before you can purchase your own ships though? So you can run a few shipments relying on the mayday feature, then buy a fighter to manage your own escorts? Obviously, closer to the gate you are the better, and these systems are huge. Maybe up the ratio of chances of ships jumping in, and how close. I have no idea what the code looks like for something like that, but if there could be a table of ships that can jump in, from Omegas down to Cotten Tenders, and then fighter wings being gate only. So it's a risk, you will probably get help, but it may not make it in time or be enough firepower to save you. Ohh..then if that could be tied to a system variable (Core, Outer, etc) so that in core systems it's a high probability of help showing up on top of you, and outer it's iffy, and unclaimed sectors or rim sectors...don't bet on it. might get lucky though.
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croxis Rock the board Posts 73	# Answer: 12 - 2010-07-28 at 8:38 PM To increase the complication further... Another option is to have regular scheduled military patrols that follow specific routes. Example: 3 different patrols will go between Unity station and Babylon 5. If the player knows when those patrols depart they can follow one of these patrols. Because Beta 9 is a lower traffic system there is only one patrol that goes between it and Mars. The composition of these patrols can also depend on traffic as well. Earth to Mars will have a lot more Omegas than Orion to Vega. ------------------ -- David - Proud to be saving the Universe sense 1984! -- Member of Firstones.com
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A2597 King for a day Posts 239	# Answer: 13 - 2010-07-28 at 9:04 PM That's probably a far more manageable solution there Croxis, at least from a development and player standpoint my only concerns are this: How often are new freighters added to the game world (as pirates kill them), as they are needed to maintain the games economies. And...honestly, my suggestion is based in large part by my wanting to see an Omega jump in an save my hide. haha
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Abraxas79713 Beginner Posts 8	# Answer: 14 - 2010-07-29 at 2:18 AM In the series didnt the cargo ships rely heavily on escorts? Saying that I bet an NPC ship carrying some Q40 would have some teeth lol As far as the user's ship goes perhaps there should be an option for arming transports, but dont make it readily available; make it either a hard to find/expensive upgrade or have it as part of an illegal mission or something. Email JMS and see what he thinks, that would be a debate ender lol ------------------ ...I would not join a forum that would allow someone like me as a member
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R3DSKULL Beginner Posts 12	# Answer: 15 - 2010-07-29 at 4:34 AM I do believe the armed bots would work. But here we have the issue of will the Ai ignore them and just blow your transport out of the sky? Or will it try to swat your bots down during the fight giving u hope of escape. From reviewing my ships of the Galaxy book all transports were armed and from what i found i do mean all. They had either particle cannons on them or light pulse cannons and if they were part of any major conglomerate they had escorts. There was the EA corporate escort the C-13 which looked like a cutter. which had 2 particle beams and 2 light pulse cannons and often there would be a few. The Centari were often known to heavily arm their freighters. such as the Callos wartime freighter.
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Amras Moderator Posts 880	# Answer: 16 - 2010-07-29 at 9:57 AM I think mongooze wrote that in the books because it is necessary for such a roleplay game.... ------------------ We are one!
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SAVOTW Moderator Posts 1519	# Answer: 17 - 2010-07-29 at 3:53 PM o.k. I refer you once more to the scene in series 4 where a pilot is hit by raiders and you can clearly see the transport firing yellow pulses from the rear (by a gunner who is killed I believe)...same episode as Garibaldi goes to Drazi.
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A2597 King for a day Posts 239	# Answer: 18 - 2010-07-29 at 4:07 PM so a single turret...good for missile defense I suppose.
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LoneRanger Try to beat me Location: DO Posts 141	# Answer: 19 - 2010-07-29 at 10:13 PM agree...and you could see it in the series
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Syr3L Moderator Posts 162	# Answer: 20 - 2010-07-30 at 1:53 AM i was one of the ppl getting killed in the arisia sector the guard was on the other side of the sector and my mistral and tiger dont make anithing helping me out a bit bom bom and i was gone 4 or 5 times then i desided to make it tactical i jumped in the sector catched the bodkins and jump into hs the raders follows me so i jumped back to arisia when the raders where in hs and i made a run to the station finaly got it WOHOO so i voted for ... But it makes no sense leaving a transport far away form secured space and leaving the freighter helpless if i where the company owning this freighter i would have a bill payed by ea for every freighter i loose ------------------ Beyond all frontiers - Lets write some history Last edit by Syr3L at 2010-07-30 at 1:57 AM (2x Edited)
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Answers: 21 < [1] 2 >