Nebulon B = Best ship in the game?

[vegenigma]

Sure seems like it to me.

 

Cost: 34

Maintenance: 35

Fighter capacity: 2

Troop capacity: 0

Shield strength: 300

 

Hyperdrive rating: 80

Hull strength: 600

Damage control: 20

Shield recharge: 15

Tractor beam: 1

Sublight engine rating: 3

Maneuverability: 2

Detection rate: 30

Weapon recharge: 12

Bombardment rate: 1

 

Fore Aft Port Starboard

Turbo Lasers 80 0 40 40

Ion Cannons 0 0 0 0

Laser Cannons 60 60 30 30

 

It works well against capital ships and fighters. Its fore turbolasers are actually better than those of any Alliance ship until you research the Dauntless. It's fast in hyperspace. Its weaknesses are lack of ion cannons, limited durability against high-end capital ships, and limited bombardment capability, but it also costs significantly less than the other capital ships and shouldn't be expected to excel in those areas for its price and maintenance cost anyways.

 

In my next game, I plan to create a massive fleet of these, load them with B-Wings for the ion cannons and bombardment capabilities, add a carrier (for troops) and maybe a single command ship, and go to town. Anyone else try that?

[Rogue_5]

The forward turbos are good yes, but it only takes one shot for the heavier cruisers to rotate and bring their extra firepower to bear. The Mon Cal is next in the research queue and a stronger ship in combat. That said the FRG is a good support ship when you do get the MC80, and very strong for the cost. A lot more cost-effective than the Carrack, definitely.

 

I use them to lead smaller taskforces as well (eg in the outer rim systems) where bigger ships would be overkill or needed in the core. The A/FRG is the cheapest battlecruiser though, as its shields are rated at 600 and it has nearly the same firepower as the Mon Cal while costing less.

 

Best capital ship (at least in bang for buck) in the game has to go to the Corellian Gunship though. Speed rating of 4, deadly to fighters and costs a measly 10 refined material - significantly cheaper than the Imperial L/FRG and Carrack. Very good for keeping those TIEs from damaging your starfighter wings.

[Master_Xan]

Personally, I think carriers are the best ships in the game. Loaded with 6 squads of fighters, they can do most anything. Cheap, quick to build, rarely damaged in combat, available without research and to both sides, and flexible for any mission type- simply load up the right fighters. As you research better fighters, your carriers become more effective (and without being built anew). With carriers, fighters become the most effective weapon in the game; cheap, quick to build, extremely effective when concentrated, great for defense, hard to sabotage, and load up your system defense into carriers for an instant attack force.

 

Their only drawback is their need for escort. With a proper number of carriers with fighters, they do more than enough damage, but they can't take diddly-squat. A single heavy cruiser can wipe out carrier after carrier in very little time.

 

I've used fleets of carriers with whatever other capital ships I can scrounge up for escort. Even Corvettes can keep the fire off carriers long enough for fighters to do their thing in smaller battles. And in larger battles... well, 300 fighters can do a lot before enemy warships can get into range of the carriers. Assuming they even bother; often opponents will target the fighters as the real threat, ignoring the carriers altogether.

 

That said, if you think of the carrier and fighters as a combo rather than a single unit, then the Nebulon B is definitely a contender for best all-purpose warship. The Corellian Gunship is great as a scout ship, support ship, or anti-fighter ship, but can't compete in an all-around comparison with the Nebulon because the Nebulon also sports fighter bays and turbolasers.

 

One of my favorite ships is actually the Imperial Assault Transport. Cheap, super-fast hyperdrives, powerful lasers, and with troop regiments, these guys can take frontier worlds without backup. Bring a few operatives, load up on assault troops, and six-eight of these can take most planets which lack cruiser protection.

[rebelprivateer]

I agree the Ned-B may best the best all around ship in the game

What is not to like?

It has a good mix of Turbolasers & Lasers, and powerful enough in groups to assault Capital Ship or perform Starfighter screening

It carries StarFighters

It is cheap compared to other ships

It builds Fast

It is not that fast or manv. and doesnt have the thickest hull or the greatest shields but overall I think it may be the best capital ship in the standard unmoded game.

[budious]

I like bulk cruisers early in the game. They are crap but they have quick repair rates and if you got a whole fleet of them you can run a dead one to the outisde coord points of the box, and keep your healthy ones in the battle, and in a few minutes you can bring the old ones back in and change out the second wave that are now damaged. Bulk Cruisers are awesome. Carracks are pretty sweet for repair rate also, but are anti-fighter (laser) ship primarily. Bulk cruiser > Carrack in ship to ship. VSDs are awesome for bombardment.

[MrPhildevil]

Bah, I'd rather have a whole fleet of Corellian Corvettes. A fleet of these (50 or so) is pretty cheap and can easely deal with anything you throw at them until much later. If you concentrate fire, I would not be surprise they'd be able to kick the crap out of an Executor class Star Destroyer.

[rebelprivateer]

Well let me try your fleet of 50 Corvettes and see what happens.

 

I let you know in a few days.

 

rebelprivateer

[Master_Xan]

Pretty sure 50 corvettes can indeed kill most any single unit in the game. But 50 corvettes against a few ISDs (not one, but a few) would probably lose.

 

I'm curious about the results to your experiment.