Tsunami

But how could we then tell DS from DS2? Does anyone have an idea what the DS2 would have looked like if it ever was completed? Maybe we should switch away from the DS. Use Krennel's (well, Isard's) Pulsar station design. This would make this thing the horror to the Rebels it's supposed to be. In the original Rebellion, a few carriers and CC7700 with fighters could easily take it out befor it had time to blow up more than five ships.

Well, then we should go ahead to the Mediator Class Star defenders, though finding a model should almost be impossible. Maybe use one of the opts from http://www.btinternet.com/~jmdare/optdown.htm I vote for sticking to official and semi-official ships and not to invent new ones from scratch. We have another problem: With the Sovereign, it would be THREE ships the Rebels cannot match. You have a serious point on this one. As for the SSDs, there are discussions about two different models of those concerning the famous five-mile-folly, which cannot be correct for Executor, which was 11 miles at LEAST. Maybe drop either Sovereign or Eclipse. They have both tremendous firepower, starfighter complements, troop capacities and gravity well projectors, so they serve no really different purpose. A pity, since both models are really good.

Whoho! Great stuff. Never seen this Eidolon Cruiser before. Where did you find it? It looks VERY different from what I have seen about the Modified Strike Cruiser. I dunno where I got the opt for XWA, it it wasn't that large. Or are these two different ships? I recall that the Pererine (not Bel Iblis's Dreadnaught) was somewhat unique.

Hmm, didn't think the MC80b almost matched the SSD. It has more guns on the flanks than an SSD can brin to bear at the front, but shielding is much weaker. It was considerably heavier and slower than the MC80a (which was the first Mon Cal Cruiser built for war, the MC80s were the passenger ships etc.), but no match for an SSD. I think it had almost the same length as the MC80a, but more mass due to its different design. (Most of the info I got from Solo Command, maybe there is something in the comics that contradicts this). Mon Remonda carried four fighter squads. I think we could justify two regiments. I think the second Defiance (not the one in RotJ) and the Galactic Voyager were of MC90 design. They were more powerful than Home One (or why did Ackbar move his flag?), but Home One was up to this point the only Mon Cal Cruiser which could take on an ISD II without getting itself blow out of space. So my guess would be that the MC90 was on par with the ISD II, if not more powerful. From what I read, the Indomitable during the Black Fleet Crisis could have been an MC90 regarding firepower, fighter complement etc. If the Rebels had anything comparable to the SSD regarding size and firepower, why would they make such a fuss over Lusankya? And in Rebel Dream/Rebel Stand it is established that Lusankya was the largest strongest warship remaining at that time. I hope not all MC90 and later designs (such as the Star Defender) had perished, if they indeed had been superior to an SSD.

I guess the pics in the .dlls have to have a certain resolution, color-depth etc. Is there a way to get pics with higher resolution and details into there? We'd have to test how it affects game speed in tactical mode, but it would be cool if it was possible. However, the new texture for the DS should be no problem. Hopefully, we can get something better than the current one.

Good point. But then there are the ships available for both sides which should (IMO) include Corvettes, Nebulon Bs and Dreadnaughts. Diversity isn't really limited that way. As for the planets: Could we implement another pic for planets, at a higher resolution, for use in combat mode?

Hehehe, right you are! Too bad there isn't any chance for an experience system (like the one in MOO2) in the TC. Rebel starfighter squadrons tend to last long. The Defender should be really superior to all other starfighters, but really costly and expensive to maintain. Make the cost 12/12 or sumthin' like that. What do you think about the MC105 or what the ship would be called? I don't think the Rebels should have any firepower comparable to an SSD.

I'd say A-Wing/B-Wing/X-Wing/E-Wing, Imps as you said. Start off with two specialized fighters, get the allrounders later. Of course we will re-do all the stats. The X-Wing later developed is just a new model (like the XJ type or whatever). In the early stages the rebs would be clearly superior, and I don't think the Defender (this one needs serious beefing up, it's supposed to be the fastest and most heavy hitting starfighter ever) and Scimitar can bring balance into that, but they are not meant to do this. Starfighters are Rebel Territory.

I dunno, but would guess no. Looks more like a background texture much like planets Heck, replace the planets, too, at least in combat mode!

There are some models in the game that need serious workover. Like the Corellian Gunship, the Lancer... well, almost everything Mask hasn't converted so far. But I would make that Gunship priority #1. The current model looks like... I cannot tell you in English, but the expression is not very positive and has something to do with body parts and Lara Croft in Tomb Raider I.

I never read that the Empire officially no longer uses TIE Fighters. I would guess the same thing happening to them as to the rebel Y-Wings: They get drafted to backwater worlds of low importance and thus vanish from view. I don't believe they were still manufactured when Daala struck. The Interceptors eventually got replaced by A9 Vigilance fighters (I seem to remember from NJO), but this was some twenty years after Thrawn. They never found a fighter that was more powerful than the Interceptor without the cost going through the roof (as with TIE Advanced/Defender).

Problem with rebel starfighters is that we cannot let them build three or even four types right from the start. So *maybe* we should keep everyone's favourite X-wing in reserve and justify this by using a newer model (like the XJ type from the beginning of the NJO series.) Fourth should be the E-wing (if I rightly remember it being introduced during the Thrawn period. It never appears in the books, but somewhere I read FreiTek got the first models out in this time.)

Forgot about the Kaloth-Modell: I always imagined it a little like the Fralthi-II from Wing Commander... Maybe you could look it up and see how it would fit into the concept. There is also a guy who makes lots of models for XWA, even some Mon Cal Cruisers (MC75, MC80A, MC80B, MC90, MC104). His page is http://www.btinternet.com/~jmdare/optdown.htm

We have a serious problem in regard to research. There are simply not enough slots for all our ideas. I agree to having only one Dreadnaught, available for both sides. Maybe it should not be free to build right from the start. Then we have the supposed Katana-Fleet incident and both sides recover some kinda 'lost technology' to automatize their ships. Katana Dreadnaughts cost the same to build as the old ones but only half of the maintainance. I like ElvisMiggell's summary of ships. No ISD-I, no VSD-I. Nebulon, Corvette, Transports and Dreadnaughts for both sides. Maybe change the Nebulon to Modified Frigate (neb-B2) and the Corvette to Modified Corvette. This would justify putting them into research order. Gunship available from the start. I'm missing the Carrack, though. Nice ship to blow up... Kaloth Battlecruisers! Yeah! Somewhere around the Dreadnaught in strength or a little less (I guess), but cheaper. Might even try the Marauder-Corvettes (damn, gotta find some slots!) About the YT and Delta series: The game could REALLY use some small ships to carry personnel around fast. No troops, a few lasers, no more. So we have two transports per side: One troop carrier and one only for personnel. I would also scrap the MC150 or the like. First of all, if we really go for the authentic ships, we should stick to that concept. And the rebels are not supposed to have really mighty ships and superweapons. Nothing they had was as big as an SSD (except for Lusankya, hehe). Now, fighters. Imps should start with Interceptors and really beefed up Bombers. They were just target practice in Rebellion, but they are supposed to be fast as Y-Wings and nimble as X-Wings. Imps could research Defenders and... Scimitars, Gunboats, Missileboats, (Raptors?) or V38? A9 Vigilance? Rebs start with A- and B-Wings. Why? Incom is (again) lagging behind in production or whatever until they start to produce the T-65C or XJ type or sumthin' like that. The last one could be the E-Wing or K-Wing. Could be difficult to get this all right according to timeframe. But so many ships were developed during and after Thrawn... (About the ESSD: One could assume that the Player is actually the Clone Emperor, hiding on Byss, directing his troops through the Force and invisible threads.)

Hi folks! Have been following your discussions and ideas for quite a while now. Pretty good stuff. I noticed the lack of activity in the ships department. Heck, that section needs some serious work, and so I'm offering my help. With Mask assembling all kinds of models we should have a wide range of possibilities. IMHO, we should get rid of all those made-up-just-for-Rebellion ships like the CC Frigates, Liberator, Dauntless? and Bulwark. We have more than enough Mon Cal Cruisers, the Peregrine-Class Modified Strike Cruiser, Marauder Corvettes, even the later Mediator and Bothan Assault Cruisers (any models yet?) etc. Together with Eclipse, Sovereign, Allegiance and Katana-Dreadnaughts, there are so many ships to chose from. Just my two cents.