HOME | DD
madfox43 — Tau-Class Escort Cruiser
Published: 2008-05-05 15:56:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 4586; Favourites: 42; Downloads: 183
Redirect to original
Description
Bryce 5.5Download for 2240 x 1220
I'm not sure how I feel about this ship. Parts of the design I love, parts I find rather irksome. Also, for a capital ship its size, it is considerably underarmed (somewhat shorter in length than the Dreadnaught). Capital to Capital guns measure from 9 - 12 units. The Tau's four primary cannons measure at 6 units, and its smaller cannon batteries measure at 3 units.
The low armament makes this ship more suited for anti-small craft operations, which doesn't make sense for something so massive. I may either need to redesign its weapons systems, or simply scrap the concept altogether and start over from scratch. Argh!
Also, the Escort Cruiser features an unconventional propulsion system. Rather than the standard engines featured on other craft, this ship has been equipped with a Grav Matrix (funky thing on the back) which allows it to manipulate the gravitic field in order to [teleport/enter slipspace/make hyperjumps] or whatnot.
What do you guys think?
Related content
Comments: 50
... I just got a wild idea thanks to this craft. I think I like the idea as an anti-attack craft design. Dedicated ships like that tend to do well, as the bombers are split in their strategic set of targets:
1. Do I attack the important and destructive capital ships...
2. Or do I attack the not-so-important but killing-my-friends Tau Battlecruiser?
If they decide to attack the capital ships, they risk losing attack craft to the Tau Battlecruisers trying to protect the other ships. On the otherhand, it can attack the Tau Battlecruisers to stop its threat, but there's still other capital ships to deal with.
The ideal alternative would be to send capital/escort class ships against the Tau Battlecruiser, but at the expense of not fighting the more dangerous ships in your fleet. These ships would be strategically very confounding to other naval doctrines.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
dont scrap it. the design is great, and anti-fighter ect equipment is good if its with frigates or something else which has better anti-capital stuff. makes for a more rounded fleet *played too much star wars: empire at war*.
regardless, it looks good. just ended up in faves...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Awesome possum.
I have never played that game before. RTS sort of thing?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
yeah. space battles are just seamless, tactics based so you cant flood everyone with star destroyers *sighs*
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
But... star destroyers are so much fun!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
they cant hit anything smaller than a bockade runner, so you have to use the corvettes for them (and theyre cool too). still the Tau-class would be best as an escort for bombers, soaking up fire & killing fighters.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hmm... perhaps. Of course, you'd probably need something escorting the Tau-Class to prevent it falling prey to a more lethal capital ship.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
two ship classes, escorting each other, might just work...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
A space hotel... with guns...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Those blue windows...
And guns... Why not? Rich lodgers require protection against pirates.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Damn it, I can't stop making favorites out of your pictures
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I like the double nose.
And I guess the rest of the ship too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, I try not to make any definitive decisions until I'm defined.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I hate undefined quantities.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It looks like it could be a heavy transport, maybe for troops, if that were the case then a more anti fighter armament would make sense, as would the new(im thinking faster?) propulsion system. Get the troops to the front faster. Anyway as always great job man.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I had been thinking of something that could make precison jumps into critical (compromised/strategically advantageous) forward combat zones and cover retreating vessels or clear a buffer zone for incoming reinforcements.
Either way, it needs more guns.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
A departure from your previous designs, except for the dome, of course. Interesting.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It has its similarities to the original Battlecruiser though.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
looks like a giant double barrel shot gun!! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks, dude.
I'd say what you should do is hit up google image searches and just take a look at the stuff you can find. Also just observe any technical or architectural stuff around you. You can get some good ideas going if you just sit and look at stuff and think about different ways you could use that shape or whatnot.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I used to do that but well sketch up limits me when it comes to curves so i cant do much of my ideas brought upon by looking around hehe
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
looks great, i love the "rounded" feel to it..
i'd say have two main guns at the end of the two forward "wings" (?) .. but that's just the way i'd design it.. (or go with the anti capital gun on the ridge idea)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I had actually thought about putting guns at the end of what I have been calling pontoons, but I felt that would be too much like the Blockade Runner. Plus it's just more fun to have the full gun be visible and awesome looking. I will probably put a cannon on the ridge.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I say maybe put some heavy guns, or torpedos, or whatnot on it, and add a few more lighter cannons, so it'd be a general-purpose battlecruiser. :3 Ships that are meant for one role only are great, but sometimes you just need a flexible ship.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I had been thinking about putting a main cannon for use against capital ships into the forward central ridge. Not only would it be useful in a scrap, but it would also give the ship an up-down designation. So far the ship is symmetrical on both x and y axes. (oops)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
well that's not a bad thing, it means it's underside is just as good as it's top for anti-fighter duty. Gives it a good solid anti-fighter ability.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
This is quite true. It's just that all my other ships have some sort of distinguishing feature to separate top from bottom. Certain differences in lateral ridges or command structures, fuel cells or communication decks, etc.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Understandable. Maybe add an assisting targeting array to the top, or something?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think it partly looks like the dropship from Halo 1.
>_>
<_<
Woot.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Haha, yes it does. Hadn't even really thought about that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
In the Pre guided missel age of marintine aircraft there was a type of cruiser dedicated to Anti air deffence. these were normaly armed with a large number of lighter guns. e.g. 40mm and 20mm auto cannon and light guns up to 5 inch.
so i think that you should slap some more smaller guns on it and ue it for anti singel ship warfare to support your larger ships.
and the grav drive is awsome. good work mate.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I do agree that it could use more guns on it. Not sure if I'd want to get any much smaller than what I already have on it. However, the Dreadnaught and HG-Class both have a greater number of guns on them, and they are quite a bit smaller.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
i agree with Ovni-the-UFO a large centerline gunsystem and dedicated targeting array or magazine would be cool.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think I could fit that in somewhere.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
maby reclass it as a heavy frigate
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's a little big to classify as a frigate, at least in my opinion. I've always thought of frigates as being smaller, light ships.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
dude thats awesome
color wise I think you could make the
blue a bit darker
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Perhaps. I wouldn't want the ship to be too dark though. The dark grays and all make things pretty dark enough. I like having the blue highlight to everything. Pulls it together in a way.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
yeah I'm starting to see it I was just suggestin a little darker color of blue maybe like .20 in the scale or so not a huge change just a bit of a tweak.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'll try it out on the next ship I create.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ok but yeah your ships are awesome you have a great talent there
👍: 0 ⏩: 1