Difference between ship classes?

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Novaliz
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Difference between ship classes?

Post by Novaliz »

What is the difference between the ship classes? A destroyer has the same size limitation then the frigate. Does the destroyer get boni when creating the design?
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Darkspire
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by Darkspire »

What is the difference between the ship classes? A destroyer has the same size limitation then the frigate.

There are no differences between the ship classes except the images of them. It is down to the user to do what they want with them regards what is fitted and what size they go up to (within construction tech constraints on the Energy tab) or the templates to dictate how they are laid out. For example, my ship classes scale in size dependent on the class, Escorts being the smallest to Capitals being the largest.
Does the destroyer get boni when creating the design?

I am presuming you mean bonus and not that the destroyer class gets a happy on because someone has altered the design, in which case the answer is no, they do not get a bonus.

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Atts
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by Atts »

Technmically, if you custom design, their is no difference, you can design a frigate as large as you'd like. The idea of course is that each size ship fills a different role. An escrot is typically designed to do exactly that, escort your freighters or colony ships and protect them from basic threats.

It's mostly designed to give you a basic idea of the strengrh of the ship if you decide to let auto-design do all the work for you. Cruisers typically start at about 500 weight, destroyers at 260-380, frigates at around 160-220 and escrots a little under. Capital ships start at about 700 and up and carriers at about 500 and up. Resupply ships are special and are based on the max base size, not ship size.

The icons for each ship also change depending on the class.
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Novaliz
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by Novaliz »

Ok, I also thought that but was not sure. Thought that maybe I overlooked something :) Thx for the quick answers!
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elanaagain
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by elanaagain »

Also, in some pre-pirates versions of DW, the pirates would 'copy' the player's ship designs (including 'getting' the tech to build all the systems including weapons, engines, etc). One way to minimize this was/is to use the small escort design (class) for building your DD and cruisers. Along with this, using the DD and Cruiser ship templates to 'design' less advanced ships but never actually building any. The pirates steal all the designs, and use them... so some of their ships become based on the player's less advanced ships (the ones the player never actually uses). Description: Basically, all military ships that the player intends to use are build with the escort template. These 'escort' ships are actually built to the max size as tech permits. The other templates for larger size ship classes are used (when unlocked by acquiring appropriate tech) to design ships that are one or two generations behind current tech. Now, when the pirates 'steal' (a built in function in the game to create designs for pirate ships... and not a spy thingy) they will build some of the player's less than optimal ship designs.
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Plant
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by Plant »

It depends on whether you leave your ships automated or not.

If you leave automated on, Escort class ships tend to do escort missions to a freighter (and waste loads of fuel whilst they are at it and not protecting anything much and other Empires seem to get angry at you for having escorting ships in their territory.)

I think Frigates split themselves between escort missions, with a tendency to escort construction ships, and forming fleets, with an empahsis towards the smaller strike fleets, if you have left fleet automaton on.

Destroyers and above tend to form fleets. Cruisers and above always join the larger main fleets.

My memory isn't too clear since I don't normally leave automaton on. So this may none of the above may be true.

There are no bonuses, or design restrictions to any of the military ships (except the carrier and resupply ship). You are free to design them whichever way you wish, and use them however way you wish, if you have turned automaton off.

One thing to note, is that naming of escorts, frigates and destroyers are different from the other ships, so they are much easier to find them. In fact, I use their naming as a way to find new ships.
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Novaliz
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RE: Difference between ship classes?

Post by Novaliz »

great tips! :)
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