while i didnt know about that first strike, i believe everyone knows the devastating effect strike cruisers can have in vanilla, especially ferengi ones. They are the first to unload torpedoes, and they do so in enormous quantities. A few ferengi strikers can turn a battle upside down in the first round
romulan strike cruiser have fewer and less strong torpedoes, but they have a surprise round where the enemy cant dodge. Especially useful against borg, heavy destroyers and heavy escorts
its basically a sort of suicide bomber. do a lot of damage and go out in a blaze
so.... strike cruisers
Moderator: thunderchero
Hi,
By no means do I consider myself at all expert at the game. When I play, I prefer BoP on larger maps and play against the AI so I can play at my leisure. (The playing against the AI explains why I'm not at all expert.
/2) I also usually start with all Techs at 4 (setting 3).
Strike cruisers....
I like the Ferengi Strategic Cruiser, but I like the other Ferengi ships too. The long range colony ship is awesome. The Marauder does not have awesome weapons, awesome shields or awesome anything, but it is agile, versatile, long range, has scanners and is worth building in large numbers, especially because it is updated every two tech levels. Unless I plan to actually raid, the Raider seems less useful: it is a bit more cost effective than the Marauder at some levels but a lot more fragile, has only a medium range but does gain value later on, when it reaches Speed 3. Which brings us to the Strategic Cruiser. It packs a bigger punch but is more fragile and expensive than a comparable Marauder, and does not come into its own until it reaches Speed 2, when it becomes completely awesome. With the Tech 8 version, there's little pressure to go for Tech 10, which is better but not awesomely better. By the time I get here, though, I already have a large fleet of Marauders.
The Federation "strike cruiser" doesn't really feel much like a strike cruiser; nor does the Klingon version. Klingon ships are all good. It's the faction's saving grace. I rarely play these races; I don't really enjoy them.
The two "classic" SCs--Romulans and Cardassians--are pleasantly cheap to build and operate, with a big punch. But I think their Speed 1 makes them hard for me to use. Soooo slooooow. Of course, speed is generally a huge problem for the Cardassians, whose ships in BoP feel third rate to me. Slow and ponderous. They're cheap, but not inexpensive for what they are.
Of course, it could just be that I don't really know how to use Strike Cruisers properly! I prefer a more mobile fleet, so as Romulans, I prefer to build Warbirds, which are faster and have long range. But I've noticed that Warbirds alone tend to have problems after the surprise round. As Cardassians, I struggle through a few tech levels until I finally have ships with Speed 2, but the ships that ought to be my mainstay, battleships and strike cruisers, don't get there until level 10. Sooooo sloooow. And as for ramming.... it's always painful when enemy ships dance out of the way, inflicting damage in the process.
*smile* I suppose a few posts about optimal fleet composition might be in order, from someone who really knows. I keep thinking that as Cardassia, maybe I ought to build lots more Netels./2
I'd also love to see the transport ordering 'feature' fixed; this is the one thing I hate most about the game.
But, strike cruisers. The real ones--Ferengi, Romulan and Cardassian--become awesome at Speed 2. Until then, they seem to represent a tradeoff between heavy firepower and "they're on their way to the front, no really." (The Ferengi version is not inexpensive either, unlike the other two.)
Anyway,
Ken
By no means do I consider myself at all expert at the game. When I play, I prefer BoP on larger maps and play against the AI so I can play at my leisure. (The playing against the AI explains why I'm not at all expert.
/2) I also usually start with all Techs at 4 (setting 3).Strike cruisers....
I like the Ferengi Strategic Cruiser, but I like the other Ferengi ships too. The long range colony ship is awesome. The Marauder does not have awesome weapons, awesome shields or awesome anything, but it is agile, versatile, long range, has scanners and is worth building in large numbers, especially because it is updated every two tech levels. Unless I plan to actually raid, the Raider seems less useful: it is a bit more cost effective than the Marauder at some levels but a lot more fragile, has only a medium range but does gain value later on, when it reaches Speed 3. Which brings us to the Strategic Cruiser. It packs a bigger punch but is more fragile and expensive than a comparable Marauder, and does not come into its own until it reaches Speed 2, when it becomes completely awesome. With the Tech 8 version, there's little pressure to go for Tech 10, which is better but not awesomely better. By the time I get here, though, I already have a large fleet of Marauders.
The Federation "strike cruiser" doesn't really feel much like a strike cruiser; nor does the Klingon version. Klingon ships are all good.
It's the faction's saving grace. I rarely play these races; I don't really enjoy them.The two "classic" SCs--Romulans and Cardassians--are pleasantly cheap to build and operate, with a big punch. But I think their Speed 1 makes them hard for me to use. Soooo slooooow. Of course, speed is generally a huge problem for the Cardassians, whose ships in BoP feel third rate to me. Slow and ponderous. They're cheap, but not inexpensive for what they are.
Of course, it could just be that I don't really know how to use Strike Cruisers properly! I prefer a more mobile fleet, so as Romulans, I prefer to build Warbirds, which are faster and have long range. But I've noticed that Warbirds alone tend to have problems after the surprise round. As Cardassians, I struggle through a few tech levels until I finally have ships with Speed 2, but the ships that ought to be my mainstay, battleships and strike cruisers, don't get there until level 10. Sooooo sloooow. And as for ramming.... it's always painful when enemy ships dance out of the way, inflicting damage in the process.
*smile* I suppose a few posts about optimal fleet composition might be in order, from someone who really knows. I keep thinking that as Cardassia, maybe I ought to build lots more Netels.
/2I'd also love to see the transport ordering 'feature' fixed; this is the one thing I hate most about the game.
But, strike cruisers. The real ones--Ferengi, Romulan and Cardassian--become awesome at Speed 2. Until then, they seem to represent a tradeoff between heavy firepower and "they're on their way to the front, no really." (The Ferengi version is not inexpensive either, unlike the other two.)
Anyway,
Ken
Hi,
I find Strike Cruisers hard to use well on large maps because of their speed. They take a very long time to get where I need them; they are easy to see coming and prepare for; they do not allow me to attack behind the enemy's front line. On the other hand, if I don't care about a war of maneuver, they are nice. Except.... I do care about maneuver. Do I overrate the importance of Speed 2?
Anyway,
Ken
Indeed! Heavy firepower plus weak defenses make for a priority target! Close to point blank range and engage.Oskatat wrote:in any fight where you did not attack the enemy strike cruisers, you'll see the damage they can do. They are a bit fragile, but the sense of that is enhanced since all AI opponents will try to kill them off first. With good reason
I find Strike Cruisers hard to use well on large maps because of their speed. They take a very long time to get where I need them; they are easy to see coming and prepare for; they do not allow me to attack behind the enemy's front line. On the other hand, if I don't care about a war of maneuver, they are nice. Except.... I do care about maneuver. Do I overrate the importance of Speed 2?
Anyway,
Ken