Post by Jim Anderson on Oct 8, 2014 4:32:37 GMT
I'm gonna give a quick primer on how we've broken down the assorted ship classes here, and some of the designations you'll see applied to ships on the site. Ships come in several different sizes, strengths, and are tailored for a particular mission. On our site, a ship's abilities break out into their utility in three mission areas: antiship, anti mobile suit, and carrier functionality.
In order, from smallest to largest:
Escorts
Escorts are smaller vessels designed to screen larger ones. They are capable of independent cruising, but are not truly capable of functioning alone, as an escort cannot support sufficient systems for all three warfare areas. However, cruising in mixed groups makes them very dangerous, and their lower cost and short build times means most navies have plenty of them.
Escorts are sometimes nicknames 'tin cans' because of their mediocre at best armoring. They lack engines powerful enough to give them speed and armor, and speed one out. While their truly vital areas - magazines and Minovsky reactor come time mind - carry some armoring, most mobile suits carry weapons heavy enough to post a genuine threat to escorts.
Frigates (FF) are the smallest class of warship in operation. They carry enough systems to be effective in a single warfare area only. Thought to have been made obsolete by the introduction of the mobile suit, they are making something of a comeback thanks to the invention of the particle shot cannon as low-cost, long endurance convoy escorts and screen ships. the Escort Frigate (FFE) is far and away more common these days, with a powerful array of particle shot cannons giving the rate a new lease on life.
Destroyers (DD) were the most common rate in the One Year War and beyond. A Destroyer carries sufficient weapons and space to be fully effective in two of the warfare areas. Zeon's Musai was the first 'modern' destroyer design, carrying a potent antishipping battery married to a mobile suit compliment. The Federation's current inventory of Salamis Kais emulate that build. A new pattern making waves within the Federal military is the Destroyer Escort (DE), which has had the heavy antishipping guns replaced with a large and varied antiair battery. These ships tend to be extremely resilient against mobile suit attacks, as they carry mobile suits of their own and a powerful AA battery to deter incoming. Still, they are tricky to handle against dedicated antishipping vessels.
Capital Ships
Capital Ships are what you build a Navy around. They carry enough weapons and space to be fully effective in all three warfare areas, and typically carry a powerful mobile suit wing. They tend to operate independently as autonomous search-attack units, or as the flagships of battle groups, screened by escorts.
Capital ships carry sufficient armoring such that mobile suits require dedicated anti-shipping weapons (Sniper or Heavy) class to penetrate their core hull armoring. However, their weapon mounts, engines, bridge, and mobile suit launch decks are just as vulnerable as those of an escort...
Cruisers (CA) are the smallest Capital Ships. The modern paradigm for a cruiser was pioneered by the Titans, when they refit the Alexandria-class ship Marsa Allan with the first particle shot cannon array seen on a warship. Current cruiser classes are capable of self-protection against several mobile suits working in tandem to take them down, let alone what happens when their organic mobile suits get in the mix, and carry powerful beam cannon arrays.
Carriers (CV) are larger than Cruisers, and are slowly fading due to the increased effectiveness of AA defenses. They sacrifice any antishipping capacity and most of their antiair defense to mount the largest possible mobile suit wing. The most common carrier design seen today is the Assault Carrier (BV) made iconic by the Federation's Pegasus-class during the One Year War, which couples a potent battery of long-range weaponry to a large mobile suit wing, and is generous with the antiair defenses. Assault Carriers are significantly larger than Cruisers. The only major power currently fielding an Assault Carrier is the AEUG's Argama-class.
Battleships (BB) have been rendered mostly-obsolete by the introduction of the mobile suit. Despite their devastating firepower - nothing can match the potency of their incredible batteries of Mega Particle Cannons - their innate inability to carry mobile suits has had almost every battleship the Federation ever fielded mothballed.
Dreadnoughts (DN) are the largest most powerful warships ever built by human hands... or at least designed by them. They can outgun a battleship, carry more mobile suits than a carrier, and have a truly frightening antiair loadout. The only group even rumored to be building something in this rating is the Titans, but there has been no confirmation of that yet...
In order, from smallest to largest:
Escorts
Escorts are smaller vessels designed to screen larger ones. They are capable of independent cruising, but are not truly capable of functioning alone, as an escort cannot support sufficient systems for all three warfare areas. However, cruising in mixed groups makes them very dangerous, and their lower cost and short build times means most navies have plenty of them.
Escorts are sometimes nicknames 'tin cans' because of their mediocre at best armoring. They lack engines powerful enough to give them speed and armor, and speed one out. While their truly vital areas - magazines and Minovsky reactor come time mind - carry some armoring, most mobile suits carry weapons heavy enough to post a genuine threat to escorts.
Frigates (FF) are the smallest class of warship in operation. They carry enough systems to be effective in a single warfare area only. Thought to have been made obsolete by the introduction of the mobile suit, they are making something of a comeback thanks to the invention of the particle shot cannon as low-cost, long endurance convoy escorts and screen ships. the Escort Frigate (FFE) is far and away more common these days, with a powerful array of particle shot cannons giving the rate a new lease on life.
Destroyers (DD) were the most common rate in the One Year War and beyond. A Destroyer carries sufficient weapons and space to be fully effective in two of the warfare areas. Zeon's Musai was the first 'modern' destroyer design, carrying a potent antishipping battery married to a mobile suit compliment. The Federation's current inventory of Salamis Kais emulate that build. A new pattern making waves within the Federal military is the Destroyer Escort (DE), which has had the heavy antishipping guns replaced with a large and varied antiair battery. These ships tend to be extremely resilient against mobile suit attacks, as they carry mobile suits of their own and a powerful AA battery to deter incoming. Still, they are tricky to handle against dedicated antishipping vessels.
Capital Ships
Capital Ships are what you build a Navy around. They carry enough weapons and space to be fully effective in all three warfare areas, and typically carry a powerful mobile suit wing. They tend to operate independently as autonomous search-attack units, or as the flagships of battle groups, screened by escorts.
Capital ships carry sufficient armoring such that mobile suits require dedicated anti-shipping weapons (Sniper or Heavy) class to penetrate their core hull armoring. However, their weapon mounts, engines, bridge, and mobile suit launch decks are just as vulnerable as those of an escort...
Cruisers (CA) are the smallest Capital Ships. The modern paradigm for a cruiser was pioneered by the Titans, when they refit the Alexandria-class ship Marsa Allan with the first particle shot cannon array seen on a warship. Current cruiser classes are capable of self-protection against several mobile suits working in tandem to take them down, let alone what happens when their organic mobile suits get in the mix, and carry powerful beam cannon arrays.
Carriers (CV) are larger than Cruisers, and are slowly fading due to the increased effectiveness of AA defenses. They sacrifice any antishipping capacity and most of their antiair defense to mount the largest possible mobile suit wing. The most common carrier design seen today is the Assault Carrier (BV) made iconic by the Federation's Pegasus-class during the One Year War, which couples a potent battery of long-range weaponry to a large mobile suit wing, and is generous with the antiair defenses. Assault Carriers are significantly larger than Cruisers. The only major power currently fielding an Assault Carrier is the AEUG's Argama-class.
Battleships (BB) have been rendered mostly-obsolete by the introduction of the mobile suit. Despite their devastating firepower - nothing can match the potency of their incredible batteries of Mega Particle Cannons - their innate inability to carry mobile suits has had almost every battleship the Federation ever fielded mothballed.
Dreadnoughts (DN) are the largest most powerful warships ever built by human hands... or at least designed by them. They can outgun a battleship, carry more mobile suits than a carrier, and have a truly frightening antiair loadout. The only group even rumored to be building something in this rating is the Titans, but there has been no confirmation of that yet...