Hello all! Could use some advice if you've got the time.
Immediate question: recently got me a Megalodon that I want to use for AI controlled, IS work and would like to hear of any turret loadouts that have worked for people. Being AP and all, hulls seems to take a while. That's lead me to think of mixing PPC and GC on the left/right and PPC/IC on the front. Beyond that, no real clue other than maybe flak on the up/down, but maybe a flak frigate instead as I've read that the coverage isn't great.
Context question: I'd like to start experimenting with building a support fleet. I've found that I can handle just about any fight that comes my way in my Shrike, but it requires a bit too much effort and patience for my tastes. Ideally I'd like to be able to fall back to to an M6 or maybe even an M3 and not have to worry about needing to repair/replace after every fight. On the theory that slow + big shields = win, I went and boarded the aforementioned 'Don. Got and Aggy and Deimos lying around as well, all on the same principle, not to mention a horde of Falcon Sentinels. So I guess the question is, how do y'all handle attacking multiple cap ships simultaneously without having to do most of the damage yourself?
Cheers,
Manks
[AP] M2 Turret Advice
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Joe McCracken
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Sat, 22. Aug 09, 18:55
I have 3 Megalodons. I have mine outfitted with 10 IBL's in the front, 9 PPC's on each side, and 8 PPC's on the back, with 8 FAA's top and 8 FAA's on the bottom.
Works good for me.
Works good for me.
I'd like to shoot you in the butt with a EBC gun, hide in the asteroids and laugh at what I done, put a blood blister upon each bun, I'd like to shoot you in the butt with a EBC gun.
Some people are like slinkies, not worth a whole lot, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Some people are like slinkies, not worth a whole lot, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
I don't know about Megalodons, but my M2s usually have PPCs in front, Ion cannons on one side and GCs one the other.
My AI controlled ships either have a mix of Ion cannons and PPCs or all PPCs.
Not sure if this is a good turret mix or not but it seems to work fairly well for me.
MARS is also pretty great for your AI caps (I keep my turrets for my personal ship as MARS doesn't use ICs correctly).
In terms of a tough/heavy support fleet, nothing quite beat the Xenon I and a couple of paranid M7s. I have a single carrier in the back with a few dozen notus haulers for fighter support.
I's are a bit of a handful to capture though. You _will_ need a PHQ if you want to field them in any significant numbers. Thankfully, they are dirt cheap to produce once you've managed to nab one.
My AI controlled ships either have a mix of Ion cannons and PPCs or all PPCs.
Not sure if this is a good turret mix or not but it seems to work fairly well for me.
MARS is also pretty great for your AI caps (I keep my turrets for my personal ship as MARS doesn't use ICs correctly).
In terms of a tough/heavy support fleet, nothing quite beat the Xenon I and a couple of paranid M7s. I have a single carrier in the back with a few dozen notus haulers for fighter support.
I's are a bit of a handful to capture though. You _will_ need a PHQ if you want to field them in any significant numbers. Thankfully, they are dirt cheap to produce once you've managed to nab one.
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Alan Phipps
- Moderator (English)
- Posts: 30436
- Joined: Fri, 16. Apr 04, 19:21
If you put say 1 PPC in with the rest all Ion C and/or IBL in a turret then as soon as the target gets into the longer PPC range, the turret starts to turn and later fire so that by the time the target gets into Ion C/IBL range there are already bullets from all guns on the way.
The different bullet speeds will take different trajectories to arrive on target at different points in its planned path. That way you can get maximum damage at maximum range from an AI turret (unless the target turns while the bullets are on the way).
Obviously this only works well with a closing target range.
The different bullet speeds will take different trajectories to arrive on target at different points in its planned path. That way you can get maximum damage at maximum range from an AI turret (unless the target turns while the bullets are on the way).
Obviously this only works well with a closing target range.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.
Thanks for the suggestions all. I was a bit surprised to see IBLs make an appearance, since my understanding was that they were an "inferior" cap ship gun, mostly favored for their use in frigates. That being said, I can see the benefit in having projectiles spread out over more space. I haven't managed to get too many head-on fleet battles, and there's been a lot of missed shots flying around.
Also, thanks for pointing out the I. I had only ever thought of it as the ultimate pinata, but it does look like it fits the bill quite nicely.
Any new ideas on anti-fighter turrets? I think I read that someone uses mostly FAA, but with 1 CFA and 1 ID and that the ID will bounce off the flak? I've taken the Megalodon out a few times but the fights are usually so hectic that I have no idea if those turrets are providing good coverage. It plus a Cerberus didn't do so well against a RR Tokyo.
Also, thanks for pointing out the I. I had only ever thought of it as the ultimate pinata, but it does look like it fits the bill quite nicely.
Any new ideas on anti-fighter turrets? I think I read that someone uses mostly FAA, but with 1 CFA and 1 ID and that the ID will bounce off the flak? I've taken the Megalodon out a few times but the fights are usually so hectic that I have no idea if those turrets are providing good coverage. It plus a Cerberus didn't do so well against a RR Tokyo.
I usually do all FAAs, but it's mostly because I don't trust the ROF on the CFAs. I find that a bank of FAAs usually nail fighters in one shot anyway.
I have not yet tried the CFA/ID combo.
Considering that I have 3 PHQs pumping out 3 Is every other day or so (or about 3.5 hours in SETA, and that they cost about 1/5th of most comparable battleships, I treat them as pretty disposable.
Even then, a I loaded up with PPCs and FAAs is all but invincible in combat.
I have not yet tried the CFA/ID combo.
Considering that I have 3 PHQs pumping out 3 Is every other day or so (or about 3.5 hours in SETA, and that they cost about 1/5th of most comparable battleships, I treat them as pretty disposable.
Even then, a I loaded up with PPCs and FAAs is all but invincible in combat.