Boron cap ships worth a buy? [AP]

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ApatheticEthic
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Boron cap ships worth a buy? [AP]

Post by ApatheticEthic » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 00:38

I usually use the Boreas and other argon capitals to do my heavy lifting, but I want something different to try. The Boron capitals seem alright on paper.
How are they in a real fight?

Timsup2nothin
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Post by Timsup2nothin » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 03:09

I don't know about the heavyweights, but I had a Thresher (M7) once and it was a brute. 10 PPC main battery is serious punch.

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Post by Echofinder » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 03:16

The Thresher is pretty much purely anti-capship; the below average shields and weapon generator along with the questionable turret coverage kinda makes it rank on the low side for me.

I wouldn't bother with the Ray, just get the Megalodon instead. If you're buying an M2 in the first place you can spare the extra dough for the much higher bang.

As with all capships, make sure to dedicate a decent portion of your cargo bay for mosquito missiles, as every bomber and their mother is going to be gunning to space your gigantic rear. Boron capships have an easier time with this since they've got bigger cargo holds.

ApatheticEthic
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Post by ApatheticEthic » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 03:19

Timsup2nothin wrote:I don't know about the heavyweights, but I had a Thresher (M7) once and it was a brute. 10 PPC main battery is serious punch.


I like the thresher, but it's way too big and a bit too squishy for my tastes. What I'm really wondering is whether the ray or shark have anything to recommend them over their Argon counterparts. The Titan is cheaper than the Ray while the Colossus carries more fighters than the shark.

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Post by Timsup2nothin » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 03:58

To be honest, my games have always seemed to be about 98% trade and 2% fight...and I came upon the Thresher when I liberated it on a ship return mission. I never actually USED it for anything, since at my fight rank I think my worst enemies were spawning in a Nova at best.

It looked good hanging over my bait shop in Bala Gi's Joy though! :)

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Post by Echofinder » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 04:04

Well I fight much more than I trade, but I prefer a fleet of fighters and M8/M7Ms so I rarely pilot anything bigger than an M3 (aside from M7Ms).

Frankly, we're probably the last people who should be giving capship advice. My knowledge of them comes from blowing them up. :p

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Post by Timsup2nothin » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 04:26

Echofinder wrote:Well I fight much more than I trade, but I prefer a fleet of fighters and M8/M7Ms so I rarely pilot anything bigger than an M3 (aside from M7Ms).

Frankly, we're probably the last people who should be giving capship advice. My knowledge of them comes from blowing them up. :p
:lol:

When it comes to advice doesn't it always seem like the least qualified are the most willing!

ApatheticEthic
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Post by ApatheticEthic » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 06:01

Echofinder wrote:Well I fight much more than I trade, but I prefer a fleet of fighters and M8/M7Ms so I rarely pilot anything bigger than an M3 (aside from M7Ms).

Frankly, we're probably the last people who should be giving capship advice. My knowledge of them comes from blowing them up. :p
Bombers and M7Cs feel a little too much like cheating for me. That doesn't matter too much anyway since I'm mostly looking for something to serve as OOS security against pirates.

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Post by werewolves? » Tue, 19. Feb 13, 10:28

Megalodon is tough

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Post by Echofinder » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 02:06

If it's for OOS security, you're probably better off with a Megalodon. All that matters in OOS combat is shields and weaponry.

You might want to try making lasertowers though, LTs got a big boost in AP and are a very viable choice. You might need to replace a few every now and then but they're MUCH cheaper than an M2 even without fittings.

Heck, you could make a self-sufficient complexes that produces a dozen LTs per hour for less. It's a shame we can't make orbital lasers though.

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Post by ApatheticEthic » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 02:58

Echofinder wrote:If it's for OOS security, you're probably better off with a Megalodon. All that matters in OOS combat is shields and weaponry.

You might want to try making lasertowers though, LTs got a big boost in AP and are a very viable choice. You might need to replace a few every now and then but they're MUCH cheaper than an M2 even without fittings.

Heck, you could make a self-sufficient complexes that produces a dozen LTs per hour for less. It's a shame we can't make orbital lasers though.
Oh, I already have LTs set up. It's just nice to have heavy backup that can jump in. The Megaladon I bought is less useful than I thought it was going to be. It's impossible to miss with weapons fire. I think I'm going to need carrier as backup.

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Post by Echofinder » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 04:21

It's impossible to miss with weapons fire.
That's kind of an issue with all M2s, particularly in AI hands :roll:

Since we've switched to IS combat it changes a few things. Enough LTs should be able to handle everything up to M7s (And even M2s in extreme cases) with minimal to no losses. If you want backup for your LTs, a specialized anti-cap ship such as a M8/M7M would be ideal; but since you're averse to using them, the Thresher would be a good choice.

I don't recommend M1s for sector patrols; they tend to get one-shot by a Q OOS when you're not paying attention. Then there go all your fighters along with it.

Oh, and make sure you space your LTs or you'll lose some to friendly fire.

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Post by sadron » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 19:27

Pretty much none of the Boron ships at all are worth anything that the other races' ships can't do better.

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Sam L.R. Griffiths
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Post by Sam L.R. Griffiths » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 21:01

ALL capital ships are basically big targets for missiles, in AP. Jump one into a hostile sector and get ready for RRF M8/M7Ms jumping in to bombard you with missiles.

The Megalodon M2+ is a good ship, but "Boron get there soon" is more like "Boron get there soon-ish". It is quite unique in that it is the only non-M7M able to fire Flail Barrage Missiles which are excellent for anti-fighter defence. It can not barrage them though.

The Thresher M7 is a great jump in hit hard and jump out type ship.

The Ray and Shark are also good ships.

The Argon Cerberus (and OTAS equvilent) M7 deserve a special mention as they can both mount PBCs (which are available if you know how).

In brief, I think the answer is yes - Boron capitals are worth buying (my Argon Peacekeeper start has alot of Boron capitals in my fleet)
Lenna (aka [SRK] The_Rabbit)

"Understanding is a three edged sword... your side, their side... and the Truth!" - J.J. Sheriden, Babylon 5 S4E6 T28:55

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ApatheticEthic
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Post by ApatheticEthic » Wed, 20. Feb 13, 21:14

Roger L.S. Griffiths wrote:ALL capital ships are basically big targets for missiles, in AP. Jump one into a hostile sector and get ready for RRF M8/M7Ms jumping in to bombard you with missiles.

The Megalodon M2+ is a good ship, but "Boron get there soon" is more like "Boron get there soon-ish". It is quite unique in that it is the only non-M7M able to fire Flail Barrage Missiles which are excellent for anti-fighter defence. It can not barrage them though.

The Thresher M7 is a great jump in hit hard and jump out type ship.

The Ray and Shark are also good ships.

The Argon Cerberus (and OTAS equvilent) M7 deserve a special mention as they can both mount PBCs (which are available if you know how).

In brief, I think the answer is yes - Boron capitals are worth buying (my Argon Peacekeeper start has alot of Boron capitals in my fleet)
Thanks for the helpful response. So how does the ray perform? It's on the expensive side and I'm unsure if it's worth the extra cost.

Mosquito missile defense has been working out pretty well for my Megalodon, actually. I don't face that many M8s or M&Ms. I did get thoroughly beaten by a Xenon I though. Barrages of Hornets just aren't fair.

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Post by Echofinder » Thu, 21. Feb 13, 02:17

The answer is to catch one yourself and barrage hammerheads.

ALL THE HAMMERHEADS.

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Sam L.R. Griffiths
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Post by Sam L.R. Griffiths » Thu, 21. Feb 13, 08:04

ApatheticEthic wrote:So how does the ray perform? It's on the expensive side and I'm unsure if it's worth the extra cost.

Mosquito missile defense has been working out pretty well for my Megalodon, actually. I don't face that many M8s or M&Ms. I did get thoroughly beaten by a Xenon I though. Barrages of Hornets just aren't fair.
For the limited roles I bring in a fleet for, quite acceptable. I generally bring in support M2s to blockade gates in defend station missions.

The Ray is one of the best value for money M2s it has 11k cargo and in the M2 class it is the 3rd fastest commonwealth M2 (beaten by the Boreas and Python which are both more expensive and have significantly less cargo space plus in the case of the Python less anti-capital guns).
Lenna (aka [SRK] The_Rabbit)

"Understanding is a three edged sword... your side, their side... and the Truth!" - J.J. Sheriden, Babylon 5 S4E6 T28:55

"May god stand between you and harm in all the dark places you must walk." - Ancient Egyption Proverb

"When eating an elephant take one bite at a time" - Creighton Abrams

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