| Author |
Review of: The ICC Carrier Cruiser |
Juxtapose
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: May 11, 2002
Posts: 1308
From: Give me your bullets!
|  Posted: 2004-04-01 11:03
Oh, Just for fun and my own amusement, I have decided to review and rate some ICC ships. I might rate some UGTO ones, as well, as I do enjoy their ships about as much as ICC (especially Destroyers and below…such cool variety), but as I am ICC, I might as well stick to what I know. (I do fly K’luth, I’m just not able to admit it)
To do so, I take a ship out and play with it for a few hours. You don’t have to agree with my ratings or my review, but remember this is more for players who haven’t tried out the ship or don’t quite have the rank + recommendations on how to make the ship work better for you.
The first ship in this series
The ICC Carrier Cruiser:
Last night in The Tripwick system (or near that star), the ICC and the UGTO were wrestling over a couple clusters. ICC had ours at Stark and the UGTO had theirs at Franco. Having repulsed an UGTO attack on our cluster with the help of my ubiquitous Assault Cruiser, I thought it would be fun to take out a Carrier Cruiser to assist in the ICC siege of the Franco cluster
while the main force of UGTO were within the cluster, the ICC was keeping about 4 or 5 ships a couple thousand GU out, well within fighter range and in view, but out of most Cluster defenses. A few UGTO would sally out, maybe an ICC or UGTO would get killed in the small melee that would ensue, and then we would both hang back and get fixed up.
I moded it with Active Shields and AME Engins but other than that, I kept the stock Railguns. And so I jumped into the fray. Being the Combat-Go-Getter that I am, I found it difficult to hang back and watch as my 4 Fighters would attack a target…no, I needed to be up close, put my Rail Gun Batteries into action.
Let me tell you of a funny incident:
During a lull in the multi-ship melee, I sparred with a Torpedo Cruiser. I targeted him (can’t remember who, sorry) from about 1,700gu out with my fighters and then closed to Rail gun range. More Fighters. Laid in with the Rail Guns. A supply would show up ( [-IN-]Mounsier ) give me some fighters, get shot at, move away, come back...etc… Having only Fighters and Railguns, I could run at full speed (25) without much concern about energy. Full speed vs. a Torpedo boat means I could away from most torps, while pattering the TC with a constant stream of my Full Arched Rail Guns and 4 Fighters.
The Torpedo Cruiser showed up with 90% hull (he had been scrapping earlier with our Dreads). After 5 minutes of constant Rail gun abuse, his Armor finally weakened enough for me to cause 1% Hull damage…no telling how weakened his armor was already. I’m not sure if I received any hull damage, at this point. I did start getting some once a Battle Cruiser and a Gun boat Dessy showed up, though…but the damage would hover around 80%, thanks to the Supply Ship. The fun came to an abrupt conclusion when a Dread, tiring of watching all of us dance about, Jumped within 150gu of me and let me have it. I screamed and fled. (arrived at a depot with about 54% hull)
5 minutes of my 4 banks of Rail Guns, about 20 ICC fighters and all I could manage was 1% hull damage? (Probably did that with my CL500)
My Review of the ICC Carrier Cruiser
The upside to the Carrier Cruiser: Modded with Sabots in the FULL Weapons slot, I would have done considerable damage. If I replaced the ECM with a Reactor, I would have had to never worry about energy running at 25. As it was, after a 5 minutes of constant shield flaring, weapons firing and recharing the fighter bays, I was pretty low. Also, at 25gu, and jinking and zigging, no ships could really harm me (unless they close jump you, but at full shields, you can get away with out hull damage…once)
The Downside to the Carrier Cruiser: Moding this ship with Sabots and being effective with them (they go straight, kinda slow, but do good damage), I would have taken a lot more damage trying to make sure I was close enough to hit the enemy. Besides, it’s a Carrier Cruiser, not a Sabot Cruiser. You fly it for the four fighter bays, not its full cannon slots. However, since the best part of this ship is its full arcs and not the fighters: that might be an issue.
The Stock ICC fighters are a merely a nuisances to the enemy, their armaments makes them pretty impotent. But, that is by design (which is why the ICC only has a Carrier Cruiser and not a Carrier Dread… I couldn’t imagine a more useless ship: ICC Carrier Dread...*shudder*). Perhaps I will try the ship out again, mod it with Particle or Psi Cannons and see how well I fare in one on one combat. Perhaps, if the fighters are replaced with K’luth fighters, it will be more effective as well…however, finding UGTO and K'luth Fighters is generally not worth the time "Arranging" to find them driffting in space...
In Conclusion
The ICC don’t specialize in Fighters, and it shows. The Carrier Cruiser can run at full steam and, with a teaspoon of caution, keep safe during any battle. However, you will cause minimal damage and really only assist your Fleet mates by giving the enemy another target to amuse themselves with. If you really want Fighters and if you can fly one, grab an ICC Command Dread. Same number of Fighter bays, reloads, plenty of Energy, unlimited Sabots and a couple banks of CL2000...course you will be a much juicier target…Point is, I would not recommend the Carrier Cruiser as a viable weapon in which you can earn Ship Damaged Prestige.
The Future
Once 1.482 comes out and the new fighters/Weapon Balance are implemented I expect this ship’s four Flight bays, its fast speed and Full Mounted Weapons Slot is going to make it a vital ship for Fleet Escort or Planetary Assault. The fighters, though vastly improved, will still be inferior to the UGTO's, however, they will still pack much more of a punch than their present incarnation. In the battle described above, I could see myself inflicting significantly more amount of damage than I did...that said: I am looking forward to flying it post 1.481 and so should you.
Carrier Cruiser: ** Stars out of *****
(coming soon: ICC Combat Dread: Death Trap or Death Machine?!
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MrSparkle
Marshal
Joined: August 13, 2001
Posts: 1912
From: mrsparkle
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:10
Remember 1.482! Who knows what role fighters will have? Who knows if the carrier cruiser will even survive the chopping block (probably won't).
All I know is I'm predicting the UGTO carrier dread to be EVIL!
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-DJSMITH- {Thors Hammer}
Vice Admiral
Joined: November 11, 2003
Posts: 121
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:17
theyre called dreads for a reason ya know...
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Axianda The Royal
Fleet Admiral
Terra Squadron
Joined: November 20, 2001
Posts: 4273
From: Axianda
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:28
/me cries......
what a great review of my favorite ship.....
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Monsieur *Cpt*
Cadet
Joined: March 12, 2004
Posts: 17
From: PA, USA
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:35
Bravo.
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BackSlash
Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:36
...
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TAZ
Cadet
Joined: July 04, 2002
Posts: 143
From: U.S.A.
| Posted: 2004-04-01 11:41
Carrier Dreads were meant to be the scourge of the MV.......from a distance!! In DS history they were responsible to massive damage to enemy fleets, in recent history they have been refered to as week! It will be nice to see the Carrier Dread return to is rightfull place as a feared opponent in battle!!
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Juxtapose
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: May 11, 2002
Posts: 1308
From: Give me your bullets!
| Posted: 2004-04-01 12:22
Quote:
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On 2004-04-01 11:17, -DJSMITH- wrote:
theyre called dreads for a reason ya know...
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Quote:
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On 2004-04-01 TAZ Wrote:
Carrier Dreads were meant to be the scourge of the MV.......from a distance!! In DS history they were responsible to massive damage to enemy fleets, in recent history they have been refered to as week! It will be nice to see the Carrier Dread return to is rightfull place as a feared opponent in battle!! |
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Ok...I'm sure you both know I was writing about the ICC Carrier Cruiser, but lets try to focus on that ships and its short-comings...no Dreads here...just Cruisers.
And Axianda, why is the ICC Carrier Cruiser your favorite ship? I only gave it 2 stars out of 5, to me it just seemed, well, useless at the moment. If you have any suggestions on how to make it better, do tell.
Personally, this is the one ship I am really hopping survives to 1.482. No match for the UGTO Carriers, it will still be a fun ship to make little Fighter assault wings and then send them after a TC...or mod with Interceptors and have them engage the waves of UGTO Assault Fighters....
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Axianda The Royal
Fleet Admiral
Terra Squadron
Joined: November 20, 2001
Posts: 4273
From: Axianda
| Posted: 2004-04-01 13:05
Quote:
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And Axianda, why is the ICC Carrier Cruiser your favorite ship? I only gave it 2 stars out of 5, to me it just seemed, well, useless at the moment. If you have any suggestions on how to make it better, do tell.
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well they became my favorite since in NEVER ga after dreads whit the thing.
secondly i mounted em in 1480 whit Psi missile which if grouped right gave you 1 fighter and 2 PSI per bay b4 the fighter was reloaded.
this against Kluth destroyers and Cruisers these buggers were mean as hell also because as you said power is plenty on em so i even was able to mount ECCM on em.
and finaly like you said they need to stay out of close combat thats why i used PSI missile.... i can get close enough to launch em but am still far away enough to stay clear 
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Jim Starluck
Marshal
Templar Knights
Joined: October 22, 2001
Posts: 2232
From: Cincinnati, OH
| Posted: 2004-04-01 16:24
Once or twice, I was fortuitous to come by some Larvae back in 1.480. The first time, another player was going to scrap a larvae-equipped ship and offered to give them to me. The second, I found three in the Exathra Starport for no apparent reason.
Both times, I immediately slapped 'em on a Carrier Cruiser.
She rocked. 
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Binks
1st Rear Admiral
Joined: November 28, 2003
Posts: 469
| Posted: 2004-04-01 17:15
Okay, I know that this was just you and has your opinions and biases but I must say one thing...the carrier cruiser is good when used properly...the cc is meant to sit at 900-1K gu and pound the nme (the only issue with this is that icc fighters aren't the best...) it is not meant to get in close. when used properly, a cc can be deadly (the best combo is a few cc's and a dictor...that is the most deadly combo in the game... )
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Ascension(Purge)
Admiral
Joined: March 04, 2003
Posts: 194
| Posted: 2004-04-01 17:16
Ill say outright I hate ICC but carrier cuisers turn up now and again and since they are the only ICC worth mentioning with its fighter capacity I've decided to mention that a Carrier cruiser with Larvae and gauss gun wouldnt do LOTS of damage but would be one hell of a nuisance...especially for dreads and other cruisers...but with the larve the CC could certainly bring down armor in a efficient ammount of time...
After all GGs are ranged over 1k gu's and so are fighters...with good engines and a reactor 1.5k she'd prove a provocative apponent!
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Lupino
Cadet
Joined: March 23, 2002
Posts: 359
| Posted: 2004-04-01 18:01
Quote:
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On 2004-04-01 11:10, Holycannoli wrote:
Remember 1.482! Who knows what role fighters will have? Who knows if the carrier cruiser will even survive the chopping block (probably won't).
All I know is I'm predicting the UGTO carrier dread to be EVIL!
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0_o
It must survive! Let the ICC keep the carrier! (even if it is a little escort carrier, we don't need the big fleet kind, we've got missiles!!!! )
But spot-on review, it's fun taking it out once and awhile for a spin but don't expect to actually destroy something by yourself in one.
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Juxtapose
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: May 11, 2002
Posts: 1308
From: Give me your bullets!
| Posted: 2004-04-01 19:11
Quote:
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On 2004-04-01 17:15, Binks wrote:
...the cc is meant to sit at 900-1K gu and pound the nme (the only issue with this is that icc fighters aren't the best...) it is not meant to get in close. when used properly, a cc can be deadly (the best combo is a few cc's and a dictor...that is the most deadly combo in the game... ) |
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While I completely agree with your assesment of the ICC Carrier Cruiser, in both its use and its deployment, I personally find it difficult to sit that far back and watch. Even flying in the thick of battle, I was in no danger, as my Shields were full, my reactor hot and the mutions slung wide...
However, I do have issues with the usefullness of keeping 3 or 4 combat vessels regulated to the rear to provide adequate fire/harassment. Say, 2 or 3 CC's, a dictor and maybe a Supply (or planet). The same 3 players doning those Carriers could be much more effective in either Missle Cruiser, Heavy Cruisers and, of course if you got the ranks: An Assault Cruiser. If we were to juxtapose the damage caused by 2 Ugto Carriers and their support craft with 4 CC's and their support, I think the UGTO would come out on top....but of course, I would be alarmed if that weren't the case
Being rather high in prestige, I find ships like the CC or Frigate, for that matter, to be a welcome diversion. Unfortunately, inorder to make them trulely effective, you weaken the overall fleet .. ... I guess it really depends on the number of players you have on hand. Generally, when the UGTO have lots of carriers, the ICC grab lots of Missles and the few fast attack craft decide it in the middle.
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[ This Message was edited by: Juxtapose Likes Ponies on 2004-04-01 19:14 ]
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