- Game version
- v0.199.654
This is the M-205 Vanguard Class Destroyer;
A compact, swift and agressive escort ship for the fleet.
Overview:
When flown solo, it's great for shorter missions, where it's high manouverebility is of more value than the raw power and capacity of a larger vessel. - Not to mention, it's relatively lower cost lets you afford it in earlier stages of gameplay.
When part of a fleet, it becomes the quintessential escort vessel: It's speed lets it outpace the larger ships of the battlegroup and always appear where needed, while it's weapons are mainly used to put pressure on the enemy and to finish off stragglers.
Much like an overly-eager sheepdog wielding a pair of gatling guns, it can help herding the foe to the cannons of your heavier starships, or to prevent them from getting flanked.
Design:
Several parts from the larger M-306 were used to hasten construction and to achieve an uniform look, and it's overall layout is similar as well.
The compacted design and large weapons resulted in a fairly cramped interior which doesn't exactly help the crew to forget they are riding an enermous plasma reactor with guns and rockets and engines that were rated for a much heavier vessel, all the while the whole thing is barely held together by a hull so thin, it's little more than a layer of paint.
-Indeed, one can hear and FEEL the hull twist and groan under combat manouvers, and discharging the main cannons will quickly teach fresh recruits to always keep their earplugs handy, and not to bring any fragile personal effects on board. Teeth protectors are also a popular choice.
Some call it a "windowless tin can rushing ahead to mutually assured destruction" and take their first chance to transfer out, while those with a sufficiently violent mindset and an apparent lack of concern for their own mortality stay in the ranks, hone their skills and make a carreer out of a post no sane person wanted.
Personell from larger, more "posh" vessels might mock the 205 and it's crew for "being part of a fleet-wide suicide pact", but at the end of a hard-won fight they'll all cheer for the Vanguard squadrons for having saved their necks three times over.
Defense:
The hull is armored with a single layer of standard armor to keep both cost and weight as low as possible. Shielding of 2500K protects the ship, and when it fails, the 205's powerful engines help it escape out of the enemy's weapon range. A high shield-recharge rate of 250K ensures a low downtime between attack runs.
Eight point-defense turrets offer protection from enemy missiles.
Offense:
The Vanguard's weapons are geared towards close combat. Taking medium-range potshots at your target is technically possible, but it has an expectably adverse effect on accuracy in live-combat situations.
-Two multi-line long-range 75% ion beams can quickly disable the target's shields while still being able to cause some physical damage.
-A pair of powerful AI-operated quad-barrel rapid-fire cannons run most of the length of the hull. They are built with 25% stop effect to hamper enemy movement, thus providing a cleaner shot for your rocket barrage, as well as for the guns of your fleetmates.
These guns will aim at your selected targets and they can be armed and disarmed from the action bar.
-Five pairs of rapid-fire high-explosive rockets can provide a great volume of distraction to enemy PD turrets, ensuring a good percentage of them will reach their target, along with heavier missiles from allied ships.
A single such rocket might not have much of an impact, but the ship can launch as many as ten of them every second, and -once the pilot gets some practice switching between five computers- the damage they deal will quickly add up to a satisfying amount of havoc.
-Two lightweight dual-laser turrets for deterring small, fast-moving enemies who seek to get around your field of fire.
Systems:
This ship comes equipped with a high-output engine, originally built for the M-306 Vindicator, giving it a high TtM ratio of 1.6, and it's top speed can be further boosted by a 50% overdrive system.
A large, quick-recharge jump drive serves for interstellar travel.
The thirsty engines and high-powered weapons are fed by a 2kk aux reactor in addition to the standard reactor's 2kk power output.
Such a device is volatile at the best of times, so it was made sure there's (barely) enough room to cover it with an internal armored shell.
The 205 has a powerful salvage array for "material acquisition" , be the source asteroids or defeated foes.
Two 100k storage units hold the collected goods.
A scanner and a radar jammer is also present, though neither are a particular strongsuit of this vessel, which is best kept in mind, should one seek to engage in stealth-combat.
Logic circuits operate two airlocks, a simple two-level elevator, a set of blinking running lights, and a shuttle bay hatch with an automatic comfort switch. There's also a button to drop the contents of said shuttlebay at will.
Layout:
On the top deck, there's nothing but the airlocks and a steep staircase leading deeper into the interior.
The middle deck houses the sparse crew quarters, a mess hall, a medbay, and showers& restroom. Further to the rear the command center is tucked as deeply in the ship's body as possible. Further still lays the reactor room, and access tunnels to the sides, leading to the main cannons.
Between the middle and bottom deck, one can (on a good day) find the dark and cramped server rooms that house the ship's logic systems.
Finally, on the lowest deck is the cargo hold and shuttlebay, with room for a single M-25 shuttle or a C-25 cargo crate.
