Question about Destroyers

Sycrusian

Sycrusian

Rear Admiral
I was thinking... What are destroyers good for in WC1? Carriers and cruiser can carry fighters, transports carry supplies and people, and fighters do most of the combat we see in the game... But destroyers look just like big sitting ducks to be picked by fighters!

In WC2 and beyond, they had those big antimatter guns that turned them into really dangerous ships, but in WC1 it looks like they have just some flak to try to defend themselves from fighters (although the Ralari had those big wing cannons that I've never seen in action anyway).

Anyone here with any clues? :confused:
 
The general consensus is that destroyers are used for planetary bombardment and for fighting other ships of the line. They're also a lot more common than carriers - the bulk of both fleets is ships of the line (the Kilrathi, for instance, once had three thousand Ralari - whereas no one ever fielded more than thirty carriers at once). That means you're going to have a lot of engagements that are destroyer squadron vs. destroyer squadron (substitute your favorite line ship).

All destroyers seem to have larger weaponry that isn't simulated in the game - plasma weapons in WC1, antimatter guns later on, etc.
 
Sycrusian said:
I was thinking... What are destroyers good for in WC1? Carriers and cruiser can carry fighters, transports carry supplies and people, and fighters do most of the combat we see in the game... But destroyers look just like big sitting ducks to be picked by fighters!

In WC2 and beyond, they had those big antimatter guns that turned them into really dangerous ships, but in WC1 it looks like they have just some flak to try to defend themselves from fighters (although the Ralari had those big wing cannons that I've never seen in action anyway).

Anyone here with any clues? :confused:
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WC destroyers in the games carried heavy guns, along with torpedoes - in WC1, they carried 'classified' weapons, though those definitely included heavy lasers and a few fighters. WC2 showed us AMGs and torpedoes, as did WC3-WC4, while the Murphy-class destroyers of WC:SO also carry missiles and some fighters as well as anti-fighter defenses. The main reason for destroyers has always been to have light, cheap escort craft which could move into harm's way, being primarily anti-ship platforms though they could also be 'jack of all trades' as well.

They're more heavily armed and armored than bombers, which is a bonus considering that torpedoes have been the primary anti-capship weapon since the war began. They can deliver a spread of torpedoes onto target and then turn to flee, being somewhat more survivable than a bomber is due to their heavier phase shielding - turret fire will NOT skin a shielded destroyer, at least not with WC3-era phase shields.

Destroyers also make decent point ships for a task group, as they can look for mines and follow the corvette through a jump point, if not scout the area themselves. They're also good for defense, as they give enemy fighters and bombers a less valuable target than the carrier or heavy cruisers, while being able to lash out and destroy both fighters AND capships.

When you need a capship on station that's heavier than a corvette, but can't afford the use of a cruiser, the destroyer's a good choice. They're also basically anti-capship weapons, as the development of the torpedo gave them new life in such a role. They also, when needed, can carry fighters, so your transport convoys have some protection if you can't afford a light or escort carrier for the role.

They're also incredibly cheap, as far as capital ships go. Need more reasons?
 
Haesslich said:
. . . - turret fire will NOT skin a shielded destroyer, at least not with WC3-era phase shields.
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This is true for WC2 era phase shields, but not WC3. I seem to remember a Kilrathi light destroyer giving the Conventry hell on at least one occasion.

C-ya
 
Sycrusian said:
I was thinking... What are destroyers good for...?
...Anyone here with any clues? :confused:
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Just a wild guess - to, um, DESTROY stuff, mebbe?... :D

Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyhoo, what LOAF said pretty much hit the nail on the head. My trivia question (not having a military background & all) is this:

What are Frigates & cruisers generally used for?... I mean, carriers carry stuff, detroyers destroy stuff, transports transport stuff, but the names give me no clues as to what *those* two classes of vessels do. Someone plz Xplain... Thx.
 
In WC1 the destroyers appear to be useless because whatever big weapons they might may have is not simulated.

But you have some capship-capship on all games, even WC1 (Two Fralthi against each other). There's a mission on WC2 where you escort a destroyer, and while you take care of the fighters, the destroyer will attack the kilrathi capship, using its big guns.

On WCP and WCSO capships have lots of large and almost useless weapons, as far as the game engine goes.
 
Well, a frigate is a lighter escort ship than a destroyer. It's basically a cross between a destroyer and a corvette. Usually they'll fill the same roles as corvettes, only being used when a heavier ship is needed. Confed Frigates have Phase shields as well, do they not?

Cruisers are one up from the Destroyer, and often carry small fighter compliments. They pack a LOT of punch, and can basically "cruise" without much fear of reprisal except from a carrier group or superior numbers. Fighter attack can take them out, but only with a concentrated strike.
 
Preacher said:
Just a wild guess - to, um, DESTROY stuff, mebbe?... :D

Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyhoo, what LOAF said pretty much hit the nail on the head. My trivia question (not having a military background & all) is this:

What are Frigates & cruisers generally used for?... I mean, carriers carry stuff, detroyers destroy stuff, transports transport stuff, but the names give me no clues as to what *those* two classes of vessels do. Someone plz Xplain... Thx.
Click to expand...

The term "destroyer" is actually a shortened version of "Torpedo Boat Destroyer".

The DD was designed to counter small light ships from delivering torpedo payload to larger ships of the line(which consequently WC seemed to have followed prior to the advent of fighters)

Subsequently, destroyers wound up absorbing the torpedo boats' mission profile into its own becoming an overall screening and offensive weapon.

Cruisers are dual-role ships much better suited for total operations. Their role goes everything from screening roles(stopping stuff from hitting the big guns) to hunting commerce raiders to scouting roles to actually being the commerce raiders themselves.

Frigates on the other hand are single purpose defensive ships. They're essentially what used to be called destroyer escorts, single purpose defensive warships whereas destroyers are more of a multipurpose fleet escort, they're better suited for convoy escorts against a specific threat.(In WC that'd be fighters and/or Covette raiders)
 
Preacher said:
What are Frigates & cruisers generally used for?... I mean, carriers carry stuff, detroyers destroy stuff, transports transport stuff, but the names give me no clues as to what *those* two classes of vessels do
Click to expand...

Easy. Destroyers destroy. Transports transports. Carriers carry. Frigates frig stuff. Cruisers cruise around also frigging stuff.

(sorry. couldn't hold that one in)
 
It's just too bad we never really see capship action a la WC3 and later earlier on...it would have made for some fun scenes (and many loadings of saved games because you let your Hornet drift too close to the action)...
 
In wc3 there is one mission where u go and aid the coventry or sheffield take on a kilrathi destroyer then you go help defend the ajax against a frathli mk2
 
clarification:

seeing WC3 and later action in WC2 and WC...too bad the tech. level wouldn't support it...of course...in between Wing Commander games I kept occupied with X-Wing + add-ons, later with Tie Fighter and XvT (Anyone remember AOD_Archon?)

Can't wait to get back into the multiplayer cockpit (starts looking for his old uniforms :p)
 
overmortal said:
Easy. Destroyers destroy. Transports transports. Carriers carry. Frigates frig stuff. Cruisers cruise around also frigging stuff.

(sorry. couldn't hold that one in)
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Good 1.

But the exchange above popped another question into my mind that I forgot last time:

What do Corvettes do (besides being babe magnets :D )?...
 
Preacher, check out the "Classifications of Confederation Warships" under the Theory Section of my Fleet Tactics page here.

And someone forgot to say that battleships battle ships :)
 
Dude:

That link gives me this error message:

"Not Found
The requested URL /theory.htm was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request."

What up wit' 'dat?... :confused:
 
Corvettes have a very dual-purpose role. For one, they are light escort craft, flying on the flanks of frigates and destroyers. You'll often see a large number of them in carrier groups, too.

The second purpose of a Corvette is as a light attack craft. Ever wish you had a really really REALLY heavy fighter? That's when a corvette and its fighter escorts come in. They do a really good job of blowing the crap out of things while the fighters keep them from getting taken out.
 
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