Somebody mentioned the possibility of Confed surplus WC3-era ships being used by the Border Worlds in UE2 (the idea being that Confed sold them off when they phased in the WCP ships). Here is my take on them:
Arrow: Would fit nicely between the Ferret as the lightest, fastest fighter, and the Scimitar as the heavily-armored medium fighter. The Arrow has armor slightly heavier than the Epee but lighter than the Ferret, with shields about as strong as the Scimitar, and has speed and agility about midway between the Ferret and the Scimitar (slightly below the Epee). Its 2 Laser/2 Ion guns are slightly more powerful than the Epee's 2 Light Tachyon guns, but weaker than its single Stormfire cannon. I would give it 2 DF/4 HS/2 FF missiles for a loadout. I would say that the Arrow is just slightly better than the Epee except for the Epee's ability to carry a torpedo.
Hellcat: Having about 1/3 more shields than the Scimitar but only half the armor, and being slightly faster and more agile, the Hellcat is a pretty close match. Its 2 Ion/2 Particle guns hit a little harder than the Scimitar's 2 Viper cannons, but this is balanced by the Viper's ability to damage capship components. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Hellcat's performance is close enough to the UE Scimitar's to make them redundant with each other.
Thunderbolt: Slightly slower and less agile than the Scimitar,with about 50% more shields but only half the armor, the Thunderbolt has the advantages of carrying 3 light torpedoes in addition to its 3 IR/3FF missile loadout (this is the SOP version of the Thunderbolt). However, its 4 Ion/2 Tachyon forward guns plus its rear turret make it quite gun-heavy. In all, the Thunderbolt has slightly more punch and slightly less speed and agility than the Vaktoth. My opinion is that its guns are powerful enough to be unbalancing--maybe a downgraded version replacing the 2 Tachyon guns with Light Tachyon guns might be better.
Longbow: The UE ships database stated that the BW have acquired some surplus Longbows from Confed. The Longbow is significantly slower than the Avenger 1D from UE, and significantly less agile too (320/720 kps and 35/35/40 dps vs. 400/850 kps and 45/70/55 dps). It sports the same missile/torp loadout (8 FF/8 IR/4 Heavy Torp), has slightly more shields but less armor (500/300 vs.400/375), and its Particle turret is just a bit stronger than the Avenger's Ion turret. However, its gun loadout is inferior--not only do its 2 Ion/2 Particle guns pack a lesser punch, but its guns are incapable of damaging capship components as the Avengers Viper Cannons are. My personal opinion is that the Longbow is generally inferior, but increasing its agility to at least 45/45/45 dps might make it viable.
Excalibur: Can you say overpowered? If the Excalibur had 200 armor instead of its relatively thin 110, then it would still be better than the Panther and a close second behind the Vampire. 4 Tachyon/2 Ion guns would be unbalancing compared to the other UE ships. Changing the Tachyon guns to Light Tachyon guns in exchange for boosting the shields and armor about 20% would help towards bringing it in line with the other ships.
My personal choice for a UE2 ship lineup would be Ferret, Arrow, Scimitar, Banshee, Avenger, Raiper IV (I am hoping that the Rapier IV has Viper guns!).
Arrow: Would fit nicely between the Ferret as the lightest, fastest fighter, and the Scimitar as the heavily-armored medium fighter. The Arrow has armor slightly heavier than the Epee but lighter than the Ferret, with shields about as strong as the Scimitar, and has speed and agility about midway between the Ferret and the Scimitar (slightly below the Epee). Its 2 Laser/2 Ion guns are slightly more powerful than the Epee's 2 Light Tachyon guns, but weaker than its single Stormfire cannon. I would give it 2 DF/4 HS/2 FF missiles for a loadout. I would say that the Arrow is just slightly better than the Epee except for the Epee's ability to carry a torpedo.
Hellcat: Having about 1/3 more shields than the Scimitar but only half the armor, and being slightly faster and more agile, the Hellcat is a pretty close match. Its 2 Ion/2 Particle guns hit a little harder than the Scimitar's 2 Viper cannons, but this is balanced by the Viper's ability to damage capship components. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Hellcat's performance is close enough to the UE Scimitar's to make them redundant with each other.
Thunderbolt: Slightly slower and less agile than the Scimitar,with about 50% more shields but only half the armor, the Thunderbolt has the advantages of carrying 3 light torpedoes in addition to its 3 IR/3FF missile loadout (this is the SOP version of the Thunderbolt). However, its 4 Ion/2 Tachyon forward guns plus its rear turret make it quite gun-heavy. In all, the Thunderbolt has slightly more punch and slightly less speed and agility than the Vaktoth. My opinion is that its guns are powerful enough to be unbalancing--maybe a downgraded version replacing the 2 Tachyon guns with Light Tachyon guns might be better.
Longbow: The UE ships database stated that the BW have acquired some surplus Longbows from Confed. The Longbow is significantly slower than the Avenger 1D from UE, and significantly less agile too (320/720 kps and 35/35/40 dps vs. 400/850 kps and 45/70/55 dps). It sports the same missile/torp loadout (8 FF/8 IR/4 Heavy Torp), has slightly more shields but less armor (500/300 vs.400/375), and its Particle turret is just a bit stronger than the Avenger's Ion turret. However, its gun loadout is inferior--not only do its 2 Ion/2 Particle guns pack a lesser punch, but its guns are incapable of damaging capship components as the Avengers Viper Cannons are. My personal opinion is that the Longbow is generally inferior, but increasing its agility to at least 45/45/45 dps might make it viable.
Excalibur: Can you say overpowered? If the Excalibur had 200 armor instead of its relatively thin 110, then it would still be better than the Panther and a close second behind the Vampire. 4 Tachyon/2 Ion guns would be unbalancing compared to the other UE ships. Changing the Tachyon guns to Light Tachyon guns in exchange for boosting the shields and armor about 20% would help towards bringing it in line with the other ships.
My personal choice for a UE2 ship lineup would be Ferret, Arrow, Scimitar, Banshee, Avenger, Raiper IV (I am hoping that the Rapier IV has Viper guns!).