Ships in Second Galaxy are classified according to their tonnage in ascending order as follows: Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battlecruiser, Battleship and Capital Ship. In a previous article we discussed an experiment in which we pitted a single battleship against a single frigate, where we found that both sides had difficulty destroying the other - the frigate's puny firepower could not penetrate the battleship's shields, while the battleship's heavy weapons had difficulty hitting the small and agile frigate. We needed a versatile ship that could hit smaller ships, while having enough firepower to present a legitimate threat to a larger ship. This is the tactical role that we sought for the cruiser.
The cruiser is a balanced ship that has no clear weaknesses. It lies in the mid-range of our ship classes and has a great deal of flexibility in its weapons choices in medium single or dual weapons. Single weapons make room for other attachments that improve the ship's capabilities, while dual weapons increase its firepower output. Thanks to this flexibility, the cruiser can be outfitted to deal with large ships or small ships as the situation demands.
Just as frigates and destroyers have their own role "tags", the cruiser's design is based on the "command" tag, which means that it can provide bonuses for itself and other ships. Alternatively, the cruiser can also carry the "interference" tag, marking its versatility.
Interference Cruisers: A Pain in the Six
While command cruisers support the fleet by improving their capabilities ("buffing"), interference cruisers work from the opposite vector, helping the fleet out by debilitating enemy ships ("debuffing").Second Galaxy has two major interference categories: Extended and Area. Extended Interference targets a single enemy, with 6 possible effects including reducing RES, compromising fire control, reducing range and reducing damage. Area Interference affects all enemies in an area, with 7 possible effects including reducing RES, compromising fire control, reducing range and disabling warp.
In the section on command cruisers, we talked about how a nation's technology can affect the effectiveness of their abilities. It stands to reason that as a nation gains an advantage in a particular field, it will also gain insight on how to counter it. The interference abilities of each nation therefore reflects the strength of their ships:
The Economic Community of Dawn's ships have the highest firepower, and their interference cruisers are equipped with extended firepower interference effects.
The Neo-Europa Federation's ships have the strongest shields, and their interference cruisers are equipped with extended shield interference effects.
The Republic of Svarus' ships have the longest range, and their interference cruisers are equipped with extended range interference effects.
The Oracle Empire's ships have the most accurate fire control systems, and their interference cruisers are equipped with extended fire control interference effects.Against an interference cruiser, your options are to either destroy it, or live with it.
What differentiates frigates and cruisers in the interference role? As we have already mentioned, there are two types of interference devices: Extended and Area. Cruisers are equipped with extended interference, which affect a single target, while small, fast and cheap frigates are equipped with area interference.
The effects of each nation's interference frigates are as follows:
Economic Community of Dawn: Firepower
Neo-Europa Federation: Shield
Republic of Svarus: Range
Oracle Empire: Fire Control
There is also a variety of boosting devices in Second Galaxy, which can boost a fleet's propulsion, shield, range and firepower. What kind of boost effect does each of the 4 nations in Second Galaxy have access to?
As you can see from the above table, each nation's boost effect is tied to their respective technological advantages.
The ECD has the fastest ships, and their command cruisers are equipped with group propulsion boost effects.
NEF ships have the strongest shields, and their command cruisers are equipped with group shield boost effects.
RS ships have the longest range, and their command cruisers are equipped with group range boost effects.
OE ships have the most accurate fire control, and their command cruisers are equipped with group fire effect boost effects.