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Forum URL: http://www.eyrie-productions.com/Forum/dcboard.cgi
Forum Name: Undocumented Features General
Topic ID: 150
Message ID: 6
#6, RE: Two Questions.
Posted by Gryphon on Oct-14-01 at 00:47 AM
In response to message #5
>(For those of you who don't understand, the USS Constitution was
>classified as a Frigate when she was built, and the closest modern
>equivalent would, IIRC, be a Battlecruiser...)

Back then, it all had to do with number of gun decks, number and type of guns, number of masts, type of rigging and whatnot - overall tonnage didn't really enter into it. That's an artifact of the ironclad age...

The distinctions in the UF universe are rather blurry, what with the different tech bases - they're based on a somewhat arbitrary assessment of overall combat capability which takes into account tonnage, shield and drive types, weapon type and load, crew complement, sensor capability, special systems... all manner of things. It's easier to give an example of each type than to try and spell out what those factors are (especially since they're arbitrary)...

In ascending order:

- Gunboat: Corellian light freighter rebuilt for combat, GENOM/Cygnus Lambda class with appropriate modifications; the line between gunboat and heavy starfighter is blurry at best

- Corvette: Corellian Engineering Corporation CR-90 class fitted for combat, such as the famed Wedge Defense Force Special Ops vessel Minuteman 9; WDF Predator class

- Destroyer: Klingon B'rel class (often mistaken for the WDF Predator of which it is a rather nicely executed copy, the B'rel class is in fact significantly larger), Earth Alliance Hyperion class

- Frigate: Starfleet/WDF Miranda class; also called a light cruiser

- Cruiser: Starfleet/WDF Constitution class, Klingon K't'inga class

- Battlecruiser: Starfleet/WDF Excelsior class

- Battleship: WDF Yamato class, EA Nova class, Starfleet Galaxy class

- Spacecraft Carrier: WDF Bengal class, Kilrathi Sivar class

- Dreadnaught: GENOM Victory class, Experts of Justice Sovereign class

- Super-Dreadnaught: GENOM Imperial class, WDF Confederation class

- Super Dimensional Fortress: WDF Megaroad class, GENOM Executioner class

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/