Suppose I could make another 'Ask Gryphon', but since the last one got locked with a very small number of posts...

Anyway, my mind was out drifting in the ether the other day, and this thought came to me, presumably because I'd been playing Homeworld.
Is there any ship-class in UF that is somewhat similar to the Homeworld 'Firelance' class? That is to say, essentially a less-than-ship-of-the-wall with nothing but a humungous gun(and some point defense, presumably)?

...!
Gott's Leetle Feesh in Trousers!

Earthforce's Nova class battleships are arguably on that line - admittedly, they have several clusters of guns instead of one single all or nothing gun, but they're pretty brutal in their minimalism - and crew comforts.

In UF, I'd think a ship like that would be a sitting duck for starfighters. Maybe you could get away with it by only deploying them together with support craft, but it seems like a more balanced design would generally be more effective.

>Suppose I could make another 'Ask Gryphon', but since the last one got
>locked with a very small number of posts...

Eh? It's not locked. Right at the bottom of the first page, at the moment.

>Is there any ship-class in UF that is somewhat similar to the
>Homeworld 'Firelance' class? That is to say, essentially a
>less-than-ship-of-the-wall with nothing but a humungous gun(and some
>point defense, presumably)?

I'm not familiar at all with the source of the question, so I can't answer directly, but I would say generally that no, apart from the possibility of one-offs like proof-of-concept test platforms for large weapons and the odd last-ditch we're-losing-the-war bodge job (see also Wunderwaffe), that is not a thing in UF-universe naval architecture. There are a few ships that mount quite heavy weapons for their size, but it isn't their only card.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

> There are a few ships that mount quite heavy weapons for their size, but it isn't their only card.

For example, Daggerdisc.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-18-15 AT 10:33 AM (EST)
 
>For example, Daggerdisc.

Well, Daggerdisc isn't really a ship CLASS. Hell, it isn't really an ANYTHING ship, being an INSANELY hot-rodded custom-job built by, and for, a man with rather EXTREME levels of accessability and availability to tech.

...!
Gott's Leetle Feesh in Trousers!

It fits the one-off criteria mentioned in G's post, though, which is what I was aiming at.

>Eh? It's not locked. Right at the bottom of the first page, at the
>moment.

*looks* AGA. Ask...*facepalm*

>I'm not familiar at all with the source of the question, so I can't
>answer directly, but I would say generally that no, apart from the
>possibility of one-offs like proof-of-concept test platforms for large
>weapons and the odd last-ditch we're-losing-the-war bodge job (see
>also Wunderwaffe), that is not a thing in UF-universe naval
>architecture. There are a few ships that mount quite heavy weapons
>for their size, but it isn't their only card.

Ok, cool, all I was wondering. And, the Firelance is essentially a frigate-sized version of the Eclipse-class from the Extended Star Wars. Yes, I know, not the best thing, but it's the one that instantly comes to mind, ridiculous as it is. A gun with a ship built around it. Spinal-mount, as I think they're also called.

...!
Gott's Leetle Feesh in Trousers!

More or less a Battlecruiser (capship) class Ion Cannon with reactor, engines, and control system, and nothing else.

Group of 8 or so of them turns any capital ship into free salvage before you even finish giving the order to fire.

So happy they have a Remastered set thing on steam for Homeworld, I only wish the remastered version of Homeworld 1 used strike craft correctly.

>A gun with a ship built around it.
>Spinal-mount, as I think they're also called.

Heh, when I see the word "Firelance" my first thought is of the super-rare incendiary variant of the Alien Blaster in Fallout 3. :)

Anyway! The "main weapon as integral structural member" thing is not an entirely unknown concept in UF-universe naval architecture - virtually all ships based on Wave Motion Engine technology are so constructed, for instance - but there are no vessels I can think of in service that are only a very large weapon, its power source, and a place for the operator(s) to sit. Mind you, I wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility of installations so configured, but vehicles with interstellar drive systems and whatnot? They're going to have other capabilities.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.