Operation Serpent

[ChrisReid]

It replaces the Clarkson Class shortly after the Border Worlds Conflict. To cut down Transportloses from Pirates or remaining renegade Kilrathis, the Transport gets a lot more turrets to defence themselves (difference in size, 8-13 Laser Turrets). He build also a short Hangar in the back for Shuttles or a few light fighters (about 4). For the Cargo he builds three different container: Cargo, Supply and Fuel. Uses by Confed, Black Lance and Border World.

What did you think?

I think most people naturally gravitate towards trying to stick as many guns as possible on a ship, but that's not what you want to do if you're making a game. As people have started to touch on here, you have to think what makes for the most compelling experience. If you had a transport with 360 degree turret coverage and amazing shields and super engines, what would be the point of having it in your game? It could defend itself. From a gameplay perspective, the thing that makes the transport interesting is that it's this weak lightly armed thing that forces you to change your flying style and be hyper aware of while you're escorting. Have you really just made a destroyer with cargo pods on the side?

 

[Farbourne]

The other issue is that, if it was really that easy to stick a bunch more turrets and a hangar on a transport, why did no-one do it before? Both Confed and the Kilrathi were running transports for years in highly hostile situations (far more dangerous than situations posed by pirates or a few renegades), and yet they never built uber-transports. What technology has magically changed to make this possible?

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Yeah, in-universe there must be some sort of trade off--some kind of nexus that takes into account energy requirements, engine power, cargo capacity, ease of production and overall cost that spits out the transports we see over the years.

 

[AD]

That thing is actually "in" WC4 and can be extracted from the game... it just never shows up in any missions! Here's a picture: https://cdn.wcnews.com/newshots/full/blcarrier.jpg

It has four turrets, IIRC.

We do see a fighter transport in action on Wing Commander Academy, the TCS Morgan in "Walking Wounded."

Is this separate from the ship you get the lance/dragon fighters from.. I know there's a similar ship in the game that is separate from the modified freighter that acts as the Jamming ship in Peleus (which is a regular transport with big antenas on it).

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Sorry, I made a mistake. The ship I linked to is a Black Lance mini-carrier that's hidden in the game... but the initial sketch is of what we later named the Evansville in Arena. This one: https://www.wcnews.com/ships/images/4views/wc4blacklancetransport.png

It also has four turrets.

 

[Cybot078]

Captain Ridiculous BATTLE-POD-NOUGHT!!!!!

YES ! this is a joke!!!

 

[Deathsnake]

We have also updates to the Black Lance Ships:

We cannot move on our Campaigns, because we need help to texture some ships and stations. Perhaps you can give us a hand. MSG me, FekLeyrTarg or Cybot078 Would be very nice because we want to finish the campaigns Thx @ all