Rapier Gripes

H

HammerHead

Rear Admiral
Yes! you are reading correctly!
I do mean the F-44 Rapier II aka Uber-Fighter.

While everybody are griping about the Toilet-paper-hulled ship, the Centurian mud pig and the not-so-hellish Hellcat, I felt the need to gripe about everyone's favorite.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I do like the Rapier II - very stylish, great maneuverability, excellent shields - which saved my ass more then once!
And even an excellent gun loadout.

But what's with that horrible rate of fire?! by the time it take the Rapier's gun battery to fire two consecutive salvos, you could almost bleed the Raptor's capacitors bone-dry!

And what that armor! you want to talk paper thin armor? then what about the Rapier's? - sure, she got excellent shield, but if you in a pincer, and the shields come down - your dead meat! and that's in the ship who's main objective is surviving dogfights!

And how about that missile load? this is a space-superiority fighter!
It needs homing missiles - not dumbfire ones!
 
I always preferred the Raptor above the Rapier.
I didn't like the combination of laser and neutron guns the Rapier has. The damage output of the Raptor is still better. And yes: when your shields are gone in the Rapier, you are as good as dead.

Ok, the Rapier is agile. (as I said in another thread, my brother thought it was even too agile)
And the Rapier is fast.

I liked that ship. But I always felt safer in a Raptor.
 
I personally find DFs to be really good in WC1 and Standoff (and they can be useful in WC2, though aiming seems to be a bit harder).

WC2's Rapier II is IMO pretty good, but it's definetely not my favorite ship - I find the Super Ferret and the Broadsword to be much better.
 
My problem with the Rapier II was always that it was too maneuverable - I just can't quite get the hang of it... I'm either shooting or overcompensating for quite a while after I first get assigned a set of Rapier missions (of course, perfectly germain to this discussion is the fact that I *don't* have that problem in Wing Commanders II or Arena...)

It also took me many, many, many years to realize (or accept, at least) that I didn't need full guns on *all* the time.

(Space Point)
 
Kicking the Rapier II?
Yesss! I will do that gladly.
She is QUITE OPPOSITE to the Scimitar (or the Hellcat).
No endurance, no armor, guns, shields, engine easily blown - are these a good fighter's features? definitely not!
Refire - afwully slow.
Particle cannons... I will never tire telling how do I despice them.
Lasers? They seem to be syncronized with P.C. And who needs THAT SLOW lasers? NOBODY!
Her shields, which are said to be 'god-like'... Blown as easily as Epee's. (But that's the question of WC-II engine, so I'll let it pass)
Her missile loadout. She's a strike craft, isn't she? Why all those useless dumbfires then?
 
Sharpshooter said:
I personally find DFs to be really good in WC1 and Standoff (and they can be useful in WC2, though aiming seems to be a bit harder).

WC2's Rapier II is IMO pretty good, but it's definetely not my favorite ship - I find the Super Ferret and the Broadsword to be much better.
Click to expand...

DF are nice weapons - when you up against a cat and shoot one up his face at point blank range or snipe at his rear.
But homing missiles allow you to fire one at one enemy, keeping him occupied, while heading to engage another one with your guns - which is the whole point.

and about WC2 Rapiers - I had a mission were I came against 4 Jalkehi. I engage them and shoot down 3. Now by this point I have an almost unscratched ship with 2 Javelin heat-seekers remaining. I line up un the last Jalkehi when suddenly he afterburns right into me!
My shields go from about 60% to Ziltch, my front armor goes from about 85% (4.5 cubes on the monitor) to Nada, 3 of my guns get vaporized leaving with one laser (!) and my targeting systems goes down - so I cant even shoot mt HS!.

Not fun at all!:mad:
 
HammerHead said:
I line up un the last Jalkehi when suddenly he afterburns right into me!
My shields go from about 60% to Ziltch, my front armor goes from about 85% (4.5 cubes on the monitor) to Nada, 3 of my guns get vaporized leaving with one laser (!) and my targeting systems goes down - so I cant even shoot mt HS!.

Not fun at all!:mad:
Click to expand...

Well... I'd say that is a very common thing - a kilra who's going to ram you. Flying a 'paper ship' you are supposed to keep range and fire that 'nice long-range particle cannons'. The enemy would evade you fire time after time, but who cares? Shields are 'great', cannons are 'quite modern'...

I will say again and again - Rapier II is a ship which deserves hate very much. Just like Epee she is not ment to survive, she's a ship for a 'cannon fodder' . IMHO.

Both Rapiner II and Epee do look like TIE fighters from SW to me. They are to deliver some damage to enemy, then die. And if somehow the ship would survive, don't worry. We'll have another suicide mission for him, and he will certainly die very soon.
 
Her missile loadout. She's a strike craft, isn't she? Why all those useless dumbfires then?
Click to expand...

I don't think she is specifically a strike craft, but Dumb Fires are something you want on one (in WC1, anyway) -- since you don't need a lock to hit a Fralthi with them.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
It also took me many, many, many years to realize (or accept, at least) that I didn't need full guns on *all* the time.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, I learned that when I had to fly the crossbow!

I didn't like the rapier's guns, I like mass drivers. I didn't mind the dumbfires, they were good for hitting a fleeing kat or to hurt capships.
 
After getting used to the armor of the Scim and the jousting capabilities of the Raptor, the Rapier felt very anticlimactic. The only clear advantage it had over the other fighters was speed and turning. It might have felt better if I'd just come off a Hornet like we do in the SMs, but in the original campaign they gave you the Rapier at a time when the missions weren't forgiving.

It's in WC2 when I started to loathe flying the Rapier. The shields and armor felt about the same as the Epee. You had more missiles and a second pair of guns at the cost of your ITTS and a little less visibility. Not only that, but the missions that came with it were more punishing than WC1's. Your first flight out in the Rapier? Take on two navs of heavy fighters (mmmm tailguns), one of which is an ace.

Oh sure, when you get into it, the Rapier is a wonder, but replaying the same mission over and over because you're not given that curve tends to associate it with pain and suffering.
 
Enter the StarLancer 'priviledge of rank' ship selection. Definitely an evolution of pain and sorrow while being stuck in your least favorite fighter on a difficult mission.

I agree, the Rapier missions in WC2 were akin to flying a paper airplane in an oven.
 
Peoples strong reactions to the Wing Commander II ships are interesting to me... because, honestly, I never really thought about them - the missions all seemed so much easier than the Secret Missions and the fighters just never seemed especially good or bad to me.
 
I never considered any of the missions to be particularly difficult as the result of a fighter, either, but you can't discount the sadness that the lack of Mass Drivers brings in any situation.
 
I loved the WC1 Rapier. I actually didn't realize the piece of crap I was flying in WC2 was an offshoot of the same design until playing through WC2 a few more times.

I'm not sure what they took out of my beloved beast, but WC2 Rapier was my most hated ship ever.
 
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