Fleet Assault Escort (request)
 

I'm an Engineering player, and typically stick to Cruisers cause I've found them best suited to my skills. I do however enjoy playing in Escorts (especially where the cannons are concerned).

Suffice to say, I was looking over the fleet ships earlier, specifically the Fleet Patrol Escort and the Fleet Assault Cruiser; one of these two ships (I sure ain't buying both) are going to get some fleet modules out of me when I deem it necessary to purchase one.

However, what I would like to see (and purchase) instead, even if it costs me a 5th fleet module is a 'Fleet Assault Escort'. Specifically, the Fleet Patrol Escort with the Bridge Officer slots of the Fleet Assault Escort. As follows:

x1 Tactical Commander
x1 Engineering Lt. Commander
x1 Tactical Lieutenant
x1 Science Lieutenant
x1 Engineering Ensign (or, if desired, Universal Ensign)

Drop a little off the hull, add some to the shields, maybe a third device slot and you've got yourself a new Escort. I'd put the money toward it. What are the chances?

actually, you might want to check out the Heavy Escort Carrier Retrofit.

it has most of those boff slots, except the ensign slot is a tac. That's arguably better, because you can equip tac team.

aceshigh is right. The Heavy Escort Carrier (the armitage) is pretty much what you ask for. The only difference is that it has an Tactical Ensign slot instead of a universal. But, it also comes with a hangar bay, which really helps out in my opinion. I know because I fly one.

The Armitage is a butt-ugly looking ship to start with, and whilst I am a fan of the Akira, there are reasons why I don't want to be flying one.

The Boff slots are similar, yeah, but I'd rather have an extra Engineering console over a Science console (you'd be surprised what a difference that makes), and as per the fighters; they're taking up a device slot that is already short. There would be little point me having that ship without the fighters, yet at the same time I'd rather use device slots for other purposes.

Edit: Add to the fact the Akira is a Starbase Tier #5 ship? The Patrol Escort is a Starbase Tier #1. My fleet has a long way to go before we reach Tier #5.

Fighters have their own dedicated item slot, they don't take up a device slot.

The bottom line is, what you want pretty much already exists. You ca neither choose not to go for it, or deal with the aesthetic issues (personally, I highly recommend a Thunderchild/Armitage mashup. Fill in the saucer and nacelles with Thundy bits, and the rest as Armitage and you've got what looks like a next generation Akira instead of a flying doughnut) and get what you're looking for.

This is news to me, but fair enough.

If it was a case of 'we can't do that cause we've already got one' then we wouldn't have the Fleet Long Range Science Vessel Retrofit and the Fleet Science Vessel Retrofit nor would we have the Fleet Reconnaissance Science Vessel Retrofit, nor would we have the Fleet Deep Space Science Vessel. Short of turn rate, hull and shield strength, there is no difference in the first two and the second two again have very little distinguishing them apart from the other, in addition to distinguishing them apart from the first two.

The same can be applied to many vessels in-game that are 'pretty much the same as another'. It doesn't hurt to ask for more variety on an already existing variety, and as we're all aware here, aesthetics do matter. :)

What you ask for is already available in-game, it's the Heavy Destroyer-class starships.

Commander Tactical
Universal LT Commander
Universal Ensign
LT Engineering
LT Science

Except, following your own analogy, we already have the Fleet Escort Retrofit that corresponds to the Fleet Tac Escort and Fleet Patrol Escort with similar variances.

I get that you're not a fan of the Armitage. But like it or not, that is what you're asking for.

The Chimera? Like I'm going to pay a monthly subscription to this game for a single ship. :rolleyes:

That's my point though; we've got ships already with similar variances, so what is the trouble in adding another ship in that has some slight variances of it's own? It's nothing new, they've been adding 'similar' ships in to this game ever since the fleet system came about. Why stop now?

I've asked for one less Ensign Tactical slot as far as the Armitage goes. :)

Then don't. :rolleyes:

I'm sure there will be a similar ship in the future that F2P's can fork over $25 for. :P