with all the new ships being put in to the game is anyone considering the defiant pathfinder from the DS9 tech manual?

Yeah, it's called the Nova-class, you'll find it under "Science Vessel".

The substantive difference between the Defiant pathfinder and the Nova is that the Defiant Pathfinder has torpedo launchers instead of an auxiliary deflector and the Nova has a different bridge structure.

thats what i ment a escort with the pathfinder look i know the nova was based on that design

Didn't it have 4 nacelles?

Nope, it's very similar to the Nova just with a pair of torpedo launchers where the big sensor blocks are and another where the deflector is.

http://www.neutralzone.de/database/F...Pathfinder.gif

I know there's a fanfiction version out there with 4 nacelles, were you thinking of that one?

But since it was just a "paper model" (there's nothing in the DS9TM that indicates it was ever built) it lacks certain details.

On topic:
It's no more "real" than some other theoretical units that were never produced like the real-world Montana battleships for example.

Since this game is supposed to represent "real" events (as weird as this might sound) I don't think this ship has a place in this game.

Sternbach commented that in Trek backstory, the Nova-class is actually based on the Defiant pathfinder design.

"Sternbach devised a background story elaborating on the history he had done for the Manual where the shelved Pathfinder hull design was re-appraised by the ASDB (Advanced Starship Design Bureau, the name Sternbach came up with to signify the research and development arm of Starfleet) for it to become the Nova-class. He submitted the idea and a copy of the Pathfinder drawing to supervising producer Peter Lauritson, who gave his approval thereby affirming that "the Defiant pathfinder was definitely the origin of the Equinox, in production as well as in non-canon backstory.""

That said, you are correct in that the DS9 TM says that:

"The defiant project...began with the selection of an existing spacecraft design that had just entered the initial systems-level review stage. No spaceframe had yet been constructed and the hull shape was undergoing warp field interaction simulations."

That suggests that while they hadn't actually built a ship, they had settled on a physical design and were beginning to decide what they wanted to put in the ship. One of those potential systems layouts was a heavy torpedo attack ship. This design was ultimately shelved and the Defiant used a different spaceframe. What happened then was that they took that design back off the shelf and swapped its systems layout for a planetary explorer, the Nova-class.

It would be interesting, I admit to see a hybrid design of some variety...but under the current method that STO uses to lay out ships it would probably be useless, because it would lack any meaningful uniqueness.

The DS9 Tech Manual mentioned that one was built as a 4 nacelle courrier... maybe that will be a future version that makes it in-game.

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_pathfinder

Just to clarify, the original "portrait" has *FOUR* torpedo tubes in the saucer. Not just two.

1) use single cannons (Antiproton if possible or phaser)
2) Quantum torpedoes are your friends
3) TT1, HYT2, CRF 2 on the Lt. Cmd tac BOFF seat
4) Omega MK XII set usage is a must or mix Omega deflector/engines with MACO Shield

Use also science abilities that strip shields/Hazard Emitters/Polarize Hull/Gravity Well or tractor beam to hold enemies in place.

The DPS isn't quite like an escort but it's a good start for now.