I see most of the Bird of Preys type ships are escorts for fast flying. Which the K'Vort is based off on design looks. However they are shown as a large ship slow moving and called a "Battle Cruiser". So how will this work on the game?
I see it as a Cruiser type, with the wings stuck out. And maybe moving up for warp? or just leave them out.
If they build it as a Cruiser, I will be sure to buy one for my Klingon to use.
Here is a pic of the K'Vort with the wings out.
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/bop/bops-yesterdaysenterprise.jpg

USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
Comments
Calling the two ships the same size is not quite correct.
The K'vort is actually a lot more massive.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7401/hegtakvortcomp.jpg
total wingspan is wider and the wings themselves are thicker.
The Hegh'ta is mostly as long as the K'vort due to its long neck.
The K'vort has a much more massive engineering section and a shorter neck as well as a bigger command module.
And the K'vort has bigger guns...not that this matter in STO ATM.
Let's also not forget they moved very much like cruisers in the shows...
*EDIT: @farmallm: it's not possible to hotlink to images on EAS, you only get a "blocked" message*
https://youtube.com/channel/UCJZ5FBJ9bFaZ6yAFiNpZiRQ/featured?view_as=subscriber
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CaptainCidStorm
4 fore and 3 aft weapons, a bit more agile and maneuverable than the vorcha, but to compensate less hull and maybe a bit less shields? Might be wrong but I would love to have some battle cloak on it like the other bops.
Not that cannon means anything to STO
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Even in "Yesterday's Enterprise" it was referred to as both: as Bird of Prey by Riker and as Battlecruiser by Picard and Wesley.
So "Bird of Prey" in this context is the term of a shape.
Since the show predates STO it makes no sense to apply STO terminology to it.
In addition since the Galaxy class was not particularly different, sans a few details, why should the K'vort suddenly be an entirely different kind of ship in this timeline?
Like i said above, give it a 4/3 weapon load out, give it the turn rate of somewhere just above or below a vorcha. Give it less hull and a bit lower shield modifier than a vorcha.
Could make a fun little ship...might need some more tweaking beyond that but its a idea and a start.
Like said previously, the K'Vort was a Battlecruiser, not a Raider. So I could see it easily being a Battlecruiser with the turning rate somewhere between 10 and 13. (We seen on screen it wasn't a fast turner, but not as manuverable as the Raptor).
Tactical: Given that we never saw the K'Vort in DS9 or later, likely means that it wasn't as favored as the Vor'cha or the Negh'var. So it likely would have a LT Tactical Station in STO.
Engineering: Given its big and slow, gotta have it's survivability. So gotta have at least a LTC Engineering Station.
Science: Klingons never been fond of science so LT Science.
So I could see a configuration like:
LT or LTC Tactical
Commander Engineering
LT Science
LTC Universal
LT or Ensign Universal
Abilities:
Battlecloak (only Battlecruiser with one).
Surround (2 K'Vort Shadows that surrounds the target ship and lowers the targets manuverability - like we saw in Yesterday's Enterprise.
That or "Klingon Guile" which Worf used in the Ship Battle Simulation with the Enterprise-D on the Hathaway. Which basically bluffs the target with a fake sensor shadow to attack. (Which would be somewhat similar to the Rhode Island Console, but the user has other types of negative effects).
You got that reversed.:)
We have the version from AGT (the one without the pods).
We're missing the actual Negh'var version with the pods.
I like your setup.
I'd like to add another special function idea: a unique torpedo that's actually useful at reducing shields.
This scene is from "Redemption" pt.1 where two K'vorts attack Gowron's flagship:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8059/vlcsnap2011071414h50m03.png
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/6018/vlcsnap2011071414h50m16.png
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1593/vlcsnap2011071414h50m28.png
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1943/vlcsnap2011071414h50m32.png
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/2369/vlcsnap2011071414h50m34.png
from this point on, the port shields were down and stayed down.
This thing does not look like a Photon Torpedo, nor does it cause a shield effect like any I've ever seen.
And it does not appear to be the shields themselves.
Those show a rather conventional effect when hit by disruptor blasts:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7616/vlcsnap2011071414h49m42.png
So it must be caused by the torpeod weapon.
Anyway here's my proposal from another thread:
"Photon Energy Torpedo"
Values similar to a Quantum Torp, but with 20% reduced damage.
Instead damage is split in half.
50% is kinteic damage
50% is energy damage.
This way the weapon would actually do some damage against shields.
The other thing is I really don't like the idea of simply upscaling the Bird-of-prey when they already introduced the K'tinga, the Vorcha, and the Negh'var (which for some reason they never showed again after season four DS9). To me, a Bird-of-prey should always be a smallish ship, like it currently is, but I acknowledge I might be in the minority in that opinion. If it must come in the game, and I doubt canon is really all that important a consideration for a game, I think it should be a raptor escort, as that not only still fits the nomenclature (bird-of-prey = raptors, herpderp) but it's easier to accept an upscaled B'rel as an escort than as a cruiser IMO.
Interestingly enough "Rascals" is actually the only time ever in canon Trek that the name B'rel was used.
And the Ferengi implied those were actually not modern ships.
"For an investment of two surplus Klingon ships, a few repairs and some weapons, we've netted a Federation starship and her crew, not to mention a planet rich in vendarite."
So it's quite possible the B'rel class is similar to the K'vort but a preceding model.
This makes calling the small ships B'rel even more arbitrary but it's appearently what we ahve to live with.
Well, you forgot that the Negh'var reappeared on Voyager.:)
I understand your position and I respect it.
However I believe there would be a simple solution how to make the small and large BoPs visually distinct enough.
Aside from the obvious scale, the larger ships could have proper details that show it's a different class of ship:
-rows of small windows
-escape pods, perhaps
-a different coulour scheme (in "Redemption", on the BortaS' viewscreen, the enemy ship looked somwhat different, more greenish with grey details).
As an escort it would be somewhat misplaced IMO.
The large BoPs moved rather sluggishly which combined with their wings in horizontal prosition gave them a rather menacing feel, like a giant deadly eagle.
With their wings in horizontal positon they'd probably look goofy moving like an escort.
I still think a raptor might be a better fit. Maybe make it a more tanky escort than it's peers, like a higher base hull but a lower turn rate than other raptors. Good ideas though on adding more windows and escape pods and stuff.
TBH, aside from the short bit with the Negh'Vars you didn't miss much.:)
As a really heavy Raptor...yeah you're right that might work.
The 4/3 weapon setup would look good on that ship.
IMO the large BoPs always seemed to be like a "killer of big starships".
They're basically the spaceborne version of WW2 era tank hunters like the Jagdpanther and SU-100:
a medium-sized hull but with heavy-size concentrated forward firepower at the expense of allround capabilities.
So 4/3 would be rather nice...and to kill bigger fish is what Raptors do aynway.
This is also why I think we didn't see them during the Dominion War aside from lone missions like the Koraga's:
they were desigend to shoot stuff that's bigger than themselves (Galaxies, Warbirds etc.) which makes them useless against swarms of small Dominion ships.
As cannon boats, the turnrate is important. How could the supersized mu versions ever hope to keep a target in front of them ?
I would like to see it as c-store ship first. With a 3+2 weapon layout, and unique super heavy disruptor guns, basically combining the stats of 2 dhc to make up for the loss of one gunslot.
Instead, it should get one more tac console over the Hegh'ta.
The fleet version then gets the usual extra HP and the 4th forward weapon slot, instead of another console.
Tada, Feds get 5 tac consoles escort, Klingons get basically a 5 forward weapon ship. (If you count the unique gun as two guns)
HP and turnrate somewhere between Qin and Hegh'ta.
Mirror...what...?
They didn't appear in any Mirror Universe episode so what...what do you mean by that?
Besides they appeared in several prime universe episodes and even gave the Romulans reason to darken their pants in "The Defector".
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/K%27vort_class
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer
Star Trek Gamers
I think we all know what it looks like.:)
There are several things I'd like to say regarding the source you linked to.
1. Whoever copied those stats over from the DS9 Manual was unable to read them properly as they state 4 disruptors and 2 torpedo launcher in the book.
2.The DS9TM is terribly inaccurate on several ships.
Nebula is too small, Excelsior too big, Akira has supposeldy only 2 torpedo launchers, Saber supposedly has the exact same dimensions as the Norway and the K't'inga is too big.
3.The K'vort has also been proven to be much smaller than 600+ meters and the DS9TM is the only source I know where this size comes up.
The only time they ever appeared to be this big was in "The Defector", but Suricata reconstructed the scene with CGI and the K'vort has a length of about 350m:
http://www.suricatafx.com/?p=274
So what's left to say?
Well the armament in the DS9TM, if we accept it as it is for the moment, only lists that the K'vort is armed with disruptors and torpedo launchers.
This is about as informative as stating the Iowa and Yamato were both armed with 9 naval guns.;)
It tells us nothing about their range, their firepower or their scale.
R.I.P
Bit more hull, bit less turning compared to a Hegh'ta. Done. Yes, I want a battlecloak.
That would make sense given its appearance.
With a modest turnrate of 17 (19 seeming bit high to me) doesnt that make more nimble than a strike ship like the Qin?
Does that mean its a light craft or that the Qin possobly needs to have a hogher turn of 17and possibly the hybrid should have the 15.
Considering the hybrid layout to be a battle cruiser & BoP merging.
R.I.P
In STO, three standard BoPs will hardly scratch a Galaxy cruiser.
So I think the Raptor design - more durable and hard-hitting, but slower to turn - would work best. Especially since the K'vorts in canon weren't very maneuverable.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone