I must say I'd really appreciate a similar article on Command ships if only to compare their stats.
Also, this makes me wish Thomas Marrone worked on KDF ships as well (the T6 BortasQu' can't even be combined with BortasQu' parts as they simply don't connect well at all).
TOIVA, Toi Vaxx, Toia Vix, Toveg, T'vritha, To Vrax: Bring in the Allegiance class. Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider. Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
I'd say lore wise, Odysseys are far more capable than the Avenger/Arbiter. Although they're indeed much larger and thus probably costier to produce. Odysseys also possess the ability to quantum slipstream faster than other ships and thus are more easily dispatched to regions in need of help.
It's just that system wise, the tac focused battlecruisers are generally better in the game (given the reign of DPS) while larger obviously more powerful ships don't get the deserved stats due to balance.
TOIVA, Toi Vaxx, Toia Vix, Toveg, T'vritha, To Vrax: Bring in the Allegiance class. Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider. Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
This reminds so much of the fan-made Federation Reference Series. Published back during the 80's. This being much more slick, of course. Kudos to Thomas. Nice to read that Yoyodyne is still in business in the 25th century.
(/\) Exploring Star Trek Online Since July 2008 (/\)
This type of information should be in the game under the starship info. Background info gives the starship class more depth and a reason to play that particular class. Classes like the Constellation and the Ambassador are not the most graceful looking ones, but they have a deeper history than any new put out by Cryptic.
Darthmeow with the right setup my Oddy turns at a respectable 19-21 turn rate. It also does a respectable 25,000 DPS and can tank the cube and gate at once in ISA.
Fleet Admiral Thomas Winston James a.k.a. The Grayfox Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
I'd say lore wise, Odysseys are far more capable than the Avenger/Arbiter. Although they're indeed much larger and thus probably costier to produce. Odysseys also possess the ability to quantum slipstream faster than other ships and thus are more easily dispatched to regions in need of help.
It's just that system wise, the tac focused battlecruisers are generally better in the game (given the reign of DPS) while larger obviously more powerful ships don't get the deserved stats due to balance.
From a tactical standpoint, you're correct. Something like an Odyssey is perfect for being the center of a fleet, and in the hands of the best captains, with admirals flying their colors. From a resources standpoint, the Federation's priorities are way off. Focusing rebuilding infrastructure, resources, personnel and time into large numbers of massive capital ships after the fleet gets gutted looks neat, but is horrible policy. For all the time, resources and effort put into an Odyssey, shipyards could produce two or three heavy cruisers or battle cruisers, crew them, and get them on the move to where they need to be. The fleet would be leaning on those cruisers and crews pretty hard for a few years, but it'd be a necessity to get Starfleet back on it's feet. It'd also be a very good way to work new or weary crews up to spec, and enlarge the pool of experienced officers.
Militarily, the supper-capitals are a bad idea. Politically, they're a good one. Personally, I'd have rather seen a new Tier 6 multirole heavy cruiser like the Constellation. Something modular, tough, and quickly built to fill the holes and cracks left in the fleet by the Iconians.
The cruisers would be an even better idea for the Klingons and most certainly the Romulan Republic. Neither have the resources the Feds do, so putting so much into a handful of massive capital ships rather than a pool of workhorse vessels would practically be suicide for their navies. Especially the Republic, which didn't have much of a navy to start with.
"So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again."
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
If the Oddy platform is so capable, why did they make the Mogh and Avenger? Those ships were specifically created to make up for the performance gap between the Scimitar and the other two flagships. They never quite caught up, and is there really any doubt that these new Oddy variants are going to similarly underperform? They should have promoted Avenger and Mogh to frontline status and kept the Oddy based Enterprise as a one-off or an example of a single T6 Oddy that is its own thing. The effort to make three of them and waste such beautiful designs on an underwhelming vessel is a mistake.
You are confusing in-universe and out-of-universe information.
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
In lore it isnt meant to be a competition to the arbiter or any other starfleet ship. Its meant to lead them . Sure it packs a punch. But its main benefit is speed and size. Speed to be there fast. And with enough space to be a mobile headquarter with all its facilites, extensive room for suplies, shuttles and so on to help with moving stuff around, resuplying bases, or workbees for temporary repairs on smaler ships. It sure is big enough to evacuate a medium size base if needed.
And it provides enough room for all the recreational needs of the large crew. That is very important when starfleet finaly goes back to expolration of deep space.
Ships like the Arbiter are very combat capable. Its meant to attack with all its potential forward firepower. Its a frontline fighter at heart, not so much a long range explorer. I imagine its interior to be more workmanlike, less fuzz about making a good impression on diplomatic missions. Its not meant for that. Its meant to chew bubblegum and kick a**.
The ody can do it to, but there will be 2 or 3 arbiters patroling the frontlines. They do that well. The ody stands back and coordinates them and cares for the taskforces needs.
Being fast it can also be there first and hold the line till enough other ships arrive.
Those are the differences between a ship like the ody and the arbiter.
Bear in mind Starfleet isn't only building Odysseys. The text even states that they mostly only repair and finish the Odysseys that have been damaged or not yet completed during the iconian war.
Another point, the Odysseys are very modular and very versatile ships (see also the number of variants, even the T5 Odysseys have had 3 ), so they can fulfill the workhorse of the fleet duties as well. You may say they are too large and too valuable for those roles, but as i understand it, the Fleet consists of hundreds upon hundreds of vessels. Having a couple dozen Odysseys sure is not exagerated.
Also, the federation is not at present in open war, nor does it expect another open warfare. Therefore it needs impressive flagships that carry diplomats more than capable frontline warships unfit for civilian duties.
Imagine you're from an early warp capable culture, you'll be far more impressed with a huge Odyssey showing up in your orbit than a much smaller agressive looking battlecruiser (that would give them a very wrong idea of the Federation).
Lastly, realise that the Odyssey isn't meant for the same audience that the Avenger/Arbiter are. The average STO player will not perform any better in the battlecruisers because he won't take advantage of the tac possibilities. On the other hand, he might survive a little longer in the Odysseys because of higher hull and shield HP. I'd hazard a guess that the Odyssey is much more attractive due to being the next Enterprise and because it is the flagship of the fleet. Those that care about their DPS records will obviously rather buy the battlecruiser. And thus every player is covered by Cryptic.
EDIT: Come think of it, it's a similar strategy to classical canon ships (Galaxy, Defiant, Prometheus, Voyager) being noticeably underpowered in the game compared to Pilot warbirds, Command battlecruisers, Vestas and a large number of cryptic's own Lockbox/Lobi designs. Why? Because canon ships will sell no matter what. Cryptic's designs better get good stats to attract more buyers.
TOIVA, Toi Vaxx, Toia Vix, Toveg, T'vritha, To Vrax: Bring in the Allegiance class. Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider. Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
In lore it isnt meant to be a competition to the arbiter or any other starfleet ship. Its meant to lead them . Sure it packs a punch. But its main benefit is speed and size. Speed to be there fast. And with enough space to be a mobile headquarter with all its facilites, extensive room for suplies, shuttles and so on to help with moving stuff around, resuplying bases, or workbees for temporary repairs on smaler ships. It sure is big enough to evacuate a medium size base if needed.
And it provides enough room for all the recreational needs of the large crew. That is very important when starfleet finaly goes back to expolration of deep space.
Ships like the Arbiter are very combat capable. Its meant to attack with all its potential forward firepower. Its a frontline fighter at heart, not so much a long range explorer. I imagine its interior to be more workmanlike, less fuzz about making a good impression on diplomatic missions. Its not meant for that. Its meant to chew bubblegum and kick a**.
The ody can do it to, but there will be 2 or 3 arbiters patroling the frontlines. They do that well. The ody stands back and coordinates them and cares for the taskforces needs.
Being fast it can also be there first and hold the line till enough other ships arrive.
Those are the differences between a ship like the ody and the arbiter.
You make my point for me. The resources both in-story and from a game development perspective should have gone to Avenger and Mogh, with Oddy taking a back seat. Sure, make a T6 Oddy for the fans of that ship and keep Enterprise that class because it's the aspirational vessel for Starfleet ideals, but the real front line should be the Battlecruiser class. Again, the new tac variant is what the Arbiter should have looked like instead of that freakshow we got and the Battlecruiser should have been the one to get the 3-pack treatment. Both from an in-universe perspective and a game perspective it makes more sense.
Really, how many Oddys and Borts do you ever see flown? I see a few die-hards flying them but far more in Battlecruisers. They're simply superior ships and that's why Cryptic made them --because Oddy and Bort were vastly inferior to Scimitar so Avenger and Mogh were an attempt to level the playing field. They STILL weren't as OP as Scimitar but they were a hell of a step in the right direction. These new Oddy classes are nothing more than a beautiful waste of resources that should have gone into the Battlecruiser classes.
Instead, we're right back where we started with a new now even MORE OP Scimitar and an Oddy and Bort that can't cut it. So what next, make ANOTHER T6 Battlecruiser? Because the ones we have are still better than O/B but not equal to Scimitar, just like before, and the designers wasted their time on O/B which were obsolete before they even launched.
Again, the ball has been completely dropped from a planning perspective and the brilliant work of the highly talented ship designer has been squandered on ships that are beautiful but won't be flown by more than a handful.
Darthmeow, the Odyssey does NOT underperform. If you'd like I will gladly do a friendly PvP against your Avenger for a demonstration. I will also gladly parce it with your Avenger along with some of my fleet mates in Infected Space Advance if you wish. My Oddy is built as a tank/healer support in PvP and again does a respectful 25,000 DPS on average in ISA. My contact info is on my signature below.
Again, just a friendly demonstration that the Odyssey is far from underperforming...you just need to realize that my setup is not setup for pure DPS.
Fleet Admiral Thomas Winston James a.k.a. The Grayfox Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
Just an FYI, regarding the Oddy vs. the Arbiter, my tactical Captain in the science oddy (with NO tac consoles) does 52k, in the tactical one 56k (with four tac consoles). In my Fleet Arbiter I get about 48k (I tend to grab aggro and will die more in the Arbiter). All parses in PUG ISAs, with a torpedo fore and aft, after the kemo nerf. BTW: My T5-U Oddy was parsing in the 40s in ISA previously (before the Kemo nerf), so to me it is well worth the upgrade.
Now, back on topic. As I told Thomas on twitter, the Sojourner skin and this brochure is why I broke down and replaced my Dreadnought with the new Odysseys. I think he did a fantastic job and I like to reward good work. Now, I think we need a T6 Aquarius.
Formerly Known as Protector from June 2008 to June 20, 2012
Please enable us to buy a token with Zen to faction change a 25th Century FED to a TOS FED.
Just an FYI, regarding the Oddy vs. the Arbiter, my tactical Captain in the science oddy (with NO tac consoles) does 52k, in the tactical one 56k (with four tac consoles). In my Fleet Arbiter I get about 48k (I tend to grab aggro and will die more in the Arbiter). All parses in PUG ISAs, with a torpedo fore and aft, after the kemo nerf. BTW: My T5-U Oddy was parsing in the 40s in ISA previously (before the Kemo nerf), so to me it is well worth the upgrade.
Now, back on topic. As I told Thomas on twitter, the Sojourner skin and this brochure is why I broke down and replaced my Dreadnought with the new Odysseys. I think he did a fantastic job and I like to reward good work. Now, I think we need a T6 Aquarius.
See another person who agrees that the Odyssey does NOT underperform. It's such a versatile ship in the hands of Engineering, Science, or Tactical captains. It's Boff seating layout is so diverse as well, perhaps balanced the best of any ship.
Fleet Admiral Thomas Winston James a.k.a. The Grayfox Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
See another person who agrees that the Odyssey does NOT underperform. It's such a versatile ship in the hands of Engineering, Science, or Tactical captains. It's Boff seating layout is so diverse as well, perhaps balanced the best of any ship.
Really, i replaced my ageing Regent, and its faster, more powerfull, and have better handling than the previous and various other cruisers i have, i love what i spend (real money too!) on these ships, good things deserve good pay.
After reviewing my shiplist, Starfleet pulled out some big guns for the Midnight fight. Three Odysseys fought in the battle, the Enterprise, the Stardancer, and now the Yorktown.
Because ships like Odysseys can take alot of beating compare to BC? BC stripped their defenses to be more agile.
And unlike game-play, in the lore, or In-universe, you wont be vaping enemy borg sphere while your tac-team keep your shields up all the time and then just heal the shield to repeat the process. There is no instant heals that can repair your ship in seconds.
Post edited by k20vtec on
Hast thou not gone against sincerity
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
The issue is that BC were similar in size and cost to a those big super-capital ships like Odys or Bortas. BC armour are thinner so they can go faster, that is what battlecruiser were.
In-universe the Avenger(and maybe the Arbiter, not sure, the game isn't very accurate when it comes to scaling) is noticeably smaller than ody(Not sure about KDF, don't have them)... It will be cheaper, it will use less manpower, but it simply wont have the power output of a Odyssey, Odysseys will most likely have a much bigger and much more powerful core to power the weapons and shields. However INGAME, these difference aren't obvious since, well, everyone go for Mk. XIV AP, bunch of tac-consoles(where BC have advantage in tac-sonsole number) and whatever shields they want anyway. Heck, lore-wise the feds don't even have much need for facing their ship forward except for torp-launches, the arrays can shoot at any direction they want.
Of course we can discuss outside of historical context but then what is even point of calling ships BC, or any traditional namning? Why not just go with Babylon 5-style "destroyers" that are the best capital ships humans put out, or call Avenger/Arbiter "enhanced defensive capability explorers"?
As for number of ships, well that is what you use mass-produced ships for. Nuclear ships are much more expensive but they still build it instead of just churn out Kittyhwaks or some upgraded variant/class of it. However the point of numbers is a valid point to bring up.
Hast thou not gone against sincerity
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
The issue is that BC were similar in size and cost to a those big super-capital ships like Odys or Bortas. BC armour are thinner so they can go faster, that is what battlecruiser were.
In-universe the Avenger(and maybe the Arbiter, not sure, the game isn't very accurate when it comes to scaling) is noticeably smaller than ody(Not sure about KDF, don't have them)... It will be cheaper, it will use less manpower, but it simply wont have the power output of a Odyssey, Odysseys will most likely have a much bigger and much more powerful core to power the weapons and shields. However INGAME, these difference aren't obvious since, well, everyone go for Mk. XIV AP, bunch of tac-consoles(where BC have advantage in tac-sonsole number) and whatever shields they want anyway. Heck, lore-wise the feds don't even have much need for facing their ship forward except for torp-launches, the arrays can shoot at any direction they want.
Of course we can discuss outside of historical context but then what is even point of calling ships BC, or any traditional namning? Why not just go with Babylon 5-style "destroyers" that are the best capital ships humans put out, or call Avenger/Arbiter "enhanced defensive capability explorers"?
As for number of ships, well that is what you use mass-produced ships for. Nuclear ships are much more expensive but they still build it instead of just churn out Kittyhwaks or some upgraded variant/class of it. However the point of numbers is a valid point to bring up.
Is a semi-tractor more high performance than a sports car? Much larger engine with far more torque and horsepower, shouldn't that equal better performance? Not when the mass is so much more and that excess engine capacity is taken up just moving that extra mass. You might as well say a cruise liner is more powerful than a coast guard cutter, right? Not when the larger ship is bogged down with thousands of tons of extra weight devoted to creature comforts. A battlecruiser compared to a super-capital is similar. Yes it's -slightly- less durable but not by much, and the shields and firepower are at least on par --because the BC strips out all the unnecessary plush and focuses on pure performance. Ton per ton the BC is vastly more powerful. What it doesn't have is an extra level of premium guest staterooms and a grand ballroom / dining hall and executive diplomatic meeting rooms 1-10 and all the rest of the stuff that makes the Galaxy and Odyssey 5-star hotels in space. I mean, the Arbiter doesn't even have a swimming pool, can you imagine?! Concierge services are nonexistent, and there isn't even complimentary cocktail and hors'douvres in the lobby! In fact there isn't even a commons lobby on the ship! It's outrageous! Consider the diplomatic convention canceled!
Good work, you've just managed to forget all about the Bortas, Scimi and tac-ody. Which, unlike semis/sportcars, are built for the built with the same purpose in mind as BC. AND cap-ships can carry additional equipment, manpower etc for specific missions, which is more verstile.
capital ships have more room for additional Torpedos and tubes, energy weapon arrays/cannons and shield emitters. The hull wont just be "slightly" stronger when it have all the additional armour and support structure. Core-wise, it does need more power to propel the ship, but in-lore it never prevented factions to make bigger ships like Neghvar, or Prometheus in addition to Defiant, or Keldon, which is taller than the Galor. Hard to say how much impact size will have on the power for the shields and weapons.
Hast thou not gone against sincerity
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
I'd say lore wise, Odysseys are far more capable than the Avenger/Arbiter. Although they're indeed much larger and thus probably costlier to produce. Odysseys also possess the ability to quantum slipstream faster than other ships and thus are more easily dispatched to regions in need of help.
It's just that system wise, the tac focused battlecruisers are generally better in the game (given the reign of DPS) while larger obviously more powerful ships don't get the deserved stats due to balance.
How is the Odyssey "obviously more powerful" when the Avenger has every bit the firepower and then some? That's the whole point of a battlecruiser, to strip down bulk and extra capability to focus on being a lean mean combat machine. And in a post-Iconian War galaxy that is exactly what Starfleet needs to protect itself, deter its enemies and project force. Two Avengers are better than one Odyssey by any possible measure except for creature comforts. Luxury liners in space is what the Galaxy class represented and the Odyssey class continued, and it's the last thing Starfleet needs to be focusing on when it is so desperately short on vessels.
From a game perspective the Avenger and Mogh completely dominate the Ody and Bort, and are flown far more often. Space whales with a pathetic turn rate and 4/4 weapons layout just don't cut it.
Arbiter needed to be a 3-pack far more than Odyssey did. And it is far more deserving of being the face of the fleet for the foreseeable future.
PS: That new tac variant is pretty much what the Arbiter should have looked like. I don't know what the hell they were thinking with that bizarre spoon-shaped saucer and Vesta style hull and nacelles. I consider that a ball well and firmly dropped.
I think you may be taking the in-game things we observe as the in-universe things that occur. Theres a difference here since one is intentionally meant to give the player the ability to be the Hero and create a semblance of balance. While the other is what actually occurs in the universe Star Trek Online is set in.
The larger ships like the Jupiter, Odyssey/T6 Variants, Command Battlecruisers, Andromeda and other large ships will have larger warp cores and over all power in reserve. Theyre powerhouses that will have the space for alot of weapons to bring to bear on an enemy ship. Which means they can really put up a fight and hold their own. The downside to this is that theyre less maneuverable and can be quite exposed to fast moving maneuverable craft like fighters and smaller escorts that will buzz them. Fighters and smaller escorts like the Defiant are meant to slip between the enemy lines and either destroy the capital ships with the overwhelming weapons fire being laid to bear or harrass the enemy capital ship until other friendly ships can join in on the fight. A single Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier can carry up to 90 jets and helicopters...imagine almost 100 fighters coming at your capital ship. In game youre given a limited number of escorts/BoP or fighters because of game engine limitations and balance but in universe the Jupiter and similar carriers would be spitting out possibly far more fighters and escorts than the Nimitz can carry due to the fact that the Jupiter makes the Nimitz look like a tugboat.
The light and medium to heavy escorts and cruisers (Avenger/Arbiter) are meant to close and engage similar craft their size and attempt to screen those enemy ships from reaching the friendly capital ship as well as punch holes in the enemy lines or flank and destroy them. If successful the friendly escorts, cruisers and capital ships would then join in on any enemy capital ships and destroy them if any were left.
Once capital ships begin to go boom typically the smaller craft that were left would retreat. Leaving the victors to either chase down the escaping ships and destroy as many as possible or regroup and prepare for a possible counter attack. Capital ships carry the command staff, are responsible for coordinating the battle, a motivating sight in the thick of the battle and typically throws the most weight around with its weapons and offensive capabilities. Without it the task force/fleet loses quite a lot that it had going for it and runs the risk of being completely eradicated.
This excellent article needs a blog entry to publicize it, and it should have a permanent place in the Guides section, like Thomas' equally excellent Starfleet Uniform Code.
Comments
Also, this makes me wish Thomas Marrone worked on KDF ships as well (the T6 BortasQu' can't even be combined with BortasQu' parts as they simply don't connect well at all).
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
It's just that system wise, the tac focused battlecruisers are generally better in the game (given the reign of DPS) while larger obviously more powerful ships don't get the deserved stats due to balance.
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians
U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
Game Handle: Grayfox@GrayfoxJames
Website: https://www.libertytaskforce.com
Armada (STOFA Member Fleet): https://www.libertytaskforce.com/stofa
Discord: https://discord.gg/bGp9N7z
Twitter: STOFA@LTFGrayfox
Email: CSDynamix@Hotmail.com
From a tactical standpoint, you're correct. Something like an Odyssey is perfect for being the center of a fleet, and in the hands of the best captains, with admirals flying their colors. From a resources standpoint, the Federation's priorities are way off. Focusing rebuilding infrastructure, resources, personnel and time into large numbers of massive capital ships after the fleet gets gutted looks neat, but is horrible policy. For all the time, resources and effort put into an Odyssey, shipyards could produce two or three heavy cruisers or battle cruisers, crew them, and get them on the move to where they need to be. The fleet would be leaning on those cruisers and crews pretty hard for a few years, but it'd be a necessity to get Starfleet back on it's feet. It'd also be a very good way to work new or weary crews up to spec, and enlarge the pool of experienced officers.
Militarily, the supper-capitals are a bad idea. Politically, they're a good one. Personally, I'd have rather seen a new Tier 6 multirole heavy cruiser like the Constellation. Something modular, tough, and quickly built to fill the holes and cracks left in the fleet by the Iconians.
The cruisers would be an even better idea for the Klingons and most certainly the Romulan Republic. Neither have the resources the Feds do, so putting so much into a handful of massive capital ships rather than a pool of workhorse vessels would practically be suicide for their navies. Especially the Republic, which didn't have much of a navy to start with.
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
Helpful Tools: Dictionary.com - Logical fallacies - Random generator - Word generator - Color tool - Extra Credits - List of common English language errors - New T6 Big booty tutorial
You are confusing in-universe and out-of-universe information.
Infinite possibilities have implications that could not be completely understood if you turned this entire universe into a giant supercomputer.
And it provides enough room for all the recreational needs of the large crew. That is very important when starfleet finaly goes back to expolration of deep space.
Ships like the Arbiter are very combat capable. Its meant to attack with all its potential forward firepower. Its a frontline fighter at heart, not so much a long range explorer. I imagine its interior to be more workmanlike, less fuzz about making a good impression on diplomatic missions. Its not meant for that. Its meant to chew bubblegum and kick a**.
The ody can do it to, but there will be 2 or 3 arbiters patroling the frontlines. They do that well. The ody stands back and coordinates them and cares for the taskforces needs.
Being fast it can also be there first and hold the line till enough other ships arrive.
Those are the differences between a ship like the ody and the arbiter.
Another point, the Odysseys are very modular and very versatile ships (see also the number of variants, even the T5 Odysseys have had 3 ), so they can fulfill the workhorse of the fleet duties as well. You may say they are too large and too valuable for those roles, but as i understand it, the Fleet consists of hundreds upon hundreds of vessels. Having a couple dozen Odysseys sure is not exagerated.
Also, the federation is not at present in open war, nor does it expect another open warfare. Therefore it needs impressive flagships that carry diplomats more than capable frontline warships unfit for civilian duties.
Imagine you're from an early warp capable culture, you'll be far more impressed with a huge Odyssey showing up in your orbit than a much smaller agressive looking battlecruiser (that would give them a very wrong idea of the Federation).
Lastly, realise that the Odyssey isn't meant for the same audience that the Avenger/Arbiter are. The average STO player will not perform any better in the battlecruisers because he won't take advantage of the tac possibilities. On the other hand, he might survive a little longer in the Odysseys because of higher hull and shield HP. I'd hazard a guess that the Odyssey is much more attractive due to being the next Enterprise and because it is the flagship of the fleet. Those that care about their DPS records will obviously rather buy the battlecruiser. And thus every player is covered by Cryptic.
EDIT: Come think of it, it's a similar strategy to classical canon ships (Galaxy, Defiant, Prometheus, Voyager) being noticeably underpowered in the game compared to Pilot warbirds, Command battlecruisers, Vestas and a large number of cryptic's own Lockbox/Lobi designs. Why? Because canon ships will sell no matter what. Cryptic's designs better get good stats to attract more buyers.
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
Darthmeow, the Odyssey does NOT underperform. If you'd like I will gladly do a friendly PvP against your Avenger for a demonstration. I will also gladly parce it with your Avenger along with some of my fleet mates in Infected Space Advance if you wish. My Oddy is built as a tank/healer support in PvP and again does a respectful 25,000 DPS on average in ISA. My contact info is on my signature below.
Again, just a friendly demonstration that the Odyssey is far from underperforming...you just need to realize that my setup is not setup for pure DPS.
Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians
U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
Game Handle: Grayfox@GrayfoxJames
Website: https://www.libertytaskforce.com
Armada (STOFA Member Fleet): https://www.libertytaskforce.com/stofa
Discord: https://discord.gg/bGp9N7z
Twitter: STOFA@LTFGrayfox
Email: CSDynamix@Hotmail.com
Now, back on topic. As I told Thomas on twitter, the Sojourner skin and this brochure is why I broke down and replaced my Dreadnought with the new Odysseys. I think he did a fantastic job and I like to reward good work. Now, I think we need a T6 Aquarius.
Please enable us to buy a token with Zen to faction change a 25th Century FED to a TOS FED.
See another person who agrees that the Odyssey does NOT underperform. It's such a versatile ship in the hands of Engineering, Science, or Tactical captains. It's Boff seating layout is so diverse as well, perhaps balanced the best of any ship.
Fleet Leader of:
Liberty Task Force/Liberty Honor Guard
Pride of the Federation/Pride of the Empire
Liberty Guardians
U.S.S. Liberty, NX-42813-L, T-6 Legendary Odyssey Class
Game Handle: Grayfox@GrayfoxJames
Website: https://www.libertytaskforce.com
Armada (STOFA Member Fleet): https://www.libertytaskforce.com/stofa
Discord: https://discord.gg/bGp9N7z
Twitter: STOFA@LTFGrayfox
Email: CSDynamix@Hotmail.com
Really, i replaced my ageing Regent, and its faster, more powerfull, and have better handling than the previous and various other cruisers i have, i love what i spend (real money too!) on these ships, good things deserve good pay.
And unlike game-play, in the lore, or In-universe, you wont be vaping enemy borg sphere while your tac-team keep your shields up all the time and then just heal the shield to repeat the process. There is no instant heals that can repair your ship in seconds.
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
In-universe the Avenger(and maybe the Arbiter, not sure, the game isn't very accurate when it comes to scaling) is noticeably smaller than ody(Not sure about KDF, don't have them)... It will be cheaper, it will use less manpower, but it simply wont have the power output of a Odyssey, Odysseys will most likely have a much bigger and much more powerful core to power the weapons and shields. However INGAME, these difference aren't obvious since, well, everyone go for Mk. XIV AP, bunch of tac-consoles(where BC have advantage in tac-sonsole number) and whatever shields they want anyway. Heck, lore-wise the feds don't even have much need for facing their ship forward except for torp-launches, the arrays can shoot at any direction they want.
Of course we can discuss outside of historical context but then what is even point of calling ships BC, or any traditional namning? Why not just go with Babylon 5-style "destroyers" that are the best capital ships humans put out, or call Avenger/Arbiter "enhanced defensive capability explorers"?
As for number of ships, well that is what you use mass-produced ships for. Nuclear ships are much more expensive but they still build it instead of just churn out Kittyhwaks or some upgraded variant/class of it. However the point of numbers is a valid point to bring up.
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
Sports Cars are great for racing, semi-tractors great for transporting lots of goods.
Different purposes, different ships.
Good work, you've just managed to forget all about the Bortas, Scimi and tac-ody. Which, unlike semis/sportcars, are built for the built with the same purpose in mind as BC. AND cap-ships can carry additional equipment, manpower etc for specific missions, which is more verstile.
capital ships have more room for additional Torpedos and tubes, energy weapon arrays/cannons and shield emitters. The hull wont just be "slightly" stronger when it have all the additional armour and support structure. Core-wise, it does need more power to propel the ship, but in-lore it never prevented factions to make bigger ships like Neghvar, or Prometheus in addition to Defiant, or Keldon, which is taller than the Galor. Hard to say how much impact size will have on the power for the shields and weapons.
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds
Hast thou not lacked vigor
Hast thou exerted all possible efforts
Hast thou not become slothful
I think you may be taking the in-game things we observe as the in-universe things that occur. Theres a difference here since one is intentionally meant to give the player the ability to be the Hero and create a semblance of balance. While the other is what actually occurs in the universe Star Trek Online is set in.
The larger ships like the Jupiter, Odyssey/T6 Variants, Command Battlecruisers, Andromeda and other large ships will have larger warp cores and over all power in reserve. Theyre powerhouses that will have the space for alot of weapons to bring to bear on an enemy ship. Which means they can really put up a fight and hold their own. The downside to this is that theyre less maneuverable and can be quite exposed to fast moving maneuverable craft like fighters and smaller escorts that will buzz them. Fighters and smaller escorts like the Defiant are meant to slip between the enemy lines and either destroy the capital ships with the overwhelming weapons fire being laid to bear or harrass the enemy capital ship until other friendly ships can join in on the fight. A single Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier can carry up to 90 jets and helicopters...imagine almost 100 fighters coming at your capital ship. In game youre given a limited number of escorts/BoP or fighters because of game engine limitations and balance but in universe the Jupiter and similar carriers would be spitting out possibly far more fighters and escorts than the Nimitz can carry due to the fact that the Jupiter makes the Nimitz look like a tugboat.
The light and medium to heavy escorts and cruisers (Avenger/Arbiter) are meant to close and engage similar craft their size and attempt to screen those enemy ships from reaching the friendly capital ship as well as punch holes in the enemy lines or flank and destroy them. If successful the friendly escorts, cruisers and capital ships would then join in on any enemy capital ships and destroy them if any were left.
Once capital ships begin to go boom typically the smaller craft that were left would retreat. Leaving the victors to either chase down the escaping ships and destroy as many as possible or regroup and prepare for a possible counter attack. Capital ships carry the command staff, are responsible for coordinating the battle, a motivating sight in the thick of the battle and typically throws the most weight around with its weapons and offensive capabilities. Without it the task force/fleet loses quite a lot that it had going for it and runs the risk of being completely eradicated.