The Aegis Vanguard is a unique fighter in a number of ways. Chosen by the community as a "twin engine, deep space fighter", it's been in the works for several months. Unlike the Hornet series, it's extended fuel tanks allow it to pursue targets across not just one, but multiple systems while still remaining deadly at close range. It has no small amount of firepower, and strangely, it has two shield equipped to help it survive combat (which, given the way shield work in this game, should provide some extremely interesting gameplay choices). Not only that, but is it a multi-crew craft, similar to the Super Hornet, and has the option to carry a passenger in a manned turret. It has been designed with durability in mind, and should appeal to an extremely wide variety of players who want a sturdy, well-equipped ship that doesn't afraid of anything.The A3G Vanguard is the United Empire of Earth’s dedicated deep space fighter. Initially developed as a bomber-destroyer, the Vanguard is a hard-charging bulldog of a ship which features extensive forward-mounted weaponry designed to tear through the shields and armor of other spacecraft. Four high-caliber forward laser cannons and a massive central Gatling gun give the Vanguard an unprecedented amount of sheer striking power. So-named because their multiple-jump range allows them to form the forefront of any military expedition, Vanguard have seen extensive service against the Vanduul.
While the pledge price seems a little high, I see this as a choice many people will go after once the PU hits. It should be an excellent escort fighter, and a mercenary's best friend. I definitely look forward to flying one of these in Arena Commander!
What this system is designed to offer is options. Mouse/Keyboard players have an inherent advantage in precision, and nothing can change that; HOTAS players have a undeniable advantage in maneuverability. These are set in stone, and aside from intentionally breaking one of those systems, there is no way to keep them on completely equal ground. This makes sense in lore, as it should be more difficult/expensive to mount a pivoting gimbal to a weapon, or an auto-aimed or manned turret to a weapon slot rather than just setting a weapon in place. It may require more CPU power, more cooling, add more weight or complexity - many issues that would certainly justify using a smaller weapon. In combat, gimbals will always have an advantage over non-gimballed weapons, and having an issue like that will cause players to start min/maxing. By making gimballed weapons have a higher cost, this adds a great amount of balance to the game! Instead of "Oh, this is the highest class, most powerful gimballed weapon I can find, let's slap it on my ship!", we have a situation where you need to consider whether of not it's worth using a gimballed weapon over a fixed weapon. Is the added precision worth the loss in firepower? Maybe I actually want a fixed weapon to get maximum power, or maybe I want to make my turret auto aim? These are good, good things, because they introduce choice to the players, and let us tailor a loadout to our specific tastes, rather that just going with the BFG that has a gimbal.Envy 661 wrote:But that doesn't fix the problem. It just tiptoes around it. It all comes down to the poor control players have over their ship in combat that is causing the problems. Even veteran HOTAS players can't properly play the game because of the flight model, which is a flaw in the fundamental design itself, and they're kind of just... ignoring it. Which is disappointing.
And I don't know where you're getting the idea that HOTAS users are at some severe disadvantage. I'm not expert user, but I never have a problem playing the game using a stick. I don't always come in first, but occasionally I'll have a very good match and blow away everyone. In the end, this game relies much heavier on pilot skill than it does in input device. Any player that puts in time with a stick will become deadly with it. I don't know how E:D does their combat, but in SC this is really no issue, especially now with this current fix. Besides, what about those of us who just want immersion? I can't wait to pair a full HOTAS with the Oculus Rift during one of my trading runs! How cool would that be!
Things are really starting to ramp up with SC, as well. We just got the 1.1 Arena Commander release, which has been an absolute blast, including the massively needed REC system (which has been a monumental success!). Within the next month, we fully expect to see Star Marine, the FPS module, be released. Soon after that, we'll see the Planetside/Social Module. And now we have the pieces together, and will begin seeing the game really shine! Most of the foundation has been laid at this point, and not it's time to start building upwards. Keep an eye pealedEnvy661 wrote:Elite Dangerous gets a major update each month adding more content.
We hope to see the single-player campaign, Squadron 42, at the end of the year. It being worked on by Foundry 42, and I believe Roberts just left to spend the next 3 months or so working with them personally to make sure it's up to snuff. The game that I'm waiting for, the PU, is planned to release late next year, with the alpha coming either late 2015 or early 2016.Envy661 wrote:Also, wasn't the release date for Star Citizen supposed to be this year? I don't see that happening.
You already own the game, so just sit back and watch things happen. We're seeing some very interesting things happening over the next few months, where major content is getting released, and that should let us know exactly how well CIG has been implementing their ideas. I'm certainly optimistic, but this is the year that everything will start to come together. If it's not your cup of tea, then feel free to check back in a couple of months when more content gets released. It sounds like you're really enjoying E:D, so why stop now?