Most interesting race?

[mahatmamanic]

Which race or races do you consider to be the most tactically interesting? Why do you most enjoy playing the race? What about the race has been able to hold your interest over time? Which race do you find to be the most rewarding when played well, or challenging to play "correctly?" I'm not talking about theme, fluff, or background here, just trying to get a feel for what people like and why from a gameplay standpoint.

[TJolley]

I'm fond of the Hydrans..even in play-test..they are almost useless beyond Range 3-4..but inside that range..OH BOY!..and Stingers add a lot of options for them..as long as they are the only fighters in the game, it will make the Hydrans unique

[Predator06]

klingons, and lyrans. To win consistently takes allot more effort than just rolling up on your target with overloads and letting them have both barrels. The Klingons especially, because they don’t have many "single volley crunch weapons" like everyone else has. ESG over runs are going to be harder in FC than in sfb, but at least the lyrans have the ESG. The poor klingons usually only have a couple of drone racks and poor drone control. (Until the D5D came out) So you have to work a little harder for the victory.

For me, some times Harder to win = more satisfying.

[mahatmamanic]

My history is with Kzinti, but I've been finding Klingons to be pretty interesting. It might be my imagination since I haven't done a direct comparison of the SSDs, but even though the two are armed similarly the Klingon feel lighter/faster, more of a dancer's ship than the Kzinti, which sometimes feels like a heavily armed tugboat.

I am interested in spending time learning all the races, but in most games I prefer a finesse fighter to a brute force alpha striker, and it would be nice to find a good finesse race to try and get really good with. Lyrans might be another one I should look at...the ESG overrun has always seemed so much like "ramming" to me that it struck me as inelegant, but I imagine there are some interesting challenges in actually managing to get the overrun.

The Hydrans look interesting to me as well, since they have the opportunity to weaken a shield (even just a little) at range, and then basically approach from any direction and still do solid damage.

I guess for pure finesse I should play Orion or wait for the andro to come back, but *shrug*

[mjwest]

I am (despite my avatar) a true-blue Fed of long standing.

However, in FC, I have become enamored of plasma and have been attempting to figure it out. I have always enjoyed the Kestrels (thus the avatar), and usually play with them. I still have a ways to go, but I am getting better.

I do like the CR with 3 Pl-F (or 1 photon + 2 Pl-F), though.

[Predator06]

mahatmamanic, you are correct. Klingons in SFB were ships of real grace.

The Klingon warship, (in sfb) is not a one-impulse killer. It is a “dueling weapon� of finesse. Like a finely crafted rapier. If you put an able bodied Klingon commander, in command of a C7-BCH, with the right drone load out, you create a Lethal predatory killing machine, that is very tough for any equal (and Quite often even superior) forces to deal with. But if you put an average or even sub-par commander in the same vessel, he might as well just punch the self-destruct button for all the good it will do him. Because even an average opponent will probably clean his chronometer.

Of course, it appears to me, (so far, because I am still learning the FC system) that the Klingons have been Somewhat neutered in FC. With much of their former firing arc strengths and turn mode advantages, and even drone control abilities, removed, altered, or even Deleted. Making it even more of a challenge to play (and win) with klinks. At least not without re-writing the klingon tactics manual.

But then, a new game system gives us the chance to re-write that manual ourselves. And that could be a good thing.

[mahatmamanic]

Predator,

So in FC which races are you enjoying as finesse fighters? Or are you of the opinion that the differences have been too "smoothed out" to make much of a difference? Do any of the "TC" ships currently available feel particularly graceful/challenging to you compared to the others?

[blackomen72]

There is no better race than the Orians. Fast ship, hard hitting strike weapons, and lots of quick thinking on the tabla. Nothing could compare to this race on those grounds.

[markgeorgetwo]

I would say frist the klingons who iam are at the moment.the second the romulans due to there cunning who else can approach a target cloaked then uncloak and fire has i have done a few times the feds can not counter this picture this three battle hawks cloaked approach a fed battle cruiser they de-cloak and fire there plasmas i think you think you know what happens. then the thoalians in defence they are good. the last is the federation due to the amount of ships they have.

[mahatmamanic]

I flew a Lyran this weekend against a Gorn and had a great time. The combination of being able to "sabre dance" and still having big nasty teeth for an infighting engagement made for a lot of flexibility and an interesting battle of maneuver, particularly against the Gorn with its heavy armament and wide plasma arcs. The Lyran only had one shield up when the engagement ended, but had only taken a handful of internals and the Gorn was pretty much disabled.

I'm looking forward to trying out the Hydran and the NT over the next couple of weeks, they both seem pretty interesting to try, though of course they are very different. The combination of heavy armament, low power, and high speed on the NT looks like it will make for some really interesting tactical decisions and flexibility...as for the Hydran, well who doesn't love Ph-Gs?

[rjschirmer]

...as for the Hydran, well who doesn't love Ph-Gs?

Answer: Anyone playing against a Hydran!

[terryoc]

The most interesting empire to play is... all of them! If you just specialise in playing a particular empire, you're missing out on a lot of fun IMO.

[Darkbridger]

The most interesting empire to play is... all of them! If you just specialise in playing a particular empire, you're missing out on a lot of fun IMO.

I almost agree with this. I play one empire more than others... well, I will when the Lyrans make it to FC. But, playing all the other empires definitely gives you better insight into how to handle them with your favorite race.

Which reminds me... I need to go change my forum icon now that the Lyran one is available... I haven't been here in a while.

[defurusu]

I've always enjoyed Klingons & Lyrans - especially the challenge of making the ESGs worthwhile in squadron and fleet actions. I guess you have to add Kzinti to that list on the grounds that they have so much in common with the Klinks. Hydrans and ISC require a bit of thought to get the best out of a combined arms approach; the former have always been really popular in the groups I've played in so I've not gotten to use them very much, but the latter have generally been left to me.

Have been playing Romulans in FC recently (never did much in SFB), and have to admit I like the way cloaking now works. Not tried the Kestrel ships yet, though I imagine I will enjoy the challenge.

[DNordeen]

I prefer Kzinti and Roms. I like the cloak a lot, and the Kzinti drone waves are just twisted fun