UNITED FEDERATION FLEET REPORT DECEMBER 1ST
Hello and welcome one and all to the second of many reports for your dedicated wing in BSGO. First things first let’s get a speech from our esteemed leader AdmiralHMS Victory ….
Finest Hour
What Admiral Adma called the Battle of Caprica is over. I expect that the Battle of the universe is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Human civilization. Upon it depends our own way of life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. The 12 cylon models know that they will have to break us in this sector or lose the war. If we can stand up to them, all of humanity may be free and the life of the universe may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole human race, including the United federation fleet, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the United Federation Fleet and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."
SO SAY WE ALL
LIVE TOGETHER DIE ALONE!
REGARDS Admiral Victory.
Interview
Averlion took time out from planning his next strike stormoperation to answer a few questions for us, this is what was said…
Q. What is the next step in the war against the cylon’s?
A. Kill them all, I say.
*In the back of my mind an idea brewing about a UFF Brimir, which immediately got response when Imurmured something in chat. But this must be a long term project, in need of debate in the senate first.
Q. If we came across a habitable planet, would you stay?
A. If I had a choice, I’d have one with a gravity of 0.85G. Imagine what that would do for our women's cleavages!!!
Q. The recent side switching by some former members has left many UFF wing commanders angry, what if any do you think about the whole messy business and what would you have done to solve this issue?
A. a) On the faction switch: life has never been tougher than after the faction switch. Remember that this is a WARGAME and Canceron is the fracking best server to play it on- on most other servers it's only an npc-game since Cylon players are extremely rare. If I ever turn gay, I will go down on Devastator & Co for switching. Hate them all you want, some recognition is due for what they did. Now we get to grow for a reason- to learn how to KILL them all.
b) On UFF members with Cylon accounts -on Canceron- this is messy indeed. The thought of shooting at one's wing mates is chilling. I know of only one who has so far pulled it off successfully. Yet I predict it will end in tears... I am considering opening a new account as a red eye after I reach the magic level 84 -but not on this server.
c) On former UFF members who enjoy their 2nd accounts better- if the Admiral knows any active players by name, kick their Colonial accounts from our wing and post the Cylon names on the hit list. Up that tit bill. No one disrespects the UFF. The same applies to spies- technically a different category but who cares?
Q. There is now in place a promotion by nomination policy, what do you feel this has done for the wing?
A. It's awesome. It makes people feel consciously appreciated by wing mates.
Q. With just over a few weeks away from X-mas. How do you see the festive brake affecting the wing?
A.We'll be drunk
Another copy dead?
I can report that the high value target that is 'Executor' was engaged and destroyed by UFF forces in Huggin. A UFF squad consisting of wing members Cosmails, Kalma, Starrunner and myself (jonny larsson) entered Huggin in search of UFF recriut Foam to invite him to our squad. As squad members spread out to search for Foam, Executor entered the system and attacked a colonial mine. Upon seeing Executor I informed the squad and gave chase to Executor who was, I believe, attempting to bug out of the system. I engaged Executor in an attempt to slow him down. This allowed UFF ace strike pilots Starrunner and Kalma to catch up and engage. I am happy to report that although my ship was lost in the engagement, outstanding flying and team work by Starrunner and Kalma ensured the cylon copy known as Executor had another reason to think twice about engaging UFF forces in the future!
TOP SEACRET!!
I have been informed that every Thursday ftl missions will stay half price! That’s only 50ftl fragments. It was set to go back to 100 but I’m informed that it will now stay.This will not happen until after the New Year. So guys every Thursday get to galatica to start the mission!
Regards Admiral Victory.
Line ship
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship from the 17th to the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle.Which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear. Since these engagements were almost invariably won by the heaviest ships carrying the most powerful guns, the progression was to build sailing vessels that were larger and more powerful.From the end of the 1840s, the introduction of steam power brought less dependence on the wind in battle and led to the construction of screw-driven but wooden-hulled ships of the line; a number of sail ships were converted to this. However, the introduction of the ironclad frigate in 1859 led to the decline of the steam ships of the line, though the ironclad warship became the ancestor of the 20th-century battleship, whose very designation is itself a contraction of the phrase "line-of-battle ship." Now we find ourselves using the same name for our modest war ships. With the fight now in space and not on high seas, we rely on powerfully designed engines and not wind/steam. We still use the term cannon to describe our weapons but they do not fire lead balls. We do however use the same mentality as the ancestor ships of the line do, in that we too line up and fire until the strongest is left standing.
To the point…well I would like to take the time to say a little about ship set up on a line class ship. For this process ill like to use a jonto and Vanir as my lab rats. JONTO-aka the tank…best set up is a mix of long-range cannons and missiles, 4 of each should do the trick. Couple this along strong hull plating and you will have a real BIG tank.
VANIR-aka the twin….what can I say it’s a perfect electronic support ship. My own (UFF Britannia) is not currently upgraded but I can tell you now that a good mix of weapons works best…i.e... 2x long range cannons...2x normal and 2x rapid works best along with the 2x rockets. As for electronic war fair its best place for you to choose the set up but again I have a scanner, artimis and boost. Please remember that e-war items don’t stack but you can use one after the other. So if you used 2 artimis only one would work unless you used the second after the first had finished.
By Admiral Victory.
Interview
We had a chance to speak to our communications creator Kromdor this month and took the time to ask him these questions.
Q. What is the next step in the war against the cylon’s?
A. To take back our half of the sector, and a little of theirs. To do this we'll need to up our skills - a lot of cylon pilots have free access to the best water, and with RedRonk now on the loose, the majority are 100+. We need to seriously up our game to take back the north and ensure that muspell is ours 100% of the time.
Q. If we came across a habitable planet, would you stay?
A. Sure. So long as there’s bitches.
Q. The recent side switching by some former members has left many UFF wing commanders angry, what if any do you think about the whole messy business and what would you have done to solve this issue?
A.I miss having the easy life, back when our fleet ruled most of the sector. But as we are now back to the way it was when I joined, I welcome the challenge. It can be frustrating to have our whole squad taken out by 2 liches. Persevere!
Q. There is now in place a promotion by nomination policy, what do you feel this has done for the wing?
A. Motivated the wing to better themselves. I would ask wing members to focus on the positive, to gain rank and position in the wing not just by grinding but by becoming more involved in its development, and not to focus too much on demotions!
Q. With just over a few weeks away from X-mas. How do you see the festive brake affecting the wing?
A.I think that it would be a welcome rest for those who need it, our long suffering commanders and daily pilots. I think we should, however, organise a Christmas fleet-up for the laugh. Grab a few beers, turkey sandwiches, blast some cylons. Fun.
RRF ''Rapid Response Force''debriefs 02/11/12
In attendance: CaptainCosmails [Maul, Jotunn]; CAG Insuliner [maul and Jotunn]; Pilot MarsterRampage [scythe]and myselfCommander Krom [Glaive, Vanir]
Yes, we did get caught up in Tannahuser, because we failed to realise that our target alevel 25 banshee had backup. Command error on that one. As for only having 4 ships, well wewouldn’t have been much of a help anyway.
- The action to be taken on this is to not get involved but rather stay safely in jump range and keep out of sight.
Regarding the squad organisation and communications issue, if the strike squad itself is not full, then I would say invite members of the RRF. We would all be on the same comms, and wouldn't necessarily have to be in the same system. it means that at a moment's notice we could jump in, target our squadmates [by clicking on their picture] and know exactly what grid they are in.
- Needless to say that if there was space needed for another strike, we would give our slot.
Regarding comms chatter. The RRF were using our squad chat. I would advise the others to do the same, except in the case where it bugs and is in use by strangers. It would be ideal to reserve the wing chat for inter-squad chat or just general chatter. we could possibly use officer's chat to send messages to squad commanders.
- we will have to review comms use but at this point it is not too big an issue.
To clarify the overall position of the RRF - that is the ''Rapid Response Force'' - it’s essentially a mixed group of anyone left over from the strike swarm, who does not want to participate in it. We spec mostly for defence, should the strike swarm come into difficulty. In that respect, I would prefer if people came with escorts, simply for their ability to catch up with strikes, and their ability to engage ships of any size. All ships are welcome, but please be aware that speed is the most important factor here - if we move in to assist and there is a maul pilot left behind, it can become an anchor for the group.
While the scythe is rarely used in the colonial fleet, it may be worthwhile investing in one. they are only 600,000 tylum/fuel and can be fitted with any weapons and systems from your regular escort. Advanced models are not necessary but make sure you have some decent plating as that is the Scythe's major weakness. Remember also that a standard Scythe can mount 5 engine slots and only has 4 weapon mounts. On the other hand, if you had spare cubitz why not get a Halberd? With just a small upgrade the engines can be boosted to 70kph, basic it comes with 3 engine slots, 3 hull slots and 3computer slots. With the basic set up of 6 weapon ports! But the cost to get this ship is 75,000 cubitz.
I would like to set the base speed of cruise 40 and boost 60 for the RRF, if you have difficulty meeting these requirements then please contact your squad leader as appropriate. I will look into setting up a thread to post your ship's specs so we all know roughly who can fly what.
Regards, UFF's e-war specialist Commander Krom.
DEBRIEFING UFF STRIKESWARM 02/11/2012
We still suck, but improvement is significant. If I concentrate on the negative here, it is because we learn from our mistakes. The positive needs less emphasis.
1) Scanners were still in some people's setups. During an aggressive attack squad it’s not the minecalling that I am against. It's that you use a computer slot for it. Therefor you are not as strong a fighter as you could be.
2) I am having trouble conveying my thoughts into your minds. Hostiles were able to jump out before we could all get to them because of this. Also: the rapid reaction force waiting behind the hills did not have a clear idea what was going on. We could not prevent them from jumping into a large Cylon op fleet. This too is due to lack of communication, but I can just not manage all the com and also lead an attack.
3) The tendency to spread out was too strong. And we did not fly as fast as our slowest squad member in this case Admiral Victory in his Rhino the “UFF Bulldog mkII”. This automatically means he was left behind -alone to be picked upon.
4) One of the advantages of the Raptor FR is it's big jump range. Last night, Kromdor's Vanir was the rescue when my jump range fell short.
5) I have no hard data on this one, but since my deo count was 1, I presume others got a better deo -which would be a clear improvement from October 27. Feedback on this is welcome.
CONCLUSIONS:
The general feeling is that of noticeable improvement. It was a very poor performance by even the most modest of standards, and if THIS meant a noticeable improvement, some officers might actually think twice on that first performance. Is Avrelion a covert Cylon saboteur? -But no... No! I was not thrown into the brig last night without so much as a drink of water. I was allowed to walk free on board the Galactica, even to keep my sidearm. I was merely asked to be so kind as to give my word I would not try to desert while my court martial was being prepared. We still have a long way to go, but it was fun! So please: join me again next Friday 2130 hrs CET. We will practice, we will learn, and after months of training we will notice that Cylons are abandoning systems we visit.
* Glad to see positive reports from strike swarm participants! The positive feeling alone is an impetus to keep trying.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) Stuff that scanner into your locker and setup a HERMES, AURORA or ARTEMIS module. It will make us all stronger.
2) I have a lot of training ahead of me as a true squad leader. I (we) must make a clear list of commands. Kromdor, please help me here. I take it the dreaded TS is still not contemplated.
3) Best strike swarms i have flown with (wingmember Troy who was level 50+ when I joined and who has been MIA for a long time) were all based on follow-the-leader- fly in train. Do not stray off, keep on the leader. This needs not be me. And the cruise speed of the swarm should be the lowest boost speed of any member. We will train on this coming Friday.
4) I have FTL-couplings level 12 which I can reinstall in one of my engine slots. This will make my ship's jump range significantly better. But it will also make me slower and/or weaker for I have to lose a speed boost or avoidance boost...
5) Managing a squad in hot zones is exhausting (for me). After 1 hour, I am mentally empty. As long as this is the only Raptor FR in our wing, 1 hour will be the maximum duration of the strike swarm.
6) All of you just need to... stay calm and hold on.
By Commander Avrelion.
Distress Call
A distress call over wing chat by LastSoldier. He found 60k water in alpha Extigens but was attacked by Cylons. Yours truly (Avrelion) came to his aid. As I hovered over the red eyes, LastSoldier repaired and came back, hanging back as I kited the lvl 48 liche over 4k to him. The liche ended up on the junkyard, together with 2 cylon liners. LastSoldier deserves special mentioning for his bravery and sacrifice. LastSoldier soon had to leave, but Rimo25 jumped in to help defend the water mine. We had it drained for 20k slaying various lone cylon pirates as we guarded the precious water, when Ziomek from Gladiators came around, got his ASS stuck between our guns and had his pride mortally wounded. Of course, no Cylon can take that, low and behold 3 minutes later he was back with a full squad including strikes, liches and yes, LEVIATHAN level 216.Several wing members including the valiant RayMcCall, Horus and JabbaBinx came to reinforce our squad. A full scale battle developed, more and more Cylons and Colonials jumped in, but as the Cylons all seemed to have a treasure chests full of cubits for red ammo & dc repair we were ultimately pushed back.But not for lack of courage! Only for lack of level. And level will come.