Originally Posted by Malorn
Eagle is only taken in PS1 - PS2 doesn't have BFRs so the name could be reused. It fits. Hawk also fits for NC, etc.
Maybe its just me but I would think the NC being the guerrilla faction would have the sneaky pirate-ish names like Prowler and Marauder. "Enforcer" and "Vanguard" seem much more TR Evil Empire-like.
I think gunships fit better for empire specific aircraft. Traditional gunships. The kind that take two seats where the pilot might only have rockets and the gunner has AV weaponry and a turreted gun.
Air power is so critical to the balance of the game I think the AA differences are already bad enough. Adding in empire specific air dominance aircraft could end up with unbalancing results. On one hand you need them to have identical handling, otherwise the one with the best handling will be the best dogfighter. Doesn't matter how good of guns or defense you have if your enemy has position on you. Just seems incredibly risky to make empire specific aircraft.
If they do exist it should be flavorful differences and nothing really big. I like the idea of having them look different so it is easy to recognize a friendly aircraft from a hostile from further away but beyond that differences should be minor. For example the TR might have a higher rate of fire but the NC have more damage per shot and its more accurate. The VS might have a link-gun (Unreal Tournament) like weapon that does more damage the longer it holds on target, or the longer it's firing, something along those lines. They should all end up with about equivalent dps when accuracy, RoF, and damage are taken into account over a period of time and definitely have equivalent handling.
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Well I agree that it would be tricky to balance, but Higby 'alluded' to each empire having their own specific fighters, so if you want that changed you can either use this thread or make your own stating reasons for it. Maybe just have each fighter have the same handling/maneuverability like you said, but different appearances/weapons with different properties.
@Warchimp - Galaxies and bombers should be vulnerable to a pack of fighters IMO. That's how its always historically been and will be. If you didn't send in fighters to protect your bombers in WWII chances were a lot of them were going to get shot down. I do think that the ball/tail gunners should be able to fend off a couple fighters though, and not really have to worry, unless the fighter pilots are reaaallly good. It will promote more teamwork to having fighter escorts for your galaxy/bombing missions, which would be pretty bad ass IMO.
@Everyone - I'm going to revise the ideas based on feedback as of now. I'll post an edit when its done.