really? are you sure its not just because of their higher tech levels?
either way I doubt it makes up for the amazing 30-40% price hike over the TEC equivalents, neither does the power of their units.
so heres the case for the Vasari not being tanks
The Evidence
Cap Ships
-Cap Ships appear to have multiple uses: ex: vasari carrier, used both as a carrier and as the sole healer of the capital ships
-Arkator (sp?) scout cap ship with high survivability, invincibility, speed boosts, portable gate network node and espionage. need I really say more?
-Abilities are massively toned to defense: even offensive abilities like disrupter strikes are used to defend Vasari ships
-Shields are the main defense, despite many ways to get around them (Dunov comes to mind, akkan dissabling regen to) suggests cap-on-cap combat isnt a focus
-Attack abilities are overwhelmingly meant to attack a few targets, not many (very few things like the Marza rad bomb or missile swarm)
-Few widespread buffs: nothing like the Akkan's ceasefire, again suggests lack of large military combat focus
-Radially placed weapons: weapons are not focused in front ala marza, kol, dunov akkan or sova, placed around as if for defense rather than one on one offense
-Numerous abilities focused on razing planets quickly, displaced over more than one capital ship, planet sucking, siege turret, siege design etc.
-Siege ship is the prettiest, not solid evidence, but it means something.
-Cap Ships are simply all around weaker
-Numerous "invincibility" abilities that still allow movement, but restrict all offensive actions in favor of defense
Cost to Performance ratio
-All ships are dramatically more expensive than TEC equivalents for nominal attack upgrade, excluding Cap ships, which are far weaker
-Fleet cost points are through the roof, 7 as opposed to TEC's 5 (light frigs), 6 as opposed to 4 (missile frigs) and 8 as opposed to 7 (colony frigs), again equivalents (cap ships) are much weaker -disclaimer- I havent absolutely checked these numbers, might be off by one or two, but the Vasari are certainly more expensive
Phase Gates
-Extremely inexpensive
-Can be upgraded to be nearly twice as fast as normal phase lanes
-Portable node on the super fast, invulnerable, strong scout cap ship that bypasses phaseblocks
-Purposefully restricted to later techs (perhaps too much so, makes Vasari too weak on small maps)
-Numerous abilities related to phasespacing
-Can be placed anywhere due to tactical status
-Gravity Tolerance upgrade significantly reduces radius required to run or to jump in, allowing faster strikes and retreats
-Calls dark fleet in, wasting extra fleet points to make a powerful impromptu army, almost perfect counter to rebels
Intelligence
-Highly tuned sensors give you perfect description of all phasespace activity in the entire game, allows Vasari to effectively avoid large groups by choosing safer pathways, even if those planets havent even been descovered. Also allows Vasari to keep track of battles and alliances that they have no part in, also is an amazing warning about pirates
Defensive structures
-Missiles are strong, cheap and allow bypass of shields
Weapon systems
-Strong emphasis on focus fire, esp. phase missiles
-Cite cap ship section
Cruisers
-Heavy emphasis on mobility and phase interdiction/shield disruption
-Cruisers lack weaponry, but are heavily offensive based
-in grav well hyperspacing, used for assassination missions on a fleeing fleet? suggests attacks against unprepared opponents, NOT a well fortified base
Hiatus
if you really want more fine, but I'm done listing evidence for now.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
TO COME!
