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Page 4 of 7

Small Fry

Slice this guy in half, and you have two acolyte fighters. This ACV though has the added EMP blast weapon.

From traditional interceptors to leechlike pests that attach onto other ships, the Somtaaw boast an interesting mix of fighter-class ships. Here's a closer look at the fighter- and microship-class vehicles:

Recon: The Somtaaw version of a scout. The 15 years since the original Homeworld have seen marked improvements in technology, as the recon's engine seems more powerful than the original scout's. Plot a series of waypoints into the far reaches of the fog-of-war area, and you'll be surprised at how quickly they complete their patrol. If you run into an enemy fleet, these ships are fast enough to flee without sustaining much damage. Don't use them for any actual combat though.

These combined MCVs are about to morph into some other ship. Or I could simply have them imitate mimics on my enemy's side, if he's the Somtaaw too.

Acolyte: This is the Somtaaw version of the stalwart interceptor from the original game. The acolyte reflects the miner background of the Somtaaw, as it literally looks like an ore miner with guns attached to it. While acolytes are the dependable fighter-ship class, they seem to be slightly weaker than their interceptor brethren. An equal number of acolytes against an equal number of interceptors equates to a narrow victory for the interceptors.

ACV: This is the acolyte combined vehicle. You can either take two acolytes and order them to link together, or you can build them straight off the mothership. As expected, this version is a lot tougher and more powerful than its component ships, and it has the added bonus of the EMP blast (which disables anything in the area). This is more than a match for the old interceptor and other myriad fighters from the previous game. Indeed, when linked, the two acolytes are considered a corvette-type ship with power greater than the sum of its parts. The acolyte is not the only ship that can combine with others of its type, thanks to the new linking technology in the game.

The neatest addition is having these sentinels protect vital goods via force field.

Mimic: These are perhaps the most devious of the new fighter-class ships. They are able to appear like any other type of ship and can only be detected by enhanced sensors or sentinel ships. The library of objects that can be mimicked is a bit small; mostly restricted to other types of fighter craft and smaller asteroids.

MCV: Link two mimics and this is the result. In addition to the added strength and firepower, the library of objects that can be mimicked grows significantly. You can masquerade as the biggest of asteroids, and you can mimic any fighter and most of the frigates. The only thing you can't imitate at this point are motherships or super-capital ships.

Leech: Unfortunately, these didn't seem to work right in the build we had. We built them but couldn't really do anything with them. These ships presumably attach themselves to enemy ships and perform one of three actions: leech, spy, or vent. Judging by the names, it appears that leech will siphon resource units from the target and add them to your pool. Spy will probably act like the queen's parasite in Starcraft, in that you will have the visual input of the spied-upon ship. Finally, vent will violently eject material from the ship, breaking it down slowly and damaging it over time.

Sentinel: These are tiny spy satellites. Think of them as roving detector units; they'll be able to spot cloaked or mimicked ships. The best aspect of these ships, though, is the force field. Gather a bunch of sentinels, and you can direct them to generate a strong force field in either a spherical or flat-wall arrangement. The force field is impenetrable to all fire, including the ion cannon, except for the EMP blast. They're great for protecting your important ships back in your home fleet.

Next: Capital ships
 
 

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