I think we can all agree than the Cobalt needs a buff, big time. It is called the workhouse by the TEC, yet it cannot stand up to a single light carrier if given enough time? I don't like that, and neither should you.
The Cobalt is, for all intensive purposes, worthless. Its damage is weak, its ability is terrible, and its durability is non-existant.
So, I propose a few changes to make this frigate worthwhile to build:
1. Replace the lasers with the Snipe projectile from the Ragnarov. Keep the firing times of the Cobalt, and the damage of the Rag. Furthermore, give the Cobalt the range of Snipe, armor-piercing technology, and shield-mitigating technology. (What? Its a solid slug! You really think its just gonna stop at some stupid shield going 3,000,000,000,000,000 MPH? And this gives it a method of taking out targets at long range, lessening the money you need to use on LRMs)
2. Give it the shell of the Argonev Starbase. This WILL solve the durability problem, people! It even has extra weapons for defense if enemies come from the sides or back.
3. Give it flak. Not just any flak. Give it flak bust flak that damages strike craft, disables their weapons, and disables their engines. They got caught in the gravitational pull of the Cobalt, or something.
4. Make it colonize planets like the Akkan. You think with that shell on its back it won't have supplies in there? Puh-lease. StarClad, make it happen!
5. Give it production abilities. It has this big hole in the top that was once used for production. With, say, a Tier 2 upgrade, this can be used once again to produce ships.
6. Missile Barrage. It has lots of missile batteries. Plausible. And with the realistic range on those things, the barrage goes all the way around the Gravity Well.
7. Red Button, if things get too hairy. But this thing has an ace in the hole. The ensuing explosion takes out everything in the gravity well, adjacent gravity wells, in Phase Space, connecting Phase Lanes and their gravity wells... in other words, da whole map. And with a Tier 6 upgrade with no preqs, the blast does not destroy the Cobalt or affect you, your allies, or the connecting computer's motherboards.
In all, I feel these 7 simple changes would make the Cobalt a worthy addition to any TEC fleet.
(Yes, I'm totally serious about this, and am fully aware I've probably just ruined my reputation as a 'Neutral Good' around here)
