I'm mostly just baffled because even colony frigates can shoot, and they're even more specialized than the carrier.  Same with the Hoko, Cielo, and every other support ship.  Crap damage, but damage nonetheless.  Anyway, it was just a random thought brought on by my careless placement of them in a neutral grav well vs AI.  Learned my lesson, i hope...  Still, it would be nice for them to have SOME use in a plasma storm.  (Or is it magnetic cloud, whichever grounds strikecraft.)

magnetic.

Carriers are unarmed for the same reasons that carriers in real life are (mostly) unarmed. The engineering requirements for carrying, deploying, launching and landing strike-craft are completely at odds with those of supporting weapon hardpoints. The modern aircraft carrier has elevators, parts, and fuel reserves where a traditional battleship or cruiser will carry munitions, powder and the weapon systems themselves. The carrier is designed to project its power via its strike force, and relies on its escorts for close in security, because THOSE vessels can also be designed with their precise role in mind.

keywords mostly unarmed, they still have the ability to shoot at incoming SC on a bombing or straffing run. LC's have absolutely nothing in terms of defense. Their SC are as you put it projections, meaning their offensive. The Kol has both Offensive and Defensive weapons aswell as two squadrons (of choice) of SC. If there wasnt a cap on the number of capitals you could build logically a Kol would be a Battleship that doubles as a light Carrier.

True.  I was just thinking of resurrecting my old habit of Kol exclusivity during my last game, but i just can't seem to make myself push any button but sova or akkan for my first 2 capitols...

Call me crazy or possibly stupid, but I've been starting with a Skirantra Carrier lately.

I ALWAYS do Skirantra first, but that's Vasari.  Advent, i typically do their carrier too.  Guess i just like the strikecraft in general.

they do the trick when it comes to multi purpose, no matter what unit they are, theyll destroy it. The only thing they cant do is phase jump or bombard a planet. But their combined DPS in large enough numbers will annihilate a Capital in just one pass. And litterally take a 20k SB out of the picture within 3-4 minutes of engagement. But the LC's should atleast see a single cannon much like the hoshikos.

I just hate it when they get spammed to ridiculous degrees. Actually, I hate anything when it's spammed to a ridiculous degree. However, when you have 50+ squadrons of bombers focus-firing on one target... it's particularly annoying. Honestly, I think that many ships in the game should be given a flakk battery or two...

Heavy Cruisers, All Cap Ships, Light Carriers, Star Bases... all four of those would make sense. I don't mean give them flakk to the extent of the actual flakk frigates (except in the case of Star Bases) - but give them a little bit to help spread the love some.

Plus it would arm the carrier cruisers and negate this thread .

Usually I have about 40 squadrons of Bombers with about 30 Fighters per Fleet, but When I face Advent I know Im going to be in for a hellof a fight with SC and usually combine the two fleets I have to give me an uber amount of Bombers and Fighters. Honestly it makes sense to have as many Fighters and Bombers as possible. Ever since planes have taken to the air, fighters and bombers have been a staple in modern warfare and has been the key to the success of countries at war. WW2 the extensive bombing of berlin broke the backs of the Nazis and while they fought to the very last block there wasnt much to defend at that point. In the Pacific the dropping of the A-Bombs was the actual ending blow and brought the war to an end. Without those bombers, the fighting could have went on for years. We would be referencing Japan when talking about Iraq, Afganistan and Vietnam. Instead of Vietnam. And what do you want people to do? Throw their entire fleet against a 20k starbase instead of allowing for the Starbases obvious counter to do its job.

I actually wouldn't object to some point defense armament on the Light Carrier hull, but such an armament would necessarily add to the support requirements of the vessel, which effectively reduces the total number of strike craft you can launch, and effectively combine the role of the flak ship and the carrier into one hull. Ultimately, you wind up with less flexibility for no real game balance reason.

I can dream, right?

Flak would make it too powerful.  I'm just talking about something like a laser cannon on the nose or something like that.

same here I dont see a need for flak, but atleast somekindof stalling weapon. Only there to keep them alive long enough for assistance to intercept the enemy ships.

Carriers are unarmed to fool the enemy.

The enemy will think: "Ahh, he's sending carriers, the fool... I will surely win now! Because I know that 'carrier: strong against none'. Hahaha! He's sending non-combat units to fight me! BWHAHAHAHA! MU-hahahah!"

But when the carriers actually arrive, they are in fact carrying combat units. 'SURPRISE ATTACK AMBUSH STRATEGY' you then type to really put down the poor guy. And then your fighters fight him and your bombers bomb him. And you win.

So, carriers are in fact stealth units.

They probably made it that way because cruisers are designed for "support", which I disagree with, (the Advent Destra), so they did their best to make the light carrier a defenseless support ship that is "invulnerable" only because the enemy fleet is busy with your battleships, and is only designed to give sqaudron support to you attack ships.

No, they aren't. If they were, then the Vasari one would probably be upgradeable with phasic cloaking to make it an actual "stealth" unit.

Agreed.

And i don't think the gun would be a way to make the ship survive longer...it would just

1.)  Make it REALISTIC!!!

2.)  Make an opponent think twice before splitting a ship or two off to take out the carriers at the edge of the grav well while their main fleet engages you.

I don't know.  But i can't think of one reason NOT to have its own gun.  They're useless ships if your enemy has enough flak/carriers to take out your squadrons.

like i said the point is to give it a fighting chance. It might not be much. But atleast they dont act like hardcore christians

"Jesus says TURN THE OTHER CHEEK"..........."OUCH ITS NOT WORKING!"

They should have 1/4 to 1/2 (top/bottom hemispheric) the AA guns as the equivalent faction flak frigate and whatever else needs to be adjusted (cost, supply) should be adjusted around it. I agree completly with the OP.

Well, they are cruisers, which means that they are supposed to be more specialized than frigs, so maybe one ASC (anti-strike craft) gun and like a low power gun like what siege frigs have. Or, if your not content, hack and make it so they can fire Novalith shots.

Cruisers are more powerful, not more specialized.  LCs do something no other ship can do, but their weapon is effectively nullified with enough flak or fighters.  No other ship has that handicap.

 -Exile