SF Aeshma

FreeSpace 1 Ships Terran ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Installations Misc Ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Vasudan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Misc Ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Shivan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Notable ships of FreeSpace 1

FreeSpace 2 Ships Terran ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Installations Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Vasudan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Shivan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Notable ships of FreeSpace 2

The SF Aeshma is a Shivan-designed vessel. With its low speed and sub-par maneuverability offset by its heavy cannons, high shield rating and large missile bank, the Aeshma is often considered to be a heavy assault fighter. While Aeshmas are easy prey for most Terran and Vasudan fighters, their heavy weaponry makes them a great threat to ships that are unable to outmaneuver them. Sightings of Aeshma-class fighters are uncommon as of the Second Shivan Incursion.

The SF Aeshma

Description:

FS2 Tech Room Description

The SF Aeshma is a relatively rare, and only recently encountered, class of Shivan fighter. It appears to be a heavy attack fighter, like the Basilisk. With a low known top speed, Aeshmas seem to target slower-moving vessels, such as bombers, freighters, and gas miners. Their powerful lasers make them a danger to all such craft, so they must be engaged and destroyed as quickly as possible.

Developer Notes

None

Name origin

Aeshma is the demon of wrath in Zoroastrianism, a religion based on the tenets of Iranian religious leader Zoroaster.

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Heavy Attack
Manufacturer	Unknown
Maneuverability	N/A
Max Velocity	68.0 - 68.0 mps
Max Afterburner Velocity	110.0 mps
Armor	N/A
Hitpoints	125
Shields	850
Length	30 m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Shivan Mega Laser
2nd	2	Shivan Heavy Laser

• Missile Banks

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout
1st	80	Trebuchet

Modding Resources

The SF Aeshma in FS2_Open with the mediavps enabled

Retail:

$POF File: ?

Textures: ?

MediaVPs 2014:

$POF File: Aeshma.pof

Textures: ???

History
Original model by: BrotherBryon
Textures by: Rampage

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

Slower and less maneuverable than the Basilisk it descends from, and also presenting a much larger top-bottom and side target profile, the Aeshma is pretty much cannon fodder in the face of GTVA fighter attack. It is well-armed cannon fodder, however, and going head-to-head with an Aeshma should be avoided, as those Shivan Mega Lasers can be somewhat painful. Outmaneuvering the Aeshma should not present great problems for anything short of a Boanerges or Ursa.

If you end up fighting wings of these fighters, take the opportunity to kill them all. They're slow, big bullseyes, and will help you rack up more kills towards promotions and aces.

Practice your sniping skills on this fighter. Take the Prometheus, target one Aeshma and start shooting at max range. Usually I can take one of them before they close in at 1100m, the second one goes down soon after the first. These things don't even try to evade shots.

During the Derelict mission where the Nyarlathotep awakens, these things can barely hold their own against Amazons guarding the destroyer. Try editing the tables and flying an Aeshma yourself sometime. You'll see why the AI has so much trouble with it; maneuverability is terrible and isn't compensated for with armor or armament.

Contrary to the above, if you've ever played the infamous Knossos mission from Blue Planet, you'll know how dangerous a group of these can be.

Aeshma is dangerous in Forced Entry only if player is sloppy and completely ignores the directives. In short, this craft sucks. I found Aeshma as one of the worst shivan fighters in both FS1 and FS2. She has no real firepower and contrary to previous comments, her armor is not as tough as it seems to be. Her only advantage compared to Basilisk is her smaller target profile, but it doesn't help her much as she is ridiculously slow and easy to kill with primaries.