GTB Medusa
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| The GTB Medusa |
The GTB Medusa is a class of heavy bomber which was developed during the Great War. It was the only Terran bomber at the time of its introduction capable of mounting the Tsunami anti-cruiser warhead. A respectable secondary capacity allowed the Medusa to play a pivotal role in several key battles of the Great War.
Contents
Description:
FS1 Tech Room Description
The Medusa is the standard attack bomber in the GTA. Its strong shielding and large secondary capacity make it the favored attack craft against cruiser class targets. As the first bomber to carry the Tsunami bomb, the Medusa is considered the staple of any bomber pilot's career.
FS2 Tech Room Description
The GTB Medusa is the workhorse of the GTVA's bomber fleet. Its large bomb capacity enables it to take out cruiser-class warships, while its strong shielding ensures it can get close enough to deliver the punch. The first bomber to carry the potent Cyclops bomb, the Medusa is sure to be one of the highlights of a bomber pilot's career.
Developer Notes
Suitable for any size target. Carries most missile types, but few cannons. Armed with defensive turret, but still requires escort.
Concept Art
Name origin
The gorgon Medusa (name meaning guardian or protectress) was a mythic monstrous female individual, who could turn anyone who looked at her to stone. She was killed by the human hero Perseus, who used her head as a sort of weapon before he gave it to Athena.
Performance:
Statistics
| Type | Heavy Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Han-Roland Corp. |
| Maneuverability | Poor |
| Yaw, Pitch, Roll | 5.0, 4.5, 5.0 s |
| Max Velocity | 50.0 - 65.0 ms-1 |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | 100.0 ms-1 |
| Armor | Heavy |
| Hitpoints | 350 |
| Shields | 700 |
| Length | 36 m |
Armaments
| FreeSpace 1 | FreeSpace 2 | ||
| Bank | Guns | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 2 | Avenger | Prometheus R |
| Compatible Primaries | Compatible Primaries | ||
| ML-16 Laser, Avenger, Prometheus, Leech Cannon, S-Breaker | Subach HL-7, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim | ||
| FreeSpace 1 | FreeSpace 2 | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 40 | Hornet | Hornet |
| 2nd | 80 | MX-50 | Cyclops |
| 3rd | 80 | Tsunami | Cyclops |
| Compatible Secondaries | Compatible Secondaries | ||
| MX-50, Hornet, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Tsunami, EM Pulse, Cluster Bomb | MX-64, EMP Adv., Hornet, Tornado, Trebuchet, Piranha, Stiletto II, Infyrno, Cyclops, Rebel Bomb | ||
| FreeSpace 1 | FreeSpace 2 | ||
| Turret Type | Amount | Turret Type | Amount |
| Avenger | 1 | Prometheus R | 1 |
Modding Resources
Retail:
- $POF File: bomber04.pof
- Textures: bomber04-01(a/b/c), thruster01
MediaVP 3.6.14:
- $POF File: Medusa.pof
- Textures: medusa, glass, Tercoc01, thruster01, medudebris, damage
History
Model by: Hades
Textures by: Saboo
First WIP Thread: [1] on 25 November 2010
Release thread: [2] on 04 July 2011
Veteran Comments
In FreeSpace 1, the instances you get to fly this bomber, this is actually a decent platform, even if you're reluctant to trade in the Athena for this. If you need to do real anti-cruiser/freighter work, the Medusa works, even though it takes time for the Tsunami to deal some damage (carrying 10 of these can do wonders for bombing runs). The instant you get the Ursa and Harbinger, leave the Medusa at home as the Harbinger is necessary for real anti-destroyer work.
This bomber can be pretty useful, even in FreeSpace 2. Not only can it be mounted with a large number of FS2-era weapons, but its shield and hull strength did not become obsolete during the long years of the Reconstruction period. The main setback of this bomber is its lack of useful anti-fighter missile compatibility, not even the Tempest or the Harpoon can be mounted on the Medusa. To balance out this weakness, more anti-cruiser bombs can be mounted on it. The turret on the top of the bomber cannot be used for much (as it is typical in FreeSpace), but having only two monodirectional laser guns has the advantage of a basically low energy demand.
Pilots who prefer a balance between strength, firepower and maneuverability will prefer this kind of bomber or the slightly better maneuverable and less powerful GTB Artemis.
The Medusa is a solid medium bomber. As a bomber, it dogfights poorly and functions best with escort. Despite this, the Medusa in player hands is surprisingly survivable; it lacks the power to fight off enemy fighters, but retains enough maneuverability, speed, and most importantly shield strength to survive far longer than might be expected. Beyond that, it fits exactly with what might be expected from its type.
On higher difficulty levels, any kind of bomber is lethal when armed with a full load of Piranhas because of better friendly and enemy AI. I can load my wingmen as Medusas with full Piranha banks, and they're actually much more effective at dogfighting than they are in a fighter.
When playing on Insane difficulty, these seem to be the only bombers (besides the Bakha) that try to evade your primary fire. Luckily, they're not especially maneuverable.
