SD Ravana

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Frame 206 of the cb_sm1-04_c command briefing ANI shown before A Lion at the Door, which indicates that the Ravana entered Gamma Draconis after the reactivation of the Knossos portal.

The SD Ravana class of destroyers was first spotted in the nebula beyond Gamma Draconis, discovered by the GTCv Lysander and the GTCv Actium, though there's some evidence that the GTVA knew about this new class prior to the encounter.

This class is probably the most powerful Shivan capital vessel, second only to the SJ Sathanas and maybe the SD Lucifer. With its four forward beam cannons, it can rip through the hull of a GTD Hecate or an Orion-class destroyer in under a minute, and take out smaller vessels within seconds. Its anti-capital ship weaponry makes it a threat to any vessel, even one the size of the GTVA Colossus.

Despite its formidable anti-warship armaments, the Ravana is more vulnerable to fighter and bomber attacks than its brother, the SD Demon, and its main guns are known to be extremely fragile and easily destroyed.

Description:

The SD Ravana

FS2 Tech Room Description

The SD Ravana is a destroyer class GTVA forces have only recently encountered. It appears to be tasked with clearing out smaller foes, a mission for which it is well suited. It eagerly wipes out wings of fighters and bombers and also overwhelms cruisers and corvettes.

Developer Notes

None

Name origin

In Hindu tradition, Ravana is the antagonist of Rama, legendary king of ancient India. According to the epic poem Ramayana, Ravana is the king of the rakshasas.

Ravana is a Hindu deity famous in the Ramayana for his legendary angers. His name means "he with the mighty roar".

Performance:

Statistics

Name	SD Ravana
Type	Destroyer
Max Velocity	20 ms-1
Hitpoints	100 000 pts
Length	2 346 m
Turrets	30 turrets
Fighter Complement	?

Armaments

• Turrets

FreeSpace 2
Turret type	Amount
Shivan Turret Laser	17
Standard Flak	5
FighterKiller	1
Shivan Cluster	1
AAAh	2
SRed	2
LRed	2

Modding Resources

The SD Ravana in FSO with the mediavps enabled

Retail:

$POF File: capital2S-01.pof

Textures: supertile1A, capital04-01a, capital04-03a, minertile2a, Scap01a, Scap02a, TSoupdebris01b, ScapClod

MediaVP 3.6.10:

$POF File: capital2S-01.pof

Textures: SuperTile1, SuperTile5, CruisTileS3, HTLRavana, Capital04-01, Capital04-03, CorvSTile2, CorvSTile5, SCap02, MinerTile2

History
Model and textures by: Raven2001
Conversion by: GalEmp and StratComm
Release thread: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=34010.0

MediaVP 4.3.X:

$POF File: Ravana.pof

Textures: Ravana01, Ravana02, Ravana03, RavanaDet, RavanaPulse, STurrets01, damage, RavanaDead01, RavanaDead02

History
Model by: Nyctaeus
Textures by: Nyctaeus and MjnMixael
Release thread: N/A

Gallery

• 

  A Ravana performs a shock-jump attack. From Vassago's Dirge.

• 

  An unfortunate Ravana meets its end.

• 

  Lurking in the mist.

• 

  Under attack from an Orion.

• 

  A Ravana unleashing a volley from her spinal beam cannons. From Shepherds.

• 

  A lonesome Pegasus investigating a Ravana-class destroyer.

• 

  The original mediavps version of the SD Ravana, first appearing in version 3.6.10.

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

The Ravana is scary-looking, but it's not tough. Weaker in terms of hull strength, and MUCH weaker in terms of turret strength than the Demon, the Ravana pays for its attack-oriented design with weak defenses. Indeed, fighters and bombers can range over the front three-quarters of Ravana's upper surfaces with near-impunity, and the lower-spine-mounted SAAA beam is placed too far back to defend the Ravana's main guns. It has a flak turret and another SAAA for anyone who comes up behind it, however. A capital ship behind a Ravana, on the other hand, is the Shivan destroyer's death sentence, as its engine subsystems are not strong and cover nearly the whole rear surface of the destroyer. Paired Trebuchets to the main beams the moment one of these enters the mission, then ignore it unless directed otherwise. The Ravana appears to have been designed to jump in and immediately deliver a killing/crippling blow from its many beams.

In The Great Hunt I was actually able to destroy the Ravana's main beam cannons before it fired on the Deimos corvettes, that's how weak they are. (Didn't make a difference, the corvette is destroyed by a SEXP). However, the Ravana, if used in its intended offensive role, can easily decimate a destroyer before being destroyed.

In a nutshell, the Ravana is useless if it is engaged from behind, and a light threat if side to side with another destroyer. This destroyer's saving grace is in its raw firepower facing forward. When deployed in a strategic position, or jumping in behind another destroyer, this beast will be your worst nightmare. Since most destroyers have their main beams facing forward and the odd lighter beam mounted aft (in the Hecate's case, two), it can dish out enough firepower to level the destroyer, and only take moderate damage. but this is only the case when the Hecate is alone. Roughly two wings of fighters, of any class, can knock out any anti-cap beam the Ravana wields and keep fighter cover on a friendly vessel. Just keep an eye on its beam cannons and you should get out all right. As stated before, the Ravana is no Demon, so it can't take as much punishment.

One thing worth noting about the Ravana's model is that it is glitched. The destroyer's turrets can actually shoot THROUGH it and hit you, so unless you're flanking it, there isn't much of a safe spot anywhere else.

On the above comment, not only does the HTL Ravana shoot through by its turrets, it's almost impossible to hit anything, as half its subsystems are out in space. And on the comment above that one, Warzone is one of the few campaigns that does this ship justice. It truly inspires fear the first time the Revial jumps in. Even on the defensive, she took out a decent number of ships.

To see if the design of the Ravana was really as good or bad as people think it is, I put it on a frontal attack against an Orion's broadside. Although the Ravana did end up destroying the Orion, multiple beam hits from the Orion ended up killing the Ravana as well. Its basic design prevents it from putting out damage from the side, but from the front, it can kill anything that comes near.