GTF Ulysses

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The GTF Ulysses

The GTF Ulysses is a vessel jointly constructed by the Terrans and Vasudans, brought into active service during the Great War. Owing to its high speed and agility, the Ulysses has enjoyed a long service length, despite having relatively thin armor, weak shields and a low secondary capacity.

The Neo-Terran Front was known to have used a small number of Ulysses fighters during their Rebellion.

Description:

FS1 Tech Room Description

Developed in a joint operation by the Vasudan and Terran governments, the GTF Ulysses is an excellent all-around fighter. It offers superior maneuverability and a high top speed.

FS2 Tech Room Description

Affectionately nicknamed The Bat by its pilots, the GTF Ulysses is a well-designed craft that has had a far longer useful life than its engineers ever imagined. Developed jointly by Terran and Vasudan contractors, the Ulysses was first deployed near the end of the Great War. Its excellent maneuverability and high top speed give it an agility that pilots love, but at a cost of thin armor and a small secondary weapon loadout. The Ulysses is a better choice for offensive missions than defensive ones.

Developer Comments

Offers superior maneuverability and a high top speed. Smaller missile payload than other GTA fighters.

Name Origin

Protagonist of Homer's Odyssey, Ulysses was a Greek commander who helped with the destruction of Troy. During his 10 years long travel to get back to Ithaca, his land, he encountered the nymph Calypso, the witch Circe, the Cyclops Poliphemus, the vortex Charybdis and other creatures/locations featured in Greek mythology. Ulysses's dog was named Argo.

Performance:

Statistics

Name	GTF Ulysses
Type	Space Superiority
Manufacturer	Triton Dynamics
Maneuverability	Excellent
Yaw, Pitch, Roll	3.0, 2.6, 5.0 s
Max Velocity	70 - 94 ms-1
Max Afterburner Velocity	150 ms-1
Armor	Light
Hitpoints	180 pts
Shields	380 pts
Length	16 m
Weaponry
Primary weapons
1st bank	2 guns
2nd bank	2 guns
Secondary weapons
1st bank capacity	40
Countermeasures
Countermeasure capacity	25 countermeasures

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

FreeSpace 1 Bank Guns Standard Loadout 1st 2 Avenger 2nd 2 ML-16 Laser Compatible primaries ML-16 Laser, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Leech Cannon, S-Breaker, D-Advanced

FreeSpace 2 Bank Guns Standard Loadout 1st 2 Subach HL-7 2nd 2 Prometheus R Compatible primaries Subach HL-7, Akheton SDG, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Morning Star, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim

• Missile Banks

FreeSpace 1 Bank Capacity Standard Loadout 1st 40 MX-50 Compatible secondaries MX-50, D-Missile, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, EM Pulse

FreeSpace 2 Bank Capacity Standard Loadout 1st 40 Harpoon Compatible secondaries MX-64, Emp Adv., Tempest, Hornet, Tornado, Harpoon, TAG-A

Modding Resources

GTF Ulysses in FS_Open 24.0.0 + MediaVPs 4.7.2

Retail:

$POF File: Fighter01.pof

Textures: Fighter01-01(a/b/c/d), thruster

MediaVP 3.6.10:

$POF File: Fighter01.pof

Textures: ulsss, ulsss-debris, glass, Tckpt

History
Proposed by: Snail on 05/12/2007
First WIP Post: peterv on 07/29/2008
First In-Game Model: peterv on 08/22/2008
Completed In-Game Model: Vasudan Admiral on 09/08/2008 (v1.1)
Final Corrections: Zacam on 09/29/2008

Gallery

• 

  A Ulysses above Earth.

• 

  The GTF Ulysses in FS2_Open 3.6.12

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

The Ulysses is my personal favorite fighter and in the hands of one who can appreciate the high maneuverability, it more than makes up for the low missile capacity.

I'll second the comments about its handling. It turns extremely well, moves pretty quick, and it's tough to hit. An adept pilot can become well schooled in ways to avoid presenting the ship's broad top silhouette, forcing chasers to try for hits on the narrow side and rear profiles. The small secondary bank limits the realistic ability of this craft to wade through a wing or two of enemy ships quickly, but as a dueling and harassing fighter it's near the top of its class.

I always wanted to love the Ulysses, but in the end it was never quite up to my standards of durability. Fun to fly and ideal for a 1v1 turning fight, but it can't induce the same kind of show-stopping, Shivan-leveling pyrotechnics that a Hercules or even an Apollo can. Keep that in mind before trying to wade through a wing of enemy fighters on your own in an Ulysses. It makes a superb dogfighter, however, and is serviceable for any mission where enemy fighters will be your primary targets; bomber escort and protection of friendly craft against which a bomber wing would be overkill are ideal posistions for the Ulysses. True interceptor duties are problematic due to a small ordnance load.

The best thing to note about the Ulysses is that it is virtually the only fighter you have access to that can actually match the maneuverability of an SF Dragon. However, secondaries are small, and it isn't compatible with the most powerful of dogfighting cannon, the GTW UD-8 Kayser. It also maneuvers a bit too well, because people unfamiliar with its handling may find themselves overshooting.

The Ulysses has 180 more shield points (almost twice as much) than the Serapis, although a slightly weaker hull. The Serapis also has nearly twice the secondary capacity, while otherwise weapons compatibility is pretty equal, with both fighters supporting Maxim and neither supporting the Trebuchet or heavy weapons. A comparison between the Ulysses and the light fighters of other races is what you'd expect. Like all Terran ships, the Ulysses has stronger shields than its Vasudan counterpart while being a bit slower.

The Ulysses is on par with the Valkyrie. It has a smaller target profile which compensates for the Valkyrie's larger target profile and heavier hull. Its primary guns are better positioned, which compensates for the Valkyrie's superior secondary capacity. The Ulysses is more maneuverable, but the Valkyrie can outrun anything. To ravage through endless waves of hostile fighters with your primary weapons, I suggest the Ulysses. The Valkyrie can, however, do more damage to cruisers if it's furious enough.

Even though the Valkyrie does have access to the Banshee and Phoenix V which offers a faster time-to-kill on Shivans in FS1-style scenarios, the Ulysses' stronger shield system affords it longer-term durability and on lower difficulties, can withstand a missile hit that can normally cripple the Valk. In denser scenarios or situations where you may have to occasionally take down something heavier than a fighter while being harangued, I'd pick the Ulysses.

Fitting this craft with a Morning Star/Flail, Maxim, or other rapid-fire weapon makes it an excellent bomb interceptor, but by FS2, it's a rather outdated design not really as effective as before. It has a large shape if attacked from the top, plus the Kayser isn't usable as said above. However, if you're an escorting scenario, then use it. It's what you need to distract the enemy.

The Ulysses is a a good enough fighter in FS1, but very specialized--it is good for a dogfight and little else. In FS2 it is completely outclassed by the GTF Perseus which fulfills its role as a dogfighter but has the payload to be an effective interceptor with the GTM Trebuchet and the durability to carry out light strike missions.