GTF Hercules Mark II

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File:Herc2.jpg
The GTF Hercules Mark II

The GTF Hercules Mark II was a replacement for the original Great War-era GTF Hercules. It is superior in most aspects of the original Hercules, with the notable exception of primary firepower. This sacrifice is offset by more space for secondary weapons.

Description:

FS2 Demo Tech Room Description

The second generation of the Hercules fighter. It is faster, more maneuverable, and still carries a decent payload.

FS2 Tech Room Description

The GTF Hercules Mark II is the next generation of Terran heavy assault fighter. Introduced during the Great War, the original Herc's balance of firepower and maneuverability made it the most versatile strike fighter in the fleet. Some military historians have claimed the Hercules won the Great War, citing its deployment in key battles near the end of the Shivan conflict. Implementing recent advances in fusion drive technology, the Mark II improves the assault fighter's speed and maneuverability without sacrificing loadout capacity.

Developer Notes

None

Performance:

Statistics

Type Heavy Assault
Manufacturer RNI Systems
Maneuverability Average
Yaw, Pitch, Roll 55.0 - 65.0 s
Max Velocity 120.0 ms-1
Max Afterburner Velocity Heavy ms-1
Armor 275
Hitpoints 610
Shields 17
Length {{{10}}} m


Armaments

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, UD-8 Kayser, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim
Freespace 2
Bank Capacity Standard Loadout
1st 80 Harpoon
2nd 100 Hornet
Compatible Secondaries
MX-64, Emp. Adv, Tempest, Hornet, Tornado, Harpoon, Trebuchet, TAG-A, TAG-B, Infyrno,

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.


The Herc II flies okay. My only complaint is with the weapons placement, as having the primaries set side by side makes shooting a fleeing target with horizontal deflection tricky. The secondary max loadout is a blessing, sometimes I like to load out on nothing but Harpoons and be a mobile SAM launcher.


I like all the Hercs. Good armour with large missile capacity, although a bit on the slow side, but decent maneuverability.


The Herc II gets introduced rather cruelly to you; in your first mission in the fighter you are thrown against Shivan Maras and Astaroths, both of which can outmaneuver and outrun you with ease. A Lion at the Door demonstrates the problems with the Herc II in rather brutal fashion on high difficulties.


The problem with the Herc II is the early missions, where it's the required fighter, often just aren't well suited to pure heavy fighter forces, which leaves some people with the impression it is an inferior ship overall. It really isn't. It's quite a good ship for Clash of the Titans II or Dunkerque for instance, and it's my preferred ship for Proving Grounds


Extremely large ordnance capacity with decent maneuverability, a true heavy assault. Don't let Dragons get on you, though, because you can't shake them.


While in the main campaign the Herc II is pretty much useless, in user-made campaign missions with lots of enemies, the Herc II is a godsend (provided that you have the right weapons, and no other ships like the Erinyes are available). Its thick armour and shielding is enough to get you through the fiercest of battles.


I give it that it does have cavernous secondary banks, but for me it still doesn't have the firepower that makes a good heavy assault fighter; and it most certainly doesn't have speed to make up for it. I simply find this ship awkward.


It's surprisingly maneuverable, but is slow as hell. Its thick armour, heavy shielding and huge secondary banks give you the opportunity to survive long missions without support, like Love the Treason. However, the Tauret is a better assault fighter, with more guns, even more missiles and less maneuverability.


While the Hercules II's secondary capacity is huge compared to most fighter-type ships, its complete lack of speed and low maneuverability make it an easy target, especially for flak cannons. The only solution is the conventional Maxim-Trebuchet trick in which you take down everything from a distance—basically functioning as an artillery or a mobile missile launcher pad. Tempests and Harpoons work the best in dogfight (32 Harpoons in the first bank and 400 Tempests in the second) , as long as nobody is in your back. In every other cases, it's an expensive target practice.