Why do Ishiman Gunships suck? They are slow, poorly armed, and cost more than Salrillian, Audemedon, or Gaitori gunships! I tried doing a net level against my brother. Ishiman Gunship vs. Aud Fighter. The Aud Fighter always lost, whoever played. However, when we did Ishiman Destroyer vs. Aud. Gunship (which costs only 7), the Gunship won by a small amount both times. It was down to about 1/4 shielding.

Also, what's up with the prices? The Ishiman Gunship costs 11, but is FAR inferior to the Audemedon or Salrillian cruisers, which cost 5 each.

They can do a large amount of damage against a stationery and or large target. In ish vs ish games, gunships are the only thing that can stop your enemies carriers if you lose the opening fight. In groups, it's amazing how effective they are against cruisers...

Ship cost might be part of the factors determining advantage.

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Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far dirves the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet - Robert A. Heinlein, The Green Hills of Earth

I thought Ish GS were 9 each, but 2 of them are definitely able to take out a single Carrier (except Salrillian?) and I'm pretty sure that Carriers are >20.

A well-piloted Gunship can destroy an AI Cantharan Carrier with little difficulty.

Now, why are you complaining about Ish GS? Complain about Can GS.

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"Once, just once, I'd like to be able to land somewhere and say, 'Behold, I am the Archangel Gabriel.'"
"I fail to see the humor in that situation, Doctor."
"Naturally. You could hardly claim to be an angel with those pointed ears, Mister Spock. But say you landed someplace with a pitchfork "

Mainly because I don't get to use Cantharan gunships during the game. I looked it up in Hera; the prices are weird (you have to divide by 200 to get the price). The prices for the Ishiman, Cantharan, and Human gunships is 2200 (or 11 units), and for the Audemedon, Gaitori, and Salrillian, it costs 1500 (or 7.5 units). For carriers, all cost 4500 (or 22.5 units) except for the Salrillian, which is 6000 (or 30 units). The problem is when battling the Audemedons, I can never win! Okay, in some missions, like Hornet's Nest and Blood Toil Tears and Sweat, I do well, but the problem is And It Feels So Good. I've beaten it once honestly, and have never beaten it since. I've tried a few times, but every time I've ended up cheating to win.

Actually, come to think of it, Ishiman Gunships are quite good. They're just not good alone, but with a few Gunships or some Cruiser escorts, they're very powerful, much because of their durability. The Cantharan Gunship is pretty bad, because its beam weapon is not rapid like the Ishiman, and the projectile weapon is powerful at close range but slow to fire. The rapid firing of the Ishiman is a major advantage because it makes up for its slow turning. It has to get as many shots in as possible as long as it's turned toward the target.

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Luca Rescigno
"And may not every one of the stars or suns have as great a retinue of planets with moons to wait upon them as has our own Sun?"
-Christiaan Huygens

I'd have to say that the best Gunships go to the worst races. With a good pilot, Atomic Pulses can become quite possibly one of the best weapons in the game. And of course the Turreted Laser is rather useful; it allows the Gunship to effectively fight smaller as well as larger craft.

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"Once, just once, I'd like to be able to land somewhere and say, 'Behold, I am the Archangel Gabriel.'"
"I fail to see the humor in that situation, Doctor."
"Naturally. You could hardly claim to be an angel with those pointed ears, Mister Spock. But say you landed someplace with a pitchfork "

I guess it may be true that the worst races get the niftiest weapons on their gunships, but as far as overall quality goes the sal gunship is the best. me waits for the flame.

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Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far dirves the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet - Robert A. Heinlein, The Green Hills of Earth

Gunships for each race seem the most different - most cruisers and fighters are similar, but Gunships can be very different. Different weapons, speeds, and advantages for each kind...

Ishiman: Weapons are generally OK. They're relatively powerful, with a wide spread, but due to their energy base, they can run out kinda quickly. Shielding is durable - one of their advantages. Speed is the big disadvantage; these things are not very good to pilot unless your only other option is a Cruiser or Fighter. They're pretty good in groups and/or against big targets like Carriers. I think two by themselves (AI piloted) could kill any carrier except Salrillian or Audemedon - those short-range beams get 'em.

Cantharan: Only good at very short range - these things eat up cruisers pretty quick, and are good against big ships as well - but can be destroyed if attacked from behind. ("Prison shower" mean anything? ;)) Slow, OK shields, only short-range weapons.

Human: One of the better Gunships, and definitely the U.N.S.'s best ship. Rapid-fire, medium range autotargeting laser helps do a little damage, and is very good at revealing cloaked ships. The super-rapid-fire Magnetos are quite good, albeit short-range. Decent shielding, good speed (faster than Ish or Canth Gunships), very effective weapons. Extremely deadly in large groups.

Gaitori: This ship is fairly effective. It's actually faster than the Gaitori Cruiser, although with the same shielding (650) it's very easily destroyed. Nevertheless, the long-range homing pulse is very good, and the concussive pellets aren't bad either. If a good human pilot is steering this thing, as Pallas Athene said, these can be very good. The AI is okay but sometimes makes the Gunship vulnerable - it's obviously best at a distance. Fairly cost-effective in any number.

Salrilian: Very good ship. Good speed, cloaking field, plus very good shielding and good weapons make for a deadly ship. Long-range beams are very nice, plus the primary weapon is quite powerful. These ships are good by themselves or in groups of 2 or 3.

Audemedon: Possibly the best Gunship out there. Though speed is lacking, shields are very good and weapons are amazingly deadly. Just one or two of these can easily take out a small fleet of cruisers, or an Ishiman Carrier; in large groups they're absolutely invincible.

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—Joolzman5, that guy with the spikey red hair.
Those who say money is the root of all evil don't have any.
“That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass — and I’m just the one to do it.”

Heh. Ish gunships aren't THAT great against carriers, especially if there is more than one carrier.

Anybody who disputes this can play an Ish vs Ish multi with me. I'll build all carriers, you build all gunships.

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Formerly-Rampant Human-Coded AI

hmm I think that what was ment was two ish gunships are good against a carrier by itself. As a rule two Carriers toghether tend to support each other and deal alot more damage.

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Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far dirves the thundering jet,
Up leaps the race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet - Robert A. Heinlein, The Green Hills of Earth