I would really like to recommend that the official usage be warships for what are currently capitol ships, and that capitol ships be restricted to vessels above the cruiser class.
My reasoning for it is that, every time someone starts talking about warships, it gets all muddy about what they mean. Sometimes, it is everything not a snub/freighter/transport, sometimes it is all warships, and sometimes, it is actual capitol ships.
I realize that this is a game, but we have a meta-language for it, and I believe it would be beneficial for it to be precise.
Quote:William S. Lind, in the book "America Can Win" (p. 90), defines a capital ship. He states that “These characteristics define a capital ship: if the capital ships are beaten, the navy is beaten. But if the rest of the navy is beaten, the capital ships can still operate. Another characteristic that defines capital ships is that their main opponent is each other. This appears to be true of submarines today.”
The distinction confusion you appear to be addressing is a vernacular problem; it's not with how the ships actually are, but rather a problem in how they are perceived, due to what mistaken players call them. Most understand this distinction. Those that do not are in essence; a minority. Not all capital-class vessels are meant solely for combat. For the purposes of the game they are, but not in actuality.
For example:
The Corvo: a research vessel meant for deep-space missions in the far reaches of space.
The Nephilim: A flying freeport/Colony
The Salvager: Meant to be used for salvage (duh), but still referred to as a frigate.
The Storta: a pancake that exists solely to soak up damage and die
[ sci·am·ach ]
/sīˈamək/
A simple, angry man casually working his way through life on a personal quest to acquire copious amounts of street cred.
The Kusari Explorer is a gunboat which qualifies it as a capital (note the second "a") ship, but most definitely not a warship, as the primary purpose of the Kusari Explorer is obviously exploration and no faction uses it for war.
Just because a ship qualifies as a capital ship doesn't mean that it is ever used as a warship.
A "capitol ship" must be when a player parks his BS in front of Planet Manhattan.
Note that "BB" is the proper abbreviation or code for a battleship according to the U.S. Navy, not to mention wargamers. BS has a completely different meaning for me if you get my drift.
1. A building built for the purpose of hosting the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
2. (lowercase) A building built for the purpose of hosting the legislature of a U.S. state.
3. Temple for Zeus in ancient Rome.
Capital/capital: every other possible use of the word.
Give Dreads only to those that know how to use/RP with them.
Pretty much the main thing that makes the server unfun 90% (for me) is the caps that have no idea
what "Stop your fire, this is a fight between snubs!" means, and how whenever I try to RP with one in any shape or form I get some super duper RP like "die scum" or some other line without any punctuation or sense whatsoever, if I somehow decide not to fly a thing that's not red to everything.
"Hey, this might cause raids unfun, because we will see less cool-looking caps fighting eachother1!11"
Hey, if you enjoy seeing caps that don't RP at all, that don't even fight well, that are there only to engage Snubs with each gun, well...a'ight. Suit yourself.
Besides, I'm pretty sure that no house has an unlimited amount of caps.
At least give them to players that are sure to do good stuff with them.
):