' Wrote:Well, I base my characters ship choices and weapon loadouts, where possible, on what the NPCs use.

All lawful companies use house frieghters, transports, adv. transports, trains, adv. trains and armoured transports.

All of them escorted by startrackers or hawks.

No HFs, no VHFs and definately no bombers.

So I don't see why a lawful company needs to use military ships, I can understand a civilian company using two civilian bombers as escorts for the CEOs personal armoured transport, but not for a shipment of food or commodities.

I'd much rather see lawful trading companies using LFs, even mk2 ones, then VHFs and bombers. Because the escorts aren't there to kill pirates, the escorts are there to discourage the pirates or hold the pirates off long enough for the police to arrive.

' Wrote:Why would you ever need capital ships?

They wouldn't be able to stop your competitors due to the fact that they can't attack traders, and they are horrible escorts, being too bulky to follow even the biggest traders around.

' Wrote:I agree. In general LFs should be used as escorts... To be honest if someone did use a gunboat escort, it would be very boring... and they could earn more just running two traders and paying the odd tax every now and then.

' Wrote:To tell you the truth... GBs are hopeless ecorts... I have pirated many trades with their GB escort just hopelessly shooting and never hitting anything....

' Wrote:Puck does make a strong point about Samura, I have to agree. And... light fighters are terrible escorts, because in escorting dodging makes no difference, as escorts arent being shot at. The transport gets shot at. Escorts need to take the pirates off transport, therefore they need firepower (gunboats and larger ships cant hit though).