So tomorrow is the day I get to spend all those fleet ship modules i got at the beginning of the month. I'm going to go over each of the ships I am considering and why and see if anyone has any useful advice. Keep in mind I'm a quick and fairly aggressive player. That's why I like escorts.
Intel Cruiser:
It looks nice, has the highest hull of any of the ships Im looking at and it has a high level of maneuverability for a cruiser. This also lets me equip everything I want to plus an extra weapon. On the down side I only get one tactical station and its not as high level as what I have, I have to adjust my playstyle to fit dual engineers instead. I also lose out on the upgraded science stations (going from 1 lt sci and i ens sci to lt cmd sci and a lt universal) which I use for added damage. I am also concerned about lack of turn rate (although I am likeing the kdf cruisers).
Intel Escort:
It looks nice as well. I can use all the same abilities I have now but like the cruiser I won't be able to double up on resonance beam the way I wanted to. It also has the same turn rate as what I was planning on getting. On the downside it has the lowest hull of everything Im looking at and if I want to use specializations latter I will have to get the training things for it (I currently has my bridge crew trained to take advantage of the tactical escort). On the up side I don't lose much and I get the skill tree.
Fleet Battlecruiser:
I love the way this ship looks. On the up side it gives me high hull and not only can I keep most of my skill plans and even upgrade most of it (including resonance beam) I have to give up my ability to double up on my tactical abilities. This ship also gives me an extra weapon slot and it puts it in the front were I want it. On the downside I have to give up my ability to do away with the sectioned ship design the feds like so much and while it only has 1 less turn rate then the intel cruiser it still may suffer greatly in the maneuverability for what I have planned. I want to go with this ship but can't help but feel I will regret it and have to undo all the work I have put in since war games.
Escort Carrier:
It looks ugly as sin and doesn't give a whole lot on the plus side. Short version, I think I can make it work and I would be able to join in on fleet carrier nights.
Fleet Advanced Escort:
The tactical slots are screwy and it looks like what I already have however I can do what I want to with it for the most part and I get a skill tree. Going from a t5 advanced escort to a t6 advanced escort was not my idea of an upgrade.
Fleet Tactical Escort:
This is modeled after my favorite Star Trek ship of all time and maneuvers like a dream. I can do everything I want to with it including specialization abilities. The hull is good. However it doesn't have a skill tree and fleet members have advised against it in the past. This would be my ideal ship but I don't want to go with this ship and end up still being left behind.
Keep in mind that whatever ship I chose it has to be purchased from fleet stores at the moment. What does everyone think?