Boomer_J said:

Which is searching. We don't know if they have scanners or not.

Come to think of it, wouldn't bringing a couple of TIE Bombers to one of the three "destroy target" missions give a tremendous edge? I think it could possibly be so, especially if the Bomber is so powerful as you suggest, Norsehound. I'm starting to lean more and more towards Vojvoda's approach: the TIE Bomber is meant to destroy large things (making it a purely mission specific ship). I would like that.

I'll note your surprise when FFG implements it and it doesn't turn out to be as mission-specific as you're expecting it to be.

Seriously, X-wing is a dogfighting space simulator game. If something is going to be implemented, it will be done in such a way to support and fit within the dogfighting mechanics. I mean, look at the Y-Wing. The Y-Wing in star wars is a bomber that is not often depicted in glorious dogfights. In the flight sims, NPC Y-Wings typically fly in straight lines on bombing missions, or are used by desperate pirates or pushover third-parties and are almost always chewed to pieces. Yet we have the Y-wing in X-Wing and despite it's lackluster performance, it works after a fashion. It has two torpedoes and a turret upgrade. I'd expect the TIE Bomber, coming with a similar role, to be stat'ed and equipped very similarly.

Calling it scenario specific is a waste and I'd be utterly flabbergasted if FFG pulled such a self-restricting manuver. Their expansions so far are successful because they are not mission specific. You could use any fighter in any of the scenarios and it would work just as well as any other.

The alternative is to never create a TIE bomber for the game, but I think that's very unlikely since the Y-Wing exists, and the Y-Wing is often the Bomber's counterpart in other games.

I'm just stating my oppinions - as do you. I know as well as you do that what I WANT from FFG is not always what I GET, so stop laying words in my mouth.

Your predictions may very well come true, but so far they're just speculations and we'd do best to treat them like that until we know better. And unti then we might as well speculate.

You mentioned the computer games, but they too have designers. And those designers have also discussed the various ships' roles in those games and tweaked them to fit those roles. Or do you really think the designers know EXACTLY how various ships perform in different circomstances, and if they do know they keep true to that knowledge? They are games meant to entertain and sell, not to be dogmatically true to canon - just like x-wing.

You keep saying that key parts of the miniature game has been tweaked to fit the dogfighting setting and that FFG are probably going to do the same with the Bomber and the B-wing, and at the same time you present some ships that are supposed to be true to canon (although with game-adapted torpedos) and thus way to powerful to fit the game. Stop contradicting yourself, please.

And stop pretending that you know more about game design or star wars or whatnot than me. The designers are probably having a discussion simillar to ours, although perhaps more civil. They too speculate.

I don't understand how I'm contradicting myself through my presumptions of these ships, but maybe letting some leeway in my interpretation might be considered 'contradictory' as I'm discussing opinions. Either way, I'd rather discuss capabilities and possibilities with these ships.

I've done some game design myself so my comments come off as I know how I would approach the game and through my understanding of what FFG is doing. As a player and as a designer I know how I would approach these ships, and it seems like a sensible and reasonable way to me beyond  gratuitous hours of testing to prove or disprove points which I don't have the time and effort for. They make sense to me.

I don't think the B-Wing is too powerful for the game the way I picture it. With 1 dodge it is not going to evade the firepower coming at it. If a TIE swarm decides to blow it up, it'll throw everything it has at it and that generic B-Wing may very well die before it gets to let off a shot in spite of the heavier protection. Also, a B-Wing can only ever shoot at one target per turn. So even if it has superior attack capabilities with cannon options, it's still blowing up only ONE fighter a turn. Not overpowered in my opinion; I judge my hypothetical B-Wing as what Y-Wings wish they were. It also seems quite cannonical  to me, barring fans' demands to accurately represent EVERY weapon the B-Wing has, which I feel is a waste of effort. I concede that FFG may very well do something different and unexpected and end up being satisfying either way. We'll just have to see.

I suppose I'm too opinionated in my thoughts on this matter, but I love the game.