The developers behind the free-to-play futuristic warfare game Dreadnought took to YouTube this week to introduce three of the spaceships that players will be able to helm, talking a bit about each of their stats and the role they play on a team.
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The first vessel they took to the skies was the Archon. This craft, the developers said, is much lighter and faster than other vehicles but is inherently more fragile. The particular vehicle in the video, however, was outfitted specifically to give it a little more durability, including the addition of projected shields that can soak up damage for a while and let the spacecraft survive out on the field of battle for a bit longer. The Archon seems to engage in combat more like a naval ship of old rather than a space fighter that might appear in any typical sci-fi media. Instead of firing beams from the front of the ship, the Archon excels at firing from a whole battalion of guns arranged along the ship's flanks. Watch out if you find yourself getting broadsided by an enemy Archon.
Second, the developers showed off the Tactical Cruiser, which provides support for bigger ships. Its smaller size gives it increased maneuverability, and it's ability to heal itself and others makes a great complement to the larger Dreadnought vehicles.
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Finally, the developers turned to the Thanatos class ship, a heavy-hitting powerhouse of the fleet. With tactical nukes and warp capabilities, the Thanatos is able to fire off an opening salvo from safety then immediately get into the thick of a fight once the nuke has sufficiently weakened the enemy vessels.
The gameplay shown is still in a pre-alpha stage, so the developers still have plenty of work they want to do before Dreadnought hits PCs in 2015.