[Kern]

The mortar shots does nothing to the ship, ballista and canons fails to keep up with its speed. But one lucky gunner get a good aim and strike it's back.
It couldn't be easy of course.

[Basileus_Ioannis]

He hit one of the two 'nostrils', right? That's a mana intake port, right? So shooting raw mana into a mana intake port might cause the Mistwhale to hit warp 1 engage, right? Bargrez, fire for effect...please! (man, talk about an afterburner...)

[Ardan Styyx]

They seem to have hit the propulsor. Not good...

Again, well done Feldians, your defenses are super reactive and having full rotating mounts was a sound idea (although it speaks a lot on the potential alternate defenses' role against the city itself...)

I hope this flair was really worth loosing the effect of surprise.

[Junglefowl26]

I like that they got all this lazer guns and there is the one ballista there.

The mortar shots does nothing to the ship, ballista and canons fails to keep up with its speed. But one lucky gunner get a good aim and strike it's back.
It couldn't be easy of course.

Someone get that mook a raise!

I bet s/he is named Luu'ke Skywa'ker

Bargrez is pretty good too. Wonder what his whole deal is anyway...especially with that armor. Makes him look like a Highland Raider, but behind the scenes stuff just refers to him as a mercenary rather than an ex-Sargh

He hit one of the two 'nostrils', right? That's a mana intake port, right? So shooting raw mana into a mana intake port might cause the Mistwhale to hit warp 1 engage, right? Bargrez, fire for effect...please! (man, talk about an afterburner...)

Eh, not really - I mean, lots of things are powered by electricty, but would just get wrecked if they got a hit by a lightning bolt rather than work faster. In fact, that is how EMPs work, from what I understand.

Or how a lot of engines work by creating little explosions out of flammable material - but using fire on their fuel supply wrecks them pretty bad.

Or humans - we are powered by food, but people still choke on food going through their food intake valves - and for that matter, if someone fired a frozen chicken out of a cannon down your throat that would kill you, regardless of how much you love and eat chicken.

[Moric]

I like that they got all this lazer guns and there is the one ballista there.

Peter's Evil Overlord List #23:

I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.

[Mizu]

Right in the blowhole

[Sleel]

Of course it was easy. Cause the author deemed an airship will, of course, not use the range advantage of being an airship and bombard from height. But will instead, with nary a shot fired, swan around like it was a pleasure cruise for tea and crumpets rather then flying into hostile territory. Cause reasons. Not as if there hasn't been constant war for a generation. No reason to expect competence from anyone who survived that or anything.

[Junglefowl26]

I like that they got all this lazer guns and there is the one ballista there.

Peter's Evil Overlord List #23:

I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.

So she finally got around to reading that eh?

Now she will be twice as dangerous

Of course it was easy. Cause the author deemed an airship will, of course, not use the range advantage of being an airship and bombard from height. But will instead, with nary a shot fired, swan around like it was a pleasure cruise for tea and crumpets rather then flying into hostile territory. Cause reasons. Not as if there hasn't been constant war for a generation. No reason to expect competence from anyone who survived that or anything.

....You do realize of course that Felde is in a cave. There will be no flying range bonuses here.

[Kardwill]

I hope this flair was really worth loosing the effect of surprise.

I'd wager the ship is a decoy : It's rushing in a straight line right through an heavily defended portion of the enemy fortress. No evasive manoeuver, no return fire, no mimian flying air-superiority cover, no zoom-in to let us see what the crew is doing and how they're reacting to this pummeling... I'm pretty sure it's empty. The real attack will come from somewhere else. Especially since it happened at the very moment the main gate was open to let out a troop drawn by Kel's flare.

That would be an horribly expensive decoy, though. The Ship's value for hit-and-run warfare is huge, so using it as a decoy/missile is not something I would do lightly. On the other hand, by the same account, any defender would take it as the main threat, so it would be a very effective distraction. And the firepower of Felde's walls has just shown us that the ship would not have been an effective way in/out in these conditions.

[Tainted Messiah]

alright so not to be that guy or anything... but I find myself unsure as to why they don't take a page out of their enemies book.

ie. drop an island on them.

Honestly I understand why they wouldn't want to do it for things like the legion being fellow Sarg's etc. etc. but Felde is basically an openly hostile nation to them correct? if for no other reason then if Kel's real goal is to stir stuff up smashing an island into their defensive lines would seem to do the trick without needlessly putting what few supporters they have directly into what he himself described as a losing battle.

But hey why do that when you can just fly yourself right into harms way and risk the lives of everyone and everything on the basis that you believe the Sarg legion will be willing to pick a fight with Felde just to get to you... makes total sense.

[Junglefowl26]

alright so not to be that guy or anything... but I find myself unsure as to why they don't take a page out of their enemies book.

ie. drop an island on them.

Honestly I understand why they wouldn't want to do it for things like the legion being fellow Sarg's etc. etc. but Felde is basically an openly hostile nation to them correct? if for no other reason then if Kel's real goal is to stir stuff up smashing an island into their defensive lines would seem to do the trick without needlessly putting what few supporters they have directly into what he himself described as a losing battle.

But hey why do that when you can just fly yourself right into harms way and risk the lives of everyone and everything on the basis that you believe the Sarg legion will be willing to pick a fight with Felde just to get to you... makes total sense.

1. Look, Ariel was sad about having to kill Nid-aligned soldiers in Ys. She isn't about to butcher civilians just for living in a place controlled by her enemies.

2. It. IS. A. CAVE.

(specifically a hallowed out mountain)

There are buildings coming out of the cieling for crying out loud. It is thoroughly protected from getting stuff dropped on it.

(Also we don't know how they did it, and we don't know if the Wolf Pack has any idea how to do it, and it might be too time consuming anyway, since I gather the idea was to strike before the Legion decided to attack another of Ariel's allied colonies.)

[Tainted Messiah]

1. Look, Ariel was sad about having to kill Nid-aligned soldiers in Ys. She isn't about to butcher civilians just for living in a place controlled by her enemies.

Granted but Kel does seem to be leading the operation... Ariel seems to have little clue as to whats going on honestly. I grant if that conversation was being had I am sure she would be opposed to it even though these are now people taking any chance they can to fire at her in a town where any random citizen would likely kill her for Snadya without a second thought haha.

2. It. IS. A. CAVE.

IS it though? only description I have ever personally seen about Felde was that it was 'built ON the side of a mountain' granted with the vertical buildings they must of tunneled in a bit but I recall seeing so many shots of it being exposed to the open surroundings including sunlight etc.

And assuming those are outer defenses which they look like they are they would likely be quite a ways away from a civilian population and near whatever entrances they have closer to the opening.

(Also we don't know how they did it, and we don't know if the Wolf Pack has any idea how to do it, and it might be too time consuming anyway, since I gather the idea was to strike before the Legion decided to attack another of Ariel's allied colonies.)

Solid reasoning though Kel is batman so your point is probably invalid ( jokes )

[Ardan Styyx]

I hope this flair was really worth loosing the effect of surprise.

I'd wager the ship is a decoy : It's rushing in a straight line right through an heavily defended portion of the enemy fortress. No evasive manoeuver, no return fire, no mimian flying air-superiority cover, no zoom-in to let us see what the crew is doing and how they're reacting to this pummeling... I'm pretty sure it's empty. The real attack will come from somewhere else. Especially since it happened at the very moment the main gate was open to let out a troop drawn by Kel's flare.

That would be an horribly expensive decoy, though. The Ship's value for hit-and-run warfare is huge, so using it as a decoy/missile is not something I would do lightly. On the other hand, by the same account, any defender would take it as the main threat, so it would be a very effective distraction. And the firepower of Felde's walls has just shown us that the ship would not have been an effective way in/out in these conditions.

That sounds indeed like a VERY costly diversion. Plus there is no guarantee the gound troops would do any better with the defenses, as they already prooved awfully efficients in terms of readiness and training. Even with an opened gate, that would end up at best in a desperate chase toward the city (and this time without the benefit of the speed), unless they opted for a very small party who would sneak discretly through the defenses... but even in that case, there was many other diversion options than "burning" your best military asset in term of both mobility and firepower (even if the gunners suck).

I agree the absence of zoom-in to the crew can be a little confusing. But you can distinguish some heads and small characters on the open deck, so I don't think they went in with a skeleton crew. As for the Mimians, they probably can't catch up with the airship speed, plus who needs air cover when you are the only one flying? The airship IS air surperiority, and now that the Mimians are part of the team, the Wolfpack has literally air supremacy (until someone creates another airship). Now, air supremacy - although a tremendous advantage - has never won war by itself...

Junglefowl26 a écrit:
2. It. IS. A. CAVE.

IS it though? only description I have ever personally seen about Felde was that it was 'built ON the side of a mountain' granted with the vertical buildings they must of tunneled in a bit but I recall seeing so many shots of it being exposed to the open surroundings including sunlight etc.

And assuming those are outer defenses which they look like they are they would likely be quite a ways away from a civilian population and near whatever entrances they have closer to the opening.

Well, Chapter 46 provides some interesting views of Felde, particularly WRT the airship. Daydream's Snad-Mel story gives also some elements showing the city might not be that encaved. Now where the defensive wall is located with regard to the city is kind of puzzling, especially when you think there is actually a water access to the city, that doesn't seem to have any solid ceiling.
Strange angle of attack, indeed, but I guess we're going to find out Kel's whole plan soon enough.

[SzordrinZaphresz]

IS it though? only description I have ever personally seen about Felde was that it was 'built ON the side of a mountain' granted with the vertical buildings they must of tunneled in a bit but I recall seeing so many shots of it being exposed to the open surroundings including sunlight etc.

A.) Kern said it is a few pages ago, with the whole "it only rains when the wind is really strong and blows it in".

B.) As Junglefowl mentioned, they have buildings on the ceiling. Kind of hard to avoid fire from those.

The whole "charge the ship in as fast as you can" tactic is their best option of getting in, and even then, Felde's mounted guns got a lucky shot in.

Of course, they could have done the whole "we come under flag of truce, blast everything once inside" option, but they've got a legion of Sarg under the ungrateful, hostage-taking traitor Sang, chasing after them, so that wouldn't have been likely to work.

[Kardwill]

Well, yes, now that you mention it I see small people-looking figures on the deck. And the mimians could be waiting until the last moment before they launch against Felde fighter/platform cover. But it's still pretty static, and the absence of return fire (when surprise could have given them the first shots) or any kind of maneuver is suspicious.
And Kel WAS plotting something sneaky, and waiting for a signal. I thought it was about the neutralisation of Felde's AA guns, but it's obviously not the case. So why go for a frontal assault against the heaviest enemy defense, when they had time to plan the attack? Even if the ship could land them in the city, it wouldn't survive long enough to pick them up afterward, and an airdrop without an escape route would be a stupid suicide attack. I don't think Kelnoz wants to lead his own "charge of the light brigade".

Nah, my Ada is still on a decoy ploy. The ship is there to draw the enemy's attention. At best, it carries a small (mimian?) force. The main attack will come from somewhere else.