B17 Flying Fortress

The B-17 Flying Fortress, used extensively by the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. I have attempted to re-create this iconic aircraft as faithfully as possible while still making it useable in game.

This vessel is intended to be flown as a plane, constantly moving forward. While it does have vertical and lateral thrusters but these are only intended for manoeuvring and stability in space. On a standard gravity planet it can take off vertically, hover and strafe sideways it is far too slow in these directions to be used for dog fighting or circle strafing. Also unfortunately Empyrion does not have any bombs so it is instead armed with missiles. The combination of these two facts means it must be operated as a Dive Bomber.

Dive Bombing The most successful mission for this vessel is a Hit And Run Dive Bomb attack against bases. First scout out you target so you can mark it on your map and your HUD. The HUD marker will allow you to line up your attack run. Fly towards a point directly above your target until it is almost in range, then dive down into it. Fire your rockets then pull up before you crash! Then fly away until you are out of range of the enemies guns. Bring the bomber around and keep making more attack runs until the target is disabled or destroyed. While making an attack run the bomber's turrets will be thinning out any drones in the area and your speed makes it difficult for the enemy to hit you, this can be even more potent when the bomber is upgraded with a shield generator because the few shots that do hit you will only take down the shield and you can easily wait for it to recharge before making another run.

Choice of Nose Art Many warplanes were customised by their crew with artwork painted on the nose. This one is no different, in fact it comes with a choice of three different pictures. Choose which one you want from the signals menu, either Tux the Penguin, The Grim Reaper, or a Woman riding a Bomb. Just remember to only have one turned on at a time or they will overlap.

Features: Steel outer hull 6 Minigun Turrets 4 Missile Launchers 4 Gatling Guns Detector

Upgradeability: A room in the back of the plane is intended for adding a Shield Generator, Warp Drive, Pentaxid Tank, and a Wireless Connector

Also available on the Nexus: B-17 Flying Fortress