Part 88: Blackmane System, Vega Sector, Mission 3 (Gameplay)

27th August 2669, Blackmane System, Vega Sector
TCS Victory

The Victory moves a convoy carrying replacement weaponry and fighters to Blackmane base, allowing the station to conclude operations against the Kilrathi presence in the system without the carrier's support.

Conversation videos (Youtube) (Polsy/Gamerstube)


Briefing Video (Youtube) Briefing Video (Gamerstube/Polsy)




Mission Video (Youtube) Mission Video (Gamerstube/Polsy)

Kills this mission: 11, with Hobbes picking off the other five. Meet the Sorthak. This is why I didn't want to fly the mission in a Hellcat. The Arrow's not so bad, because you can Shelton slide around the turret fire, but killing Sorthak in a Hellcat was mostly a case of really hoping the leeches hit. The problems with the last Strakha of the first wave on the other hand were mostly my fault. That said, if I'm going to have a massive failure of gun accuracy at some point during a mission, when there's only one Strakha left's not a bad time for that to happen.

Ship of the day:
Sorthak

Class: (Very) Heavy Fighter
Length: 38 m
Mass: 22 tonnes (this is the same as a Longbow, and less than a Paktahn. Yeah, right.)
Max Velocity: 400 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 950 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 65/55/55 degrees\second
Weapons: 2x particle cannon, 3x dual meson turret
Shields: Front: 25 cm durasteel equivalent Rear: 40 cm durasteel equivalent
Armour: 18 cm durasteel equivalent all sides
Decoys: 10
Other: Jump capable

Official Strategy Guide: Call it iron-butt. The super-heavy Sorthak occupies a dangerous middle-ground between a bomber and a corvette. It's just barely too small to lock a torpedo on, but definitely big enough to be a major threat. It's remarkably fast and maneuverable for a ship its size, and
of course it's armored to the teeth, but what really makes the Sorthak a menace are its twin, independently turreted meson guns. It can effectively engage several Confederation targets simultaneously, from virtually any angle, and its extra-powerful shields make it hard to destroy, even against multiple opponents. This is the only fighter in the game whose rear is every bit as dangerous and well-defended as its front. Fortunately, it has a fairly bulky silhouette, which helps during flanking approaches, but taking out a Sorthak is still a tough job from any angle.

I say: This one's interesting. Not actually all that dangerous from the front (especially since it's so wide the forward guns sometimes shoot either side of a small fighter, but utterly lethal from the rear, and certainly manoeuverable enough to present the dangerous end with all the turreted meson guns. Well enough protected that even in a Thunderbolt it takes a lot of killing, too. It's not really a superfighter, certainly not by comparison with the Excalibur or the Bloodfang, just an innovative design - a gunship attempting to use the natural instincts of Confed pilots against them. Counter-Sorthak tactics come in two flavours - Leech missiles and ways to stay out of the arcs of the turret guns - just above and just below while close in on the tail is good, but dangerous, given how quickly a Sorthak can strip out shields and armour. A respectable enemy, certainly not as dangerous as the Dralthi swarms we'll be meeting later but not to be taken lightly either.

Total kills (Wing Commander III): 12 missions / 101 kills
Total kills (this thread): 38 missions / 466 kills
Total kills (including previous thread): 148 missions / 1381 kills

Next time on Let's Play Wing Commander:
An...offensive mission assignment? In this game?