Remember that the reason for the lenght of the ion frigate is because of the ion cannon which need the space in lenght. From what I can remember, assault frigate were always shorter than their ion counterpart because of this additionnal lenght not needed in their case.
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The 1915 biplane has two critically different aspects in its design compared to this frigate: (i) the propeller could move out of the line of fire, and the movement was timed so that rounds couldn’t be fired to hit the propeller; and (ii) the guns were fixed and non-rotatable, and so could not run into an issue with hitting the propeller in that regard either. Avoiding that fin with the top turret would require that only one gun in the turret can fire if the turret is rotated slightly off-angle, which means a reduced combat effectiveness for targets approaching along those vectors. At farther ranges, that angle would result in a significant volume of space where the frigate can’t fire all guns at the same target(s) simultaneously. Not trying to push this issue, but I think there’s a reason the original Taiidan frigate lacks a top-mounted turret.
Having said that, I bet creating functional ship designs is hard, and I’d be surprised if the original team at Relic didn’t run into issues like these. Yours is a very cool design that I really like, but I think some players would notice the fin being in the way.
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To add to your point, if the vessel were shorter AND the front 4 turrets were moved to platforms on the sides, then this frigate would have greater fire coverage to the rear - a desirable upgrade over the original for when pushed into an anti-strike craft role. The original actually has to rotate in some direction to adequately hit targets to the rear, but Dom2’s design could introduce this improved capability, which is only enhanced by the turret on top.
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I have to agree with your findings. The nose of the assault frigate could be shorter. It does look a little too long. The turret platform could be raised and the front fin base section could be shortened. This would clear the turret blast.
The ion cannon is perfect. It definitely looks like an upgrade to the older model.
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“It was our dog’s name.”
“I really liked this dog !”
@Pouk : Would you believe me if I said it’s the name of my parents’s dog ? ^^ (really)
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You’re kidding. 
Nope, Indy it is, for realz ^^
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I just earned the GBX forum Anniversary badge today. So that means:
“Pouk, -derailing threads since early 2015.”
In my defense, that tail shooting Indiana Jones picture could not be more on topic.
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I should soon join you in this club I think 
(after verification, May… I’m still a young padawan ^^)
This picture was an epic choice, I admit !
The top turret wouldn’t be a problem at all. Naval ships of today have mechanical and electronic cut-outs in the firing arcs of their guns. If they didn’t, then ships would have been shooting themselves since the turret was invented.
(my old ship
)
Without cut-outs, the good ol’ USS Reuben James would have blown its masts off.
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Nevertheless you have an obstacle dead ahead on a forward firing gun, in the only place you would want to make sure your firing arc is clear.
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One point about that top turret - it is going to be a flak turret, so firing straight ahead is not it’s main purpose…
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Alright, fair enough.
I should add a feature for weapons to have ‘don’t fire’ arcs in their script files… for this and I bet plenty of other things…
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Ah, I assumed a use-case that wasn’t part of the design. Got it. Although my point was meant to communicate more about fire coverage than tech limitations, you and @drahkas have solid points. And having a flak turret on that frigate would’ve been great in HW1 - is there one underneath, too?
That’s what I said when I first saw the concept art…
… And that was the response I got, lol
That would be cool. 
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Yes, please do! 
The current firing arc system is a bit of a pain, since you often end up with a ton of copies of a weapon that only differ in arcs. Makes tweaking those weapon systems a bother. Not sure what the ideal alternative would be though, honestly.
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