The shuttle needs Advanced Sensors and Engine Upgrade, at the very least, to remain viable. Otherwise, opponents focus on your other ships and then follow you around the parking lot chipping away and there is nothing you can do.
I Disagree, its a neat combo, but not required.
The people I see using the shuttle successfully are using it in a support role initially (Target locks/Stress), then everything else charges the enemy while the shuttle stays behind. Maybe it gets some potshots or maybe it waits a turn. It keeps its distance.
And then his 100 point build is fighting your 100 point build minus the 20 point avg. shuttle that is staying behind so their 100 points versus your 80 points and when your ships are gone it is just a proceedural issue to follow your shuttle around and plink it to death without any real fear of return fire.
Your looking at it as a static payout, the extra lockon actions in the early game are worth quite a bit, and the shuttle still contributes, just not by getting into the thick of it. Basically I feel like Colonel Jendon can make a list quite a bit stronger in the early game, and weaker in the mid to late game.
Going by your logic, torpedoes and missiles are worthless because once you have used them they no longer contribute.
Some of the tie bomber and bwing lists I am starting to see lean heavily on a strong early game with assault missiles and Adv. Proton torpedoes, if Jendon lets you hit hard enough early enough to dull that edge, I think hes probably worth having around all by himself.
That is a fair assessment. In my experience, the 5-6 games I played with the shuttle, Jendon was that last one and died an ignoble, slow death. But I drove him into the think of things with guns blazing, tried him as a blocker and to take hits but everytime with 3 different players they focused on the other ships and completely ignored Jendon. He couldn't maneuver enough to stay in a fight and once all the other ships were gone then it was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Now, what I have not tried yet was the Advanced Sensors and Engine Upgrade that allows a 135 degree vector every other turn. That may make a huge difference, I had the Engine Upgrade before but not the Advanced Sensors. The shuttle has to contribute the whole game and not just fly on the outskirts after turn 3, that is too many points to leave idle.
It isn't that torpedoes and missiles are worthless once they are used, it is that the torpedoes and missiles AND Jendon's point total are used up. Say you have 20 points in torps and missiles and 20 points of Jendon, You've essentially spent 40 points in torps and missiles leaving 60 points for ships if Jendon leaves the fight because he is ignored and can't keep up. Is that a strategic way to spend points? If he can contribute 80% of the game then I would lean to yes, 90%+ then for sure but anything under 60%-70% and I personally see it as a hinderance than a benefit.
And if he is the last ship then you lost the game the moment the second to last ship was destroyed.
hard to do but its doable if i roll well. Late game, if it comes to that - my gammas r going to fire first with primary weapons - that could be worth something as well. i like the idea of having another hvy hitter on my team to soften up targets for the bombers to finish off at close range.
