Sombreroman was looking through the new weapons available with the coming of the update, when he noticed something peculiar; the Flak Cannon had Offensive and Defensive actions. He didn't originally think much of it, but when he began shipbuilding with Point Defences as a Primary weapon, he finally realized what he discovered; FIGHTERS HAVE BECOME LEGITIMATE OPTIONS.
Alright, everybody remain calm... I know it sounds like Insanity in its purest form, but Point Defences may have just become one of the best weapons in the game. Yes, out of the Electro-Missiles, Mines, Flak Batteries, and even a Tactical Nuke, the thing that blew my mind only slightly less than the ability to launch nuclear torpedoes was the fact that the Point Defences could now attack...
This may not sound impressive at first, but for the same cost of one Laser Turret, you can have two burst-firing weapons that cut through armor, as well as operate as Missile defence. Combined with their Small size, automated behaviour, and low power consumption due to their burst fire, the humble Point Defence turret has become an absolute killing machine.
This is what re-ignites my hope for fighter designs in the meta; without needing to be operated by a crew member and adding another 1,000 Credits to the cost of using another weapon, Point Defences leave the crew of a small ship free to do odd jobs whilst waiting for the weapon to fire another burst, allowing them to respond to other problems more effectively compared to the crews of other small ships.
However, Point defences do have one major flaw when compared to manned weaponry: They cannot be aimed. They will always pick a random target, although one advantage batteries of Point Defence have is their tendency to all aim for the same part when firing, usually destroying it within the span of one Burst.
In fact, I've even created two ships using this concept, and they were quite a bit more powerful than I expected them to be; paired with a larger, more durable craft and EMP-Missile assistance for taking down shields, I presume fighters may finally become viable. (I would show them off here, but I have unfortunately also fallen victim to the forum's image posting problem...)
(UPDATE: I've finally gotten to understand how the Imgur system works thanks to @StarTrek 's tutorial. Here are the ships, as Promised... Although you may need to click on the images to see them fully...?)
First of the two designs, as shown here, is the craft that led to my discovery. Part of a future post on Outlaw-Based designs, this craft was made as a Nuclear Warhead transport craft. It has a wide coverage of fire with its point defences, but does not possess a larger amount of burst fire as a result.
Second of the Two designs, and definitely the more impressive one, is this small but devastating Fighter I've created; pay no attention to the logo on the reactor, it's not related to lore or anything. (ahem) This dedicated fighter design offers superior maneuverability, Damage, and cost effectiveness than most other designs.
However, I think I have spoken enough about the meta without ever being part of it; I hope you like this idea, and perhaps test it for yourself, as you'll be surprised by just how cheap a ship could become...
On a much more terrifying side note, I also built a fighter capable of launching nukes that only costs 80K Credits exactly... Perhaps a third iteration of the Behemoth Basher series of ships I created, at least spiritually...?