Developer Insights: Hyena Bomber

CG_SBCrumb

Cough Cough Holotable Heroes,

We have two exciting ships releasing this week, BTL-B Y-wing and the Hyena Bomber! Both ships are designed to be front line tanks that can take several hits and will open up a variety of new squadrons in Fleet Battles. Read on as our ship designers CG_Mandellorian and CG_BScheel explain to me why these ships are a must-have for your fleet.

Q: Why should I unlock this ship?

• CG_B: The Hyena bomber is a really hefty tank if you need a ship to protect the rest of your fleet, but its biggest advantage is that it can ignore taunt. It’s the 2nd crewless ship in the game, which means you can unlock it without worrying about crew and it synergizes very well with Vulture droids… and who knows, maybe we will see a few more of those flying around in the future

Q: What is the ideal Capital Ship for Hyena Bomber?

• CG_B: REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED but in the meantime we would recommend Home One or Chimera. Both of these capital ships work well with other Separatist ships like the Geonosians.

Q: Why add another Separatist ship without a full fleet for them to be a part of?

• CG_B: We have to start somewhere! In order to have a Separatist fleet one day, we need to start releasing some ships for their factions and give them a solid identity in battle. This is also an opportunity to expand the Separatist fleet to be more useful in Geonosian Territory Battle ship missions. At the moment, the Galactic Republic faction has a ton of ships already available in the game and we want to add more unique enemies for the light side version of Geonosis Territory Battles when it appears.

Q: What’s the Hyena Bomber’s role in Fleet Battles?

• CG_B: At the moment, players have fairly limited choices in Fleet battles when it comes to certain combat roles, particularly for roles like heavy tanks (Hound's Tooth). Our goal with Hyena Bomber (and BTL-B Y-wing) is to enable a variety of well-rounded fleets for the modes where you need more than one strong fleet. When supported with the right mix of ships, the Hyena Bomber can keep its allies alive while smashing through the vulnerable ships in the enemy fleet.

Q: Were there specific scenes or moments that you were trying to capture with the Hyena Bomber’s kit?

• CG_B: The Hyena Bomber is part of a collective of droids, including the Vulture Droid, that coordinate their attacks through a shared network link. They should work together as one and benefit greatly from gathering more and more of them together. I designed the abilities like Chatter and Photoreceptors to reflect this swarming, mechanical nature.

Q: How does this ship feel to command in battle?

• CG_B: Hyena Bomber is very good in a starting lineup due to its frequent taunting and Critical Hit immunity. It feels more powerful than Hound’s Tooth when paired with Separatist and Droid ships (don’t forget about IG-2000!). Like other Vulture Droid, Hyena Bomber can inflict Buzz Droids that can slowly cripple the enemy fleet over time. It can also finish off weakened attackers by ignoring Taunt. You can combo the ability to ignore Taunt with the Vulture Droid’s built-in chance to assist and punch through the Buzz Droid infested enemy fleet.