Favorite Fighter under AI - Buzzard Sentinel - 3 Weapons, tough as nails (5k Hull, 2x Mk3 Teladi Shields). Speed is overall slow @ 202, but when assigned as fleet operations attacking stations or area defense, it doesn't matter. This also helps keep them from wondering off.
Favorite Fighter under Player - Pulsar Vanguard - 6 Weapons, Fast, Maneuverable, but can't take much of a beating. IMO, it's a mistake to put in AI hands in mass, as they can get stomped pretty fast by a couple drones, and the 6 weapons doesn't matter since AI is a terrible shot
Favorite Medium - Nemesis Vanguard - 5 forward weapons + 2 Turrets. Fast, Tough, Dependable. In player hands, my favorite configuration is 4 Pulse Lasers + 1 Tracking Launcher (or torpedo launcher if hitting a lot of stations) and 2 Plasma Turrets. In AI hands, Loadout varies. If it will be doing a lot of station attacks, all Plasmas. If point/destroyer defense, 5 Pulse Lasers + 2 Plasma Turrets.
Favorite Destroyer - Odysseus Vanguard - This is the fastest Destroyer. I typically equip all Plasmas, and each one I assign 10 Buzzard Sentinels + 1 Nemesis Vanguard. I usually assign 1 lead ship, either a Carrier (If intended to be Zone Defense) or a OV, and 9 OV Subordinates, each with their 10 fighters + 1 NV. Mostly untouchable task force. With 2.5 Beta, I've been playing with adding a resupply ship to the mix as well, but that AI needs work to be effective.
Favorite M Transport - Hermes Sentinel or Demter Sentinel - Good size cargo bays with fast speed. I typically go DS simply b/c I bought them from the Paranid for so long due to the location I was prior to having my own Shipyards.
Favorite L Transport - Shuyaku Sentinel - Let's face it, Large Transports are terrible for anything outside of assigning Manual Trade orders. Sending them multiple zones away to haul goods, a Medium Transport can make the same trip 5 times over. I use the SS solely to manually move supplies between my own stations. The SS has the largest Cargohold to accomplish that task with as few clicks as possible. For anything AI controlled, you're far better off going with 5 or so Hermes Sentinels or Demeter Sentinels over a single SS.
Regardless of ship configuration, I do the following components:
Max MK Paranid Engines (Combat for combat role, Travel for M Transports, All Round for L)
Max Mk Boosters - No Racial specifics (Combat for combat role, All Round for others)
Max MK Teladi Shields
For Weapons, I try to stick with the weapons of the faction who's ship it is for aesthetic purposes. AFAIK, there's no racial differences. Loadouts differ by role/class.
All your Hyperion Vanguards are belong to us.
