The Assault Frigate
	Name = Assault Frigate Speed = 325 m/s Cost = 575 RU Time = 60 s Drain = 9.58 RU/s Lovingly known as the Ass Frig, the Assault Frigate gets little respect. Most players regard it as the Fisher Price My-First-Capship, just something to build while Ion Cannon research completes. In truth Assault Frigates have their own little niche to fill and can be quite effective if used properly. Formations: Formations will rarely be an issue with Assault Frigates as you will rarely have more than three or four of them, if that many. If you use any formation at all, your best bet is Broad for dealing with fighters or corvettes (to maximize firepower), or in a Sphere with your other frigates when taking on enemy capships (to keep them from ramming into things). Tactics: If you're going with a frigate-centered strategy, Assault Frigates are a good way of getting some firepower out in the field while you wait for your Ion Cannon research. If you're really hauling in the money you can produce them along with Ion Frigates to pack some extra punch. The main problem with Assault Frigates by themselves is that they are hopelessly outmatched by the healing power of Support Frigates. Don't expect your Ass Frigs to take down any enemy collectors if they are backed up by a Support Frig or two. The job where Assault Frigates really shine is in taking out corvettes. Light and Multi-Gun Corvettes will get absolutely mauled by Ass Frigs. Heavy vettes do better, but ultimately two Heavies cost about as much as an Ass Frig, both in RU and time, and they just don't hit as hard. Of course corvettes on the defensive can be prolonged indefinitely by Support Frigates, but your Assault Frigates can be helpful in dealing with vette strike forces. In a capship battle Assault Frigates are the whipping boy. On larger maps with longer setup time you are probably better off using your frigate slots for Support or Ion Frigates. Assault Frigates also get smashed by fighter swarms, although they can take out several of the slow moving Bombers or Defenders before going down.

	The Ion Frigate
	Name = Ion Frigate Speed = 300 m/s Cost = 650 RU Time = 60 s Drain = 10.83 RU/s Perhaps the most beautiful sound in all of Homeworld is Karan Sjet's voice speaking those lovely words, "Ion Cannon research complete." She might as well be saying, "Let the whup-ass begin." Ion cannons are the all-around best way to lay lots of damage in a hurry on a large, slow-moving target. To that end, the Ion Frigate is basically a big flying gun that you point at something big to make that something go away. Ion Frigates are slow and they have practically no coverage, but they are relatively cheap and quick to build. Formations: Ion Frigates are not subtle. They don't dance around; they stand there and fire. Lots of players don't worry about formation, others prefer Broad. Both are fine if you have three or four Ion Frigs. For larger numbers Sphere actually works quite well. Granted it takes them longer to get into position around a target, but when in a sphere it takes your enemy longer to turn his frigates to fire on each of yours. Also when in Sphere you can fire on the less armored side areas on the enemy capships instead of just the heavily armored front. Finally Sphere formation cuts down on your frigates' tendancy to ram into their target. Tactics: Ion Frigates aren't quite as tough or as powerful as Destroyers, but they are much more flexible in terms of deploying firepower. Every 60 seconds you can add another ion cannon to the fight as opposed to 150 seconds for a twin-ion Destroyer. And of course Ion Frigates become available much sooner than Destroyers so almost everyone builds at least a couple. When facing a fleet of capital ships, always hit the enemy Ion Frigates first. Because they're smaller and quicker to take down, targeting them will cut down your enemy's firepower more quickly. Their low maneuverability and pitiful coverage also make them easy to peck to death with strike craft. A lucky Ion Frigate might manage to take a few corvettes or Bombers along with him, but for the most part the Ion Frig has no hope. Building a fleet of just Ion Frigates is almost always a Bad IdeaTM. Back them up with some fighters or Support Frigates or both. They will live much longer.