This is Jacob's and my most thought-of thread yet, particularly because this class of ships holds a special place in our hearts. (R.I.P. Great-Grandpa)

I am sure that something like this has been discussed before; a type of "Cruiser-Variant", but I haven't seen any detailed discussions about actual "Battlecruisers".

Battlecruisers, also called "Fast Battleships", were characterized by three prominent features; Big guns like a Battleship, Very fast speeds for their size, and lighter armor compared to other ships. Some also possessed decent anti-air defenses. The most famous example was the HMS Hood, the largest Battlecruiser ever built in England and possibly in the world. Our Great-Grandfather served on one of the last Battlecruisers ever commissioned, the USS Alaska of the Alaska-Class Battlecruisers.

Considering these factors, Jacob and I decided on the following as potential stats for an in-game Battlecruiser;

• Would require a Level 2 or 3 Shipyard, and a Level 1 Factory to produce.
  
• Cost to build: 3000 Goods, 400 Manpower, 3000 Metal, 1000 Oil, 6500 Cash.
  
• Build Time: 1 day, 18 Hours, unboosted.
  
• Researchable after day 6. Research Costs: 3000 Goods, 4000 Rare Materials, 5,500 Cash.
  
• Level 2 research at 12 days, Level 3 at 18 days, and Level 4 at 24 days, etc.
  
• Daily upkeep; 65 Food, 150 Oil.
  
• Attack Range; 40-50km at Level 1, 60-70km at max level.
  
• Speed; 38km/h at level 1, maximum of 64km/h at max level.
  
• Attack Stats: 18.0-20.0 Attack against Ships, up to 28.0-30.0 attack at max level. 1.5-4.0 attack vs. infantry (depending on level). 1.0-3.0 attack against tanks/armor (also based on level). 0.3-0.8 Attack against Submarines (Level-based again). 2.5-6.0 Attack vs. Cities, level-based.
  
• Defense Stats: 4.5 Defense vs. Aircraft, increasing to 10.0 Defense at max Level. 10.0-15.0 defense against ships depending on level. 0.2-0.8 Defense against Submarines, based on level. (The low Sub defense is meant to reflect their real-life vulnerabilities).
  
• HP Stat: 45 or 55
  
• Their primary role would be to engage ships of cruiser-size or smaller and provide support for capitol ships (especially aircraft carriers, assuming they are soon released).
  

As usual, let us know what you think; does it look balanced, would it be fun to use, would you use it, etc.? What we are particularly looking for is ways to improve the stats we've thought of. Do you think one stat should be higher or lower, and why?

We'll be redoing some of our previous posts to reflect the level of detail we've used in this one, so keep your eyes peeled!

4000 is the same as the cost to research a Level 1 Cruiser. Since it seemed impractical to make the price lower than that the standard cruiser, we stuck with it being the same price.

(I do agree; it sounds expensive, to be sure).

Ah! I knew I'd forgotten something. I'll add that shortly. It's not meant to be as strong HP-wise as a Battleship. As for the rest of it's stats, all of it's attack and defense values are slightly lower than that of a true Battleship (defense values more-so). I'll need to double check the speed stats though.

HP stat added; five points above or below that of a standard cruiser, depending on which is more balanced. I'll look at the speed stats tomorrow morning.

Update: Lowered max speed of all levels by 4km/h.