This case test on era is what you have posted in the code over at the other topic...well I am not a coder so I can't answere you this.
Adjusting the shield/armor relativ to the weapons...that a good idea. I think we can do that quite easly.

Ah that is good to know! Where do you have this info from?

That . . . was just an example <G> I don't really know whether or not capships were upgraded (well, actually, I do . . . all the capships we see in WCII-III are more than ten years old, except the Connie . . . they'd pretty much have to be upgraded).

WCIII ships seem to use plasteel instead of durasteel (1 cm plasteel=10 cm durasteel). Privateer and Armada give damage damage values in plasteel, I think . . . (though most of the Privateer ships are either stripped-down backwater versions or in transition). The conversion value is

1 cm plasteel = 10 cm durasteel
1 cm tungsten = 2 cm plasteel
1 cm isometal = 3 cm tungsten

Then we have platolum, but that was state-of-the-art circa WCIII, and wasn't used in any signifigant military capacity until the Vesuvius, as far as we know . . .

Frankly, I don't see why this would be much of a problem. Who in their right mind would create a mission that would pit a Confederation Class Carrier against a Fralthi, or a Hornet against a Dralthi IV?

I would make mission like that...just because its possible and also logical....logical because there are many worlds that are bearly protected by the Confed and so they defend themself...for excample the Landreich. Such small factions or Planets only have these older fighter/ships and when the Kilrathi deside to go around a Confed Battlegroup they might attack one of these planets. So a Hornet VS Dralthi IV could happend...

Type 3 would work, however... Having some of the older age ships upgraded to the power of the newer models is ... not likely.

Though you could of course upgrade the ships significantly, newer designs are meant to help implement newer technologies, so there is no way that older designs would be able to compete with the newer ones regardless of how much they were upgraded, they'd have to be redesigned as well.

So having older class vessels upgraded would be great, but not too much. The Bengal vs say, the TCS Lexington, the Bengal, though upgraded, should still prove to be little match for the Lexington seeing as though the Lexington is a newer age, and a newer design.

Sort of like the Lexington VS. the Victory- Doesn't it say in the WC4 manual that the Lexington is an improved design upon the Victory's type? So not just an upgraded victory (as the innards of the ship are quite different, I think we can all agree), a completely redesigned one. Though looking slightly similar, there are many differences.

Just my 2 Cents worth.