Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

It seems in my limited experience so far with this game that while there are indeed a vast amount of techs and tech levels to research, many of them are virtually worthless... Or nearly indistinguishable.

Is this the case?

Also, I imagine that once you have gotten fairly strong or deep into a game, that there are really only a very limited amount of weapons that you would possibly want to make use of. Is this so? In the end, is there really only one weapon set you would want to use?

Thanks,

Ken

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

Well, if i'm not mistaken, some weapons are specialty weapons that are best in some situations, and only average in all other situations. For example, if you are up against an Organics enemy, Shard Cannons are best (they skip armor, which organics use extensively). And in a reversal, there are weapons (phased energy weap, i think) that skip over shields if your up against a shield dependant player.

On the other hand, I have yet to hear ANYONE say "I just LOVE my Meson BLaster!!". So there probably are some weaps out there that, shall we say, got the short end of the play balance stick.

Of course, I've never made it to 200 turns yet, so what do I know? (I told you that i dont have much free time!)

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May your Life prosper and your Dreams be sweet.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

I love my Meson BLasters! Oh boys, I really love them. And my foes hate them. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

Norak will love meson bLasters as well. Imagine been hit by large amount of meson bLasters from maximum range with never-miss ships. Gives you something to think about.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

Well, I guess I can't say THAT anymore, can I?

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May your Life prosper and your Dreams be sweet.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

How do you figure that Normal shields are better than phased shields against organics???

In an unmodded game, phased shields have 50 more hitpoints, so the only problem with them could be cost!

Do tell why you're using normal shields.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

the lowest level phased shields don't have equal points to the previous level normal shields, he might be refering to the drop from one level to the next.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

Yeah THAT is annoying as heck! You go from 300 point normal Shields to a huge DROP in points phased shield, and when you use the Latest Tech button you now have to Switch back and forth so those DUMB low level phased shields do not end up on a ship! This is incredibly annoying for a ship tinker like me, forcing me to page through page after page of gear just to pick the "Good" shields.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

Why not mod, and have the techs go:

- Shield I
- PS I, & SR I
- Shield II
- PS II, & SR II
- Shield III
- PS III, & SR III
etc.

You can add the requirement that phased shields need an equivalent phased energy level, and you'll still get something at each shield tech level.
Plus, the increase in shield strength won't be so steep.
I would also recommend making phased shields equal or slightly weaker than normal shields, since they protect against more weapons.

Re: Are some techs/wepons useless?
 

I don't think there are any useless weapons but there are some that would preclude the research of others, for example it doesn't make much sense to research the Anti-Proton beam and the Meson bLaster at the same time. Same with missles and torpedos.