[DirectorTsaarx]

(BTW - has anyone else noticed that the poll allows up to 3 answers for favorite mid-game weapon, up to 4 answers for favorite late-game/high tech weapon, and up to 3 answers for overall favorite?)

Anyway:

Early game

• Depleted Uranium Cannon
• Capital Ship Missile

The DUC is low cost, good damage/kT ratio, low maintenance, low supply use, and low research cost. Good for those early-game slugfests with small, poorly armored/shielded ships. The CSM is good in early game because the enemy may not have gotten point-defense weapons yet (or at least not deployed in significant enough numbers to counteract the missiles). Also good for early-game planetary bombardment when the enemy is concentrating on building facilities on new colonies rather than building weapon platforms (which should ALWAYS have at least a couple point-defense weapons).
Mid-game:

• Time Distortion Burst
• Planetary Napalm
• Drones

I consider the TDB more a mid-game weapon because you have to research 2 levels of temporal tech (fairly expensive) and then research temporal weapons (again, fairly expensive). But this weapon is great - 4x damage against shields, giving it almost the same punch as shield depleters, but it can then go on to do internal damage. Not to mention good range and constant damage throughout that range. Cost is a bit higher than some other weapons, but certainly in line with other mid-game weapons.
Drones and planetary napalm I use for planetary bombardment; drones (if carefully set up) are good for picking off colonizers, single warships, or (my favorite) unescorted minesweepers. Of course, this generally involves setting up shipyard bases and drone-launching bases in enemy territory, but there's usually a few good nebulas and storms around to help with that. Planetary Napalm has a slow reload (2 turns) and short range (2 squares), but for damage/kT ratio it's pretty good. Not to mention that the AI sees Planetary Napalm ships as a major threat, since they have so many weapons compared to other ships, so they're good decoys .
Late Game:

• Time Distortion Burst
• Shield Accelerator
• Tachyon Cannon
• Wave Motion Gun

TDB - same reasons as mid-game.
Shield Accelerator - a higher-powered shield depleter with better range. 'Nuff said.
Tachyon Cannon - 10% to-hit bonus, good damage, good range, 2-turn reload (better than the 3-turn reload heavy weapons). Nice complement to the TDB and SA.
Wave Motion Gun - Good first-strike kind of weapon. The long reload is a pain, and it takes up lots of room, but the 30% to-hit bonus, long range, and high damage per shot are hard to resist.
Overall:

• Time Distortion Burst
• Tachyon Cannon (again, no surprise)
• Planetary Napalm (if you use a scorched-earth strategy, why not go with the classics)

I'd also like to add a couple of favorite combos:
-> Tractor Beam + Ripper Beams + Repulsor Beam
The Repulsor Beam isn't always necessary, but that tractor + ripper is a great way to shred enemy ships.
-> Neutron Bomb + Small Troops
The Neutron Bomb kills off the population, thus eliminating militia; and then small troops (even unarmed small troops, if you completely remove the population) can take over the planet. Granted, you have to repopulate the planet afterwards and you risk losing a population that could turn a domed planet into a regular planet, but if you're playing a "colonize own atmosphere" game, who cares? Or if the population is already rioting, and you don't want to deal with making them happy again, it's a reasonable tactic. And you can always scrap the facilities for a quick resource boost if you don't really want the colony...
(edited for format a couple times, and still not all my carriage returns are recognized... )

[ January 22, 2003, 21:01: Message edited by: DirectorTsaarx ]