Quote:
Suicide Junkie said:
SCjazz:
Lets hit this from a different angle...
Given the slow missile speed, are you making more use of direct fire weapons?
Are you completely ignoring missiles?
Is the enemy damaging/destroying your ships with missiles still?
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1) My fleet escorts (not counting support ships like repair, supply, non-combatants, etc) are divided roughly along the lines of 1/3rd torpedo boats (Torps and DUC mix), 1/3rd Point Defense, 1/3rd Guided Missile ships. Similarly, Carrier fighter complements are 1/3rd Interceptors, 1/3rd Space Superiority, 1/3rd Attack Bombers. In the early game there is no problem at all.
2) During late-mid game and late game I strongly de-emphasize missiles on my fleet escorts because they are outrunning the missiles they fire or are being screened by. The recent addition of +1mp will push this back to a later point in time but it will still happen to my last generation fleet escorts. My A series fighter bombers get hammered for most of the game however because not having missiles is equally suicidal.
3) During the mid and late games. Basically, no. My ships are as fast as or faster than the missiles so when they are moving away from the enemy they have lots of time to shoot down the missiles with their PD lasers (Jazz design rule #439 all ships better at least be prepared to try and shoot down missiles aimed at them!). I've watched my escorts scream in to attack range, fire, and start withdrawing suffering minor damage (with exception of lucky hits that take out drives).
I'm not suggesting that all missiles at every point in tech get faster. I'm saying add a MP probably based on manufacturing (or something) so that L3 Manufacturing gets +1MP and like L5 manufacturing gets +1MP. Total max spd: 6 for the explosives, 5 for Nukes. Bump hvy kinetics 1MP on L3, L4 and L5 manufacturing in order to even try to keep up with fighters.
This doesn't turn them into super direct fire long range weapons. Torpedos and lasers are still longer ranged. Missiles still have to get launched and then move. Taking fire from Light Kinetics and PD lasers.
Best of all, and the part that really torques me, I don't have to watch my DDGs and CCGs dumping valuable supplies firing 3 to 5 waves of missiles at a target just to see the bogey get vaporized by one of my DUC PT boats right before the first wave makes it to the target. Or conversely watch my PT boat get vaporized because the missile screen that should have covered it is far behind!