Torps don't have a bonus in vanilla SEIV, at least v1.67.
Depending on game setup MBs and PPBs can be a tossup for what to research. With high (or even medium) tech cost, shields are so expensive to research that phased shields will likely be
very long in coming. Of course, most players will counter PPBs with stacks of Armor III, which has better protection/kt than anything below Shields lvl 8 (against phased weapons). (This tactic is dangerous when Crystalline races are in the area.)
60kt of MBs do slightly more damage at max range compared to PPBs (105/100), while using 40% less in supplies. This can extend the range of a fleet greatly. Of course, PPBs have higher damage at close range (105/120), but then the opponent could pack on Ripper Beams, which do 150 damage out to range 3. Races with Ripper Beams are also likely to have an advantage in speed, because of the Propulsion tech req for High-Energy Discharge Weapons.
[dissertation] For that matter, races electing to research PPBs will likely have a research deficit in other areas. Those points could be put into Astrophysics and Stellar Harnessing for Solar Sails, or Propulsion, to get an edge in speed; they could be sunk into shields, to get Phased Shields; Armor gets a +30% to defense pretty cheaply; Combat Support gets you ECM; Combat Sensors makes you hit more often than the PPBs; etc., ad nauseum.
PPBs are powerful, but not exactly uber-weapons. They have counters, which have come out more quickly since the advent of the PPB as the PBW weapon-du-jour. Playstyles evolve, and next we'll see the Graviton Hellbore as the ultimate weapon. (Okay, maybe not.
)
Top-end APBs definitely are the weapon to go for; but by the time you can afford to get APB XIII (where range outstrips MB VI) or IX (where damage finally catches up to MB VI), you're probably in the late mid-game, or the end-game (or you're so far behind in other areas that you're near your own end-game
). APBs also are 50% larger than MBs, so you need to get APB XI or XII to get close to the same dmg/kt at the same range.
[/dissertation]
I hope I didn't kick off another uber-weapon debate.
