Plasma vs cap ship missle

[Tuchuk]

I would appreciate some oppinions on plasma missiles vs cap ship missiles. I just completed the tech for missiles 3. So I now have capital ship missile 3 and plasma missle 1. cap ship missile 3 seems like a fairly good weapon, but plasma 1 seems fairly week. If I increase tech a couple levels in missiles I will obtain a better plasma missile, but the research is fairly expensive. My questions are essentialy..." Are plasma missiles good? Are they actually better then cap ship missiles? If they are better why?" Thanks
Tuchuk

[Mad_Lear]

Hey,


Speaking as someone who doesn't use a lot of missles, and doesn't really know the tech, I can tell you that a high tech plasma missle may be slightly better than a Capital missle V, but not much. If it is better, it will be better by being slightly quicker (higher speed to target). Unless you are a missle specialist, don't bother with plasma.


P.S. If you research ionic tech high enough, you will get engine damagine missles. Those are very cool, especially when combined with normal missles (point defense seems to target normal missles first, before specialty missles).


P.P.S I've had a few beer, so please forgive me if I give you bad advice. Personally, I find missles to be very effective early on, but to be gradually beaten by some of the high tech beam techs, especially Phased beams. But don't listen to me, listen to the elite players who have much more experience. As an relative newbie, though, I can tell you that I never use high level missles myself. For what its worth


[This message has been edited by Mad_Lear (edited 21 August 2001).]

[Tuchuk]

Your opinion is appreciated. And as for Beer, at times I think it helps makes thinking easier.

Tuchuk

[Shoujo]

I remember researching missles a long time ago and I believe plasma missles eventually outrange capital missles, but they do less damage the farther away a target is.

My personal advice is to not bother with missles at all unless you're up against AI because a human player will whip out point defense ships fast, and you can just kiss your missles goodbye. S/he will also most likely gain a legendary fleet too.

[Suicide Junkie]

Plasma is one MP faster than CSMs
Max-Tech Plasma does more damage from range zero out to 5 or 6, and fades continously.
Plasma has a higher max range (IIRC), but will do almost no damage there.

If you are playing P&N, you can use heavy bombardment missiles to help punch through PD, and Devnull has some mini missiles/ PD decoys to use as well.

Giving your enemy legendary fleets is always a problem with missile use.


I will usually just get missile tech from captured ships, or research it later on if I have to.
Missiles are good on planets & sats, since you can stack 100's of sats on your critical wormholes, launching insane numbers of missiles in each volley.

[Q]

I use missiles only in the early game and I don't research till plasma missiles, because when your enemy has effective PDC their use is very limited.
I would also hesitate to use missiles heavily on sats or weapon platforms in the later game. If the enemy attacks with fighters, you have a lot of completely useless weapons!