Torpedo question

[Fyron]

It was clear to me from Fryon's winking smilies (" ") that he was teasing and exaggerating, but I thought maybe some newer players might get the wrong idea.

I often use smileys at fairly random times.

- Baseships have some inefficiencies, and some efficiencies. Their strengths can be played so as to make them undeserving of the label "extremely inefficient".

They are very slow. Compare ROF 1 range 8 weapons on BBs with max range to ROF 1 range 6 on BS with optimal, point blank, whatever. Same engines. The BBs can fire and move well out of range and not be fired at in some rounds because they have 2 greater speed in combat. All shots will be at long ranges for both sides. BB fires at range 7, moves back far enough so that the BS can't get within range to fire its weapons. Even if the ships use the same range weapons, the BBs can still get an advantage. The only way that using max range with long range weapons is a good idea is when you have a speed advantage. If the enemy is using BSs, you can guarantee a speed advantage by using BBs. DNs have a speed advantage too, but it is only 1 point, so much more difficult to use effectively. And, they do not even get a better mount than the BB. This is the biggest factor in the innefficiency of the BS (that, and their high research cost, which could be better spent getting higher level weapons, shields, etc. sooner). The benefit of the massive mount over the heavy mount is not usually enough to outweigh the loss of speed. Then, they tend to have much longer build times. Replacing losses takes a lot longer with BS than with BB (large losses, at any rate). This can be mitigated with huge racial construction bonuses, though not completely. And, of course, you spend less on the basics (bridge, engine, CS, etc.), which gives a bit of increased cost effeciency. Oh, and let's not forget that ECM penalty that Baseships have. That always hurts.

- Depends on your definition of "very well". It does often have a good effect, even if the enemy has the same speed, because in most cases the resulting range and concentration of enemy ships is reduced during turns where the friendly ships in question are reloading.

Ok. You fire your rate 2 weapon, then your ship moves 4 squares away (assuming 4 speed). My rate 1 weapon armed ship moves 4 squares closer, and we are back to ground zero with the ships in the same relative positions as before. Where is the advantage? Default optimal range strategy targetting priority: Has Weapons, Most Damaged, Nearest, Strongest. Ships will tend to follow those ships that are damaged and retreating while they recharge their weapons, thus greatly reducing their ability to try to avoid damage by falling back. Those that have not yet been damaged don't need to be followed.

Now, I'm not asserting that such tactics are enough to tip the scales set by the rather lame torp stats versus the rather good APB XII stats in the unmodded game, but they do have positive effects in many situations.

That they do. Unfortunately, the situations in which they don't have any postive effects tend to outnumber those in which they do. Unless, of course, you can force every battle to be defensive behind a warp point so that you can exploit the high damage per shot of the torpedos to do more damage in round 1, hoping to destroy enough of the enemy fleet so that your lack of staying power (ie: much less damage/rate/kiloton ratio, so less damage can be dealt in X rounds than with APB) can be bypassed.

[ November 16, 2003, 04:25: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]