Torpedo question

[spoon]

Originally posted by 1FSTCAT:
You guys are obviously missing the TRUE advantage of Torpedo weapons.

They make GREAT WEAPONS PLATFORMS. Why? Because they're CHEAP!

Of course, if you are building weapon platforms, you have already lost.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Whoever moves into range first gets to fire first. With same ranged weapons (such as APB VII or so and whatever level of Torpedo hits range 8 (max range of all non-missile weapons)), it is the faster ships. With same speed and range, it is a crap shoot.

Actually being faster isn't a guarantee of firing first. It does increase your chances, but depending on the difference in speed and the range at the begining of combat it is possible for the slower ship, even a ship with shorter range weapons to get off the first shot. Although, the greater the differance in speed and weapons range the less likely this is to happen.

Geoschmo

[Maerlyn]

I just had a discussion about this with a friend of mine, and we both believe that torpedos are stronger than PPB (as long as there are no shields to be counted in) because they deal the same damage as the PPB deals in two rounds at once. this means they will be faster in destroying components, and therefor will be faster in destroying enemy weapons. even their increased size doesnt really metter. but the main problem we see is:

if you play low tech lvl with high tech cost a lvl 5 PPB will cost 525 000 tech points (including physics 1+2) to be ressearched, a lvl 5 quantum torpedo costs 1 975 000 tech points (including military science lvl 1). now this is a HUGE differens, which makes PPBs far better even without the effect that they ignore normal shields!

[DeadDireWolf]

But do any of you guys actually use torpedoes?

Maerlyn - that's what I've noticed and I've only been playing the game a short time. You invest in an applied science (I forget which) for 50K, them you have to research Torpedo Lv I, for a total cost of 55K. But if you just research Lv II cannons, it costs like 5k and you have a weapon that fires the same range, every turn for nearly the same damage (I believe. Still a novice )Weapon to weapon, tech level equal, I can't seem to find any situation yet where I want or need torepoes over anything else. Kinda depressing really, they seem kinda useless.

Atrocites - I read your example below, but do you ever outfit ships with them?

I've obiviously only been playing this game a short time, and it is by far one of the best TBS games I've played. I've got a lot to learn yet.

Sorry, but what does PPB stand for?

[Maerlyn]

Originally posted by DeadDireWolf:
...and it is by far one of the best TBS games I've played.

Sorry, but what does PPB stand for?

yeah, you are right about this. I am playing thuis game for a very short time too, but it is the best TBS game I know so far. (even better than Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri, and this was a very good game already)

PPB means Phased Polaron Beam. A direct fire weapon which skips shields and is available after you've researched physics 2. It is the most popular weapon as far as I know.

[Fyron]

The biggest problem is weapon scale mounts that were introduced in SE4. There were no mounts in SE3. Components just took one hit to be destroyed, and weapons did damages on scales of 3, 5, or occasionally 10. All of this was basically multiplied by 10 in the conVersion to SE4, with some tweaking and some new weapons. BUT, SE3 torpedos had nice to hit bonuses. SE4 torpedos do not. Also, a big advantage of SE3 torpedos was that they could penetrate stuff like emmissive armor (and crystalline in SE4) better because they did more damage per shot. But, with the massive scale mount bonuses in SE4, this advantage is gone, because even a lowly DUC V can penetrate emmissive armor easily (and CA on smaller-medium ships) with a large or heavy mount.

[DeadDireWolf]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
The biggest problem is weapon scale mounts that were introduced in SE4. There were no mounts in SE3. Components just took one hit to be destroyed, and weapons did damages on scales of 3, 5, or occasionally 10. All of this was basically multiplied by 10 in the conVersion to SE4, with some tweaking and some new weapons. BUT, SE3 torpedos had nice to hit bonuses. SE4 torpedos do not. Also, a big advantage of SE3 torpedos was that they could penetrate stuff like emmissive armor (and crystalline in SE4) better because they did more damage per shot. But, with the massive scale mount bonuses in SE4, this advantage is gone, because even a lowly DUC V can penetrate emmissive armor easily (and CA on smaller-medium ships) with a large or heavy mount.

Far out. Nobody has addressed this issue in SEIV? Odd, if so. The game has been out for a while and I would have thought someone would have tried to balance the torpedo.