PPB is the best weapon in the game. Discuss.

dumbluck · #1 September 5th, 2001, 05:07 AM

QUOTE]This is something I would really like to see. The ability to target specifc ships based on what components they have. I can't think of a better way to stop an enemy cold than to take out his minesweepers, or PD ships, or his supply ships. Fighters or escorts that ignore everything else and head straight for the carriers. That could really cause problems when faced with overwhelming odds.

Geoschmo
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I dont think this would be hard to do, to an extent. u can target specific ship sizes, but not components. Just make a custom strategy, and make the strat ignore everything except carriers (for example).

Besides, even if u could target ships carrying specific components, I could fool the strategy by putting one PD cannon (for example) on every ship; which isn't a bad idea anyway, just in case the ai kills off my specialty ship..

geoschmo · #2 September 5th, 2001, 05:30 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dumbluck:
Besides, even if u could target ships carrying specific components, I could fool the strategy by putting one PD cannon (for example) on every ship; which isn't a bad idea anyway, just in case the ai kills off my specialty ship..

Except that's not really fooling the strategy. If the idea is knock out all the PDC, the ships would target the ships with PDC until the PDC were destroyed and then move on to the next ship. Imagine a planet with missles on WP's, and fighters that are targeting just ships with PDC. If you can knock out all the PDC, even if your fighters get chewed up, the attacker would be wiped out trying to attack the planet with no PDC left to protect his fleet. Of course unless you had a weapon that targeted only PDC, which isnt' an option now either, putting PDC on every ship would make the strategy less effective. So I guess it's fooling it somewhat.

Geo

Commander G2 · #3 September 6th, 2001, 07:19 PM

PPBs are a crucial part of any race's arsenal that do not have unique racial weapons. Cheap to research and requires very advanced shields to stop. Armor III is my standard defense against PPBs and put on one Shield 5 just to hold off any fighters that might get through PDCs.

I am in a game against an Organic race where PPBs are practically useless because he buts 3 or 4 armor on his ships. I have to use Null Space weapons to get to him and they are very costly and reload very slowly.

Because his ships use organic weapons, his ships build in about half the time/half the minerals. Organic seekers are a pain to fight because he can launch so many, reload quickly, and they move quickly. If anything is the bane of PPBs, I would say it is twice as many ships with organic seekers and organic armor.