Weapon Platforms - Overly Powerful or Just Balanced?

[PvK]

The premise of the post was incorrect - TerranC thought his ships were missing the planet because the animations weren't showing hits clearly, when in fact planets are always hit for meaningful damage, which IMO is actually an issue in the other direction.

Anyway, I tend to think it should be possible to make a tough planet by massing high-tech weapon platforms on it, and the mount changes in Gold allow this. It takes a lot of research and investment and time to do, though, and still only results in a static defense, and planets can't get training bonuses to hit, so I really don't think they're too tough.

PvK

[Lisif Deoral]

Excuse me, but what are the weapon mount changes you're talking about? I still have v1.49, and weapon platforms are almost useless IMO...

[dumbluck]

The mount changes he's refering to are in v1.60 or above (gold).

You're missing out!

[capnq]

planets are always hit for meaningful damage

This isn't quite correct, either.

It is possible for a direct fire weapon to miss a planet entirely, since the to-hit chance is 99%. I've seen a ship at range 1 miss a planet twice in the same battle.

[Alpha Kodiak]

Originally posted by Lisif Deoral:
Excuse me, but what are the weapon mount changes you're talking about? I still have v1.49, and weapon platforms are almost useless IMO...

In Gold, larger weapon mounts for weapon platforms and satellites give extended range as well as increased damage. It makes them a bit more useful.

[Gandalph]

And even with large platforms and massive mount, greatest range is 14. CSM 5 is 16. You can still sit outside range and pummel them with missiles.

[Taera]

I've voted that they are overpowered, but...
A specialized force of several destroyers or LCs, all powered with a Solar Sail, Stealth & Scattering armors, ECM and perharps a little racial bonus and training could easily wipe out your best planet unless you have 200 WPs all with missiles. then they wont _wipe_ it but will damage it a lot.
Think about it - planetary napalm V with damage of 600 is a considerable enemy for the planets. WIth larger mount each napalm shot does as much as 1200, 2400 and 3600 damage. Thats a lot for one shot, overpowering even the WMG and whatever else you can think of.
OK, so say you have 12 LCs all armed to teeth with Large mounted Napalms.
Without use of PDC the described above LCs have as much as 4 Large Napalms.
1,200 x 4 x 12
this is 57,000 points of damage _per shot_.

Important to note that planetary defenses do not have multiple targetting ability.

OK, your defenses wiped out three, say four.
Two misses.
(1,200 x 4 x [12-4]) - (1200 x 2) = 36000
That should wipe out most of the defenses.
Huge, well settled planets would be considerably more difficult to destroy, but hey, its a war and its a HUGE+BREATHABLE+SETTLED
If you lost 20 LCs to such a planet it is nothing when compared to a HUGE, fully settled planet.
Just imagine this was a mining colony....

Anyway you get my point.
without use of the expensive armor (=more time to build) you could build even more of those ships. You might lose them, but it will hurt to the enemy much more than it will hurt to you.

Also important note is that Planetary Napalm V is a cheap early-game weapon with small size and low cost. WPs are NOT overpowered.

(Hmm... my habit of putting a planetary napalm on anything bigger than a cruiser might be handy when i finaly get Gold)

EDIT: spelling

[ June 09, 2002, 21:13: Message edited by: Taera ]