Mistake in PPB data?

[spoon]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
You can often be just as effective, if not even far more effective, by rushing for Combat Support 2 and Sensors 2 instead, as well as training.

Definitely. Don't research past DUCs until you have these areas researched.

[UseOfWeps]

Originally posted by spoon:
Another factor that might make the PPB seem so amazing in your group is "groupthink" -- since everyone is using it, esp the winner, it appears that it is the only weapon worth using.

In my current 6 player game, 3 folk are basically out currently, at turn 52. The other 3 of us are pretty even, one guy is no racial tech using PPBs, one guy is organics and I'm religious with APBs, currently at APB7. Once I finish up my combat techs over the next few turns, I should be rolling out battlecruisers with a 2-square range advantage over the PPB ships, and using a custom strategy of max range/ nearestx4 I hope to be able to pick off the PPB ships from distance.

I had said to the guys at the beginning of the game that I thought PPBs were too cheap and I wouldn't be using them, but one of the other guys doesn't have my scruples. So I intend to show him the error of his ways. My post about balancing the PPBs were more from the angle of the strange damage increases rather than the cheapness of the research, but obviously it has a nice side effect of adding a couple hundred k to the cost to max PPBs. I think I'll make these changes in our next game - now that all of us are more at home with the game I think the other guys will see my point.

/UseOfWeps.

[primitive]

Hmmm,
While the PPB is a bit unballanced because of the cheap research, its by no means the überweapon some think it is. The Talisman however is so unballanced many games forbid the religious tech alltogether. The poor guy in your game with PPB and no racials is at a severe dissadvantage, while the organic guy at least have a glimmer of hope if he know how to fight a religious player

[PvK]

I actually think PPB II is about as good or better than the higher levels, because the range and cost to damage ratio is so good. 5000 research is sooooo cheap too.

PvK

[Wardad]

PPB is good but has these drawbacks:

1. It is expensive in terms of minerals and rads. I really adds up to a lot of maintenace.

2. It takes research to get to the PPB tree, And consumes research.

It may be better to research Shield depelters and APB.
SD trees off the shield field which you typically research anyway.
APB has twelve levels. So it would take a minimum of 1.2 years to research it.
Spending turns researching other weapons could delay the APB and SD.

Don't under estimate DUCs. They are cheap to research and pack a good punch. They are expensive when compared to APB.