What is the weapon of your choice, and Why?

[brianeyci]

And who chose missiles? How can you use missiles effectively early game, given that a couple point-defense cannons can make your ships harmless? I don't know what most people do, but I usually go military science early if I have the chance... opens up point defense and military science II later for fleet and ship training

Brian

[Slynky]

You are in a tough Category! Your poll doesn't provide enough choices, I think, and I don't know how to do it better.

Problem is, early game location can dictate what your choice will be. Aside from all that, games start with 1 planet, 3, 5, or 10. THAT can make quite a difference in early game choice (where someone might skip DUCs). Then, there is the full-tech games...which all have an early part. So....you get my drift.

But, in general, I've heard it said that PPBs can be a weapon to use the entire game! And while some really like APBs, I hate them (unless I have the Talisman). They are darned expensive to research to surpass the PPBs. And without the Talisman (given all ships/fleets are trained), darn hard to hit from ship to ship at full range (so why bother?).

Also, you missed my favorite weapon! Those who play me know if I can get them I'll put Ripper 1V's on a ship that can close in on you fast in a heartbeat! Pound for pound, there aren't many that beat it. Not to mention rigging them on a large sat with extended range! Someone has a proggy out that does an extensive analysis of the weapons and the Rippers did quite well.

So, my 2 cents worth.

[Colonel]

I use a combination of three to five types including Torepedoes, Anti proton beams, phased beam, missles, mid way I use alot of ship capture tech.

[PlanetNapalm]

Mines are best early.

Usually when lots of sweepers show up, PPBs take over.

Late I like the Wave Motion gun with a couple of massive TDBs to take down the shields first.

Of course, this seems to work better during tactical combat.

[Fyron]

Slynky said:
You are in a tough Category! Your poll doesn't provide enough choices, I think, and I don't know how to do it better.

Problem is, early game location can dictate what your choice will be. Aside from all that, games start with 1 planet, 3, 5, or 10. THAT can make quite a difference in early game choice (where someone might skip DUCs). Then, there is the full-tech games...which all have an early part. So....you get my drift.

But, in general, I've heard it said that PPBs can be a weapon to use the entire game! And while some really like APBs, I hate them (unless I have the Talisman). They are darned expensive to research to surpass the PPBs. And without the Talisman (given all ships/fleets are trained), darn hard to hit from ship to ship at full range (so why bother?).

You overlook fleet stacking. That is where the range 8 comes into play as compared to range 6 PPBs and MBs (and range 5 DUCs). I thought we covered this in the Last round of these discussions? APBs are one of the most efficient weapons, once past the research costs, which is part of what makes them so powerful in the later stages of the game... Unless you give your ships max range strategy without having a significant advantage in combat bonuses, there really aren't any glaring weaknesses of APBs, except possibly against huge crystalline armored ships...

[narf poit chez BOOM]

While the older players have been over this, some of the newer ones havn't, and they may come up with something that hasn't been thought of.

[Atrocities]

I use only DUC's as they are the besta weapon in the whole gosh darn game. Golly Gee.

Trop's, And APB's for me.

[brianeyci]

Yes, fleet stacking is the obvious reason why to choose APB's...

I actually am more interested in finding out what situations certain weapons would be useful in. Like, when would it be preferable to research a Meson BLaster rather than Anti-Proton Beam?

I looked at torps earlier, and concluded that the only reason why you would want to use torps would be for the negligible cost decrease.

Share your secrets gentlemen. I am especially interested in knowing combinations of weapons people use on ship designs.

For example, to me, missiles seem useless. Two point-defense cannons on every ship gets rid of the missile problem... or does it? How much dmg resistance are the higher level missiles, and would it be enough to overcome the one to two PD's most people put on their ships? Colonel, if you could post a couple useful missile ship designs (light cruiser and battlecruiser preferably)... thx.

Brian

[Fyron]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
While the older players have been over this, some of the newer ones havn't, and they may come up with something that hasn't been thought of.

Umm... that statement was directed solely at Slynky, who said pretty much the same things Last time... No need to take it out of context to mean something it did not.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Ok, sorry, my brain is fried for some reason. Possibly fiberglass fumes. How to turn cheap pLastic weapons into things you can spar with, real life lessons 101.