Do Weapons Platform Need Help?

[rextorres]

Against a bezerker race with maxed defense and a fully trained fleet a massive platform still can't hit the side of a barn. Does anyone else think that they need help?

[Taera]

ships have the benefit of size, range and training that WP's do not receive, as well as stealth & scattering armors.

And you're sure you put sensors on the WP?

[Grandpa Kim]

Rex, I've felt this way for a long time. All that incredible range wasted because they can't hit diddly way out there. By the time the ships are close enough that they can hit with any certainty, the enemy ships are pummeling the planet with scarcely a miss!

[Q]

What may help a lot is the use of weapons with hit bonus like wave-motion guns on the weapon platforms. In my experience weapon platforms are a serious threat for attacking ships.

[Gwaihir]

But the WMG has only 30% bonus, extending the practical range of the weapon by only 3, which isn't that much. And that's the highest bonus any weapon other than PDCs get. And the weapon is really not practical beyond its original max range even without the issue of experience, defense, stealth and scattering armor, etc.
(although PDCs would probably be useful vs orbital missile bombardment, so there might be some value there.)

[Phoenix-D]

"But the WMG has only 30% bonus, extending the practical range of the weapon by only 3, which isn't that much."

Massive mount for a weapon platform: +80%

Stealth/scattering: -30%

ECM is canceled by combat sensors with +5% left over. Fleet gives you an additional -40%

So it adds up to: net +15% for the weapon platform with a normal weapon, net +45% with WMG

To-hits for the planet (WMG)
Range 1: 100% (100%)
Range 2: 95% (100%)
Range 3: 85% (100%)
Range 4: 75% (100%)
Range 5: 65% (95%)
Range 6: 55% (85%)
Range 7: 45% (75%)
Range 8: 35% (65%)

Once you get out to the LARGE ranges WPs get, you probably won't hit. But inside of ship range you've got a decent shot. Then again at any ship range the ships will likely hit 99% of the time..

I'm assuming both are beserker and that the planet gets that bonus.

Phoenix-D

[rextorres]

WP also don't get the racial bonuses so it's even worse than that if the attacking race has maxed out defense.

[Asmala]

Originally posted by rextorres:
WP also don't get the racial bonuses so it's even worse than that if the attacking race has maxed out defense.

Does that mean no unit gets racial bonuses? If so it'll make satellites, fighters and weapon platforms much for the worse.

Btw I think this has been forgotten:
Planet Combat Offense Modifier := 30 (Settings.txt)

[Phoenix-D]

"WP also don't get the racial bonuses so it's even worse than that if the attacking race has maxed out defense."

But with the 30% bonus point out in settings.txt that almost cancels out; you get a net 5% loss, giving the weapon platform an overall bonus of +10%.

The extreme ranges given by the mounts are the problem; if it fired soley in normal range it would work OK.

Phoenix-D

[geoschmo]

There may be a problem late in the game when the attacker can put together a decent fleet with training and ECM and all that stuff. But early on they are pretty devastating with the extra range and damage. Even if they don't hit every time, each hit is hard. I had a guy lose a fleet of 20+ ships (destroyers and a few LC's to give you an idea of the tech level) to a planet of mine with about a dozen WP's with PPB III's and combat sensor I's.

If you make it so they are tougher in the late game are you gonna make planets impossible to take out in the early game?

Geoschmo