Anti-Matter Torpedo

[Pooka]

Okay. So the Anti Matter torpedo is a short-to-mid range weapon that does about the same damage per tech level as the DUC.

The problem is that the DUC has basically the same range, only slightly less damage, weighs 10kt less, uses 1/5th the supplies, and fires twice as often.

But the Anti-Matter Torp has an accuracy bonus!

Does it really? How much of one? I still miss with the darn things more often than I hit, with a +15 Space Combat race no less!

Is it worth the supply-hogging, slow ROF, higher research cost to go to Quantum Torps? What is the appeal of the green tubes o' death?

[Fyron]

Torpedos do not have an accuracy bonus in unmodded SE4, actually. Torpedos are completely useless weapons in SE4. In SE3, their high damage per shot balanced them against the low damage beam weapons. But, now beam weapons do as much damage as they do, and can get high damage per shot to pierce emmissive and crystalline armor via mounts.

[ April 16, 2003, 19:18: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Pooka]

So there's no reason at all to waste RP on the torpedo path at all? Makes one wonder if it's inclusion in SEIV was an oversight...

[Phoenix-D]

"Okay. So the Anti Matter torpedo is a short-to-mid range weapon that does about the same damage per tech level as the DUC.

The problem is that the DUC has basically the same range, only slightly less damage, weighs 10kt less, uses 1/5th the supplies, and fires twice as often."

Slightly less damage? You're not done with the torps when you hit AM5, you know. Next level up you get Quantums.

Anyway, yours is accuate for the AM5- mostly. The AM does have one square more range and 10 more damage, and costs less.

The Quantum 5, on the other hand..does twice as much damage. So it works just a little better.

Damage per KT:
DUC 5: 1.33
APB, range 1: 2.16 range 8: 1.5
MesonB 5: 1.75
Torp: 2.5 (1.25/turn)
ripper beam IV 2.5

For "first strike" damage, the only weapon better than the torp is massed Ripper Beams. Unfortunately you pay for it in lower damage over time and a fairly high total research cost.

Phoenix-D

[Taera]

QR are one of the most understimated weapons in the game. The point is they do full damage at max range. Those babies, put on a base or a well-rounded ship can slaughter anything. Tested! (not in PBW - in short games their high research cost kills all the usefulness)

If you have the time and dont have any racial techs i think Torpedoes are a worthy research project to undertake.

[Aloofi]

Meson BLasters and Shield Depleters are the winning combination. Cheap to research and cheap to build. Forget about the Phased Polaron Beams and the Torpedos........in Proportions.
If you are playing unmodded go straight for the Phased Polaron Beams........

[mottlee]

There is one mod (I forget the name) that has long range X-ray lasers, that and talisman are way cool granted the laser don't do a lot of damage BUT you can beat on em well before they can touch you

[PvK]

Originally posted by Aloofi:
Meson BLasters and Shield Depleters are the winning combination. Cheap to research and cheap to build. Forget about the Phased Polaron Beams and the Torpedos........in Proportions.
........

Except that in Proportions, you can get pretty good defense without even using shields, if you want to, making shield depleters useless. Meson bLasters can also be out-ranged by several weapons, and since in Proportions small ships are useful, normal-mounted (or smaller) meson bLasters don't do a lot of damage per hit, so they suffer proportinally more from all the armor types with emissive abilities.

I like to think all the weapons in Proportions are worthwhile, but let me know if you think there are some lamers.

As for Quantum Torpedoes in the unmodded game, Taera, some things they can't kill are drones, fighters, and satellites, since the cannot target them.

Another thing you can try with slow rate-of-fire weapons is to run away while reloading, making return fire less likely to hurt (and sometimes impossible) - this can tip the damage exchange further in your favor than the rate-of-fire would imply.

PvK

[Fyron]

APB XII does more damage at max range than Quantum Torpedoes overall, and mounts make them get enough damage per shot to kill most ships in one salvo just like QT. But then, they can do it every round, not just every other round like QT. Mounts are the main reason that Torpedoes are useless weapons.

[ April 17, 2003, 00:46: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Rollo]

Originally posted by PvK:
...As for Quantum Torpedoes in the unmodded game, Taera, some things they can't kill are drones, fighters, and satellites, since the cannot target them...

Which can be viewed as an advantage in strategic combat, since the tactical AI will not waste shots on fighters that they have a hard time of hitting anyway, but will fire on the other ships and let PDC take care of the fighters.

Rollo

[ April 17, 2003, 01:25: Message edited by: Rollo ]