E-V-I-L weapons

I think you hit the nail right on the head. I don't normally use Psyonic weapons. They also aren't very valuable to trade.

They could probably figure into a game with slow tech on a large map though. One or two battleships loaded with them could do more damage than anything else out there while the techs are still low, but the cost would be horrific.

Well at least Im not missing something horribly obvious then. They seemed kinda pointless but I at least wanted to ask ))

To achieve a basic beam damage output of 12:

. "cost". space required
Psionic Beam. 150. 6+ 4%hull space
Phasor II(x4). 160. 24+16%hull space
Plasma III(x6). 210. 30+30%hull space
Laser V(x12). 300. 48+60%hull space (probably not possible)

To beat their damage to space ratio, you have to have at least 5 more levels of beam tech. You do beat them on bang for buck a little sooner than that.

Of course, I generally try to get away with not having to buy ANY weapons before Doom Ray.

drrider

But you've missed the main point (and shame on you, Motti, for not pointing it out): They are EVIL!!!

Okay, silliness aside, early in the game they can save your bacon. Before you have high levels of miniaturization, every space on your ships is precious. At second or third level min, you can fit an engine, one Psionic Laser (best of the lot for damage and position in tech tree), and enough defenses to make a decent small warship that can hold off early enemy frigates.

Of course, if you play games where you are not being attacked by aggressive aliens when you don't even have enhanced factories yet, the evil weapons probably aren't worth using. You have time to build up your military with higher-level weapons before the slaughter commences.

Sometimes I stick just one on a ship full of doom rays or whatever I am using at the end of the game, just because it gets into the enemy crews' heads and messes with their minds and souls while their ship is being torn to pieces around them; for that extra little kick of the muahahahahas.




Spore. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfrakker in the galaxy. Accept no substitutes.

Have you guys ever had full miniaturization and full scale building and stuff and just mess around with the evil wepons? Try it sometime. Aside from being evil, they look awesome! And in battle even more awesome!

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The very instant you show your weakness, your downfall will begin!

Evil weapons? I never use them. I consider them a waste. There might be the short window of opportunity where they're the best weapons to be using, but I consider that opportunity too short to bother. Plus you don't have a whole lot to show for it once you get something better.

The good defense modules also have this problem, but the techs required to unlock them have other benefits. You can get a total of +5% hit points, and +15% defense for researching these techs. If you add in the special good structure "Empathic tactical command center", you get another +20% bonus to defense. This makes for a total of +5% hit points, and +35% defense.

I never new there were good defense modules, I wonder why?

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The very instant you show your weakness, your downfall will begin!

Oh ya, now I remember!

It'd be nice to have more of these evil weapon (and the appropriate good defense techs) offshoots on the tech tree, just so that the alignment bonus doesn't become useless so quickly. There need to be variants off of the top of the tech tree, too!

Yeah, and the Good Guys have defenses comparible to the evil civ's weapons ... good damage/defense to size ratio ... in fact, you could probably play a whole game with just those, and concentrate on logistics and miniaturization to just put more on the ships. Medium ships with Evil/Good weapons/defenses, or even Large ships, in MIXED fleets (mixed weapons/defenses/sizes but all with the same ENGINES/movepts) ... is good enuff against anything except maybe Dread Lords ... IMHO.

Of course, dunno if y'all noticed, but the neutral guys get the best research facilities, the Neutrality Learning Center ... more research tp than a Discovery Sphere, but much more time-consuming to build.

You evil guys are too limited in yur options! I like to go with the flow and be whatever fits the map ftw (ebil-smirk)   

Hehe...Right you are, MarshallONeil.   

I see that they have at least some redeeming qualities then.

When it comes to weapons, I generally just take what I can get. Since I don't put too much effort into researching weapons techs early on, the AI outclasses me in tech and weapons for most of the game. I make up for it in quantity and tactics. Strategic sacrifice and treachery can win out over superior weapons in many cases.

Hmmm, maybe its just me, but I love esp. the Psyonic Beam.
It usually gives me a lasting military advantage.

Admittedly my games so far are rather short, but in those games those weapons last long enough. Once the AIs managed to get something similiar/better they had no chance to win the game anymore.

I usually research first to a 2-dmg-missile and then go asap for the Psyonic beam+Medium ships.