Missiles vs fixed guns?

[Tok]

Which is better, missiles or fixed guns?

[Joe Coffee]

Why not both, bruh?

[Tok]

good idea, but would probably take alot of research points.

[Joe Coffee]

Originally posted by Tok:

good idea, but would probably take alot of research points.

Which aren't hard to get. :)

Although IMO fixed guns are probably cheaper to get vs. missles which require uranium as a resource. In the early game, uranium may be more difficult to acquire even by trade as you're struggling with resources to upgrade your ship.

But by mid game you'd be swimming in both resources and tech points. The only downside is sticking a bazillion things you want on a small ship! :D

If you want advantages, you can take the good with the bad, I suppose.

FGs are obviously fixed so they'll shoot in the direction you point when you also choose a target. Although if I'm not mistaken, I think FGs have higher damage than plasmas, but IDK what their damage is offhand vs. a missle.

Missles can arc. And you can split up missles into two and three missles at higher investment into the trees along with damage. And obviously you can extend range on these, and likelwise on FGs with range and also damage.

In all honestly, the "why not both, bruh?" is not meant to be a snide, I pack a lot of weapons in my ships and I use them all, except the gravity gun, which was a one-time thing for me. I just try to point my ship facing an enemy when I want to use my FGs along with a death spam coming their way (+ missles/FGs/Havok/lasers/plasma). It's awesome!

[Tok]

Sounds fun 8). Are the actual numbers to be seen anywhere?

[Joe Coffee]

Originally posted by Tok:

Sounds fun 8). Are the actual numbers to be seen anywhere?

Regarding damage? IDK. The wiki doesn't seem to list it, but it's an unofficial site. The only other way might be just to take a pen and paper and write down values. Simply research the tech you want and visit the starbase and check to see which is better for you starting out. TBH I wouldn't blame you if you went FGs, it's cheaper. Another downside I forgot to mention was you obviously need to fight enemy ships that potentially drop parts you'll need to analyze them and then your officers will tell you it's possible to research them at Starcom. It'll take 3 parts each in missiles and fighters. I think you also have to find parts for the FG which come from drops. it took me awhile to get missiles parts from drops and even a bigger PITA to find uranium cheap in order to build the weapon.

And I suppose it comes down to style. If you want Macross Missle Offense, then go missiles. If you want classic dogfighting, go FGs. If you want Battlestar Galactica barrage systems, go Havok. If you want to go Star Trek with chaingun phasers (ST:II) or classic Trek/or ST:NG "soda straw" phasers, then go Plasmas and Lasers. If you want your ship to rely on fighters, get fighter bays, but be prepared to pay for aluminum to replace downed ships. Someone made a Battlestar Galactica dreadnought ship with like 4 fighter bays and looks like the classic ship if you squint real hard. You can DL it from the workshop.

https://starcom-unknown-space.fandom.com/wiki/Starcom:_Unknown_Space_Wiki

[Joe Coffee]

If there's anyone from the development team taking note for suggestions, I hope that nukes/MIRVs, "photon/proton" torpedoes (whatever you want to call them to avoid copyright laws from ST/SWs), tractor beams as an offensive weapons, and minelaying are added to the game.

[Gamerzilla]

Missiles start off very good, but get worse and worse as time goes on. They dont stand up well to multiple ships that have tons of plasma weapons.
Fixed guns also start off very good, but get less useful once the games main enemies get a bunch of upgrades and start teleporting all over and firing dozens of missiles or drones at you. I would pick fixed guns, because they are quicker to max out, and they can out-range just about every weapon besides drones and missiles. Be sure to have a couple lasers and/or plasma set to auto and/or use the autotarget key for plasma to take care of those.
Also, keep in mind that you can get a full research reset down the road, so you are not stuck with what you picked permanently.

[Joe Coffee]

The teleporting units need a nerf overhaul on that. And missiles only suck if you don't know the trick, which is firing point-blank range. If you have a tough ship, adequate use of shields, havok, and battlestations, you can outlast super dreadnoughts and just fire shots into the belly of the beast when their shields are down. Same for super stations. I usually go in with 1 t3 plasma, 3 t2 plasma,k 4-5 fgs, 2 sets of missle launchers, 2 lasers, a fighter ship bay, 1 shield, and 2 havoks, and it's go-time fun. For those teleporting f00kheads, I hope to get them within laser range and I try to shoot their engines or warp device when they pass within range or hope they get stupid and turn around to fight. Sometimes they do get stupid and then their @$$ is mine.

If you do use missiles at range, yeah, you're gonna have a bad time. If they have few ships covering each other, then missles might have a field day probably at medium range with multiple warheads. But then again, I spec my ship to be a flying tank so I get close and I pop 'em like zits. :)

[Tok]

Thanks ppl, seems like it isnt just one is better then the other then..

[Fordon]

I've always gone with fixed guns and drones. Getting the enemy to fire their weapons wildly in all directions is useful for survivability. The lategame stations and enemies can be plowed through with your own lategame ship, but if you really, really want to destroy the top tier enemies, you'll want to use drones or missiles to make your shield last longer.

I've found that you're never truly drowning in resources at any point of the game, so drones become the cost-efficient method.

[Tok]

Thanks. Tanking drones sounds good. But they cost rescourses to launch, right?

[Gamerzilla]

Originally posted by Tok:

Thanks. Tanking drones sounds good. But they cost rescourses to launch, right?

It costs to install them on your ship, but nothing to replace them or launch them.

[Rhazer]

Missiles.

[Kunari]

Originally posted by Joe Coffee:

...missles which require uranium as a resource...

Only the version the Nimion give you and that can be swapped in the Systems menu.