Weapon with +To Hit?

[Loser]

I thought there was such a weapon. I thought it was the Wave - Motion Gun. But I look in Components.txt and I find this.

Name := Wave - Motion Gun III
Description := Long range high intensity fusion beam.
Pic Num := 23
Tonnage Space Taken := 70
Tonnage Structure := 70
Cost Minerals := 800
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 400
Vehicle Type := Ship\Base\Sat\WeapPlat\Drone
Supply Amount Used := 30
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2009
Roman Numeral := 3
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := High-Energy Discharge Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 10
Number of Abilities := 0
Weapon Type := Direct Fire
Weapon Target := Ships\Planets
Weapon Damage At Rng := 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 3
Weapon Display Type := Beam
Weapon Display := 3
Weapon Modifier := 30
Weapon Sound := wavegun.wav
Weapon Family := 9

Is there a weapon that has a better chance of hitting things?

Why did I think it was the Wave - Motion Gun?

What good is the Wave - Motion Gun?

[ December 26, 2003, 14:26: Message edited by: Loser ]

[Alneyan]

Actually isn't the Weapon Modifier = 30 the bonus to hit? I thought it was so, but I may be mistaken. (Fyron?)

[Baron Munchausen]

Yep, 'Weapon Mofidier' is the 'to hit' bonus. All of the 'high energy' weapons have a bonus to hit, don't they? Ripper Beam, Incinerator beam, and Wave-motion Gun should all have bonuses. Many mods give a bonus to Torpedos, too, to simulate their guidance systems.

[ December 26, 2003, 15:03: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[Loser]

Ah, good.

grumbles about Talisman

[Slick]

These are the weapons that have a to-hit bonus (from the FAQ):

2.8.3 Point Defense Cannons (PDC)�s get a 70% to-hit bonus. (components.txt)
2.8.4 Incinerator beams get a 10% to hit bonus. (components.txt)
2.8.5 Wave-motion Guns get a 30% to hit bonus. (components.txt)
2.8.6 High-energy magnifiers get a 30% to hit bonus. (components.txt)
2.8.7 Tachyon canons get a 10% to hit bonus. (components.txt)
2.8.8 Mental singularity generators get at 20% to hit bonus. (components.txt)

Note that none of these bonuses are mentioned in-game.

Slick.

[ December 26, 2003, 16:06: Message edited by: Slick ]

[Loser]

Thanks, Slick. I thought it was in Components.txt as an 'ability' so I was pretty puzzled.

Next Question: the Wave - Motion Gun fires once every three turns, does twice its tonnage in damage (base) at range eight, and in large battles many ships will only Last one turn; is this a worthwhile weapon to use against Talisman-wielding opponents (Research cost unconsidered)?

[Slick]

Here's my opinion:

There is no "best weapon" in the game. Certainly the WMG is useful in certain instances. It has a huge damage advantage but disadvantages in reload time and cost, etc. Weapon choice is only 1 facet of victory. Sensors, hull size, training, fleet size and makeup, strategy, research, intelligence, planet & system defense are all as important. Making a strong economy is also extremely important as is keeping population happy, reproducing and breathing the right atmospheres. The list goes on and on.

If you are facing a Talisman wielding opponent, you certainly must adjust to exploit his weaknesses while covering yours. Once you do this, the Talisman opponent will probably shift to compensate. It is the overall management of your empire and how you seize the advantages and take action on the disadvantages that wins a game. Choice of a particular weapon is actually one of the less important choices.

If you really want to tweak a Talisman killer, use the simulator to fine tune your ships to take out the other guy's ships. Include realistic fleet vs fleet engagements. Try smaller hulls, larger hulls, all that you have at your disposal. If he is the only guy you are worrying about, don't put on any ECM, as it doesn't help. What weapon is he using to "always hit" ??? Exploit that weapon's weaknesses. Tweak your ship & fleet strategies to attack the enemy more effectively.

Lastly, if your opponent has a Talisman, he spent lots of research to get it. You should be farther ahead in other areas. Find out where you have the advantage and push it as far as you can. Surely a Talisman wielding opponent can be formidable, but it won't make up for all the other facets of the game.

Hope this helps.

[edit: One more thing. The Talisman takes up some space on his ships (50 kt?? or something like that). That means he has less room for other things. That means too that you can add more shields on your ships and still field the same number of weapons. He'll be "always hitting" but you will have more shields to compensate. This game is all about move-counter-counter counter, etc.]

Slick.

[ December 27, 2003, 01:07: Message edited by: Slick ]

[Lord Kodos]

A little off topic, but can the Weapon Modifier field handle Negative Numbers? So that in effect some weapons are wildly inaccurate?

[Fyron]

Yes.