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Originally Posted by ExplorerBob
The simplest, and most direct change is to try to improve their basic durability. ...
A more reasonable idea would be to increase the missile reload rate, ...
Likewise, you could improve missile speed, ...
Missiles could simply be made unshootable, ...
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I think the list of options available to improve missiles is
at least:
- Smaller missiles (fewer random impacts with other projectiles, improved performance against slower point-defense)
- Faster missiles (less time to react, less time in "kill zone" of point defense)
- Multi-stage missiles with multiple warheads (like the Multi-missile, some warhead might be missed)
- Multi-stage missiles that just "jink" to come in at wider angles (like my Ambush missile or Phlagm's superior Zorg missile)
- Faster reload speeds (like my Jackhammer missiles, has similar advantages to Multi-warhead approach)
- Higher damage output per missile (so it overwhelms shields if anything gets through)
- Increased missile range (they'll at least have a shot at hitting sooner, and get a couple more volleys off per battle; but it's of no benefit at overcoming manual anti-missile fire)
- Unshootable missiles (though as you mentioned this makes point-defense guns irrelevant, and also washes out the "flavor" of being a missile)
- Decreased cost value of missiles to reflect their poor performance
- Fewer or rarer point-defense guns (especially removing the default one that all normal Terran player starting ships have)
- Fewer or rarer energy beams
- Eliminating energy beams and/or point-defense entirely
- Longer reload cycles on energy beams (so there'll be gaps in the coverage)
- Shorter ranges for energy beams
- Fewer or rarer targeting computers
- Larger fleets, or more weapons per ship (similar to reload speeds or multi-warhead, it just hopes to provide too much incoming fire to shoot it all down)
- Better mix of weapon types on AI ships (so formations or commands designed to shoot down missiles might be vulnerable to other weaponry)
- Disabling the "Fire" button much as you did to the "Retreat" button.
Probably, some mix of the above is needed. I doubt any one change will handle all the potential issues with missiles as they exist now. I've implemented some of the above in my mods already. A few of those ideas I haven't touched on at all though, and some I'm not sure I'd be willing to do unless making a totally new mod based around it.