Phase or Nuetron?

I always use phase cannons, but was thinking of swiching to nuetron.

Should I? Whats the difference?

Depends on who you're fighting.

Against Voinians, DEFINITELY neutron.
Against Crescent ships, neutron will cut it unless you're dealing with fighters (aka all the time... so use phase).
Against renegades, neutrons work, but I find phase guns VERY effective against Kraits.

Try them out and see which works well for you when, and whether one would be your favorite.

To break down the differences:

Mass: Neutron Turrets are half again as heavy as Phase Turrets, and Neutron Cannons are thrice as heavy as Phase Cannons. This means if you have a limited amount of free mass but plenty of weapon slots, Phase can give you more firepower, but if you have enough free mass to choose either, read on.

Reload: Phase weapons fire significantly faster than Neutron weapons, meaning you can fire more shots quickly, making up for the lesser damage output. Read on.

Damage: Phase weapons deal significant damage to shields, and minimal damage to armor. If you're fighting Voinians this is bad, but if you're fighting Crescent ships it's good. Neutron weapons deal substantial damage to both shields and armor, but they are slow-moving shots.

Speed: Neutron shots are slow, meaning it is difficult to hit fast ships with them. This is especially true of the turret, which is notorious for failing to track fighters properly. Phase cannons move swiftly and the turrets track well, giving them a higher percentage of hits.

Range: Neutron weapons slightly outrange Phase weapons, I believe, but not by much, and due to poor tracking it's difficult to hit things at max range, unless you're Monty-Pythoning with cannons, in which case you probably have a fast ship without the space for Neutron guns anyway.

Miscellaneous: There are Swivel Phase Cannons whose partial-tracking abilities and low mass requirements make them excellent for fighters, especially Azdaras, but also for the Shuttle when you're doing the Destroy the Rock mission solo. I can't remember if Neutron weapons have knockback, but I know that Phase weapons don't.

Other: Real pilots use Blaze weaponry! ... or Emalgha weaponry. Those kick ass against the Voinians even more than Phase kicks ass in the Crescent.

In the end it comes down to what you want to do. If you're in the Crescent, use Phase. If you're not, don't. If you want a multipurpose loadout, mix it up. A Phase Turret, a Blaze Turret, a Neutron Turret and an Emalgha Turret make for some serious versatility.

Hmm... maybe I should make a spreadsheet of Override ammoless weapons?

Just make it available in HTML.

Qaanol, on Oct 7 2005, 10:24 AM, said:

Range: Neutron weapons slightly outrange Phase weapons, I believe, but not by much, and due to poor tracking it's difficult to hit things at max range, unless you're Monty-Pythoning with cannons, in which case you probably have a fast ship without the space for Neutron guns anyway.View Post

Phase weaps are faster, and based on usage, I think have a longer range, despite what the specs say. Could just be an illusion, too. I usually try them all out, and whichever is the most efficient in an expedient amount of time goes on my ship. I like your idea about using a combination of Phase, Neutron and Emalgha. I never used Blaze weaps at all, the aliens have way better technology.

Quote

Hmm... maybe I should make a spreadsheet of Override ammoless weapons?

Ysplzthx.

Also, get a pre-1998 Power Mac and put system 7 on it. Your ranges will increase to the level of the AI.

"Increase"? On OS 9 I'm pretty sure my range is the same as the AI's, and also the AI doesn't take advantage of it's full range, and I can force combat to move in a particular direction, facilitation Monty-Pythoning, with weapon ranges extended behind me and shortened toward me, so my Shuttle's Blaze Cannon can chip away at the Voinian Dreadnought, which won't even return fire. And you say OS 7 will exacerbate this? Hmm...

I'll get started on the spreadsheet when I get home. The reason I don't want to include ammoful projectiles is the fact that, while DPS increases with multiple launchers, total time to launch all shots decreases, and the sum of the damage dealt is dependent only on the amount of ammo. Obviously more DPS is preferable, both to expediate combat and also because of enemies' recharge rates, but it just get's messy. So ammoless it shall be. No beams either, just because I say say.

Off the top of my head there's,

Blaze Cannon
Blaze Turret
Phase Cannon
Swivel Phase Cannon
Rear Phase Cannon
Phase Turret
Forklift
Neutron Cannon
Neutron Turret
Enhanced Neutron Turret
Emalgha Cannon
Emalgha Turret
Disco Machine Gun

I'll check the data files to make sure I don't miss any though. I'm using EV Override 1.0.2, so all the info should be up to date.

I'm comparing system 7.5.5 to OS 8.6 and 9.0.x.

To demonstrate the difference, try trading shots with a Krait.

Thanks!

The Apple Cřre, on Oct 7 2005, 12:27 PM, said:

Also, get a pre-1998 Power Mac and put system 7 on it. Your ranges will increase to the level of the AI.View Post

I have a 7600/132 PowerPC running OS8, would that work?

EDIT: Qaanol, you included the Forklift? I think the list should contain game standards only, not cheats. IMNHO.

This post has been edited by wondergirl : 08 October 2005 - 01:07 AM

Qaanol, on Oct 7 2005, 09:42 PM, said:

Forklift
View Post

Is it also possible to get the Forklift in the Override conversion for Nova?

wondergirl: Nope. Gotta be 7.x.

Ah well. I'm happy with the game the way it is on OSX, so it's really not a biggy.

The Apple Cřre, on Oct 7 2005, 11:20 PM, said:

I'm comparing system 7.5.5 to OS 8.6 and 9.0.x.

To demonstrate the difference, try trading shots with a Krait.
View Post

On OS 9 it depends what direction they're moving. If I'm moving toward the enemy my shots are shorter, if I'm moving away, they're longer. I believe it's because weapons speeds are relative to the "ether" rather than the firing ship, though it might also have to do with an AI reluctance to fire if it doesn't think its shots will hit.

wondergirl, on Oct 8 2005, 02:03 AM, said:

I have a 7600/132 PowerPC running OS8, would that work?
EDIT: Qaanol, you included the Forklift? I think the list should contain game standards only, not cheats. IMNHO.
View Post

Every ammoless projectile in the game. I'm even including the Plasma Siphon, which is not technically ammoless.

Frequency 245, on Oct 8 2005, 03:00 AM, said:

Is it also possible to get the Forklift in the Override conversion for Nova?
View Post

Not in the usual way. In fact, I don't even think Override 1.0.2 let's you get the Forklift without cheating.

Frequency 245, on Oct 8 2005, 07:00 AM, said:

Is it also possible to get the Forklift in the Override conversion for Nova?
View Post

Hm, I have an idea of how to add it as an easter egg in the update...
Without looking at a spreadsheet of the data files only people like Qaanol would ever find it. :cryptic grin:

This post has been edited by Guy : 13 October 2005 - 10:46 PM

What's the big fireball gun the Igadzra give to combat Azdaras called?

That's a plasma siphon.

Qaanol included the Plasma Siphon in his spreadsheet.

Oh. :mellow: That's what I get for not reading the whole thread, sorry.