The problem is the way Ares capital ships are designed. You can take on almost any non-Ares capital ship at short range because they have if not blind spots then at least less horribly beweaponed spots.gunship256 wrote:I've noticed this too. I use howitzers to finish the second half of the late game and almost always regret it when I don't. The late game non-howitzers aren't powerful enough to take out a Phobos or an Ares shipyard with all its guards, though some of them may do okay against the ICS.JohnBWatson wrote:Damagetypes higher than ion/thermo have few to no enhancers. This makes it nearly impossible for some of them to compete. While the APC and Iocrym weapons are powerful enough as it is, and the APA can be boosted with a speedloader, other weapons of higher types need a bit of a buff in endgame to compensate for the lack of enhancers.
If we had enhancers or cubes that added fragmentation, radius, tracking, or WMD to level 9 and 10 weapons, that would definitely help. Alternatively, really heavy missiles that are actually available in shops would also do the trick.
The lightning turrets are just too deadly for mid-range omni weapons. They're too long ranged for exploiting the timing to be interesting because you can't get in with a heavy short range weapon and back out between volleys. Especially on the Phobos with its fire rate penalty.
I'd suggest experimenting with different weapon fits for the Phobos. The Deimos is a bit less nasty with its longer gap between volleys, but the weapon may need its fire/recharge cycle stretched out so a Deimos can be hit and run usefully with a short range weapon before the turret reactivates. I'm pretty sure no nerf to the ALT that doesn't render it completely useless will allow a Phobos to be engaged at close range. I'd suggest using micronuke cannons since those have a minimum range.
Also, buff the Ranx DN, either by buffing the Kiloton or by giving it a second or even third. The minimum range makes them good for encouraging short range tactics.