Editing Direct Fire Weapons

= Direct Fire Weapons =

== Lasers ==
Lasers are direct‑fire energy weapons that use a focal lens to concentrate power into a damaging beam. Laser performance is determined by four primary technologies: focal size (damage and HS), wavelength (range retention), capacitor recharge rate (rate of fire), and reduced‑size modifications (compact but slower‑firing variants).

=== Laser Focal Size ===
Laser Focal Size determines the calibre of the laser. Larger focal sizes increase base damage and effective range, but also increase size (HS) and power requirements. Power requirement equals the base damage, so larger lasers fire more slowly unless supported by sufficient capacitor recharge technology.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Focal Size !! 10cm !! 12cm !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 50cm !! 60cm !! 70cm !! 80cm
|-
! Size (HS)
| 10 || 12 || 15 || 20 || 25 || 30 || 35 || 40 || 50 || 60 || 70 || 80
|-
! Base Damage
| 3 || 4 || 6 || 10 || 16 || 24 || 32 || 40 || 64 || 96 || 128 || 168
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Laser Wavelength ===
Laser Wavelength determines how well a laser retains damage over distance. Higher wavelengths lose less power with range, allowing lasers to inflict more damage at long distances. Wavelength does not affect base damage, only range performance.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Wavelength !! Infrared !! Visible Light !! Near Ultraviolet !! Ultraviolet !! Far Ultraviolet !! Soft X-Ray !! X-Ray !! Far X-Ray !! Extreme X-Ray !! Near Gamma Ray !! Gamma Ray !! Far Gamma Ray
|-
! Range Modifier
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12
|-
! RP Cost
| 500 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 16,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Reduced Size Lasers ===
Reduced‑size lasers remove part of the recharging mechanism to reduce component size. This dramatically increases recharge time, reducing rate of fire. These variants are useful when space is limited and rate of fire is less critical.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Reduction !! Standard (1.0) !! 0.75 Size !! 0.5 Size
|-
! Recharge Multiplier
| 1 || 4 || 20
|-
! RP Cost
| 1 || 5,000 || 15,000
|}

== Particle Beams ==
Particle Beams are mid‑range direct‑fire energy weapons that fire a concentrated stream of high‑energy particles. Unlike lasers and plasma carronades, particle beams suffer **no damage drop‑off across their entire range band**, making them extremely effective at medium ranges. Their drawbacks are higher power requirements and shorter maximum range compared to lasers. Particle beam performance is determined by two primary technologies: **beam strength** (damage) and **maximum range**.

=== Particle Beam Strength ===
Particle Beam Strength determines the damage inflicted by a particle beam. Higher strengths increase component size, power requirement, and research cost. Particle beams use a **gradient‑2** damage profile, meaning they penetrate armor less effectively than mesons or lances but still deliver consistent internal damage once armor is breached.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Particle Beam Strength !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 6 !! 9 !! 12 !! 16 !! 20 !! 25 !! 36 !! 50
|-
! Size (HS)
| 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6
|-
! Power Requirement
| 5 || 7 || 10 || 15 || 22 || 30 || 40 || 48 || 64 || 90 || 125
|-
! RP Cost
| 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Particle Beam Maximum Range ===
Maximum Particle Beam Range determines the farthest distance at which particle beams can fire. Particle beams do **full damage at any range**, but their maximum range is significantly shorter than lasers. Increasing range allows particle‑armed ships to engage earlier and avoid closing to dangerous distances.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Max Range (km) !! 60,000 !! 100,000 !! 150,000 !! 200,000 !! 240,000 !! 320,000 !! 400,000 !! 500,000 !! 640,000 !! 800,000 !! 1,000,000 !! 1,200,000
|-
! Range Tier
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 120,000 || 240,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Particle Lance Modification ===
Particle Lances are a modification to particle beams that convert them into **extreme armor‑penetration weapons**. Lances deal **straight‑line penetration**, ignoring gradient damage and punching through a number of armor layers equal to their strength. They are devastating against unshielded or lightly shielded targets but have long recharge times and are ineffective against strong shields.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Technology !! RP Cost !! Description
|-
| Particle Lance || 30,000 || Enables the Particle Lance modification, allowing particle beams to penetrate armor in a straight line equal to their strength.
|-
| Lance Modifiers || — || ×2 Size, ×2 HTK, ×2 Crew, ×2.5 Power Requirement, ×3 Cost, ×2 Development Cost of the like Particle Beam
|}

== Meson Cannons ==
Meson Cannons fire exotic particles that bypass shields and armor entirely, striking internal components directly. Mesons always deal **exactly 1 point of internal damage per hit**, regardless of focal size. Larger focal sizes do not increase damage; instead, they increase component size (HS) and reduce the Armor Reduction (AR) percentage. AR determines the chance that a meson hit is negated before reaching internal systems. Lower AR values mean more reliable internal hits. Meson performance is determined by **focal size** (HS and AR%) and **meson focusing** (range).

=== Meson Focal Size ===
Meson Focal Size determines the calibre of the meson cannon. Larger focal sizes increase HS and reduce the Armor Reduction (AR) percentage, improving the chance that the meson particle reaches internal components. All meson cannons deal **1 internal damage per hit**, so focal size affects only survivability, tracking, and penetration reliability—not damage.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Focal Size !! 10cm !! 12cm !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 50cm !! 60cm !! 70cm !! 80cm
|-
! Size (HS)
| 3 || 4 || 6 || 10 || 16 || 24 || 32 || 40 || 64 || 96 || 128 || 168
|-
! Armor Reduction (AR %)
| 40% || 32% || 25% || 20% || 16% || 12.5% || 10% || 8% || 6.4% || 5% || 4% || 3.2%
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Meson Focusing ===
Meson Focusing determines the maximum range of meson cannons. Mesons have extremely short base ranges, and each level of focusing provides only a modest increase. Higher focusing levels are essential for making mesons viable outside point‑blank combat.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Focusing Level !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12
|-
! Max Range (km)
| 10,000 || 20,000 || 30,000 || 40,000 || 50,000 || 60,000 || 70,000 || 80,000 || 90,000 || 100,000 || 110,000 || 120,000
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 120,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

== High‑Power Microwaves ==
High‑Power Microwaves (HPMs) are electronic‑warfare beam weapons that disable enemy sensors, fire controls, and other electronics. HPMs always deal **exactly 1 point of electronic damage per hit**, regardless of focal size. Larger focal sizes increase component size (HS) and improve the chance of inflicting electronic damage, but do not increase damage amount. HPMs cannot penetrate armor and are only effective once armor has been stripped away. Their performance is determined by **focal size** (HS and hit reliability) and **microwave focusing** (range).

=== Microwave Focal Size ===
Microwave Focal Size determines the calibre of the HPM emitter. Larger focal sizes increase HS and improve the likelihood of successfully inflicting electronic damage on the target. All HPMs deal **1 electronic damage per hit**, so focal size affects only hit reliability and component size—not damage.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Focal Size !! 10cm !! 12cm !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 50cm !! 60cm !! 70cm !! 80cm
|-
! Size (HS)
| 3 || 4 || 6 || 10 || 16 || 24 || 32 || 40 || 64 || 96 || 128 || 168
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

=== Microwave Focusing ===
Microwave Focusing determines the maximum range of HPM weapons. Microwaves have very short base ranges, and each level of focusing increases their effective engagement distance. Higher focusing levels are essential for allowing HPM‑equipped ships to disable enemy electronics before entering lethal weapons range.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Focusing Level !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12
|-
! Max Range (km)
| 10,000 || 20,000 || 30,000 || 40,000 || 50,000 || 60,000 || 70,000 || 80,000 || 90,000 || 100,000 || 110,000 || 120,000
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 15,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 120,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

== Plasma Carronades ==
Plasma Carronades are short‑range, high‑damage energy weapons that fire a shallow‑gradient plasma bolt. They have significantly higher base damage than lasers of similar size but suffer from extremely poor range performance. Carronades are ideal for brawling ships, point‑blank assaults, and ambush tactics where closing to knife‑fight distance is possible. Their only research‑driven attribute is calibre, which determines size, damage, and power requirement.

=== Carronade Calibre ===
Carronade Calibre determines the maximum size of plasma carronades that can be constructed. Larger calibres dramatically increase damage output but also increase component size (HS) and power requirement. Carronades cannot be turreted but can be mounted as spinal weapons.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Calibre !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 50cm !! 60cm !! 70cm !! 80cm !! 100cm
|-
! Size (HS)
| 15 || 20 || 25 || 30 || 35 || 40 || 50 || 60 || 70 || 80 || 100
|-
! Base Damage
| 15 || 20 || 25 || 30 || 35 || 40 || 50 || 60 || 70 || 80 || 100
|-
! RP Cost
| 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 16,000 || 32,000 || 64,000 || 125,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000 || 2,000,000
|}

== Railguns ==
Railguns are kinetic direct‑fire weapons that accelerate multiple projectiles using electromagnetic rails. They fire a burst of several low‑damage shots simultaneously, giving them excellent performance against lightly armored targets and missiles. Their drawbacks are short range, poor armor penetration, and high vulnerability to armor due to low per‑shot damage. Railgun performance is determined by two technologies: **railgun calibre** (damage, HS, and number of projectiles) and **launch velocity** (range).

=== Railgun Calibre ===
Railgun Calibre determines the size of the weapon, the number of projectiles fired per shot, and the total damage output. All railguns fire **four projectiles**, each dealing a fraction of the total listed damage. Because each projectile has low individual damage, railguns struggle against armor but excel at shredding unarmored targets and incoming missiles.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Calibre !! 10cm !! 12cm !! 15cm !! 20cm !! 25cm !! 30cm !! 35cm !! 40cm !! 45cm !! 50cm
|-
! Size (HS)
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 7 || 9 || 12 || 16 || 20
|-
! Total Damage (4 shots)
| 3 || 6 || 9 || 12 || 15 || 21 || 27 || 36 || 48 || 60
|-
! Damage per Shot
| 0.75 || 1.5 || 2.25 || 3 || 3.75 || 5.25 || 6.75 || 9 || 12 || 15
|-
! Shots per Salvo
| 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,500 || 5,000 || 7,500 || 10,000 || 20,000 || 40,000 || 60,000 || 120,000 || 240,000
|}

=== Railgun Launch Velocity ===
Railgun Launch Velocity determines the muzzle velocity of railgun projectiles. Higher velocities increase maximum range and improve hit chance at long distances. Launch velocity functions similarly to laser wavelength: each tier increases effective range and reduces damage falloff.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Velocity (km/s) !! 10,000 !! 20,000 !! 30,000 !! 40,000 !! 50,000 !! 60,000 !! 70,000 !! 80,000 !! 90,000
|-
! Range Modifier
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,000 || 2,500 || 5,000 || 7,500 || 10,000 || 20,000 || 40,000 || 120,000 || 240,000
|}

== Gauss Cannons ==
Gauss Cannons are rapid‑fire kinetic weapons that use magnetic acceleration to launch small projectiles at extremely high velocity. They require **no power**, have **no capacitor**, and can be mounted in **turrets**, making them ideal for point‑defense (PD) and anti‑missile roles. Their performance is determined by three technologies: **rate of fire**, **launch velocity**, and **size vs accuracy** (barrel size trade‑offs).

=== Gauss Cannon Rate of Fire ===
Rate of Fire determines how many shots a Gauss Cannon fires every 5 seconds. Higher ROF dramatically increases point‑defense effectiveness, especially when mounted in multi‑barrel turrets. This is the single most important Gauss technology for PD performance.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! ROF (shots / 5 sec) !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 8
|-
! RP Cost
| 1,500 || 5,000 || 15,000 || 45,000 || 135,000 || 750,000
|}

=== Gauss Cannon Launch Velocity ===
Launch Velocity determines the muzzle velocity of Gauss projectiles. Higher velocities improve accuracy at long range and increase maximum engagement distance. This is especially important for STO Gauss turrets and long‑range PD platforms.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Velocity (km/s) !! 10,000 !! 20,000 !! 30,000 !! 40,000 !! 50,000 !! 60,000
|-
! Range Modifier
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6
|-
! RP Cost
| 500 || 1,500 || 5,000 || 15,000 || 45,000 || 135,000
|}

=== Gauss Cannon Size vs Accuracy ===
Gauss Cannons can be built in a variety of barrel sizes. Smaller barrels reduce HS size but also reduce accuracy. Larger barrels increase accuracy but consume more hull space. This tech line determines the available size/accuracy trade‑offs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Barrel Size (HS) !! 0.5 HS !! 0.6 HS !! 0.75 HS !! 1.0 HS !! 1.5 HS !! 2 HS !! 3 HS !! 4 HS !! 5 HS !! 6 HS
|-
! Accuracy
| 8% || 10% || 12.5% || 17% || 25% || 33% || 50% || 67% || 85% || 100%
|-
! RP Cost
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10
|}

=== Energy Weapon Mounts ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Technology !! RP Cost !! Description
|-
| Spinal Mount || 5,000 || Allows one energy weapon per ship to be designated as a spinal mount. Can be up to two sizes larger than the normal maximum size for that race.
|-
| Spinal Mount – Advanced || 20,000 || Allows one energy weapon per ship to be designated as an advanced spinal mount. Can be up to three sizes larger than the normal maximum size for that race.
|}


=== Turret Rotation Gear (10% Gear) ===
Turret Rotation Gear determines the maximum tracking speed of turrets using gear equal to 10% of the weapon’s mass. Higher levels increase the maximum target speed the turret can track. Using 2× or 3× gear multiplies the tracking speed accordingly.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Tracking Speed (km/s) !! 1,250 !! 2,000 !! 3,000 !! 4,000 !! 5,000 !! 6,250 !! 8,000 !! 10,000 !! 12,500 !! 16,000 !! 20,000 !! 25,000
|-
! RP Cost
| 500 || 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 16,000 || 30,000 || 60,000 || 120,000 || 250,000 || 500,000 || 1,000,000
|}


== Research Fields ==
* [[Biology and Genetics]]
* [[Construction and Production]]
* [[Defensive Systems]]
* [[Direct Fire Weapons]]
* [[Ground Research|Ground Combat]]
* [[Logistics]]
* [[Missile Research|Missiles]]
* [[Power and Propulsion]]
* [[Sensors and Control Systems]]

[[Category:Research]]