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Human Large Weapons
01. Vortex Bomb Information about Large Weapons There are no ratings for Large Weapons, only descriptions. Each Large Weapon has unique effects that are completely different from the other Large Weapons. As a result, there are different situations where each Large Weapon is useful. One thing is worth noting though: once you use a Large Weapon, it's gone. It does not restock when you pick up "A" or "AA" drops, and it does not restock when you enter a new sector. You must return to a Station or Substation and buy a new one. In addition, all Large Weapons affect both enemies and allies equally. You can very easily kill your friends with these weapons. So use them carefully... Vortex Bomb
The vortex remains open for about 10 seconds, then closes. The ship that dropped the Vortex Bomb is immune to the vortex and won't be affected by the vortex gravity. However, as the vortex is closing, it will collapse explosively, destroying any ship coming within about 300 distance of the vortex. So, if you have images in your head of going in and collecting all the bonus drops from the pile of ships you killed, keep clear until that collapse happens! It is all too easy to kill yourself with a Vortex Bomb in its final second. The Vortex Bomb is probably the first or second most commonly used human Large Weapon due to its excellent qualities against large numbers of alien ships, particularly AI alien ambushes in Single Player sectors. It is relatively cheap at 3000 money, and nearly always pays for itself in the numbers of ships killed by it if it's used intelligently. In particular, if you're facing an AI ambush of a large number of slow alien ships such as Defenders and Freighters, the Vortex Bomb will more than easily pay for itself in destroying these annoying, sometimes difficult to kill targets. However, the Vortex Bomb is also the easiest Large Weapon to escape the effects of. Ships on boosters or the Engine Overdrive Utility will easily outrun it, and ships using Field Hoppers or Teleport Discs will jump out of its area of effect. In particular, alien players in MP sectors will have very little difficulty escaping the effects of a Vortex Bomb, so it's not the best choice for use in MP sectors. Note that a ship has to be in full contact with the vortex to take damage. It's quite common to see ships in MP sectors just outside the vortex, putting full thrust into boosters and not going anywhere as their boosters and the gravity from the vortex neutralize each other. As a result, you may feel free to delay them with EMP effects or hit them with other weapons while they're relatively motionless and distracted by the vortex... Back to topPhoton Compression Bomb
The Photon Compression Bomb is so effective, in fact, that a description of one of my tests will do a good job of illustrating it. I have noticed that if you are active in a Threat 1 sector, the game appears to put a limit of eight enemies in that sector at any given time. No new enemies will spawn until you've cut the number of enemies below eight. However, if you are killed and wait a while before respawning, this limit seems to be increased to 20 (a bug in the game, perhaps?). So, I decided to enter a Threat 1 sector with a PCB, allow myself to be killed deliberately with no Bounty, and see if I could kill all 20 enemies in the sector with a single PCB. I entered the sector and got myself killed by a Conqueror, then left the room for a while. Later, I respawned. An enemy Drone with a Photon Bomb launcher was nearby, launched a Photon Bomb and killed itself with it when I flew too close. It dropped 11 "extra" Bounty and I picked that up, so 19 enemies remained. Note my Bounty and number of kills in that screen shot. I dropped the PCB, activated Engine Overdrive and Rapid Shield Recharger, and orbited the herd for 10 seconds, taking many hits. Then the Photon Compression Bomb detonated (this is my favorite of the many screenshots I've taken in Starfighter). I immediately earned 16 kills and 10,115 Bounty. I was also struck by an EMP Torpedo, then heard an Ultra EMP Bomb go off. I heard two additional enemies explode (though not by my hands, probably by enemy mines dropped where they fell into them). When the EMP wore off, there was one enemy left, and that enemy was more than 7000 distance away. If that doesn't show you the power of the PCB, nothing will. The Photon Compression Bomb has only one downside, but it's a major one: it costs 13,000 money! This makes it -- far and away -- the most expensive human Weapon of any type. Like all Large Weapons, the PCB is lost after it is used and must be purchased again. Even under ideal conditions, it is unlikely that you're going to make back your investment in this weapon. In large gang wars, it will likely kill just as many allies as enemies. As a result, is a rarely-used Large Weapon, generally only deployed when the player wants to have a little fun with one. It is a great deal of fun, though... ;-) Back to topThunder Bomb
In its normal, non-buggy incarnation, the Thunder Bomb attacks every ship within a very large radius with a Thunder Bolt attack. However, I am not currently able to test the non-buggy incarnation of this Large Weapon. This entry will be updated when I can. In the meantime, do not use this Large Weapon and you can safely charge AI opponents you see using it without much fear. The Thunder Bomb takes about two seconds to arm itself before "detonating", making it the second quickest Large Weapon after the Plasma Relay. After it has detonated, it remains on the battlefield for ten additional seconds, but does not appear to do anything or have any game effect during this time. Back to topUltra EMP Bomb
As effective as the Ultra EMP Bomb is in Single Player sectors, it is even more so in Multiplayer. Few ships in these sectors will be carrying an Ultra EMP Bomb or expect one to be used. Some players may scoff at it, or even remain in a battle despite it being dropped, fixated on killing you before the bomb goes off. If you can remain alive for the ten additional seconds it takes for the Ultra EMP Bomb to detonate, the tables will suddenly turn and you will have these aggressive opponents at a major disadvantage. It is an even more effective weapon if you're being mobbed in MP sectors by a large cooperative gang. An Ultra EMP Bomb dropped among them will, at best, affect a large number of them and, at worst, will cause the gang to scatter in all directions as they try to escape it, making it much easier for you to isolate and destroy one of its members. As a result, despite the lack of respect the Ultra EMP Bomb gets, I consider it one of the better Large Weapon choices, and the only viable choice for the Medusa. Despite the fact that it does no direct damage to your enemies, it will allow you to take the initiative against large groups of them. It is also the only Large Weapon that will not damage allies. The Ultra EMP Bomb will not disappoint you. Back to topPlasma Relay
With that kind of power, it isn't hard to understand why the Plasma Relay is so popular. It's particularly popular in Multiplayer sectors as a way to destroy the toughest opponents. Adherents to this strategy will pepper a strong target with guided and unguided attacks until their Shields are somewhat weakened, then hit them with the relay. This strategy is nearly always effective. Of course, the Plasma Relay is not without its faults. It has the shortest range of any Large Weapon, and the most confined area. While some players use it against AI ambushes in Single Player sectors, it is not nearly as effective there as some of the other Large Weapons, particularly the Vortex Bomb. It takes a great deal of skill and luck to use it properly, and is relatively easy for alien Starfighter players in Multiplayer sectors to circumvent. It will only fire in the 20 degree arc ahead of your ship, so it will be fairly easy for experienced players to stay out of that arc -- in fact, the most experienced Starfighter players won't come anywhere near the front of your ship if they suspect you're carrying a relay. And since relays are so common, avoiding a head-to-head confrontation has become almost a religion in Starfighter MP sectors... Still, the Plasma Relay is a powerful weapon, and linked to the ship's other weapons or an overall strategy, it can be nearly unavoidable. There's probably nothing worse for an experienced Starfighter MP player to be EMP'ed, only to have the front end of a human Admiral Class Warship inevitably swing around for the kill... Back to top
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