Zenith trades - Ion cannons

[hullu]

Aren't they a tad bit on the expensive side? The somewhat useless Mark I is 800k, ok, I can perhaps fathom someone buying one. The somewhat more useful Mark V is just a measly bit more at 130M... 130 million resources...

Has anyone actually ever built one?

[Spikey00]

There used to be a time where they would multiply AI waves on the host local planet--that was removed, hence the price inflation.

[TechSY730]

This has already been discussed at length. I think Chris' opinion was that they should be this mind blowingly, insultingly, nigh-inattainbly expensive. They are mostly on the trader's list for the sake of completeness (read, for the lolz)

[Ozymandiaz]

I built a MK V before prices sky rocked, after raiding the planets around it. I also built all the rest of the ion cannons on the same world, and two OMD .

Right now tho, I can't see it bing built in an ordinary game. I think the MK III is almost too expensive

[hullu]

This has already been discussed at length. I think Chris' opinion was that they should be this mind blowingly, insultingly, nigh-inattainbly expensive. They are mostly on the trader's list for the sake of completeness (read, for the lolz)

Ah ok thanks, I missed that conversation... or wasn't active back then=)

Anyways, I think 130M is a bit over the top... one kill per four seconds is really not that much. Superfortress is way better in almost all aspects(all except energy I'd dare say) and it's a bit (what, 15x?) cheaper...

[TechSY730]

This has already been discussed at length. I think Chris' opinion was that they should be this mind blowingly, insultingly, nigh-inattainbly expensive. They are mostly on the trader's list for the sake of completeness (read, for the lolz)

Ah ok thanks, I missed that conversation... or wasn't active back then=)

Anyways, I think 130M is a bit over the top... one kill per four seconds is really not that much. Superfortress is way better in almost all aspects(all except energy I'd dare say) and it's a bit (what, 15x?) cheaper...

Well, despite the decent threat a Mk. V ion cannon can pose, it is rendered a completely not worth it thanks to the cost. As I mentioned, that was by design.

You know, if the Mk. IV and Mk. V ion cannons are supposed to be a complete joke in terms of cost (and from I can tell, they are supposed to be, and they are even meant to be this overpriced by this insane magnitude), maybe you should remove it from Zenith trader. Right now, and I am serious here, it is an insult for the player to be even offered this effectively worthless option. And as this thread shows, people will continue to complain about it, even if it was stated to be by design.

The Mk. III is VERY pricey too, but feasibly attainable. Therefore, I think it should stay.

[lanstro]

Haven't noticed this recently - Mark V costs 130mil?

Geez, assuming a standard economy with +1000 minerals/crystal per second, that would take 36 hours to build.  Assuming you build nothing else in the meantime.

Seriously?

[TechSY730]

Haven't noticed this recently - Mark V costs 130mil?

Geez, assuming a standard economy with +1000 minerals/crystal per second, that would take 36 hours to build.  Assuming you build nothing else in the meantime.

Seriously?

Exactly, which is why I suggested that it be brought down in cost some. Since that idea was rejected, my number two idea stands. Remove it from the Zenith trader offerings, as right now it is just an insult.

Same thing for the Mk. IV.

The Mk. III is expensive but feasibly attainable IMHO, so keep it.

[hullu]

Agreed, just remove them if they're not meant to be used in any situation.

I just don't understand the rationale behind that. They're not overpowered by any means so why would it be so harmful for players to get them? If they were OP I very much doubt they were capturable...

[TechSY730]

Agreed, just remove them if they're not meant to be used in any situation.

I just don't understand the rationale behind that. They're not overpowered by any means so why would it be so harmful for players to get them? If they were OP I very much doubt they were capturable...

Ya, I don't get this either. Why are you treating these as so OP that players must almost never be able to build them? Thanks to their low fire rate, they aren't actually all that useful, even if the costs were brought down. I can understand inflated costs, but your choice of the unit series to be hit by insane growth in cost (the ion cannons) seems strange, as they aren't really threatening enough to keep out of player's hands.

As it stands now, if anything on the trader's list should be counted as so OP that its nearly impossible to get, it should the superfortress. (That is not an invitation to bring the cost of the superfortress up, of course  )

[Sunshine!]

Just to prove you all wrong, I'm going to go build a Mk5 Ion Cannon now.

Joking aside, multi-homeworld starts, or insane games where you crank up your handicap and the AI's handicap do allow for MkV ion cannons (and may be needed in those kinds of games, whereas a single homeworld start isn't really needing ion cannons).

It's all about options and different play styles, I'd be upset if the MkV ion were removed even though I've never built one.

[BobTheJanitor]

Just to prove you all wrong, I'm going to go build a Mk5 Ion Cannon now.

Get something heavy to rest on the Plus key. Because for some odd reason when you're at +10 time if you hold down the plus button it still moves faster. That's probably a bug, now that I think of it. Anyhow, that's the only way this could be possible. You'd have to buy it, set up your defenses so that you can take anything that comes at you, turn AIP over time to 0, and then leave your computer running for the weekend while you go to the lake or something. By the time you get back, you might just have finished building it.

[Panopticon]

Has/Can/Is it even possible for the AI to buy a MK V Ion Cannon? I've never noticed.

[Sunshine!]

You doubt the power of 350 engineers (approximate cap of mk1-mk3 engineers on 16 planet start), Bob.

[Ozymandiaz]

Just to prove you all wrong, I'm going to go build a Mk5 Ion Cannon now.

Oh, it is possible, but with 126 Mill ion in resources I rather rebuild my entire fleet several times and win the game