Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares/Power: Difference between revisions

The Power techs appear in the top right part of the Research menu. They are quite a mixed lot: ship speed upgrades, bombs, and various special systems for ships.

==50 RP: Nuclear Fission==

This is a "''general''" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.

;Freighters (50 PP per 5 Freighters; maintenance 0.5 BC per 1 Freighter which is in flight)

;Nuclear Drive

Ship component that moves a ship through interstellar space at 2 parsecs per turn, and in combat by 3-5 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest).  

;Nuclear Bomb

Ship Weapon that can only be used against planets and only at zero range. Does 3 to 12 points of damage, minus whatever the planet's shield may block.<br />Miniaturization: Decreases size and cost.<br />Modifications: none.

==80 RP: Cold Fusion==

This is a "''general''" tech level - even Uncreatives get all the techs.

;Colony Ship (500 PP; maintenance 1 CP or 10 BC)

Ship that can colonize in any system within range, usually systems where you do not already have a colony. Creating a colony completely uses up the Colony Ship. You cannot design Colony Ships, and the game's hard-coded design includes Extended Fuel Tanks, which increases Colony Ships' range by 50%. When the new colony is established, it will have a population of 1. A colony that just completed making a Colony Ship does not lose a population unit.

;Outpost Ship (100 PP; maintenance 1 CP or 10 BC)

Ship whose main use is to extend your other ship's range. Creating an Outpost completely uses up the Outpost Ship. Outposts can be created on Gas Giants and Asteroid Belts as well as on planets. If you colonize a planet on which you have previously created an Outpost, the colony gets free Marine Barracks; this improves the morale of new colonies for Feudalisms and Dictatorships. Note: you cannot land an Outpost Ship on an existing colony; so if you want to use one to provide a Marine Barracks for a new colony, the Outpost Ship must land at least 1 turn earlier than the Colony Ship or Colony Base. You cannot design Outpost Ships, and the game's hard-coded design includes Extended Fuel Tanks, which increases Outpost Ships' range by 50%.

;Transport (100 PP; maintenance 1 CP or 10 BC)

Transport Ships are the only way to invade enemy colonies. Each ship carries a squad of 4 Marines. If the invasion is successful, up to 4 Marines automatically remain on the conquered colony (how many depends on your losses during ground combat). You will usually unload Marines from other Transports, up to a maximum of 1 Marine per 2 colonists (since you land Marines in groups of 4, the result is usually less than 1 Marine per 2 colonists). Placing fewer Marines on a conquered colony greatly increases the risk that the colony will rebel and rejoin the empire that founded it (not necessarily its previous owner), unless that empire has been eliminated. Troop transports whose Marines are unloaded or lost in combat are themselves scrapped but this does not give you any revenue. You cannot design Transports, and the game's hard-coded design ''does not'' include Extended Fuel Tanks; so Transports' range is limited to what is provided by your fuel cell tech (in the Chemistry subject area).

;Fusion Drive

Upgrades ships' speed to 3 parsecs per turn between systems, and 7-9 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest). This upgrade is free and immediate.

;Fusion Bomb

;Augmented Engines

Recommended choice for non-Creatives: Augmented Engines - there are better drives and bombs further up the tech tree, but there's only one Augmented Engines. For blitzkrieg war Fusion Drive is much better choice.

;Ion Drive

Upgrades ships' speed to 4 parsecs per turn between systems, and 9-11 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest). This upgrade is free and immediate.

;Ion Pulse Cannon

;Shield Capacitor

Recommended choice for non-Creatives: depends on your strategy, but Ion Drive is usually best if you chose Augmented Engines rather than Fusion Drive at the previous level of Power tech - unless you intend to research Antimatter Drive very soon; but Antimatter Torpedoes are often an excellent choice at the next level of the Power tech tree. Shield Capacitor is good if you have or intend soon to have Class 3 or better Shields. Ion Pulse Cannon is good in the short term if your opponents cannot research Class 3 Shields because they chose some other tech at that level (you can check this in the Races Screen), but Ion Drive and Shield Capacitor give more lasting benefits in the right conditions.

;Anti-Matter Drive

Upgrades ships' speed to 5 parsecs per turn between systems, and 10-12 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest). This upgrade is free and immediate.

;Anti-Matter Torpedoes  

Ship Weapon that does 25 damage, only fires every other combat turn but, unlike missiles, has unlimited ammunition and can't be shot down by PD weapons. The only defense against torpedoes is ECM Jammers, but non-Creatives seldom research these and Jammers take ship space that many players would prefer to use for other components.<br />Miniaturization: Decreases size and cost.<br />Modifications: (0) none; (1) ECCM, FST; (2) OV, ENV.

;Anti-Matter Bomb

Ship Weapon that can only attack planets and only at zero range (unless you have Transporters, higher up the Power tech tree). Does 5 to 40 points of Damage, less whatever is blocked by the planet's shield.<br />Miniaturization: Decreases size and cost.<br />Modifications: none.

==2750 RP: Matter-Energy Conversion==

;Transporters

;Food Replicators (200 PP; maintenance 10 BC!)

Building that converts 2 production into 1 food when needed. The conversion ratio means that Food Replicators are only usable on highly industrial planets, where using them can actually increase net production if output per worker is very high, but their maintenance cost is absurdly high(which is likely a mistake that was never fixed, since no other building comes close, even buildings that are several times more expensive and a lot more useful).

==3500 RP: High Energy Distribution==

;High Energy Focus

;Energy Absorber

;Megafluxers

Achievement that increases available space on all ships by +25%. Usually halve space in ship is used for defensive equipment, so it's allow you to increase weapon quantity by about 50%.<br />Miniaturization: Not applicable.

==4500 RP: Hyper-Dimensional Fission==

;Proton Torpedo

;Hyper Drive

Upgrades ships' speed to 6 parsecs per turn between systems, and 12-14 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest). This upgrade is free and immediate.

;Hyper-X Capacitors

Ship Special System that enables "beam" weapons to fire twice in a combat turn; but the ship then has to wait 1 combat turn without firing.

Type: Achievement

Upgrades ships' speed to 7 parsecs per turn between systems, and 14-16 squares per combat turn in battles (bigger ships are slowest). This upgrade is free and immediate.

;Plasma Torpedo

;Neutronium Bomb

Best choice for non-Creatives: depends on the situation and your strategy, and this level is not often reached as most competitive games don't last long enough and this is one of the most expensive top levels. If you are not going for "beam" weapons, Plasma Torpedo is excellent. Otherwise Interphased Drive is generally better than Neutronium Bomb: in ''standard MOO II'' you don't need bombs, and  Interphased Drive's amazing combat mobility helps big ships and some high-tech "beam" weapons that do brutal damage but have twice normal dissipation (Plasma Cannon, Mauler Device; see Physics tech tree).

The Power tech tree contains several high-tech weapons and systems that would benefit from further miniaturization, especially if you use torpedoes. But if you use mainly "beam" weapons Hyper-advanced Physics is more beneficial. And Hyper-advanced research in Force Fields is almost always desirable too.