ISDF Weapons
A main disadvantage of most ISDF players is that they are too afraid to diversify. For some reason every player sticks with the same customization of the Sabre as everyone else. Well I try to change the weapons every once in a while on my AI tanks because, believe it or not, there are customizations bout there that are better. No way? Yes. The ISDF arsenal is larger than the Scions but lack morph abilities and the good weapons are a ways up the tech tree. ISDF Rocket Tanks are also a unique unit able to hold advanced Rocket types, and the Bull Dog's ER cannon is effective, too.
Cannons
AT-Stabber
Fires a rail-gun type projectile at the enemy by spinning a small chunk of bio-metal to shape and launch it. Standard issue on ISDF Sabre Tanks. The AT (Anti-Tank) stabber is a standard weapon useful for hitting heavily armored units rather than weaker ones. It is much stronger than the minigun, but uses up too much ammo to be useful for killing small, fast moving targets, as the shot doesn't travel exceptionally fast. An AT Stabber can easily take down buildings and extractors, however, making it a useful rush weapon, costing nothing to add to the tank.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Factory
SP-Stabber
Advanced projectile type that heats the bio-metal up before launching producing a similar projectile, but does more explosive damage and travels slower. The SP-Stabber is the strongest Projectile weapon in the ISDF arsenal, making it useful against Scion Warriors that have souped themselves up with Absorbtion Shields. An SP (Super) Stabber is capable of doimg more damage to heavy targets, less to lighter ones due to the explosion caused by the enhanced shot. Remember to aim further ahead, the shot is harder to aim.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Factory
PL-Stabber
The PL (Pulse) Stabber is a mysterious weapon modification of the AT stabber that is effective on solo tanks only. This weapon has devastating capabilities if correctly used. If not, collateral damage can be done to surrounding and even the firing ship of this weapon. The shot does damage like the SP stabber except special "pulses" cause the shot to vibrate violently in the air. These pulses cause massive collateral ENERGY type damage, but the shot itself does normal Projectile damage. The pulses are very effective on buildings, but are best utilized on Heavy vehicles due to the unpredictable splash damage.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory, Service Station
Plasma
This is a popular weapon that instead of a projectile, fires a super-heated ball of plasma similar to Scion's plasma, but with more damage and a slower fire and travel rate. Standard issue on ISDF Assault Tanks. The insanely over-ranged Plasma is the best ranged cannon in the game, giving it the capability to hit Gun Towers. The sheer power of this thing is hard to use in combat, however, so an alternative gun is usually used. The Plasma can penetrate almost any armor type for moderate damage. This weapon was slightly powered down in 1.2.
Range - 200m
All-Purpose
Energy Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory, Service Station
MAG Cannon
Brought back from the old NSDF technology, the MAG cannon uses magnetic fields to suspend a large amount of energy from bio-metal in place, then fires it all at once at an enemy target. The new version of the MAG has eight orbs of energy and the weapon must be charged to use. The more you charge the weapon, the more correlated and powerful the orbs are. The high-intensity Magnetic field used to hold the energy in place will cost you nano-ammo over time, so charging early is not recommended. The fully charged blast, however, is capable of destroying any hover-unit in one fell sweep.
Range - 100m
All-Purpose
Energy Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Tech Centre
Blast Cannon
The blast cannon is selvaged from the old CCA technology in the original Space Race. The power has been melded with ISDF's Flash Cannon and the result bears the name of the original, but is a great deal more powerful. Standard issue in Atilla Walkers. The Blast is a heavy assault weapon using an insane amount of nano-ammo, and dealing insane amounts of damage. The shot is instantaneous, however, and easy to aim. Not particularily effective on light targets due to the ammo usage required, but heavy targets should fear it. Many people overlook the amazing potential of this weapon in a base assault.
Range - 150m
Armor Piercing
Energy Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Tech Centre
Guns
Minigun
A minigun is the standard heavy assault weapon back on Earth. It doesnt amount to much in space, though. Standard issue on ISDF Tanks & Scouts. The minigun is a pretty weak weapon, its only use is really its cheapness in battle. The Minigun can deliver a moderate damage to heavy armored structires, but is quite ineffective and takes a lot of shooting to kill lightly armored units. Customize this weapon as soon as possible. When placed in a turret, the miniguns range is extended to 150m.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Recycler
Chain Gun
The chain gun is an upgrade over the old minigun, Capable of doubling the damage of the minigun at the cost of a bit more ammo, the chain gun was derived from old CCA technology. The chain gun is available fast, so upgrade to this weapon quickly for the best battle efficiency. This is the not the most powerful gun available, but a chain-gun turret sure sounds scary.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Factory
Pummel
A pummel gun fires a spread of minigun rounds in a random direction ahead of the equipped unit an short range. The rounds will do normal damage, but the closer you are to your target, the more damage will be done. Especially effective on large units or buildings that can catch all the rounds when fired. The ammo is especially consumed during this attack. Each gun fires 5 rounds per burst shot. The ammo usage has been jacked way up for 1.2, so pummels no longer endure as long as they used to. Be close to service!!!
Range - 25m Optimal
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory, Service Station
Laser
Standard light laser weapon using an instantaneous burst fire. Standard issue on ISDF Atilla Walkers. The laser is especially effective on light targets like Scouts. Equipped on a scout, the speed and powerful anti-hovertank fire can do a great deal of damage while staying well away from the enemy fire range. This weapon works best at any range due to the instantaneous fire like the blast cannon. I recommend this weapon to the pilots who can actually aim. When placed in a turret, the laser becomes rapid-fire and the range is reduced to 100m. Laser ammo usage has been drastically increased in 1.2.
Range - 125m
Explosive Fire
Energy Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory, Service Station
Rockets
FAF Missile
The FAF is a simple heat seeking missile that does not require a target lock. Standard issue on the Thunderbolt Scout. The FAF is a hard-to-use missile, but is deadly in the hands of a skilled Faf'er. The FAFs have the ability to turn corners to "chase" the enemy, but it only travels 150m making it a poor choice unless at medium range from the target. They are heat-seeking, so are easily attracted by decoy mines and flares. It can be morphed into the Hornet Rocket.
Range - 150m
Explosive Fire
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Hornet Rocket
A Hornet is the most powerful Heat-seeking missile, but requires a Heavy-Rocket hardpoint to use. It can also be morphed (if you can steal one as Scion) from the FAF. The Hornet has a very long range and can be safely used out of a gun tower's range. The Hornet IS a heat-seeking missile, but is not deterred by flares and decoys. Establishing a missile lock will track the target unerringly, but decoys can mess up the locking procedure. Do not overlook this weapon, as the AI will safely use in Rocket Tanks.
Range - 250m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
TAG Cannon
The TAG cannon is a different locking system than most missiles. Standard issue on the Avenger Missile Scout. The TAG fires a homing round (costing minimal ammo) and if the homing round hits the target, a spread of five AP missiles fire towards the target. The missiles arent very powerful, but the lock is the most stable one available, as it does not require a radar signature or a heat signature. The missile is not useful in later combat stages, but is morphable into the Comet Cruise missile.
Range - 100m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Comet Cruise
The Comet Cruise missile is a terrain-adapting missile that can lock on to any target as long as its radar signature is available. This missile requires a positive target lock as well as the normal missile lock, but once locked (slowly) the missile travels towards the target with impending death. The missile can be shot down in mid-flight, but it is hard to detect. Base defenses can easily destroy Comet Cruises, so they are best left to attacking Tanks who cannot detect them until it is too late.
Range - Infinite
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Shadower Missile
Flarius' Favorite missile. This weapon has the ability to do tremendous damage on a target nearby, but requires a positive visual lock. Standard issue on the Rocket Tank. This means that smaller targets lock slower, larger ones faster, and invisible ones not at all. The missiles are very powrful for their ammo cost and a missile scout can equip two of them dealing great amounts of damage to targets. Do not underestimate or overlook this missile as it can be very helpful against plasma tanks. Can be morphed into the Salvo.
Range - 200m
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Salvo
A salvo is fired in waves of ten dumb-fire rocket useful for attacking swarms of light units. The Salvo is particularily useless against buildings, but can deliver a lot of damage to nearby units where it is easy to aim them. Standard issue for the Rocket Tank. Salvoes should be saved for easy targets that it is difficult to lock on to in short range. The shots are also dangerously uncorrelated. Beware when using around your own units as they tend to deviate from the actual fire vector a bit.
Range - 200m
Explosive Fire
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Mortars
Mortar
Fires a large bomb via a rocket delivery system. Due to the mass of the bomb, it can only travel about 200m at maximum tracjectory, plus elevation bonusses. Standard issue on ISDF Sabre Tanks. The mortar is excellent for attacking over hills or at approaching enemy tanks, but is primarily usable on buildings. The best mortar trajectory would be aimed 45 degrees up, and at the top trajectory, a mortar will fly 170m exactly with no elevation modifications. Use this guideline when mortaring turrets. Detonates on contact.
Range - 170m Optimal
Armor Piercing
Mortar Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Factory
MDM Mortar
A modification to the standard mortar allows this mortar to detonate on command by the equipped unit. An MDM (Manual Detonation Mine) will detonate when in contact with a moblile unit, but if the mortar misses its target, the reticle will turn red and the tank can "fire" again to detonate the weapon. Best used as a trap for approaching enemies, but is even more effective when the enemy is hit with the mortar, as it is especially effective on light targets as opposed to the normal mortar. This mortar is lighter than a standard and is capable of bouncing, thus achieving larger distances up to 300m.
Range - 250m Optimal
All-Purpose
Mortar Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Splinter
A powerful modification of the standard mortar. A Splinter does not detonate like normal mortars, but lands of the ground, secures itself, then fires a spray of shrapnel all around it for a long period of time, severely hurting clustered units and buildings. Splinters are painful weapons, but cost a lot of ammo. A standard tank can use 3 before running out of ammo. An assault tank can do well with these mortars, as two of them is deadly to weaker units. There is a slight priming time, so the weapon is quite slow.
Range - 170m Optimal
Armor Piercing
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Factory
Mines & Specials
Phantom VIR
Diffracts light around the equipped ship. The Phantom VIR will render tthe equipped ship invisible to visual contact. For this reason, it is harder to hit an invisible target and being invisible disables visual missile locks (Shadower). The user of this special is also visible to radar, however, so radar targetting can allow an enemy to see you easier, and gun towers will still acquire you.
Range - Ship
No Damage Type
Cloaking Device
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
RED Field
Jams radar contact to the equipped ship. Enabling the RED field eliminates your image from any enemy radar. You are still able to be seen and shot at, but radar-targetted missiles cannot target you, and gun towers will not fire upon you until you are seen by them first. You also cannot be targetted with the "t" key while this device is on.
Range - Ship
No Damage Type
Cloaking Device
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
MITS Mine
An extremely powerful magnet, also called the catcher's mitt or the Mag-mine. This mine will attract projectiles into the mine as they fire over its range. The mine emits a large magnetic bubble of which, any projectiles flying through the bubble are sucked into the mine itself. It attracts all projectile weapons (none energy) and units inside the bubble can safely fire out without the projectile being attracted. A MITS mine can also attract small hovercraft, causing them to get stuck in the mine: an easy kill.
Range - Mine
No Damage Type
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
M-Curtain
A powerful magnet derived from the Space race against the CCA. The Mag-Curtain creates a large magnetic bubble that is repulsive rather than attractive. Projectiles fired into the bubble will reflect off the bubble. Units in the bubble can safely fire out. The mag-curtain has the same effects as the MITS mine, as a MITS mine attracts small hovercraft, the Mag-Curtain repels hovercraft thay fly over it. Especially useful against lancers.
Range - Mine
No Damage Type
Projectile Weapon
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
SITE Camera
Replaces the standard visual "window" of a tank to a Terrain Enhancement Wireframe view. This makes it so that units hiding behind terrain like mountains can be seen through the mountain (and locked on to). The makes it easy to view otherwise hidden units and buildings and also helps when cornering or using missiles. Often overlooked, but otherwise effective except the interface will flash every once in a while, making it annoying to see.
Range - Visual
No Damage Type
Visual Aide
Building Prerequisites:
Armory
Weapons Legend:
Projectile Weapon: Weapon damage is Greatly reduced by Deflection shields
Energy Weapon: Wepon damage is Greatly reduced by Absorbtion shields
Mortar/Corrosive Weapon: Damage cuts through as shield.
All-Purpose Weapon: Damage effective on both heavily and lightly armored units.
Armor Piercing Weapon: Damage reduced on light units, increased on heavy units/buildings.
Explosive Fire Weapons: Damage reduced on heavy units/buildings, increased on light units.
Click the nuke to go home
