First, the plasma cannon is waaaay better than the avalanche, as many people here have pointed out. I'll add another advantage: it doesn't require store space for it's ammo (and avalanche requires a Lot of space). It does cost a lot of money and elerium, though. The Fusion Ball Launcher is not worth it - yes it's extremely powerful, but it has only 2 shots, is very expensive and still doesn't outrange the Alien Battleship's weapons.

Second, you should never research the same item in two different bases. The research isn't cumulative and it can cause errors to appear in the game. Are there more scientists researching in the main base than there were in the other base? If so, it could be that the game doesn't count the extra scientists for some reason. Just keep researching and hope for the best... Good Luck!

The avalanche missiles have two advantages over the plasma beam. You start with the ability to purchase them, and they are easy to replace. In the special instance of attacking a battleship with four interceptors, the extra shots of the plasma beam are meaningless, as none of the interceptors will take a third shot. However, the longer range of the avalanches will mean that the battleship will get fewer shots at the interceptors, so attacking a battleship with avalanches will get fewer interceptors shot down, and each weapon system is easier to replace.

For all other purposes, plasma beams are the ultimate craft weapon.

rlbell, nice tips to shot down battleships but 4 interceptors but is a very expensive luxury. Firstly cuz i am not cheating with money and it would means a really harder expense to remplace lost interceptos. Sencond, most of my bases got just one interceptor, there is room for more but it will be more unkeep, but i some globe places i can send them from different bases. Third, the half of interceptors that faced a battleship get blowed off before launch a missile, the other half only lauch one with 4 interceptors and 20 sec to reload... only 8 hits maybe 10... a supply ship must get between 10-14 hits so not a chance to shot down a battleship in superhuman at least.




plasma beam its better cuz it takes no ammo. But interceptors are just too weak to face battleships and if fusion balls(i never used them) doesn´t outrange the battleship weapon, get firestorms to attack the battleshps.Plasma got only 52 km range and takes no ammo, Avalanche got 60 KM range and only 6 missiles per battle and watch out for the stores, i find that tha avalanche fits better the interceptor cuz it not let to get inrange of enemy ships. But for firestorms, the plasma cannon its better and don´t make a fleet of them got a mixed fleet of interceptors with plasma to easy ones and firestorms for harder.

Oldblue, yes.

Battleships have a longer range then avalanche, battleships can kill interceptors in one hit before you even fire, avalanches take a long time to refire while plasma cannons fire every few seconds, your more likely to miss with an avalanche then with a plasma cannon and finally sending interceptors to battleships, dont expect to see many come back.

I never send interceptors to engage battleships- they never come back.

Oh yeah, does it matter how many heavy plasma I have in stores? I was just researching alien alloys, going nowhere, recovered 100 alloys and it suddenly went to average. Interesting... but just asking.

It doesn't matter how much of an item you have in stores. I'm 100% sure of that. What I think is maybe if you assigned additional scientists at the main base, the game didn't update the research progress the same instant you assigned the scientists, but only after you finished a mission (notice that often the progress is showed as being "unknown" when you start a project, even if you assign 100 scientists to it, but this changes after a short while?)

Interceptors are no match for battleships, except if there's 3-4 of then, and even then you're likely to lose 1 or 2. Also, you must either have them all at the same base (very expensive and needs many hangars) or they'll likely be unable to get there in time or run out of fuel.

Firestorms are much better, they are faster so they can actually catch up with battleships and the improved armour is good, they best hunt in pairs against battleships to reduce damage so there is less repair time.

Also as plasma cannon is unlimited you can go from UFO to UFO killing without reloading, if you use an avalanche you will need to go back to base and reload, then have to be forcibly fueled which means you have a long turn-around time when you use avalanches.

I never said that you have to attack battleships with interceptors. I just said that if you feel compelled to bring down battleships, for some reason (like you have been given ample funds to shot down every alien craft), avalanches are better weapons than plasma beams for interceptors. The only sane reason, and even that is a bit of a stretch, for hunting down a battleship in a limited funds scenario is to thwart an alien infiltration of an important funding nation. Another potential reason is to stop an eterial battleship from assaulting an important base.

I have never tried hunting down battleships with Firestorms. Firestorms have a number of deficiencies compared to interceptors: they are too difficult to replace (may not be a problem if they are not easily destroyed), they are too costly to fuel (consume elerium), and they are too short ranged. Interceptors fly further and can remain on station longer. If you have the sensor coverage, interceptors can fly nearly half-way round the world to shoot down a UFO. Firestorms have to return to base too soon and there is nothing more infuriating than finding out that the firestorm expended twenty elerium, only to fall short of blowing away the alien craft.

Generally speaking, the only way for two firestorms to attack the same battleship is for both of them to be operating from the same base.

Except for the low speed and fragility under fire, the interceptor is very good at what it does. The reason to switch from interceptors to firestorms is mostly economic. Firestorms are maintained with elerium and interceptors are maintained with money. You chose the craft that best fits your situation. If you have plenty of elerium (or can sacrifice such luxuries as flying armor), but little cash, firestorms are great. If you do not have plenty of elerium, there is no point building firestorms, as you cannot get them to fly.

Firestorm vs. interceptor update:


I editted a saved game to allow me to really make use of firestorms. A single firestorm cautiously attacking a battleship with twin plasma beams will bring it down. Two hundred engineers, materials allowing, can produce ten firestorms per month. Firestorms are every bit as short ranged as I remember. As a full fuel tank is twenty elerium, you are looking at a cost of around ten elerium, each time it leaves the hangar. YMMV, but budget your elerium. The worst case scenario is to have completely replaced your original airforce with firestorms/lightnings/avengers, only to run out of elerium. I suspect that a mixed force is the best bet, as you still have some elerium hunting possibilities if you run out.

With firestorms, you cannot get four in any one place; unless, they come from the same base. However, the firestorm can take enough damage that you do not need have four in the same place.

The situation of which craft (firestorm/interceptor) is best when you are attacking several UFOs over the course of one flight is still unknown to me; however, the edge probably goes to the firestorm, as any major push by the aliens in a small region is for the establishment of a new base, and that always includes one or more battleships.

I don´t agree with rbell.
the elirium that a firestorm uses is residual with 100 elirium stock a firestorm could make regular flyes by many years. About the fuel capacity, its true that a firestorm can´t be on air by many time but they can make long trips cuz they are twice faster than an interceptor.

An interceptor with plasma beams can shot down everything but battleships and supply ships with the supply base mission. So the firestorms are for hunt battleships and supply missions. A single firestorm could shot down a battleship with 30-100 % damage, it changes if the lucky are u or the enemy.

The interceptor speed its 2100 so it will never cacht the a fast moving battleship. U must remember that for bases attacks, the aliens first make recon and later send a battleship at max speed to your base.

Anyway i prefer the mixed fleet with most of interceptors in relation of 2 each 1.

When u got most of the bases builded in most of situations between 2 and 4 interceptors could make in time. If all of they are armed with avalanches, u can stop every kind of opperation but a base building (1 battle ship + 2 supply ships). And most of the scouts got down with the first pair of avalanches. If there are any medium sized ship, they didnt come in waves of many but a full loaded interceptor could beat them. Considering that the interceptor 2100 speed and 3 acceleration, u only can cacht alien craft when they reduce thrir own speed so before you made full use of the plasma beam ammo(it got a max of 99 shots per take off) or at least the 3/4 parts of it, the interceptor will run out of fuel.