(Sonic) Cannons or rifles.

[magic9mushroom]

About the topic, Sonic Cannons or Rifles... it's simple. Know your enemy, if they are Tasoth/Lobster/Brain, you need Cannons because it kills in 1/2/1 hits usually and at full APs you can get 2 deadly accurate snap-shots. Other enemies can be killed in one hit with Rifle so it's better in this case. But in any case, keep a few MC soldiers to make sure the enemy has no chance of retaliating.

Now which weapons are the most effective vs Lobsters... it's simple. MC Distruptor and Vibro-blades. Snipers with Sonic Cannons are also quite powerful against them.

 

Well, the thing is, though, that Sonic Cannons don't allow much leeway in movement before you lose the capability to fire.

 

That's why I think the Sonic Pistol is the best assault weapon, because it's got a low TU cost (making it flexible), as well as doing more total damage than the cannon per round.

 

For a sniper rifle, though, the Sonic Cannon all the way. It's more accurate, and has a greater certainty of killing.

[Thunder_Gr]

I agree with magic9mushroom that, indoors, the use of sonic pistols is quite effective. If coupled with vibro blades/heavy thermal lances and by wearing the necessary magnetic ion armor, makes the perfect assault soldier.

The pistols allow you to fire even if you encounter the enemy with your half-TU's spent, and the blade/lance allows you to hit with even less TU's if you opened a door/turned a corner and you came face-to-face/at very close distance with an enemy(even Lobstermen). In addition, the blades(around 60%) and, most importantly, heavy lances(around 75%) have great chances to score a one-hit kill, even against the tougher opponents.

[NKF]

It's easy to get into the habit of arming everyone with cannons before long. They can make fair (but not ideal) close range weapons as their high damage is assisted by the proximity and naturally high accuracy. But they only really work on enemies that can be taken down with one hit. For all others, to compensate for the cannon's disadvantages, the solution is usually just to carry a drill (vibroblade for speed/weight or HTL for max one-hit damage).

 

I replied to this topic six years ago and my opinion of the sonic pistol has actually improved considerably since then.

 

- NKF