Troops/Fighter

Fighters in stock have an extremely high defense bonus (Small Fighters have are +80% to defense, +50 to attack) while troops have no bonus of any kind. Without advanced combat sensors, the Troops will have little or no success against fighters.

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

Hmm, maybe some special anti-air weapons are in order? I can see at least two: Flak Guns and Scatterpack Missiles, based on the Flak Cannon and the Bomblet Missile... maybe a Minigun as well? The Flak Gun would have a bonus to hit in order to negate fighters' defense bonus, while the Scatterpack Missiles would be seekers (zomg seekers in ground combat!) so they ALWAYS hit... the Minigun would just fire insanely fast (maybe 4 times a second?) and have a smaller to-hit bonus so it hits every so often just by sheer luck

edit: oh, this is a SCI-FI game, right! Well how about a few more, then, for the higher tech levels?

Sniping Laser - a low-powered laser is used to track the target, then once the target is acquired ZAM! the power cranks up 1000 times and fries it!

Spazer - just like the Metroid weapon of the same name, it's like a flak gun only it fires energy pulses instead of bullets!

Static Discharge - this could either be High Energy weapons or Organic - it's basically a short-ranged lightning bolt.

This would REALLY meke Troop weapons tech more worthwhile - currently all it has is the boring old Ground Cannon! But with crossovers with projectiles, missiles, beams, pulsers, and discharges, this would be really nifty!

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HAI CAN HAS MINECODEZ PLZ KTHXBYE
*lays tons of mines on your homeworld*

It makes sense. If you're invading a planet than having air support, or even just aircraft, is an advantage. Then again infantry is said to always having a role as you can't occupy land with aircraft. Maybe troops count as divisions and if your aircraft win then a negligible number of actual soldiers can hold it.

Awhile back I took a homeworld with just a few fighters.

We could turn ground combat into a seperate game in its own right but I'd rather not go there. I've turned into a die hard glasser anyway.