STO range

[Kaiser (OP)]

So, I am in the process of upgrade my initial Gauss STO with something cool like the twin 20cm laser turret, but there's something I did not completely get, the range.

If I do not select the PD option I get the maximum range of 200000 and the racial tracking speed only, which is currently 3000, not good for incoming missiles.

On the contrary, if I select the PD option, I get 12000 tracking speed and a 60000 of range, good for missiles and less for the ships, there's no way to have both 200000 of range and 12000 of tracking speed, this seems confirmed also from the wikipedia.

So, in this case if I want protect my planets against ships and missiles, is it advisable to have both type of turrets or the 12000 tracking speed only?

[Zap0]

Yeah, make two STOs: One with a PD gun and one with an anti-ship gun.

[Vandermeer]

I also always have two designs, one PD, one "artillery", because the largest, most far ranging gun is advisable for that, as you can do nothing if you get outranged.

[Ulzgoroth]

If you've got the research and micromanagement capacity for it, more than one 'artillery' type can be useful, because monster long-range guns pay much more per unit of throughput. You want some to not be outranged, but if you're not going to be outranged you might also want some that are more mid-sized.

...Or you could just build enough of the big kind to not worry about it, if you're willing to pay for it.

[StarshipCactus]

I personally like to include a Plasma cannon battery for important worlds. If troop transports try dropping troops, it's good to have dedicated guns to deal with them before they actually start dropping.