I think Armada also demonstrated why it's not really a good idea to have that many different guns in one game - the more guns you have, the less difference there is between them.
I dunno... I kinda liked in WC4 how they had different guns do different things. You had a rapid fire cannon that was projectile based, a leech gun, a scatter cannon, a chargable fission cannon, etc. Perhaps if they did more things like that... you know like a gun thats designed to take down shields. It takes them down faster and more effectively then any other gun, but its crap against armor, so you use a secondary gun for the armor... Then you've got guns like the leech cannon that drain power, guns that mess with ship systems, guns like the heavy plasma designed for capship use, multi-purpose guns, Projectile guns, energy guns... etc.
Honestly had Armada, Privateer, and WC3 done that it would have made a lot more sense... and been a lot more fun customizing your ships. But thats just me.
I will say this though; I love the laser cannon. I know some people don't, but I always have. Excellent range, minimal power drain, sleek... minimal damage... but who cares? You can lean down on the trigger and use it as kind of a rapid fire weapon. I think thats why I like the Tach gun too... its very similar in many respects, except that it drains more energy.
I will say, I was hoping to see a triumphant return of the Reaper gun in Standoff on the Wraith, but I can see how little sense it would have made to bring it back for one ship. I'm also very curious, what is the weapons layout on the Tarsus if there is one... I've only seen it fire lasers and that was one time in Standoff, given its customizable features in Privateer.
. Remember, in WC2 you never encountered more than four or five enemy fighters at once.
