Sapporo Launcher Array
Type	Main Battery
Available From	Timelines Reward
Fitted To	Sapporo
Loaded With	Barrage Missile
Role	All-Purpose
Required Licence	None

In-game Description

Despite the designer's best efforts, no primary weapon could be fitted into the Sapporo without major reworking of fundamental systems, due to the limited space available. To compensate for this, however, many missile launch tubes were inserted, providing a large array of ordinance that would otherwise have been impossible.

While a little unorthodox as a main armament, the Sapporo's missile array still provides a powerful barrage, capable of taking on many M and L sized ships. Its high damage output is only marginally lessened by the limited space available for the crew to manually re-load the launch tubes.

Tactical Overview

Tactical Overview

The Barrage Missiles of the Sapporo form a very unique weapon system, not only among destroyers but in the entire game. This missile uses a magazine-type burst fire system similar to primary weapon..

Each missile unit carries a magazine of 6, and each shot fires 4 missiles, totaling 24 missiles per magazine. Each launch still consumes 1 unit of missile. 

Heavy Barrage Missile

The Heavy Barrage Missile functions as an anti-everything missile system. It is fast enough to catch most fighters and obliterate them, making them still quite effective as an anti-fighter weapon. However, Due to the relatively short flight time, this often results in overkill and wasted missiles, which might make this weapon less optimal for this role. 

With a total damage of 26.400 per salvo, it is absolutely devastating against most medium-sized targets. 

When facing L and XL targets, the damage output of a single Sapporo is somewhat lacking, being roughly equivalent to a single Behemoth main gun. In these cases, the missiles perform much better in a supporting role, destroying the turrets of the target. However, in large groups (10+ ships), the Heavy Barrage Missile scales really well and might even outperform other destroyers. The Sapporo doesn't need to face the target to fire the missiles; regardless of the enemy's direction, the Sapporo can fire. While other destroyers awkwardly maneuver to get their guns on target, the Sapporo can immediately start peppering the enemy with a storm of missiles, making it effectively immune to being flanked.

Light Barrage Missile

The Light Barrage Missile sacrifices damage for increased speed and range, making it especially effective against fighters of all types while retaining the utility of easily destroying turrets. The higher speed also means it is less prone to overkill, and the missiles are likely to at least damage a second target after the first one has been destroyed.

However, the reload time remains the same, and with only half the damage output, both in DPS and maximum potential, it is less flexible and purely an anti-fighter weapon, putting the Sapporo more into a support role.

Advantages:
Heavy

- Decent damage per second

- Highly resistant to flares

- Relatively fast missile, can catch most targets

- Auto-acquires a new target if current one is destroyed

- Effective against all sizes

- Extremely effective at sniping turrets and engines

- Does not need to aim, can fire at all directions.

- Scales really well in big groups

Light

- Very high speed, can catch any fighter

- Highly resistant to flares

- Auto-acquires a new target if current one is destroyed

- Does not need to aim, can fire at all directions.

- Player can utilise very long range to snipe turrets from ships or stations

Disadvantages:

Heavy

- Only a single launcher per ship, limiting effectiveness against L/XL targets in low numbers

- Tends to overkill small targets a lot, wasting ammo

- Placed in the middle of the ship with vertical launch means the effective range is more around 7.5km

- Requries a big stockpile of ammo at equipment docks for refills.

- Relatively low maximum damage potential
 

Light

- Only a single launcher per ship with long reload times, limiting effectiveness

- Less effective against mediums compared to heavy barrage missile

- Terrible at destroying capital ships

- Very low maximum damage potential

Specifications

Construction Cost

Universal Build Method

Terran Build Method