Annoying Super Weapons

I agree. I've had a game where the AI must have tech rushed to build several Novalith cannons (I was no where near that level). Once your planets come under their bombardment, it's only a matter of time be fore it's all over. I'd like to see two things: An option to turn off and perhaps a "Guns of Navarone" type sabotage type mission (given to pirates or other players). For a price, commando's steal their way into a system with a super-weapon, perhaps on a hijacked friendly freighter/resource ship, with a chance to destroy the weapon. Maybe their chance of success is based on the gravity wells allegiance, development level (more resources for countermeasures), and the amount offered for the job (quality of training/weapons, etc.).

Novalith's for TEC Loyalists are only a tier 6 tech, and they get a cost/slot reduction (so planets can have two). It's insane considering that the thing is by far the strongest of the superweapons.

I want a way to turn them off too, or at least a defense against the Novalith that doesn't require playing TEC (Planetary shields). Starbases are an extremely impractical method and don't protect your tax income from being decimated. (Though really the Novalith is the one I want to turn off. The Deliverance Engine is useful but really not so overpowering as the Novalith is.)

Advent (rebels, not sure if loyalists too) seem to have an additional third level of the "hardened cities" research now, that allows even asteroids to survive a hit from Novalith. If memory serves Vasari had nothing to mitigate bombing damage on planet health, though.

But yes it is pretty annoying, though i feel a limit on the number of superweapons a faction can build would be a better solution than on/off switch.

I think that Hardened Cities always had three levels.

I think Novalith needs a slight nerf in terms of the damage.

It is very difficult to counter a Novalith spam at the moment.

It has. Just i've never seen an asteroid survive a novalith even with it I could be wrong.

Novaliths do 3500 damage, which is enough to sterilize any asteroid barring huge reductions in bombing damage.

In the game I have currently going, one of the TEC Loyalists built Novaliths at 4 of it's 6 planets and it's only been ineffective due to maxed Hardened Cities, a Siege Pact with a TEC ally, and the Ion Field Generator artifact for a total of 65% bombing damage reduction (one Novalith shot thus does 1225 damage).

Hardened Cities reduces bombing damage by 5%/10%/15%, so even with maxed HC, a Novalith shot will still do 2925 damage.
The TEC Siege Pact reduces bombing damage taken by 10%.
The Ion Field Generator artifact reduces damage by 40%.
The Shield Generator, depending on research, reduces damage by 30%/50%/80%.

So really, the faction that is least able to mitigate the effects of a Novalith is the Vasari.

But lets not forget that they are the only one that can also bypass your entire defenses and directly strike at thoses novaliths

instead of just a toggle, how about a limit? Allow a range of how many superweapons are buildable per faction or even per team.

It's been brought up before, a few alternatives are to make them use fleet supply or Command Crew, limit based on the size of the map, or a toggle in the options for (None / One / Few / Many / Unlimited).

Well, try a multistar map... The TEC Novalith can shoot from one solar system to the other... time that you research the wormhole thing or star to star travel, build a fleet, and go to these other solar system, all your planet are decimated...

At least, limit the range to the own star...

TEC Shield or Hardened cities is great if one or two round is shoot... but useless if it look like the picture below :

EDIT ; by the way, if have a cease fire and peace treaty with the light blue guy... he have begin shoot at me when we have sign the planet vision pact... will be great to make Novalith stop shoot at friend and allies !!!

I think a toggle would work the best with this problem. In a single star game, i dont mind unlimited Novaliths, but when im playing a multi star system, i dont think i want to see that many.

I still think a damage nerf or adding a tech to reduce the impact of super weapons would be great.

It has? I remembered it had only two. Anyway, my asteroids survive Novalith hits with those levels.

Edit: ...Because i had found the planet shield artifact