Weapon Type Ideas

[Got_Donuts]

Just more ideas to spitball out there, hope these aren't getting annoying lmao.

Anyways Drones would be cool, could modify them to fit specific needs or roles, some with tech to repair the ship or even others with weapons, even a mode to kamikaze the drones into any enemies as a last resort would be awesome, or even some drones to help explore space to find any hidden stuff to check out. Not sure how the travel system will work in this game.

Some kind of antimatter cannons would be awesome, highly experimental, high tech. Perhaps without enough research the weapons could be potentially hazardous to the ship itself. Would take a great deal of research to master.

Lasers are all cool and dandy, but the ability to balance the rate of fire or the ability to charge for high power shots that take more energy would be amazing. Like maybe on low power it could pew pew, but on high power it would charge a great deal and deliver one big pew. Best explanation ever.

[Produno]

Just more ideas to spitball out there, hope these aren't getting annoying lmao.

Nope, keep them coming! Ship weapons will be something i need to look into. I want something relatively realistic, possibly not lasers though.

[Got_Donuts]

Had an idea while driving the big rig today, maybe a weapon used by the scrapper faction. Some kind of grappling hook to help them attach and pin down floating debris, or other ships. Would make them an easy target though too as it would kind of lock both ships into each other. No idea how feasible this would be or if it would even be a good idea lmao.

[Konstantine]

Had an idea while driving the big rig today, maybe a weapon used by the scrapper faction. Some kind of grappling hook to help them attach and pin down floating debris, or other ships. Would make them an easy target though too as it would kind of lock both ships into each other. No idea how feasible this would be or if it would even be a good idea lmao.

Sorry I'm still getting used to your forum software, what I wanted to quote was you desiring to keep weapons realistic.

I got to play a sim back when PCs were the size of a closet, it centered around combat within the system with realistic tech and capabilities.
While I found it exciting, it was a different time, and the excitement came more from being able to experience something most people could not back then, not so much the combat itself. To make a long story short, we were exclusively firing missiles at each other with nuclear warheads. In space, they don'y have the damage output most people would think.
As a starting weapon, I would think some kind of missile is a must, but you will need more.
You expressed a desire to stay clear of lasers, I kind of agree as they would not be what we see in sci-fi movies. The beam itself would hold little destructive power and could be negated rather easily (IRL).
Charged particle beams on the other hand may work. Here the laser would act as a containment field so that the beam does not lose cohesion, and you could get some good offensive power, (a basic explanation I know, but it should suffice). Electron beams, Proton beams, etc, these would qualify. You could also make something up or just leave it generic without a qualifier.
Finally you can go with something Kinetic, anything from actual space borne artillery to mass drivers/rail guns. These may be handy for shorter range types of weapons.

Anyway, there are many options available that would be interesting and believable, options where someone could claim 'we can do that now" (or the very near future).

Is this the effect you are going for with weapons?

P.S.
Grappling hooks, cables, or even nets would be workable, but not as a primary weapon IMO, they could be the equivalent of tractor beams.

Edit

Even basic weaponry such as this could include qualifiers and modifications, for example
Missiles would be highly destructive, but a limited resource as they take up space
Artillery could be ballistic, meaning a dumb projectile intended to pierce a hull without exploding (thus decompressing the target and making boarding easier), or explosive to cause maximum damage. Again ammo may be introduced here but at a higher level than missiles
Rail guns/mass drivers could be a shorter range weapon requiring some energy to fire
Charged particle beams would require no ammo, but a lot of reactor energy to use.

Realistically, even "basic" low tech weapons such as these could offer a lot of variety and options to game play.