did you think of targeting drones or advanced spotters?
also missiles could be very long range since they could acquire a target of their own.
missiles: very long range, low damage (except against unarmored and unshielded targets), slowest movement speed (only a fraction of speed of light and need to accelerate), very accurate
rail weapons (mass accelerators): long range, very fast (nearly speed of light), high damage, takes a while to reload, accurate
energy weapons: medium range (dispersion effect), very fast (speed of light), high rate of fire, accurate
cannons (for example flak): short range, low damage, high rate of fire, area of effect but inaccurate, slowest movement speed
==> the main difference between energy weapons and rail weapons would be the rate of fire and the damage and range, else they should be nearly identical.
==> missiles -> against moving targets (strikecraft) and softening up the enemy at long range
==> rail weapons -> structure and capital ship killer (also kills smaller ships but would be a waste)
==> energy weapons -> main choice against medium to small targets due to high rate of fire
==> cannons -> close combat support, good against small ships due to area of effect
the problem with energy weapons is that they could be a one size fits all solution, since they are scalable in their output.
cannons would be (rightfully) nearly obsolete
missiles should be targeted by point defense lasers to annul them
-Exiled Possum