[Vasari fighter SC & Vasari tech tree]

First point I agree with, both for diversity and the fact that the thing fighters are most designed to counter - bombers - DON'T HAVE ANY SHIELDS!

Second point - I don't really play the Vasari so I can hardly comment - I know that the Wave upgrade needs to be shuffled back a bit (and give fighters wave guns rather than pulse guns perhaps?) to become useful.  Don't know about the point bombardment though.

Pinpoint Bombardment gives a range enhancement to the Vasari bombardment ships (all caps+siege frig).

The other races have damage bombardment techs.

I think that the Vasari tech should- not have the same amount of damage increase as the other 2, because it will have range increase (but less than what it is now).

This would help with 1)- racial diversity. No one wants to play a different race that has a tech tree that is pretty much the same as another one. 2)- it would still increase the Vasari's potential for bombardment.

As for the fighters- Wave cannons. Pulse Guns are pretty well distributed (both support cruisers, colony/scout/light frigs). Wave cannons are currently only on the caps and the Skarovas HC.

Alternately, the fighters could receive pulse BEAMS, since ATM only the Vasari caps (and even then Skirantra doesn't have 'em) have these.

I actually think it's interesting that Vasari fighters have phase missiles.  This does make the upgrade a little weak in regard to fighter vs fighter battles, but it makes them absolutely awesome in an anti-frigate role. 

That said, the other attack upgrades are lacking and need help.  Pinpoint Bombardment needs a rework, it's practically useless as is.  You're unlikely to ever have the prerequisites, much less have a use for it to begin with.

Phase missiles are what make Vasari fighters and bombers BA compared to the other races' strikecraft.  It does mean that they aren't as powerful against bombers, but, at the same time, it means that they kick a55 against frigates, cruisers, and caps.  A wave gun is too large graphically to put on strikecraft, maybe pulse guns.  however, the overarching-ness of the Phase Missile upgrade kind of makes up for the Vasari's weakness in mid-game, if played right.  esp. against the Illum rush.

While I olften pondered about #1 myself, I must agree with Orodum. Having Vasari try to upgrade more than one weapon path while trying to keep up with the other races would be rather futile.

I agree with the pulse gun idea. Waves are already worth upgrading because they are on the cruiser, but having pulse on fighters would make it more atractive to upgrade. Curently none of the cap ships use pulse so its only if you want to spam frigates or make your SB a bit better that you get the upgrade. Also it would eliminate the vasari advantage of having fighter and bomber damage improvment in the same tech (Tec and advent have to purchase different wepon techs to improve one or the other. 

Also pulse beams. At present only, what, two ships use them? They should at least be tied to the Orkulus' disintigrator.

All their capital ships aside from the Skirantra use them, though I have to agree that it should be tied with the disintegrator.

I originally thought that Vasari Fighters should use pulse guns, but then that poses a huge problem for Vasari. Currently, every factions' Fighters have an area where they're good at (Advent kills off Bombers real quickly, Vasari are much more effective against ships, and TEC Fighters... are good at dying), but the reason Vasari Fighters are so effective is because of Phase Missiles. Remove them, and they'll be exceptionally weak.

Also, pulse gun research would be worthwhile if Skirmishers and Navigators became more viable units. Then at least there'd be two combat-worthy units that utilize pulse guns, making its reasearch worth the cost.