How do you get a ship to bomb a planet?

[vmxa_slith]

First I do not like that we seem to only have nukes to bomb. We should have some other means. as well. I read somewhere that some beam weapons could target planets, no idea which ones.

Anyway, I build a ship with 6-8 nukes. Go to a planet and do not find a command to attack the planet? This is a small planet and I do not want to colonize it. The planet joined me, then soon rebelled. I would rather just not be bothered with it, kill everyone.

Is it due to me not actually being at war? Can I not bomb indiscriminately?

[Bingeling]

Apart from not being able to bombard your own planet, you should find the bombard option on control right click on the planet (with the bombard fleet selected).

If they refuse to bomb, check that there is no automation interfering, and possibly also the bombard policy under war and attacks of the policy screen.

[Aeson]

Also make certain that the planet in question doesn't have a planetary shield generator, which grants immunity to bombardment. It's not that likely for a small colony to have one, but it's not impossible. Planetary shields show up as a facility listed on the details box in the lower left, in the facilities tab of the planet details screen, and as a blue-green glow around the planet which has the facility.

I read somewhere that some beam weapons could target planets, no idea which ones.

The only beam weapons that can target planets are super weapons which blow up the planet. Either play the Ancient Galaxy theme, in which case you can research the tech required for them, or in a normal game get lucky and find the tech in a ruin or be unlucky and have to buy or steal it from some random foreign empire that found the ruin first (stealing this tech takes a lot of effort). You can complete World Destroyer or Devastation Moon projects to acquire a ship equipped with these, though it won't get you the tech unless you're really lucky with "scrap at nearest spaceport." This is also the only bombardment weapon which can ignore planetary shield generators.

Massive Railguns and Shaktur FireStorm torpedoes are your other alternatives for bombardment weapons, and unlike Super Beam Weapons will not destroy the planet completely. Shaktur FireStorm torpedoes are Boskara-only, as far as playable races in the unmodded game go, and so you'll either have to play Boskara to get them, or buy or steal the technology from a Boskaran faction that develops the weapons (empires with "starting" tech level will start with the first of their unique techs unlocked).

[vmxa_slith]

I did not get the chance to try again, so far. The reason I wanted some beam or missile or torp to kill pop, is that bombs do nothing in ship to ship combat. In Stars!, I had to make bombers to attack planets. In games like Moo, you could kill of the colony with guns.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: vmxa

I did not get the chance to try again, so far. The reason I wanted some beam or missile or torp to kill pop, is that bombs do nothing in ship to ship combat. In Stars!, I had to make bombers to attack planets. In games like Moo, you could kill of the colony with guns.

If you want the "Gun" option and have a weapon that can rip up ships as well then its "massive rail-guns" for you. Short range but very powerful. I just nuke'em from orbit myself but beware the diplomatic consequences of your actions.

[Aeson]

I did not get the chance to try again, so far. The reason I wanted some beam or missile or torp to kill pop, is that bombs do nothing in ship to ship combat. In Stars!, I had to make bombers to attack planets. In games like Moo, you could kill of the colony with guns.

Massive Railguns, Shaktur FireStorm torpedoes, and Super Beam Weapons are all usable in ship-to-ship combat. Massive Railguns are the only one of the three that you can guarantee will be available to you for all species, as it is a standard tech in the railguns portion of the weapons tree. Super Beam Weapons are a bit inaccurate in ship-to-ship combat and so are not necessarily the best weapon to choose for a dual-role bombardment and combat ship, though it can be rather satisfying to see fully shielded and undamaged capital ships blowing up after a single hit, and are also the bombardment weapon which is usually most difficult to acquire, as well as being a very large weapon component with incredible power requirements.

[Unforeseen]

Well based on real science; theoretically any energy powered weapon that exists in a universe where we are able to effectively power an FTL hyperdrive is capable of DESTROYING an entire planet, perhaps even a star. Or the whole universe.

[vmxa_slith]

Well I finally had a ship with bombs and got it to dust the planet.

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: vmxa

Well I finally had a ship with bombs and got it to dust the planet.

[:D]