Usually I am not too impressed with the effectiveness of missile boats, but I just finished a game as the Sakkra on impossible where one missile boat design proved very useful. My main enemy, the Silicoids, had these huge dreadnoughts with auto-repair and some fairly deadly range-2 beam weapons and graviton beams and good attack level and initiative. I had just researched Omega-V bombs and had the bombers to take out the Silicoids' bases, but I could never achieve space superiority over their planets in order to actually scout them (and I wanted to invade, not just amass enough Omega-Vs to glass their colonies on the combat screen). These auto-repair behemoths were in the way, and even a couple of beam-laden huges of my own couldn't dislodge them (alas! I lacked auto-repair at this point!)
So, I went to design a missile boat, thinking that if I could target this behemoth from afar in a couple of volleys, I could nullify its auto repair and weapons. I was assuming I'd have to use a medium hull design, but to my surprise I was able to fit a 2-rack of merculite missiles on a small, plus BCII and some decent engines. I think my tech levels were about 22 for computers, 25 for construction, 25 for propulsion, and 28 for weapons.
This merc-boat did the trick! I was able to pump out about 60 of these per turn from several rich planets each, and in no time I had over a thousand of these bad boys. That's a lotta missiles! And the enemy ships only had class IV shields, so I was easily able to destroy their huges in one volley from afar.
This example got me thinking: missiles on a small are really effective, as long as those missiles can pierce enemy shields. I got on the MoO1 ship design calculator to see what other designs might be feasible.
And I found that, in the semi-early game, it might even be feasible to make Hyper-V 2-rack small missile boats. It would need tech levels of 10 for construction (needs Duralloy + lower tier tech), at least 5 for propulsion (range 5, or range 4 + nuclear engines would work), and 16 for weapons (needs neutron blaster or merculite missiles researched, plus lower-tier techs to get there). You're looking at about 14000 RP to get there,
Note that, at these tech levels, one cannot even fit neutron blasters onto a small design. Your choice is between Hyper-Vs, ion cannons, or neutron pellet guns (or lasers). As long as the enemy has Class IV shields or worse, Hyper-V's will match or outdo the other choices in damage per volley. And with Hyper-Vs, you can get the initiative on hitting the enemy, as long as the enemy doesn't have 3 movement speed or better.
The drawback, of course, is that you only get 2 shots with the Hyper-Vs. But a lot of battles are decided in the first several volleys. It might even work to have a large beam cruiser to tag along for mop-up work after the Hyper-V missile boats have taken out the problem ships or gotten a 2-first strike initiative against an enemy swarm while it couldn't do anything to you. Also keep in mind that you could split your missile boat production up between multiple Hyper-V designs, if needed for targeting multiple enemy problem ships.
Finally, consider this: at 13 BC per ship, building 3 of these Hyper-V missile boats would be SO much cheaper than building a Hyper-V missile base. True, you don't get the staying-power of a missile base, or the extra attack level. But raw missile racks is what you want to need to get into the battle, this would be by far the cheapest way.
By the way, if you are willing to build mediums for about 6 times the price per ship, you have the alternative at these tech levels of building a 2-rack merculite missile boat with 2 missile racks each. So, for the same cost, that's 10x2 raw damage per volley with +2 attack level with the medium, vs. 6x1x6 damage per volley with +0 attack level with the small Hyper-Vs. Leaving the attack level difference aside, it is not until the enemy has class IV shields that the damage output of the medium merc boat and the small Hyper-V boats equalize. Up to that point, the Hyper-Vs do just as well or better. Class V shields is the first point where the merc boats do better.
Although, depending on what sort of ships you are facing (such as smalls of any sort, or larges with decent speed), the lack of attack level might be a crippling factor in these designs...unless you are the Mrrshans.
So, I went to design a missile boat, thinking that if I could target this behemoth from afar in a couple of volleys, I could nullify its auto repair and weapons. I was assuming I'd have to use a medium hull design, but to my surprise I was able to fit a 2-rack of merculite missiles on a small, plus BCII and some decent engines. I think my tech levels were about 22 for computers, 25 for construction, 25 for propulsion, and 28 for weapons.
This merc-boat did the trick! I was able to pump out about 60 of these per turn from several rich planets each, and in no time I had over a thousand of these bad boys. That's a lotta missiles! And the enemy ships only had class IV shields, so I was easily able to destroy their huges in one volley from afar.
This example got me thinking: missiles on a small are really effective, as long as those missiles can pierce enemy shields. I got on the MoO1 ship design calculator to see what other designs might be feasible.
And I found that, in the semi-early game, it might even be feasible to make Hyper-V 2-rack small missile boats. It would need tech levels of 10 for construction (needs Duralloy + lower tier tech), at least 5 for propulsion (range 5, or range 4 + nuclear engines would work), and 16 for weapons (needs neutron blaster or merculite missiles researched, plus lower-tier techs to get there). You're looking at about 14000 RP to get there,
Note that, at these tech levels, one cannot even fit neutron blasters onto a small design. Your choice is between Hyper-Vs, ion cannons, or neutron pellet guns (or lasers). As long as the enemy has Class IV shields or worse, Hyper-V's will match or outdo the other choices in damage per volley. And with Hyper-Vs, you can get the initiative on hitting the enemy, as long as the enemy doesn't have 3 movement speed or better.
The drawback, of course, is that you only get 2 shots with the Hyper-Vs. But a lot of battles are decided in the first several volleys. It might even work to have a large beam cruiser to tag along for mop-up work after the Hyper-V missile boats have taken out the problem ships or gotten a 2-first strike initiative against an enemy swarm while it couldn't do anything to you. Also keep in mind that you could split your missile boat production up between multiple Hyper-V designs, if needed for targeting multiple enemy problem ships.
Finally, consider this: at 13 BC per ship, building 3 of these Hyper-V missile boats would be SO much cheaper than building a Hyper-V missile base. True, you don't get the staying-power of a missile base, or the extra attack level. But raw missile racks is what you want to need to get into the battle, this would be by far the cheapest way.
By the way, if you are willing to build mediums for about 6 times the price per ship, you have the alternative at these tech levels of building a 2-rack merculite missile boat with 2 missile racks each. So, for the same cost, that's 10x2 raw damage per volley with +2 attack level with the medium, vs. 6x1x6 damage per volley with +0 attack level with the small Hyper-Vs. Leaving the attack level difference aside, it is not until the enemy has class IV shields that the damage output of the medium merc boat and the small Hyper-V boats equalize. Up to that point, the Hyper-Vs do just as well or better. Class V shields is the first point where the merc boats do better.
Although, depending on what sort of ships you are facing (such as smalls of any sort, or larges with decent speed), the lack of attack level might be a crippling factor in these designs...unless you are the Mrrshans.
Good to see. 
