[IceFire]

I think people are reading a little too much into this.  The beam colours were probably chosen because they looked good.  The yellow stands out nicely against just about any background and it fits decently well with the look of Vasudan ships.  The blue probably was tried and realized it doesn't look quite as good as green so they selected green.  Also some of the colours in the green beams are yellow and so it gives commonality between the two (based on the same technology and manufacturing processes) while also being distinct.  Probably even thats reading into it too much.

Shivans were green in the Descent: FreeSpace alpha screen shots.  They were changed to red to make them look cooler and more imposing.

[eliex]

I think that blue weapons and armour would be only if the Terran and Vasudan races drift apart from eachother. Like for Sol, for example. Or if the GTVA would be less allied than in FS2. While green beam cannons, and the FS2 Hecate and Colossus armour is when the Terrans and Vasudans are REALLY allied.

Most likely  was saving the blue beams for FS3. 

Based on what?

Maybe its just me but I don't think is going to leave the mystery of Sol's fate alone. Therefore - I would think that there would be a GTVA-Sol war plus some Shivan interference.
The Sol Terrans, assuming they had beams, would have much more right than the GTVA Terrans to use the colour blue. Earth is blue and would be the symbol for the Sol Terrans.

On the other hand, after the disappointing performance of the FS2 Terran beams ( obviously the SGreen  ) maybe the GTVA Terrans would have changed their beams to another colour.

[Flipside]

I think it was mainly for visual impact, being big, glossy and colourful was one of the main selling points of the franchise. It also meant that it made it a lot easier for the development team to do things like balancing and mission testing, since they'd have a much clearer idea which ship was shooting what.

I think that's why AA beams were made white, so they couldn't be confused with an AntiCap beam during mission testing.

[Stormkeeper]

Well, green beans do catch attention.

[Kie99]

I think that blue weapons and armour would be only if the Terran and Vasudan races drift apart from eachother. Like for Sol, for example. Or if the GTVA would be less allied than in FS2. While green beam cannons, and the FS2 Hecate and Colossus armour is when the Terrans and Vasudans are REALLY allied.

Most likely  was saving the blue beams for FS3. 

Based on what?

Maybe its just me but I don't think is going to leave the mystery of Sol's fate alone. Therefore - I would think that there would be a GTVA-Sol war plus some Shivan interference.
The Sol Terrans, assuming they had beams, would have much more right than the GTVA Terrans to use the colour blue. Earth is blue and would be the symbol for the Sol Terrans.

On the other hand, after the disappointing performance of the FS2 Terran beams ( obviously the SGreen  ) maybe the GTVA Terrans would have changed their beams to another colour.

As a military organisation you don't colour your weaponry because it is a symbol - the US army don't use Red White and Blue bullets.  Also, the majority of the planets used by the Terrans will also be largely blue.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Watch your quote chains!

It never really occurred to me to ask why Terran beams are green instead of blue. Perhaps did try using green AAAfs and blue beams but decided to swap colours because it looked more appropriate. I mean, I can't imagine a blue beam as thick as the BGreen, nor can I imagine a green AAAf.

Look at the beams in INFR1, for instance. The BFBlue is a destroyer-class beam cannon, yet it STILL looks like an AAAf. On the other hand, the Vasudan anti-fighter beam looks like someone was flipping a piece of cardboard in front of a BVas.

[Mars]

Watch your quote chains!

It never really occurred to me to ask why Terran beams are green instead of blue. Perhaps did try using green AAAfs and blue beams but decided to swap colours because it looked more appropriate. I mean, I can't imagine a blue beam as thick as the BGreen, nor can I imagine a green AAAf.

Look at the beams in INFR1, for instance. The BFBlue is a destroyer-class beam cannon, yet it STILL looks like an AAAf. On the other hand, the Vasudan anti-fighter beam looks like someone was flipping a piece of cardboard in front of a BVas.

Um... honestly, a big blue beam looks like a big blue beam to me

[ssmit132]

Well, green beans do catch attention.

I'm sure if you were a capital ship captain then ALL anti-cap beams would catch your attention, no matter what colour.

(Argh, Firefox puts a red line under 'colour'! I DO live in Australia, not America!)

[Stormkeeper]

I'm sure if you were a capital ship captain then ALL anti-cap beams would catch your attention, no matter what colour.

Point.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

(Argh, Firefox puts a red line under 'colour'! I DO live in Australia, not America!)

Get BBCodeXtra from the Firefox website and set your Languages to English / United Kingdom.

Well, green beams do catch attention.

Yeah...pretty stark against the inky blackness of space.

[eliex]

Fear demands Attention

The more powerful the beam is, the more anxious pilots are going to be taking them out.

[dragonsniper]

Fear demands Attention

The more powerful the beam is, the more anxious pilots are going to be taking them out.

No kidding

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Well, the BFReds give you an idea...

[Droid803]

I mostly fear anti-cap beams due to the fact that I've been killed by them SO MANY TIMES, not how fast they make my escort list shorter.
I'm equally as afraid of them as AAA beams >.> They get me the same number of times, at any rate.
I've been killed by SGreens, TerSlashes, LTerSlashes, BGreens, BVas, SVas, VSlash, SReds, LReds, BFReds, MSilvs, BSilvs, BFSilvs...you name it.
If  I've played a campaign with a anti-cap beam on a hostile, I've been killed by it at least once. I have the absolute WORST luck with anti-cap beams.
Damn it! Those are Anti-Capital beams. I'm NOT A CAPITAL SHIP! STAY AWAY! *waves arms*

[/rant]

Or is this the norm...?

[Retsof]

Damn it! Those are Anti-Capital beams. I'm NOT A CAPITAL SHIP! STAY AWAY! *waves arms*

[/rant]

Or is this the norm...?

Well, if you're bombing, the beams sometimes target the bomb, which you are behind.

[Krelus]

Damn it! Those are Anti-Capital beams. I'm NOT A CAPITAL SHIP! STAY AWAY! *waves arms*

[/rant]

Or is this the norm...?

Well, if you're bombing, the beams sometimes target the bomb, which you are behind.

Yeah, I noticed that, I pitted a GTD Raynor and a GTD Titan against a GTI Nareos, and I observed that occasionally, one of the Raynor's torpedoes would get ZOMGWTFLOLBBQ pwned by a BGreen from the Nareos. I thought it was funny as hell.

[ssmit132]

That is sort of reasonable... If you've got no anti-fighter turrets free and bombs coming towards you, an anti-cap beam can vape the bombs, and maybe the bombers too if that's what launched it. Of course, hull integrity counts, too - it would be a waste if you were at high percentages, but at lower ones, it gets more and more reasonable.

[eliex]

 . . . and that's why I fear the Hecate destroyer more than any other Terran, Vasudan or Shivan destroyer in the FS2 era.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

. . . and that's why I fear the Hecate destroyer more than any other Terran, Vasudan or Shivan destroyer in the FS2 era.

You must dislike Proving Grounds and Argonautica a lot then. Both require you to fly close to an SCv Moloch so that the Aquitaine can beam it.

Speaking of which, I once saw a Shivan fighter fly INTO a green beam. The beam didn't move, but the Shivan flew right into it.

[ssmit132]

Probably because the AI doesn't check for collisions with beams.

Or the Shivan wasn't looking where it was going. What a wake up call that must have been!