[Androgeos Exeunt]

Yes, but who the hell uses the Circe in the first place?

Well, if you play multiplayer...

[Iranon]

If you fly a craft with a 2+2 gun configuration AND you need a Maxim for the mission, I think a Circe is a legitimate option for your other weapon if you don't mind the gun management - strip their shields, then blow them away with the Maxim.
Firing them linked isn't terribly attractive: You get similar overall firepower to a single bank of Kaysers with better range, but at the cost of vastly different projectile velocities and about a quarter more energy consumed.

A Thoth using 4 Circes and Tempests for the kill is also a potent combination against Shivan fighters - nimble enough to keep up, heavy firepower against their shields, and missiles alone are enough to shred their thin hulls.

*

The Circe isn't a terrible weapon on paper, but inconvenient to use. Even when theoretically a good choice, I'm often not willing to bother.

[TopAce]

I think a Circe is a legitimate option for your other weapon if you don't mind the gun management - strip their shields, then blow them away with the Maxim.

The combo isn't powerful enough to justify the tediousness that comes with it.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

There's also the energy requirements to worry about. Both the Circe and Maxim aren't exactly the most energy-efficient primaries in the GTVA.

[Timerlane]

I'm kind of annoyed at the fact that the Myrmidon can't equip the Circe or Lamprey, as that at least that could have provided some additional justification for the extra bank(at least, prior to the re-release of the Prom-S).

In fact, looking closely, most Terran fighters can't equip it at all(the Lamprey being only slightly better in that respect); I'd love to try some serious Circe/Tempest action, but nothing short of the heavy assault fighters even allow the option(despite the "weapon of this magnitude is usually only mounted on bombers"-fluff Kayser being compatible with all fighters but the Pegasus and Ulysses).

Really, unless you like flying Vasudan(and many of their craft suffer from energy problems to begin with), just didn't give the Circe or Lamprey any chance to shine at all(including the rather late introduction to the player in the main campaign). The Leech was compatible with all the FS1 fighters, and the S-Breaker(a quite arguably better version of the Circe) with all but the Loki.

[TopAce]

:V: didn't like the Circe, too.

[CP5670]

I think a Circe is a legitimate option for your other weapon if you don't mind the gun management - strip their shields, then blow them away with the Maxim.

The combo isn't powerful enough to justify the tediousness that comes with it.

Yes, this doesn't work well in practice. You end up using both of them at most times and get the fire rate penalty, which makes the combo useless. A far better option is to pair up the Maxim with Tempests instead. The Tempests appear to do less shield damage from the stats, but you get no fire rate penalty and don't have to worry about weapon switching.

[Iranon]

Hmm. Didn't I address the objections before they were made already?

As I said, I wouldn't plan to fire them linked... not more powerful than a single bank of Kaysers because rate of fire drops by a third, less convenient (shudder, different projectile speeds) and taking up a quarter more energy. Linked fire would have strictly more firepower than a single bank of Prometheus S but here the increased energy demand is rather dramatic and we'd lose effective range against shielded targets instead of gaining it.
Please keep in mind that I assumed 2+2 guns, 2 of which have to Maxims because we need them against capital ships; Maxims + Circes certainly aren't the armament of choice when pitted purely against fighters. Note that linked Circe/Maxim fire isn't dramatically worse than a single bank of Kaysers (which you may be unable to carry - most relevant in a Serapis as a Ulysses with Maxims is awkward since to very limited gun energy). So if you can squeeze any advantage out of weapon management you'll likely come out ahead.

I don't get the comment about Maxims and Tempests in combination. Both are biased towards hull damage, this would be rather horrid against shielded targets.

[General Battuta]

Maxim/Circe is one of those things that sounds good in theory and is terrible in practice.

[Scourge of Ages]

How about Kayser/Maxim?

The Kayser depletes shields, not extremely fast, but once they go down you can switch to full guns and wipe anyhing out in seconds or less.

[General Battuta]

You'll be out of weapon energy like THAT fast.

[Snail]

How about Kayser/Maxim?

The Kayser depletes shields, not extremely fast, but once they go down you can switch to full guns and wipe anyhing out in seconds or less.

It's people like you who make the Lamprey worthwhile.

[Scourge of Ages]

Well obviously not in multi. Humans are too slippery to hold a single Kayser on for long enough.
AI would fold like a cheap pie.

[General Battuta]

Well obviously not in multi. Humans are too slippery to hold a single Kayser on for long enough.
AI would fold like a cheap pie.

I've definitely seen some AI that can keep me swatting at air.

[SpardaSon21]

Fury AI + Dragons.

Good luck hitting anything.

[Scourge of Ages]

I'd certainly rather have Kaysers than Circes up against Dragons.
EDIT: 'Cause they have this nasty habit of rolling a new shield quadrant into position before any can be sufficiently depleted.

/peruses wiki

Hmmm, perhaps a Prom S would work better than a Kayser for this situation. I'd still prefer almost anything over the Circe, becuase if you take that you completely lose the ability to destroy anything without switching weapons or spending ammo.

[Timerlane]

Yeah, personally, I think the Prom-S is the best overall gun, especially if you're better at gunnery than flying(or, at least, maintaining a tracking shot on a target). Unless you can really use the Kayser's fast reload time to consistently drive the damage, the Prom-S does 20% more damage(per-shot) to shields, while the Kayser uses 20% more energy, and gains one whole extra point of damage vs hulls(all also given per-shot).

You also get increased range(longer than nearly all non-beam turret guns), +100m/s shot velocity(arguably increasing accuracy due to needing less leading of the target, and also in compensating for changes in direction), and even if you are already accurate, you still get to spend that saved energy on shields/gun -> shield energy transfer, or engine/afterburner recharge, as needed/useful.

Not to say the Kayser is bad, but more Awesome but Impractical, to the Prom-S's Boring(or at least, 'less exciting') but Practical.

[QuantumDelta]

When I have to carry a maxim on insane I always go Prom S given the choice, I'll settle for a kayser but eh.

If I don't have to carry a maxim then the circe can still blow me, kayser/proms ftw.

[Klaustrophobia]

maxim used to be my alltime favorite gun.  i used to be able to snipe long-range with them, like bombers heading toward their targets or a new wave driving straight at me.  though overall i'm sure i've improved, i can't do that anymore.  maybe it's the heavier joystick.  now if only the damn thing didn't shake the fighter.  what's the reasoning behind that anyway?  was it for "cool factor"?  cuz it's really just fking annoying.  if it's because of it being a projectile weapon, those projectiles are infinitely smaller than the missles that DON'T shake the fighter when fired.

[General Battuta]

The screen just shakes, actually. I don't think the weapon itself changes at all.

It's a good thing that effect is present, because otherwise the Maxim would be even more ridiculously powerful.