Weapons start small and grow noticeably. Until now, even the first shot felt like a powerful ship: big projectiles, a high fire rate, and according to the model you dealt 2 to 2.7 times the damage the first waves required.
- Projectile size by level: Level 1 at 45 % (previously 75 %), roughly +11 % per level up to level 5 (90 %), then +5 % up to level 10 (115 %) and +4 % up to level 15 (135 %). Applies to bolts, pellets, missiles and the Snake Gun; the Ion Laser starts as a thin thread (3 px instead of 6) and reaches its previous width by level 5.
- Sluggish start: Levels 1 to 4 fire more slowly and hit a little softer. Pulse Gun 4.5 shots per second at level 1 (previously 8), Heavy Gun 0.8 (previously 1), Homing Missiles 1.1 (previously 1.6) with a smaller blast, Snake Gun 2.2 (previously 3), and the drones strike less often. Pulse and Heavy Gun projectiles fly at 80 % speed at level 1 and at full speed from level 5.
- Level 5 stays exactly as it was — from there on, the balance is unchanged.
- Levels 6 to 15 also gain fire rate (Pulse Gun +4 % per level, up to 14 shots per second at level 15; Snake +3.5 %, missiles and drones +3 %, Heavy Gun +1.5 %). The budget per level stays the same, so damage per shot grows a little more slowly — a level now feels like more than just a bigger number.
- Calculated (Pilot, no hangar upgrades): In the first four waves you now deal 2.1 to 1.5 times what’s needed instead of 2.7 to 1.6. From wave 5 on, nothing changes.