So your saying tritanium can only be a solid or a gas through Sublimation? Interesting idea!
It's a leap, but a structural material that can only be solid or gas would not have steel's problem: proportional loss of strength as its temperature reaches its melting point. Although, phaser vaporization isn't really turning matter into vapor, it kind of dissolves matter.
There's another issue, if they can't melt tritanium how are they refining it in the first place. If they can turn it to gas at least there is a way. Or, we are left with them using transporters to separate the materials, which is possible. They could then form tritanium using extrusion, hydraulic forming, or replicators.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XwQKWUkrLg&#t=1m02s
there's a good shot of an Excelsior's saucer vaporising. TNG when the Yamato explodes it's saucer also vaporises.
I hope ship phasers are powerful in STE. In most games they're incredibly weak to the point that they're negligible compared to torps. Doesn't help that they tried to force it into the game mechanic of "phasers against shields, torps against hull".
The Yamato is the one I remember best, also the Enterprise crash from the movie where Jim says, "What have I done." That Excelsior scene is a really good one because it shows how artistic the effect can be. The radiating lines from the shot are etched into the hull with vaporized trails.
I noticed that too, and torpedoes are similarly underpowered. In post-TOS time, we see many instances of a single photon torpedo destroying an entire ship (when the Enterprise destroys the Bird of Prey in Generations for one example), but in Bridge Commander it can take multiple torpedoes to destroy even a relatively small ship without shields.
People balancing the games fear short fights. If you do watch the video you can see
Galors one shotting
Jem'Hadar fighters. I can never remember for some reason but I think it was said that the ships will be balanced so they can all fight each other in a fair way. That does make sense for a single player game, or multiplayer with limited numbers. But ideally, I would greatly prefer it be balanced so a Peregrine when facing a Galaxy class or better has a hot dog's chance at making through a weight gaining competition. I actually like short, rapid fights. Given enough players acting at once, things could easily be balanced with strict this-is-better-than-thatness. World of Tanks uses it and it works well.
Weak tanks, at least in the very beginning only fight other weak tanks. Later, once you leave the intro segregation, the light tanks are meant to scout and kill artillery, while mediums (are supposed to) harass flanks, and heavies do whatever they want. There are also anti-tank vehicles, which are like snipers, and howitzers. Generally the trick is to stay in a group. You can only go off on your own as a heavy.
