Missile weapons take LOOONG time before shot reaches the target and also they have hard counter, meanwhile laser weapons( especially tachyon lances, they are just fabulous) start outputing damage in the same moment you get in range for them to work and dont have actual counters.
Plasma guns + disruptors is already pretty cheesy combo, as AI fleet managed to inflict some casaulties on my battleships despite them having sentient AI, 2700 shielding and top tier weapons. And energy weapon research grants you arc lightening guns, which combine good damage + high chance to bypass shield + bypassing armour + they not only damage one ship, but lightening jumps form one ship to another, so large parts of mosquito fleets can be wiped out in first minutes of battle.
Corvettes are worth sticking best possible engine and defensive computer on them, because you can achieve something like 60 % dodge chance.
Hangars, well, there is kind of defensive stations, which make enemy to perform their ftl jump right on top of the station,such fortress right above the star and filled with bombers and minefield can be rather brutal, bonus points for going full Rogal Dorn and surrounding this fortress with one more long ranged weapon fortress with minefield on each side + give each of those fortresses one of four kekworthy effects like - 20 % shields for enemy fleets, - 20 % firerate and stuff.
Is there way to break into psyonic research after unlocking everything of value as materialists?