Hit and run isn't about short range. In fact, most H&R weapons in the game are long range (except for Phase Lance and AMB). Short range weapons in this game are more about hitting, and then hitting a couple hundred times more.
Hmm, maybe we are discussing two different definitions of 'hit-and-run' then?
To me, the 'and-run' part of 'hit-and-run' automatically assumes that the weapon has short range, since if you are outranging an enemy, then you don't need to run, you just need to hit.
And sure, Phase Anchor makes the Tachyon Lance charge faster, so you might see 'hit-and-phase', but you aren't phasing to escape damage from the enemy (unless they have some mildly longer range weapons, missiles, or fighters), you are doing it to recharge your weapons faster. A burst weapon does not automatically equal a hit-and-run weapon.
To take this concept to its logical extreme:
Imagine if the Tachyon Lance had 4000 range but was in every other way identical. You could use this
as a 'hit-and-run' weapon, but considering the context it exists in (ie compared to the other weapons of Starsector), under no circumstances would you call this a 'hit-and-run' weapon. Or certainly
I wouldn't, and I doubt many others would either.
The example's point is that range does actually factor into whether something is 'hit-and-run'. And my general point is that a Tachyon Lance isn't something that needs to do 'hit-and-run', because of its range.
Same reason why the Autopulse fits hit-and-run tactics: deals massive damage in bursts but is outperformed by weapons with more sustained DPS if those sustained DPS weapons get to keep shooting. If you think about it, Tachyon Lance & Phase Lance gain charges while not firing as well; they just only have one charge.
Now this point suggests that it
is the damage that makes a weapon 'hit-and-run' and not the range. So for another example:
Why don't we call
harpoons a 'hit-and-run' weapon? They do high burst damage but have lower sustained DPS than, say, Annihilators or Proximity Charge Launchers. When someone crafts a Gryphon doomstack, are they engaging in 'hit-and-run' tactics? I would say, no! Because of course, the reason why massed Harpoons work so well is their 2500 range, as opposed to the Annihilator's 1500 range and the Proximity Charge Launcher's 1000 (!) range. The extreme range allows Harpoons to finish off enemies that are retreating and generally keep enemies at bay
without needing to run.
And if my missile example was insufficient, then imagine if the Zig or the Sunder could mount a Gauss Cannon. Wouldn't the Gauss Cannon function near-identically on a Sunder as a Tachyon Lance? A real-game example is the Manticore, which is basically a Sunder with missiles. I think it would. Wouldn't the Zig still enter and exit phase to speed up the reloading of its Gauss Cannons and evade missile fire? I think it would. But (I hope) we would still agree that a Gauss Cannon isn't a 'hit-and-run' weapon. This example I think illustrates my point that, although a Tachyon Lance has a lot of burst damage,
the way it is being used is
not as a hit-and-run weapon.
