Consider this: when you buy a missile launcher, you automatically get ten missiles. When you buy a torpedo launcher, you get one torpedo. Presumably, these numbers are enough to make the weapon system useful. What's more, if you look at the phsyical model of the torpedo on your ship, you see only one - not a rack of multiple torpedoes. I spent some little time trying to figure out how you reload your torpedo launcher for refiring purposes, but could find no acceptable solution.

This brought me to one conclusion. Torpedoes should be a single-shot, massively powerful, weapon. Much like the torpedo bombers of WW2, the heavy fighters should have one strapped onto their ship that can be launched. The torpedo should have a small chance of destroying it's target (base or battleship,) and a much more likely chance to do critical damage. If it doesn't destroy the target, it's time to head back to base and reload, or have a partner that can finish the job.

As it stands now, torpedoes are a waste of a weapon slot. I was astounded to discover that I could use 5-6 torpedoes to destroy a weapons platform - waiting patiently for them to slowly reach their target, or I could simply destroy it in a fraction of that time with a short burst of gun fire. I miss the days of Wing Commander where you slowly waited for your torpedo to lock on while suffering the attacks of enemy fighters and your target's own guns.