If you have a cannon-cannon-punch weapon, you can kill maybe 7 blocks per shot and 10 shots per second = 70 blocks per second.
When you use a cannon-only weapon, you would be able to kill 1 block per second with just that one weapon.
Then you say: but you could make multiple weapons …
… but multiple pistols are not a machine gun - they require multiple hands to hold too (In Starmade, master-controllers).
You say that 1-1-1 + 1-1-1 is not superior to 2-2-2 (Ion, punch), but I answer that the choice given to the pilot alone separates it into the next tier/level.
In the past, we had front-loaded riffles which could fire exactly once after 20 seconds or more on preparation time.
Does everyone agree that riffles with multiple rounds are the next tier? Even if the bullets are more difficult to manufacture?
You might say "I don't care about manufacturing time" and you might be right; AS LONG as you have others do it for you in mass-production-style.
But once you are in a post-apocalyptic world or stranded at some forest-island, would you prefer your standardized machine gun or a bow?
Level, what is level? Level is if it is stronger. It can also cost more and adds unused overkill.
Tier, what is tier? It is a tech-level in my understanding since I started the post.
If your skill increases, it's not a technology but skill.
But if you upgrade your weapon, you get another technology-level.
If you separate a 600 block weapon into 2x 300 to get ion/punch, you can do not more damage than previously.
But you can safe 50% power if you do not fire stupidly both guns.
In StarConflict, you get 1 additional upgrade slot per tier and 1 additional equipment slot per 6 tiers if I remember that correctly but it's better to use lower tiers if you have not enough money to upgrade your higher ships.
But one tier has interceptors, fighters, frigates and new destroyer-class ships and you may choose to pick a lower-tier destroyer over a higher-tier interceptor in some cases. It is not always better to choose the higher tier.
If you have 1 ship tier 6 and one ship tier 7 and pick tier 7, you get matched against higher tier players. Tier-7 is worse than Tier-6 as long as you don't have 3 tier-7 to stitutionally choose the best one.
Higher tiers are not always better because they cost more or require a bigger society/infrastructure.
A jeep is better than a horse, but only as long as you get enough fuel and this fuel is not more expensive than a servant who cares for the horse while you are doing something else.
If you mix up cannons and beams, you require a more complex factory to build both types - it's a higher tier (Technology).