If I have specialized in beam weapons and am rather far into this tech branch (let's say to phasor weapons) does it pay off switching to a different weapon type if my opponent starts using shields? I would have to go all the way back to missile/gun theory and work my way up from there, meaning I would have to use the inefficient initial weapons such as miniballs.
If you are rather far into the game is it viable to start over specializing in another tech branch or should I rather carry on with advanced weapons for which the enemy has a counter?