Iocrym: Blocade or Tripwire

[Atarlost]

The Iocrym can be defeated with a +150% Ares Archcannon and a plasma shield. Mine was +90%, but never went below 190 hp so an unenhanced would have worked, barely, and a +30% would have been fine. I had no ICX. I took no special actions exept to point my nose at the command ship, fire, and accelerate to keep close enough for easy aiming every time he hit me with his repeller, chase after him when he tried to run away, and refuel mid-battle. Everything he threw at me except the repeller was shot down by the archcannon except a couple quantumsphere shots early on.

This means two things: First, that the Qianlong and Lamplighter are unneccessary, and second that 3 Chasm Gunships would be able to bring down the Iocrym if they stayed out of repeller range. This, of course, leads to the question of why the blocade is still in place. Are the Areans so hard pressed they can't spare a handful of gunships or do they have no desire to break out of the quarantine?

Are the Iocrym supposed to be this weak? Shouldn't they have a weapon that can get past a defensive fire pattern as simple as one gun mounted on your ship's nose pointing straight at them?

[F50]

I think this is a serious plot problem. The Iocrym needs to be able to defeat every faction's ships. Most factions don't have the necessary weapons. The Sung are too far away from heretic (and only have one ship). I guess this makes the Ares a problem.

The Iocrym really needs better weapons in order to make it a threat. Another question about alien tech is: What is the Kyrtin launcher and where did it come from? I suggest that the Iocrym wields a tracking/dual slow-firing Kyrtin launcher. That way the Iocrym will have enough firepower to destroy itself and, consequently, the player and the Ares ships.

[Aury]

I'm putting in a sung fleet:

the ships that could potentially defeat the current command ship that I'm adding are w/ logistics:

moar dragon slavers- the sung can't spare these guys- anyways, why'd they travel all that way and still probably lose to the fleet?

ranx imerpial dragon- this ship was recently developed. It will help the player out with the Iocrym only if the player completes the ranx story line. Anyhow, the empire can't spare any ships until the threats to their existence are eliminated.

Phobos - II - this ship is basically like the ares analogue to the ranx imperial dragon. However, you'll see from the Heretic graveyard (lots of ships killed that WERE NOT disintigrated) that despite the Phobos II's anti-disintegration armor, they still died.

Luminous Meta-assembler Beta - With an AI bug, it was too busy killing everybody in it's system. After being (partially) restored, the AI decides to stay put. It WILL "sell" the player various advanced items it fabricates however.

Danthorian Armada- they decided that rebuilding the other stargate out of the quarantine zone would be a more efficient decision.

Teraton siege ship- while it might kill one of the larger, slower moving ships, there is no way that it's primary gun could target the cruisers. It's secondary weapons are too weak to kill them either. the Secondary weapons could possibly kill the lighter ships, but with their poor range, it's still quite doubtful. The teratons have only one good weapon vs. light craft- their plasma drill- and it's not on the siege ship.

Ringer ships- no shields. nuff said.

Angry admiral decker w/ lamplighter- he's after ares, not Iocrym. Anyways, you could go to the core and back and the Terra would probably not even have reached heretic... He also has a serious lack of shields too...

Charon fleets- actually, a good number of tripoli-III/IV/V's and barbarossas/libertalias could potentially take out the Iocrym fleet... They just don't have enough ships or interest to.

[speedofsquid]

Why would any of the factions consider it good strategy to make an enemy of the Iocrym? No one knows what's on the other side of the gate. All of them would deal with their immediate problems before engaging an advanced, powerful force of unknown size.

[omniaddict]

Spoilers!



wondering about non human technologies?


Behold, code!

TECH LEVELS

1 Personal (most humans can create/repair)
2-3 Manufacturing (requires dedicated machines/devices)
4-5 High-tech (requires special knowledge and/or sophisticated infrastructure)
6-7 Restricted (technology available only to governments/corporations)
8-9 Experimental (basic concepts understood; limited practice)
10-14 High Races (technology only available to Galactics)
15-20 Halo Races (technology only available to Ancients in globular clusters)
21-25 Hierodule (technology only available to hierodules)
26-50 Core Minds (technology only known to Core Minds)
>50 Unknown (impossible or not known to be physically possible




Also:


MODIFIERS
Alien Item is not found in Human Space
Soul Item contains (possibly dormant) intelligence of HIG III or above




Has anyone ever seen these two armors in game?



<!-- LEVEL XV -->

<!-- Segment of Dark Matter Plate -->

<ItemType UNID="&itDarkMatterPlate;"
name= "segment of dark matter armor"
level= "15"
value= "2000000"
mass= "5000"
modifiers= "Alien; MinorItem"
frequency= "uncommon"
numberAppearing= "1d4"

description= "Very little is known about this exotic form of dark-matter. It is impervious to most low-level forms of energy and yet light enough to protect a small ship."

firstPlural= "true"
sortName= "dark matter armor, segment of"
>

<Image imageID="&rsItems1;" imageX="0" imageY="0" imageWidth="96" imageHeight="96"/>

<Armor
hitPoints= "400"
repairTech= "15"
repairCost= "40"
installCost="50000"

radiationImmune="true"
disintegrationImmune="true"
/>

</ItemType>

<!-- LEVEL XXI -->

<!-- Segment of Hierosteel Plate -->

<ItemType UNID="&itHierosteelPlate;"
name= "segment of hierosteel armor"
level= "21"
value= "20000000"
mass= "5000"
modifiers= "Alien; MinorItem"
frequency= "uncommon"
numberAppearing= "1d4"

description= "Forged by the ancient Hierodules, this miraculous material can withstand all but the most brutal forms of energy."

firstPlural= "true"
sortName= "hierosteel armor, segment of"
>

<Image imageID="&rsItems1;" imageX="0" imageY="0" imageWidth="96" imageHeight="96"/>

<Armor
hitPoints= "600"
repairTech= "21"
repairCost= "100"
installCost="50000"

radiationImmune="true"
disintegrationImmune="true"
/>

</ItemType>

[Atarlost]

Why would any of the factions consider it good strategy to make an enemy of the Iocrym? No one knows what's on the other side of the gate. All of them would deal with their immediate problems before engaging an advanced, powerful force of unknown size.

Then why does the Commonwealth support you, even potentially with a Lamplighter? If the Iocrym are something fierce and threateing in the eyes of sane governments everywhere why are pilgrims of Domina permitted to pester them?

[speedofsquid]

Then why does the Commonwealth support you, even potentially with a Lamplighter? If the Iocrym are something fierce and threateing in the eyes of sane governments everywhere why are pilgrims of Domina permitted to pester them?

Factions may reward or support you, when you are acting in their interests, but only other pilgrims and the Sisters directly support your journey to the Core. Besides, what is the Commonweath going to do, outlaw all contact with Domina? Make it punishable by death to attack the Iocrym?

[Atarlost]

Not give you a superweapon.

[Aury]

>50 Unknown (impossible or not known to be physically possible

unfortunatly that's all too true at a very literal level... although it encompasses levels 26+ as well

[Stormhawk]

Speedofsquid wrote
Factions may reward or support you, when you are acting in their interests, but only other pilgrims and the Sisters directly support your journey to the Core. Besides, what is the Commonweath going to do, outlaw all contact with Domina? Make it punishable by death to attack the Iocrym?

Isn't attacking the Iocrym already a death wish? And if a ship can go into battle with the Iocrym Command ship and survive, the Commonwealth isn't going to be able to put them to death.