early game vs late game

[F50]

I think the shielding the wolfen has at the beginning should be reduced to a class I deflector. Those zulus and oromo just aren't a threat if you have it.

I never use ammo weapons in the early game. Even if that means sticking to a dual laser cannon right through to Charon (unlikely).

I generally don't face the problems I hear about in the early-game. I have to try playing a saphire some time...

A few changes I would make to late-game to make it more tense:

High-level equipment (VIII, IX, X) should be more expensive so that you are still using VIII stuff until the last four or five systems.

Adventurer outfitters should not sell IX and X equipment so that the player can't use CW credits for these items.

VII and VIII equipment should be less valuable (to everyone) esp. Teratons.

More nasty capships should added (Sung capship, higher damage type Ares capship still somewhat on par with the Phobos, ) and they should be more common with the exception of Ranx capships. They are common enough thank you!

Some more gunship types. Ones that use missiles frequently (not like the current Kobols). This will serve both to add the possibillity of using missiles more often and to make it more dangerous for the player (missiles generally hurt alot as noted by the cyndocyst and even the regular NAMI missile is more noticeable on my shields than most laser fire). Give the Ranx a common missile gunship. Give the Ares a faster-fireing one. What about the Luminous Hunter-Killer? Missiles switch up battles, they are more easy to dodge and are more worth dodging.

Finally, last and least, switching Lamplighter and the QAC's damage ratings (making the last 4-6 systems more dangerous).

Most people are saying the problem with late game is that the player is too advanced. Changes to the economy and availiabillity of those weapons, coupled with some more-advanced enemies in later on when the player actually has IX and X stuff should fix this.

[OddBob]

Huge swarms may look cool but taking the time to kill all of them becomes bothersome to some (some people may like it like this) Even if they are not a threat to your ship you have to get rid of them somehow due to friendly fire.

I'm starting to think this might be the problem, at least some of the time.

Now the Dwarg come in huge swarms but they can be fun - if you find the leader and take it out you don't have to destroy the followers (they'll do it for you). They also don't have shields, which means you can whittle away at the pack, and they won't run away (although let it be said that I like the running away0 best new feature).

But Viking-IIs are occasionally ridiculous - I just played a system where I literally could not destroy them as fast as they would come in - eventually I just had to leave the system because I couldn't find the bases under a constant swarm of 100+ Vikings.

[Fossaman]

Dang, that's harsh, Oddbob.

I agree, viking 2s are among the most irritating ships out there, simply because they give lousy loot, take forever to kill because of that blasted shield (which is even worse with the new behavior programming), and there are kajillions of them! (That's a technical term, by the way) At least with the Barbary gunships there's an actual threat involved.

Even a small chance for treasure-type items or the occasional bit of useful (read: saleable) equipment would be a nice plus, if they keep coming in those numbers.

What if there were some sort of group AI on the swarm ships, so that when X% of the swarm had been destroyed, the remaining ships would retreat, possibly to the nearest affiliated base to wait for reinforcements? I find the suicidal tendencies of most enemies to be annoying.

For even more behind the scenes fun, make the percentage of the swarm that you need to kill be reduced with each swarm that you defeat. Alternatively, you could reduce the size of each successive swarm in that system, due to the player's fearsome reputation. Destroying bases would naturally make them more aggressive and numerous again, until you kill some more.

That, to me, would make most parts of the game more interesting. Some sovereigns could be pragmatic, cutting their losses and not attacking you after a few defeats. Others could get angry, and start sending larger and larger groups, until you blow up their base in the system. In short, some way for the player to control, however indirectly, the enemies that they fight.

[Lord Trogg]

I would like it if there were more 'sneaky' weapons in the later game. Things such as emp, radiation, blind, that ion disrupter thing and some new types. It would be interesting if there was a weapon that ignored shields or that had a damage multiplier against shields.

[Boris the Cat]

Something that severely limits my enjoyment of the late game, is that, compared to the early game, I'm faced with the same enemies all the time. Whereas the early game introduces and phases out enemies at a semi-constant rate (for the most part), I find that once I've progressed a few systems past St. K's, I'm stuck fighting the same enemies until the end. Not to sound like Cato, but yes, I'm talking about the Slavers in particular. Once they show up, I'm stuck fighting them for the rest of the game, and it's tedious.

Ceterum censeo mercatoris servus esse delendam.

[evilbob]

I don't mind slavers. They annoy me at first, but after a point I can cut through them like wheat before the scythe.

[Boris the Cat]

That doesn't change the fact, that they become tedious in the end. You can always count on every system having a swarm of slavers. It is as assured, as there being a star at the center of the system.

[OddBob]

I think the problem IS that you can cut through them like nothing at all after a while. Once you can beat an enemy with no problem they should more or less stop showing up. Or they should get harder - like an entire second rung of Slaver elite packing thermo weapons.

So I agree that it's tedious to fight them for so long, but honestly slavers are the most interesting enemy to fight when you can't laugh at particle damage (80% of the time you see slavers they're no threat). Slave camps are a unique challenge. Their ships are almost pefect -

Wind slavers are hard hitting and fast firing but fragile (I'd like to see more ships that can dish it out plenty but can't take it)

Steel slavers are the opposite - they're tough but they don't have much in the way of firepower - however they can disarm you which still makes them a threat (if they were just tough-but-weak it would be tedious to destroy them)

Earth slavers are a nice challenge, hard hitting and strong (although few which makes this a challenge and not a tedium) - even if you ARE immune to particle you still have to watch out as they can take your shields down.

I haven't encountered the cap ship yet.

[F50]

Much agreed!

[Kamikaze]

I'd like to see more ships that can dish it out plenty but can't take it

So would I. Something that can knock down your shield in one hit and then your armor in another, while being overall about the strength of a Corsair II would be nice.

Sure, I can kill it in one hit, but what if there's more than 1-2? BYE!

[Boris the Cat]

A lot of interesting stuff.

I agree, to some extent, but the point I'm getting at, is that it's not so much a question of the challenge (or lack thereof) when fighting Slavers; it's more that that by the time you've progressed to the late game, every system has that feeling of "sameness" to it. You kinda know that if you're not attacked by slavers when you exit the stargate, you will be after cruisin' around for a minute or so. I don't know about others, but this really kills any enjoyment of the late game for me. It's not until I'm up against the Iocrym Commandship that I'm getting excited again. And by that time, the game is either won or lost.

[goat not sheep]

Late game feels like early game...
Wind slavers are like battlepods...
steel slavers are like that earth-zone shuttles...
and earth slavers... dunno.
Right now, all i'm doing is testing out new missions, and trying to find bugs. Maybe more missions would spice it up...but too much missions...

[Yugi]

and earth slavers... dunno.

Drakes?

[Kamikaze]

Prolly about there, yeah.

[Siegfried]

Thats a toughie.

I find plenty of enjoyment in both the early and late games.

I'd have to say the Early game wins a bit though because theres the excitement of finding an awesome piece of loot or something like that while in the late game you're more or less set.