No targetting rom *sighs*

[Frits]

It's not many maybe but since 0.98 was released i started 6 odd games of vanilla transcendence and played all but one 'til death. That one game had Ferian colonies from which the spoils need transporting, this takes so much time.
So this last time i died, what's bugging me? I can't get good defense for midgame, i'm finding Sung citadels (and meeting some Huari unexpectedly), ceralloy and blastplate aren't up to it. The R5 shield is even weaker than the Nephren p25 but "shields down" by the citadel negates any topshield. My weapons are fine but without targetting my omniparticle is not very effective. Ok i should have run and search for a corporate trader, i don't doubt there is a successful tactic to ensure survival in any conceivable landscape. Had i found a Bushido i'd have had Gusoku armor. Had there been anarchist stations generated i had probably found one but that's the way it goes, i'll have to find a way.

That targetting ROM though makes the difference. Evilbob wrote he'll sart over if he doesn't get it well he's got a point! In another game i destroyed the pirateholds in Charon and got a targetting rom as reward, excellent solution for handing the player a must-have item! Wish it were like that every time. This time i got an unknown IDchip, probably military cos i had the blackmarket IDchip. When docking at a fortress it proved not so valuable cos i had to start my career with the first military mission.

What makes this rom invaluable? For one i can start shooting from a larger distance, even before it can hit me. But moreover i get information on my opponents' damagelevels, that tactical edge is vital.
Note: the targetting issue was brought up before, maybe many times, using search i found an interesting thread "what's in your vessel" but found it too large, OT and too distracting.

[F50]

I generally find a BM to blow up. The shield you get is invaluable. The invincible deflector will make you know how to press 'i' 'a' when the citadels hit you, however, as long as you are reasonable, only Dwarg Masters will pose a threat to you (ie. the cyndocysts will take the shield down after a minute or two of bombardment) until the Ares and the CSCs (Plasma Shield...) get around. Fork over the 10k to buy some insurance. When you die the quadrocarbide will help you survive. Once the launcher even survived intact. Credits will abound thanks to this as well (which may allow you to buy what you want from the BM without having to blow it up). Order any non-millitary rom. Order a field crystal.

[FAD]

It's pretty much become a general rule that if you don't get a targeting ROM by the time you leave St. K's, it's time to restart the game. There's many situations that require having it.

As important of an item that it is, I think there should be a mission or something that always offers the ROM as a reward once completed. Although I'm not sure if that would make it too easy since it would become a given every game?

[OddBob]

I've played entire games without the ROM; get a non-omni weapon and use it for long range work, switching to the omni as flyswatter up close where it picks targets (heck, even when I use an omni WITH a targeting ROM I deselect the target - generally firing at the closest ship is most effective and it's handy when it does it automatically)

However, I am very much NOT in favor of it ever being provided as a given. It's already very cloes to being so with the trading post.

[Burzmali]

Three words:

Corporate Trading Post

[evilbob]

Evilbob wrote he'll sart over if he doesn't get it well he's got a point!

Indeed, Not having a ROM is a major annoyance. Although I don't actually use it much, it gets me out of those situations where a guided missile needs to hit it's target, or I wanna know just how long it will be before my target kicks the bucket, or indeed if I'm actually scratching it's armoured hide.

[dvlenk6]

I don't think it's required; since you can complete the game without a targetting ROM.
If it isn't required, it shouldn't be a given that you always find one.
Worse comes to worst, you can almost always find a Trading Post at some point.

[F50]

And usually lots of them.

[FAD]

Never said it was required to complete the game. Said: "There's many situations that require having it." Point being... Can't do any mil missions without one installed...and there's a lot of missions. As evilbob stated; guided missiles are useless without the ROM. They'll just go flying off into neverland if nothing is targeted.

And sure, there's the trading post but even that is not always a guarantee in every game. And if there are some, I'd rather spend that precious "1 shot" order on bigger and better items. For me, I'll restart the game if no targeting ROM can be found by St. K's. So yeah, it's that important.

[Psycholis]

targeting roms also make for awesome scouting. if you have no idea what kind of enemy is out there (no system map), you can target cycle the entire area and now you have that info. reconnaisance is a big plus when you've got an inferior ship.

[Burzmali]

For me, I'll restart the game if no targeting ROM can be found by St. K's. So yeah, it's that important.

Let me guess, when you play a wizard in nethack you restart and restart until your initial equipment contains a spellbook of identify and the ring that prevents hunger.

[dvlenk6]

...For me, I'll restart the game if no targeting ROM can be found by St. K's. So yeah, it's that important.

I guess you could just put one on each playership as starting equipment; or change the Charon Korolov mission so that you always get a Target ROM for exterminating the Pirate termites.
No sense going all the way to St.K's hoping to find one along the way. Would be a bummer to go that far only to have to restart.

[Betelgeuse]

I thought the mission required the visual enhancement not the targeting rom.

[OddBob]

First of all, can someone tell me the average number of ROMS that appear per game? I tried to use TransData, but when I use /totalCount it tells me it can't and to use /generateSimTables instead, which doesn't do anything helpful.

I am fairly certain that betelgeuse is right. You only need a SRS enhance so that waypoints can show up.

Frankly, I'm really against the ROM ever being handed to you on a platter. It's NOT critical - the only absolutely 100% guaranteed item should be the only item required to win the game - the stargate control rod. Anything else just reinforces the idea: play the same way every game.
Get some non-tracking missiles. It's like when no fortresses are generated. I've heard many here welcome that as an interesting challenge and it's far worse than no tracking ROM. So why does everybody whine about this?

If the ROM is VERY important, then it's worth a trading post, no? Out of curiosity, what do you order there if you have a ROM?

[dvlenk6]

I'm not accusing anybody of whining.
I feel that Transcendence is easily modifiable so that anybody can make the gameplay be the way they want it to be. I can't speek for George; but I think that this is by design and took (and continues to take) a lot of work on his part to make it that way.
Take advantage of the effort that went into this feature of Transcendence:
If you feel the Targetting ROM is so important that you will quit a game if you don't have it; it is very simple to place it somewhere in the xml so that you will be sure to find one. There are many places that it could be put, with standard mods, that would hardly take any effort or 'modding' knowledge at all.
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Just play the game the way it makes it funnest for you to play.