Your .99/.99a ship & experience

[Periculi]

Yes, indeed.. random equipment will never die!

high five, digdug!

[FAD]

I think the centauri in Eridani are just about perfect--for introducing a new player to the game. Leave 'em be. Arco's raider is good enough to take out anything using a class I deflector, so it has the effect of forcing the player to understand the upgrade system to beat him. It's a really good system, I think.

I totally agree here.
When I first played 099, I went in with nube in mind (meaning I didn't use any of my tricks gained from knowledge) I let the newness set the pace & I followed along.

Here are the results from my first few games (order from bottom to top):

Code: Select all

<Score name="Predefined User"	shipClass="EI500-class freighter"	genome="1"	score="2275"	epitaph="destroyed by a Corsair II-class gunship in the Lalande System"	time="36 minutes and 36.91 seconds"	resurrectCount="0"	adventureUNID="997"	debug="0"/>
	<Score name="Predefined User"	shipClass="EI500-class freighter"	genome="1"	score="1720"	epitaph="destroyed by a Borer-class gunship in the Lalande System"	time="59 minutes and 39.60 seconds"	resurrectCount="0"	adventureUNID="3e5"	debug="0"/>
	<Score name="Predefined User"	shipClass="EI500-class freighter"	genome="1"	score="720"	epitaph="destroyed by Arco Vaughn&apos;s heavy raider in the Eridani System"	time="12 minutes and 28.47 seconds"	resurrectCount="0"	adventureUNID="997"	debug="0"/>
	<Score name="Predefined User"	shipClass="EI500-class freighter"	genome="1"	score="640"	epitaph="destroyed by Arco Vaughn&apos;s heavy raider in the Eridani System"	time="34 minutes and 33.17 seconds"	resurrectCount="0"	adventureUNID="3e5"	debug="0"/>

Yep, stock freighter the first two attempts. Second two w/ freighter I found a class 2 shield and bought or found a laser collimator and managed to die twice in the second system. After that I went back to using my knowledge of things and went on.
Leave Eridani as is. It should be the learning stage for beginners.

[Periculi]

Captain Predefined User?
Nice ta meet ya!

Umm... you don't seem to be a computer or a robot to me, nor some kind of alien..

but I have been known to be wrong, very very wrong. And you do have that interesting Avatar.

[FAD]

The name was changed to protect the guilty. But it is a good thing you din't point out my location.

[Ttech]

Sorry for opening an old topic.

I think, now that the Centauri take the place of the easy to kill enemies. And now that <Devices> now accepts tables. The Corsairs need random weapons. It makes them harder and more like the pirates they are. Plus it'd be awesome to try to defend your poor Korolov freighter against a corsair with a particle beam.

I totally agree. Pirates are well - pirates, even if they don't have better weapons, better armor would also make sense.

Thought the frigates are a pain.

[Sheltem]

I chose the wolfen for the first run through 0.99a, but after all I'm totally convinced that the wolfen is no ship for me.
The new pricing system affords to pile up some cargo, so you might need a cargo hold, but the wolfen has no devices left for cargohold if you want to install icx and transspace jumpdrive.
What da hell shoud I do with 4 weapons ? It only makes sense to use a WMD weapon, a omni weapon and mining equip ...
The other advantage of the wolfen is the thrust, as the freigther always needs a engine, the wolfen doesnt, but I see it as main disadvantage that the wolfen turns too fast.
When loaded with 36tons the wolfen turn slows down from mad spinning impeller to as retarded like the freigther, because the maneuverabiltiy drops from 2 to 3 -.-
I demand more increments for turning speed here !!!

Well, although I dislike the wolfen now completly I continued to play the game to see how the centauri developed, mining works and the huari behave, but all turned out to be cursed.
I took a while to experience the start in Eridani. The missions for the habitats and the mining colony are a good to help out with money problems on start, but I cant believe that Centauri Warlords can be a danger for anyone with a lasercannon ... they are retarded slow and cant get a def2 down ... I see them as "Hornets with loot"

After a short starting period, I found a dual flenser before StK but Domina somehow cursed me for murdering the salvagers
I only found 1 Armor Dealer, and no omniweapon turbolaser, no Thors, one BlackMarketShipyard no transspace jumpdrive and also no Commonwealth Fortress.
After StK I invested my money for a omni particle weapon - at this time I used a mining laser, dual flenser and omni particle and a 100MW to power them. I continued my way to the core, in Sanctuary I found my first Yoroi MX, bought it and amplified it with an ordered blue etherium crystal. In the same system was a Huari Fortress near a Commonwealth Colony. This meeting already produced 4 huari wrecks, so I decided to help the colonists and destroyed the Fortress. To improve my firepower I bought a mark 3 Howitzer. With this equipment and the ion reflect, I started to search for a Jumpdrive to speed up transporting the stuff I had piled up ... I journeyed to Dantalion with an Ion Reflecting Yoroi MX, a Mark 3 , Omni Particle and 100MW - but with Ion Reflect this was rather easy.
Although there was a bit of luck : a ringer shipyard didn't survived being near to a ranx fortress.

Now my next step are to get some money for upgrading my stuff and try my luck at some teraton stations.
Another good side of the story are the 5 Tempus Labs that didn't appear in my other games. Enough drugs to make StK people forget the war, happy and many other things

[Arisaya]

You get punished for killing salvagers!?
I kill those guys on sight (they keep stealin' mah loot!) and nothing ever happens...

I still like the wolfen more-
1) who needs ICX?
2) I don't buy stuff from every station I meet... So I can easily get by with minimal cash
3) starting loadout is pretty sweet
4) retarded turning at 100 tons w/ wolfen> super retarded turning @ 200 tons w/ frieghtor
5) don't need all those non-weapons anyhow
6) cargo hold expansion is all you need
7) nothing better than lamp (for iocrym, heavy ships) + IM90(anti-spam) + fusionfire(long range assualt/seige) + disruptor(evilness) and a heavy NAMI to top it off... ( I beat the ares scout mission in 2 seconds with some medusa missiles... The gate was literally next to the CSC so any other approach (other than the IM90 that i didn't have at the time) would have been futile- your window of optortunity is less than 4 seconds...)

[digdug]

yep, that extra weapon slot is very handy, with the freighter I normally have to abandon my mining equipment soon after st. kathrine, otherwise i won't survive.

After a short starting period, I found a dual flenser before StK but Domina somehow cursed me for murdering the salvagers
I only found 1 Armor Dealer, and no omniweapon turbolaser, no Thors, one BlackMarketShipyard no transspace jumpdrive and also no Commonwealth Fortress.

mmmhhh, a mod that modify the random station probability depending on your conduct....
mmmhh, a Domina power that help you by changing the random stations in the next system....

[Vastin]

Played through with a Wolfen, tried out the new Eridani quests. Amusing little source of early cash.

Romped through the early systems at a good pace, got especially lucky and found an X-Ray laser before I even reached Charon. With that particular toy I romped the Arena and managed to save the Korlov shipping base from the pirate assault then moved on through St.K's.

On the down side, I kept failing to find an omni worth equipping, and I didn't find a targeting rom until I was deep into sung space. Finally ended my omni drought with an Akan600 around the same time. Much nicer dealing with the Dwarg with that on board. Rode through most of the mid game with the Akan, an ion weapon, and a MkV howitzer.

On a stroke of good luck, I was able to buy an Iocrym Veil and an Ion Blaster at an early Adventurer's Outfitter for normal credit! Woot! Then started amassing rins for the really heavy stuff to cut through Ares space and close out the game.

Lots and lots of ringers, teraton and takion merchants in the late game, so I had plenty of heavy armament to choose from, once I had amassed sufficient Rin to do so. This also allowed my to buy a lot of Longzhu spheres for upgrading equipment.

I also found one or two cases where a Gaian had blown up on a major base and destroyed it in in a chain reaction. Remind me not to be near one of those when they go boom.

Speaking of going boom, my one insurance payout was due to my carelessly overflying a Phobos Dreadnaught while pounding it with my IM90, and not realizing how close to dead it already was... a 500pt Iocrym Veil and 300pt armor is NOT sufficient...

Made the mistake of trying out a Kyrtin Blaster. What a piece of crap that was... Total waste of Rin.

Went into the endgame with my favorite combination of Plasma Cannon, +100% Lightning Turret, +100% IM90 and for kicks I threw in a missile launcher (I usually don't bother with the latter).

Waltzed into Heretic, smacked the Iocrym around for a few minutes, and then proceeded to accidentally blow him into smithereens. Ah well. Good enough! Domina can send me my gate key by Fedex or something. 8)

Games 2-6 consisted of me trying to beat the Eridani boss with a Freighter and getting my butt handed to me in a sling in less than 5 seconds each time. So, my overall score to date is:

The Iocrym Command Ship: 8-0
Arcos the Thug: 1-5

That, uh, doesn't look quite right...

[Arisaya]

The Iocrym Command Ship: 8-0
Arcos the Thug: 1-5

Lol yes, the freighter fails miserable against him. How to beat him w/ the freighter-
1) find DM600
2) put DM600 on ship
3) blow him up

[Vastin]

The Iocrym Command Ship: 8-0
Arcos the Thug: 1-5

Lol yes, the freighter fails miserable against him. How to beat him w/ the freighter-
1) find DM600
2) put DM600 on ship
3) blow him up

Actually, no.

1) Exploit broken mission for 30 DM600's.
2) Sell 25 of the DM600's and buy class II shields.
3) Equip DM600.
4) Go find Arcos and fire missiles at long range (they don't lock)
5) Close range and engage Arcos close enough for the missiles to hit
6) Arcos's guns shoot down my missiles and shatter my shields with first shot
7) Arcos's guns shoot down my second salvo and destroy my ship with the second shot.

So, no. That didn't really work for me.

[evilbob]

Actually it's DM1500. IIRC, DM600 is 6 KM100 missiles.

[Vastin]

Actually it's DM1500. IIRC, DM600 is 6 KM100 missiles.

Sure. Either way they didn't actually reach his ship.

[Bobby]

if you keep a distance far enough he will NOT fire at you and the missiles will hit with ease.

[Vastin]

if you keep a distance far enough he will NOT fire at you and the missiles will hit with ease.

Yup. That's what I figured. The problem is the missiles don't lock from extended range, so you have to find a middle ground. Given the very poor maneuverability of the freighter, that means skimming past him at an oblique angle that never quite lets him get in gun range, but lets you rotate to keep him in your sights.

This is the kind of tactic you expect to use in the late game, but it's not an obvious approach to any new player - indeed it took me several attempts before I realized that his guns were simply too powerful and my maneuverability too low to engage him on a direct approach, even a slow one.

Bad habits from flying a Wolfen for the last several games.

But again, I need to say, it's not a problem of him being beatable, it's a problem of him being punatively difficult for a new player who doesn't know what an oblique approach is. Doesn't know that missiles can be intercepted. Probably doesn't know that the shift key is used to fire missiles, and indeed, has no idea what a 'damage type' is at all, much less that some forms can be resisted. All the new player knows is that nothing else they've fought in this system has been able to damage them, and when they flew up to this guy their ship was turned into an instant smoking wreck.

This is all being thrown in too early. He'd make a great mid-game boss tho.