...the new Deimos! Now with...
...two extra layouts - the Catalyst* and Coercion*!
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LORE - SKIP IF YOU WANT JUST TECHNICAL DETAILS AND DOWNLOAD
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As far as I can tell, the Lanius are split between those who believe in either peaceful co-existence or indiscriminate scavenging. These bombers are all modified variants in use by the former to aid their Federation allies against both their brethren and the Rebels.
The Deimos is a retrofitted bomber whose crew, inspired by the Mantis, equipped the ship with a 4-person teleporter. This simple reconfiguration was deemed powerful enough to become the mark to which fleet variants of the bomber were to adhere to. Its simplicity is beautiful, and now the Rebels must face the true terror of massive Lanius boarding parties.
The Catalyst is a revised conceptualization of utilizing the power of fire for the Lanius, succeeding the Asphyxia whose combat data was obtained long after it had been seized. It was clear that the Asphyxia was potent, but lacking finesse; fires took too long to accomplish the draining of oxygen from an enemy vessel. Thus, it was determined by a Lanius weapons designer to tackle the problem from a different angle: with bombs. The Arson Bomb was thus devised to work in tandem with a bomber's standard Mind Control system in order to dismantle enemy operations and prevent recovery. Perhaps now this unexpected angle of attack from the Lanius will prove to be the undoing of many enemies.
The Coercion was a prototype in the works that was being outfitted with the complete standard kit for its class, with two exceptions. The first was that the cloning bay had been replaced with a med bay, complete with a reverse-engineered Med Bot Dispersal system designed to keep non-Lanius passengers, crew, or prisoners alive and further boarder-proof the ship. The second change was destined to make this ship terrifying as the apex bomber: the Taser Bomb. With the Stun Bomb falling quickly out of use, the Lanius developed from scratch a new design that had stronger ionization and stunning effects that was capable of causing a breach even in the sturdiest of ship materials. Using mind control and a Lanius boarding crew, enemies could be lured or controlled against their will into a trap - where they would be paralyzed for a virtual eternity as they breathed their last. Unexpectedly, the lead designer stole the ship far ahead of schedule and rode out with abysmal specs and a weak reactor - the only thing that may save him now is luck and a good sense of timing.
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GENERAL
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A few things to keep in mind before you go suffocating entire fleets worth of thieves, crooks, bodyguards, corrupt cops, and dastardly rebels.
- All three ships have only 20 hull strength as they are not massive cruisers.
- Drones, Hacking, and Sensors cannot be installed on any of these ships. While I have tried, the Drones system continually appears in stores - do not buy it as you will only waste your scrap.
- Oxygen and Doors can both be bought for reduced prices at stores. Airlocks have been installed as well.
- Each ship has a color corresponding shield and cloak outline, just for fun.
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BEGINNING STRATEGIES
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Deimos
The Deimos is simple and cathartic: beam in, suffocate and murder everything, beam out. You have the pleasure of using a four-person Lanius boarding party and you must abuse it to the hilt if you're going to survive. You have upgraded piloting to give you a small odd to work with in avoiding enemy fire, but you must either end battles as quickly as you can or disable critical systems on the enemy ship to prevent a worst-case scenario. That said, your massive Lanius boarding party can hold up quite well and you have a quick-charging Breach Bomb to disable systems in a jiffy, so be picky about the weapons you will take to the final battle.
As is the case with all three bombers, the Deimos is only able to install the systems available to the enemy variant of the Lanius bomber. This essentially means that, in terms of customization, you can pick whether or not you want to buy Oxygen to support other races or leave it out to keep your ship relatively boarder and fire proof, and that's it. Don't be too disappointed, as you can buy Cloaking, Mind Control, and Doors, all of which are perfect for this boarding ship for avoiding damage, reversing enemy Mind Control (or just taking over one of their own), and having insurance if you buy Oxygen, respectively.
Catalyst
This fire bomber depends on disabling critical systems and burning enemy crews in order to win its early fights. Fortunately, it is a simple process as your bomb launcher fires three system-damaging bombs that can ignite fires and stun crew for a short time. If any enemy tries to put out the fire, Mind Control them. Your primary worries starting out are Zoltan ships and ships armed with upgraded Cloaking, who can stall you to prepare a disabling volley.
While the bomb is decent on its own, where it shines is finding the right complements to make it ideal in breaking down enemy defenses. Weakening enemy crew with fires and Mind Control boarding for weapons fire will allow you to kill even Rock crews for boarding rewards. A Zoltan Shield bypass goes without saying in order to render one of your biggest counters completely helpless to your whims. Another benefit is that the layout is quite interconnected in comparison to the other bombers, allowing you to move about with ease despite its seeming randomization.
Coercion
The Coercion is an interesting beast. You start off with the full Bomber kit, with Cloaking, Mind Control, and Teleporter ready and waiting to be abused. This would normally be rather overpowered, but is actually capped by an underwhelming reactor that severely limits what can be used at any given time. On top of that, you have only a single Lanius crewman and no cloning bay, making it practically the opposite of the Deimos. Traditional tactics are not going to work here.
However, what you have in your hands is a powerful tool and the keystone to your victory: the Taser Bomb. With three ion damage, guaranteed breach, and a 20-second stun, the Taser Bomb opens the door to an unorthodox boarding strategy that only requires your one Lanius to pull off. But, of course, to excel with the Coercion, you must utilize all the tools you are given to kill entire crews before something breaks horribly.
It's a fairly simple process. You will need to buy time for the Taser Bomb to charge, with remaining power focused in Engines, Teleporter, and Cloaking. When the enemy fires their first volley, cloak (and pray) to dodge it. While cloaked, send your Lanius to board the enemy ship. Reroute power from Engines to Mind Control and take over any first responder. You and your temporary ally will attract the attention of the rest of the crew (depending on both crew and room sizes).
By this point, the Taser Bomb should be ready and no one should be at their helm. Launch the bomb at the room of commotion (which should ideally be the Weapons room) and keep everyone situated there; if you can, pull your Lanius out just before the bomb goes off (I usually move him after the bomb's distinctive "whe-wha-whom" sound effect). If all goes well, the bomb will go off on the entire enemy crew.
Whether or not you pulled your Lanius out is irrelevant as the room will soon vent and the enemy crew will quickly lose health. With the exception of Rockmen (and Crystals and other Lanius, obviously), the enemy crew will most likely die within the period of time it takes for the stun to wear off. If you used the bomb on their Weapons room, you buy the time needed for another full charge to have another go if needed. Regardless, if you played your cards right, it will only take one volley to win a battle (usually).
This strategy is brutally effective, even on larger ships such as the Rebel Cruiser (as seen in ResidentEvil063's video), and can last all the way up to the Flagship. Once your reactor is up to specs and you're on the road to kitting your ship out, the Coercion will quickly become a monster that cannot be stopped. Until then however, it would be best to work on your sense of timing and pray that the Weapons room never gets hit. It's a fun and challenging ship and it really must be played to appreciate its weapon of choice.
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I've had fun so far making these ships and there are still some things I'd like to change in due time. Any feedback, tips, and/or tricks would be appreciated!
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DOWNLOAD
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http://www.mediafire.com/download/tcu5y ... rsV2.7.ftl
Recommended for these ships, Kierany9's excellent Alternate hull strength HUDs (more specifically, the 20 hull strength variant):
viewtopic.php?t=21578
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SHOWCASES
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stylesrj's Playthrough - TIme to Suffercate!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLO1mB ... e=youtu.be
Plays as the Deimos (old)
Residentevil063's Playthroughs - The Deimos, the Asphyxia, the Coercion (Co-Com)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20HCDVEII8s
Plays as the Deimos (old)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5EuQvkb6oo
Plays as the Asphyxia (old)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD4NC6pRHMk
Plays as the Coercion
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*Lanius Broodship base is from Captain's Edition.
*Layout and concept inspired by Biohazard063's Raptor
I've seen and played quite a lot of work here (including your Mother Hen, which was clever with its artillery btw) so I am looking forward to pushing the boundaries as much as everyone else.