Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

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RandomGuy928
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:36 am

Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby RandomGuy928 » Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:30 am

Before anyone mindlessly redirects me to the wiki, I already know the general unlock sequence for the Crystal Cruiser.

1. Find the crystal ship in some kind of debris/asteroid field and take the stasis pod.
2. Give the stasis pod to the Zoltan when they want to study your crew. (Gives you a Crystal crew member.)
3. Go to the Rock Homeworld sector.
4. Find the ancient warp gate thing and have the Crystal activate it.
5. Go to the quest marker in the secret sector.

What I'm interested in is detail. I want to maximize my odds of getting all of these things to happen in the right order in the same run. I want to know what tips and tricks help these events take place.

Example: In the first event where you obtain the stasis pod, having Rock Plating gives you a blue option that seems to increase the chances of getting through the field and finding the abandoned crystal ship. As such, using a Rock Cruiser would seem to be beneficial for unlocking the Crystal Cruiser.

Below, I have some specific questions. Most of these questions have simple, factual answers that I simply do not know, but the answers to these questions would greatly help in narrowing down the search. If you have any other relevant information that I didn't specifically ask for, please post it anyway!

Questions for Part 1: Finding the Stasis Pod
-How is the event marked on the map? [distress, warning icon with Long Range Sensors, unmarked, etc...]
-In what kinds of sectors does this event take place? (Civilian, Pirate, etc... I honestly have no idea)
-Are there any other blue text events aside from Rock Plating that increase the chances of getting the pod?

Questions for Part 2: Opening the Pod
-How is the event marked on the map?
-In what kinds of sectors does this event take place? (Obviously Zoltan sectors, possibly Engi; any others?)

Questions for Part 3: Getting to the Rock Homeworlds
-Are there any rules for Homeworld placement in the game? (Perhaps only after a certain sector number or something else?)
-Note, the Rock Homeworld is red on the galaxy map.

Questions for Part 4: The Ancient Warp Gate
-How is the event marked on the map?

Part 5 seems straightforward enough. The game gives you a quest marker; fly to it.

It would be great if we could compile any and all helpful information into one thread. It would make it a lot easier to actually pull this off if we know what to look for.
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:35 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby Louisiana Hot Sauce » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:20 am

Part 1 -- Every time that I found the pod, as far as I can recall, has been a "Distress" beacon.

Part 2 -- Every time I've found the researchers, it's been on a plain beacon

I've found the pod twice in one game, in red and green sectors.
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:35 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby Louisiana Hot Sauce » Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:41 am

I just got it. I found the Stasis Pod at an Asteroid Distress event (No ship at beacon) in Sector 2 (Rock Controlled Sector).
I found the Zoltan Research people at Sector 4 at a plain beacon (Zoltan Homeworlds)
I found the Ancient Gate to the Crystal World at the VERY END of the Rockhomeworld (the last beacon I searched before the Rebels came, I was SO lucky). It was plain and it has a blue option for you to choose. I had 1 hull HP. Luckily, once I entered the Crystal World, the quest was close and I got hull repairs.
I did this with a Rock Ship, like you suggested. The first time I saw the pod, I used the blue option. It gave it to me. I got another pod after I got a crystal crewmember in the Rock Homeworld.

I was very fortunate.
darkwolf
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:13 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby darkwolf » Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:41 am

From the data.dat folders...

* It appears the finding the stasis pod event can occur in either the engi, rock, or pirate maps. It appears as a distress beacon. Long range scanners do not show an asteroid hazard.
* Rock shielding gives a 100% chance to get it, while the white option only has a 33% chance.
* So rock ship makes this part the easiest. Ideally you want to find it in the first 4 nodes. If not, restart.

* The zolton research event... I am a little unsure of. It only appears in the Zolton and Engi map in the file, but from my play throughs it seems like it is more common then that. Citation needed.
* It may be the case that you can find the stasis pod, and the zolton survey in the same engi map if this is true. Again, Citation needed.
* The Zolton survey should be a normal location on long range scanners. You can either try to buy long range scanners to make this easier, or you could be lucky and get map data. Killing the crew without destroying their ship gives a small chance to download the map data for the sector. Stealth ship starts with the long range scanner advantage, but I think Rock ship layout B ends up being more favorable.

The rock home world can spawn in nodes 5-7 from my games. If the previous poster is correct (citation needed) both rock sector and rock homework can spawn in the same game. I've seen the event without the stasis pod, and it appears to be a normal location in long range scanners.

Worst comes to worst, you can start save scumming to make sure you hit every location in the area once you do get the right nodes to line up. Since we are already getting into this kind of meta strategy to increase our chances against the randomly generated system. Or at that point, just import someone elses save file with all ships unlocked.


The thing i really don't like about this unlock... Because the unlock requirements are so ridiculously obscure and reliant on a very specific rng generation, and luck finding the right areas in time before the rebels catch up... It forces me to play on easy mode until I unlock it. The off chance of running into one of those 'you are screwed' enemy ship layouts in normal on the one run the crystal events do line up just isn't worth it. But I feel like I'm going to get burned out with the game before I ever do unlock the last ship because easy just stops being challenging and gets old.

Edit: Oh yay. I got the stasis pod in node 3, and got the zolton event in node 5. But node 7 is Rock Controlled not Rock home world. So yet another waste of time on easy mode. woo.
nfiea
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:42 pm

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby nfiea » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:36 pm

darkwolf wrote:From the data.dat folders...

* It appears the finding the stasis pod event can occur in either the engi, rock, or pirate maps. It appears as a distress beacon. Long range scanners do not show an asteroid hazard.
* Rock shielding gives a 100% chance to get it, while the white option only has a 33% chance.
* So rock ship makes this part the easiest. Ideally you want to find it in the first 4 nodes. If not, restart.

* The zolton research event... I am a little unsure of. It only appears in the Zolton and Engi map in the file, but from my play throughs it seems like it is more common then that. Citation needed.
* It may be the case that you can find the stasis pod, and the zolton survey in the same engi map if this is true. Again, Citation needed.
* The Zolton survey should be a normal location on long range scanners. You can either try to buy long range scanners to make this easier, or you could be lucky and get map data. Killing the crew without destroying their ship gives a small chance to download the map data for the sector. Stealth ship starts with the long range scanner advantage, but I think Rock ship layout B ends up being more favorable.

The rock home world can spawn in nodes 5-7 from my games. If the previous poster is correct (citation needed) both rock sector and rock homework can spawn in the same game. I've seen the event without the stasis pod, and it appears to be a normal location in long range scanners.

Worst comes to worst, you can start save scumming to make sure you hit every location in the area once you do get the right nodes to line up. Since we are already getting into this kind of meta strategy to increase our chances against the randomly generated system. Or at that point, just import someone elses save file with all ships unlocked.


The thing i really don't like about this unlock... Because the unlock requirements are so ridiculously obscure and reliant on a very specific rng generation, and luck finding the right areas in time before the rebels catch up... It forces me to play on easy mode until I unlock it. The off chance of running into one of those 'you are screwed' enemy ship layouts in normal on the one run the crystal events do line up just isn't worth it. But I feel like I'm going to get burned out with the game before I ever do unlock the last ship because easy just stops being challenging and gets old.

Edit: Oh yay. I got the stasis pod in node 3, and got the zolton event in node 5. But node 7 is Rock Controlled not Rock home world. So yet another waste of time on easy mode. woo.



Don't forget; this is a feature
darkwolf
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:13 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby darkwolf » Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:31 pm

Eh, I decided I don't want to play the game on easy mode with the rock ship 100 times before I start playing the rest of the game, just to finish unlocking the last ship. So I've uninstalled FTL for now. I've got a decent amount of hours out of it and all, so I'll just wait until there's a future patch or more content.
RandomGuy928
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:36 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby RandomGuy928 » Sat Sep 22, 2012 1:00 am

This thread has been helpful in the sense that I know more about the quest series. Thanks for data mining.

It has not been helpful in actually unlocking the cruiser... I've probably done like 10-15 runs over the past few days, restarting as soon as I realize it is impossible to get the Crystal Cruiser for some reason or another. Beating the game is not actually my goal, so I'm just hitting restart as soon as a find a Rock Homeworld, run out of red sectors, or whatnot that makes it impossible in my current run.

Apparently I've clocked 42 hours, and I have every other ship and variant unlocked. This is starting to get very annoying. I've only gotten to the stasis pod five times in those 42 hours, and three of them were in the same run :cry: .
nfiea2
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 4:23 pm

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby nfiea2 » Sat Sep 22, 2012 5:02 pm

RandomGuy928 wrote:This thread has been helpful in the sense that I know more about the quest series. Thanks for data mining.

It has not been helpful in actually unlocking the cruiser... I've probably done like 10-15 runs over the past few days, restarting as soon as I realize it is impossible to get the Crystal Cruiser for some reason or another. Beating the game is not actually my goal, so I'm just hitting restart as soon as a find a Rock Homeworld, run out of red sectors, or whatnot that makes it impossible in my current run.

Apparently I've clocked 42 hours, and I have every other ship and variant unlocked. This is starting to get very annoying. I've only gotten to the stasis pod five times in those 42 hours, and three of them were in the same run :cry: .

Dude, this is part of what makes the game fun
finding out that there is no rock home world to take the crystal man is half of the fun of unlocking the ship.

why would you want to be able to do this in one or two attempts?
Antesignanus
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:21 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby Antesignanus » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:44 pm

darkwolf wrote:* The zolton research event... I am a little unsure of. It only appears in the Zolton and Engi map in the file, but from my play throughs it seems like it is more common then that. Citation needed.
* It may be the case that you can find the stasis pod, and the zolton survey in the same engi map if this is true. Again, Citation needed.
* The Zolton survey should be a normal location on long range scanners. You can either try to buy long range scanners to make this easier, or you could be lucky and get map data. Killing the crew without destroying their ship gives a small chance to download the map data for the sector. Stealth ship starts with the long range scanner advantage, but I think Rock ship layout B ends up being more favorable.


There are 2 different zoltan research events. They are labelled as "ZOLTAN_CREW_STUDY" and "ZOLTAN_CREW_SCAN". The scan one is a bit more common than the study. The study is necessary for crystal ship unlock.
darkwolf
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:13 am

Re: Maximizing Odds for Unidentified Cruiser [SPOILERS]

Postby darkwolf » Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:25 pm

nfiea2 wrote:Dude, this is part of what makes the game fun
finding out that there is no rock home world to take the crystal man is half of the fun of unlocking the ship.
why would you want to be able to do this in one or two attempts?


Rolling a 1d20 and saying 'you lose' every time it doesn't come up with 20 is not inherently fun.

Wanting the Crystal zone to not be common or not occur every game is fine. But currently it is implemented in such a way that you have to play specifically towards that goal in order to make it likely, even when it is not the play style you would normally want to play. You probably should always pick the same ship (rock ship). You always have to go to specific sectors. Your path through each sector is dictated by looking for specific events. You probably want to play on easy to reduce the chance of enemy ship layout screw. And the second you see the dice didn't roll 20, probably after spending 30-60 minutes into your game, you abandon your game and restart.

It could just have easily* been a 1/64 chance of spawning the quest in your game. But when it did spawn and if you did find the stasis pod, you could have quest markers for the remaining parts or it could make sure you have the zones line up that are needed to achieve it. To make it even more interesting, the event could potentially only be available in Normal mode (or hard mode). That way it would still be rare and exclusive, without completely screwing you for different play styles and otherwise playing the game...

*With the way this game is programed though, quest markers and making the subsequent quest events not zone specific would have been the only way they could do this. Apart from quest they have no support for cross sector events.

Also, If they have an event that says 'you need to take me to the Rock Home World sector', then it probably should not be impossible to reach the Rock Home world in that game.