Mission Speed?

[Villainy]

I think I might be playing this incorrectly. I see screenshots of people with 9 crewmates, full reactor bars, multiple stars above crew members heads, huge system power needs and full weapon slots. Wtf? I have gotten to the fleet 3 times (i've been playing for 13 hours now, yeah brand new at this) and I've had ONE ship that could put a dent in the flagship. I usually have 2-3 crewmates left, due to dying or intruders, and have very little when it comes to systems/weapons. I spend most of my time just surviving. This is my first rougelike game, so maybe I just need some help? Idk. Am I speeding through this game too quickly?

[More Dakka]

To give some rough numbers, pretty much all my victories on easy have involved exploring ~85-95 beacons and earning ~1800-2600 scrap according to the final stat screen, and /usually/ getting at least 6 or so new crew from slavers, events, or occasionally stores. Least crew I've had in the beginning of a victorious run against the boss was 4 or 5, IIRC.

- Explore, explore, explore. Racing for the exit beacon means you'll get relatively little scrap and be less prepared.

- Given the choice between "fight" and "cloak and escape", remember that escaping gets you no scrap.

- Even non-upgraded medbays heal crew faster than they'll take damage in melee combat, so long as the crew are /not/ outnumbered by the attackers (OTOH, a pair of mantises can murder a single victim in a level one medbay).

- Attackers suffer when between opened airlocks venting out to space (vacuum!) and upgraded doors slowing them reaching rooms that still have air.

- Boarding strategies are strong, if you've got the crew for it (mantises are ideal for this, zoltan and engi are horribly bad at it) as you get more resources by when you win a battle by slaughtering the enemy crew without blowing up their ship.

[Ziltoid]

Greetings Human,The only advice "I" Ziltoid the omniscient can give you is, before you make a jump consider The following, A) What shape is my hull in? B) How much fuel do I have left? C) Is there a shop close by D) Is there any upgrades that I need to make? and can I successfully do said upgrade without it screwing me later down the road? for example, you run out of missiles, you need fuel, the hull is badly damaged, or all of the above but you now have little to no scrap. Ah yes, Speed does play a factor in this game, when you first start in a sector plot your course before you make your first jump, when plotting your course try to make it so you can explore as much as possible without leaving yourself stranded, or run out of fuel.

- Ziltoid

[UltraMantis]

Hi Villainy.

Sounds like you are rushing through the sectors indeed. You should be able to judge when you are 1-2 jumps ahead of the Rebel fleet. That's a good estimate for decent exploration, you get nothing for finishing a sector early, and you never ever know where the good rewards will be.

I didn't win before some 40 attempts and i made it to the end a few times but could not crack the boss. You must be able to defeat many ships, but you also need a working package for the boss. Putting this together under pressure of survival is what the game is all about, so i don't think you're doing too badly.

If you're still flying the Kestrel try to beef up shields and engines, to increase survival chances and minimise repairs. If possible, keep a ~100 scrap surplus. You wont know what kind of gear the game will reward you with, but if it seems like you could pursue a boarding or drone strategy, then upgrade your systems accordingly. The Kestrel is a very flexible ship so you can use almost any weapon or system combination but probably not all at the same time.

[BKT]

As UltraMantis said. Have a 2nd level Shield up and running as soon as you can, then a few point in Engine afterward. It will save you a lot of trouble early on.

Also, somewhere around sector 3-5, try to get Drone Control + Defense drone (which you might get one for free when you bought the drone control) ... Without it, any encounter with a Hermes Missile will be extremely painful, like in this case, for example...

[Villainy]

OK thanks. I appreciate it. I've been slowing down, trying to explore more and doing a lot better. No, I'm not in the kestral, I've yet to find a ship I love yet. I think it will probably be the redtail but I'm still working on those achievements. I've got Engi B and the Zoltan Cruiser as well. I get to the end often, but I struggle with the fully upgraded manti, pirate, and rebel cruisers...

[DrunkenRine]

i actually think that upgrades and weapon/system combinations are not all of it. i would say that 60% of the winning chance comes from personal combat experience and decision making. it depends on your experience playing the game. the weapons and systems are of small effect if you dont know how and when to use them. timing on waepon burst, cloaks, drone activation and teleporting, targeting of certain systems in certain situations, placement and timing of beam-lines, surviving-strategies when beeing boarded, jump/fleet-progress estimation...

oh god... the list could go and on. there is so much more to this game than meets the eye. i have played 70 hours, unlocked half the ships and beaten it many times, and i can quite comfortably do it without buying at shop for example, because with correct handling, most stuff you can get randomly is powerful and helps you go on, + saved scrap is more scrap for upgrades.

just keep on playing and you will discover all the little details.

btw: i never played on easy.