http://s16.postimg.org/629e33g5h/stormwalker.jpg
So I've managed to win 2nd time on CE Hard. In fact, I call this first "proper" win - after the "technical" 1st one, which was completely unexpected, after rather moderate run with Mantis B (reflected in low score, that didn't even entered my first 5).
This last run was completely epic - hard at the beginning, as I lost first crew member in one of the first fights, in somehow stupid manner (one of those that, for a while make you want went your ship and restart, but you never should do it), which, as you may expect, made fighting this medbay-less boarding slug ship a little rough. Things improved after Cubbin - Federation infantryman - joined, and slowly (with help of few broken truces) I upgraded ship to effective state. Run was full of epic situations, like this: [WARNING! Major CE spoiler! Photo from different run, but the same happened here]
http://s16.postimg.org/f28xq65xh/lol.jpg
http://s16.postimg.org/ox02we9vp/lol2.jpg
...which, BTW, is absolutely awesome, and confirms that Sleeper is a genius
I fits lore so well, that I had to think a little if I'm not writing about vanilla event, by any chance.
There were narrow fights, many cruisers (and sometimes, Fed deserters) blasted along the way in least places to be expected in, and overall, lore-climax awesomeness. I've decided to develop this ship as dedicated boarding clone commando invader/ship disabler, thus hacking, mind control, and cloning bay (which means absence of cloak). I've also invested in backup DNA databank early, which made me feel safe about my crew (although, ironically, there were exactly 0 situations when it saved my crew, i.e cloning bay was never destroyed/ionized with crew inside ). I kept starting Artemis almost to the very end, bought the awesome charge laser, and decided to keep artillery, opting for engine hacking (OR mind of pilot controlled in the very last moment, when my shots are already flying, so no one will be able to replace him) + 4x charge + artillery, which had potential of dealing whooping 4 damage (and decent breach/fire chance) to selected system on enemy ship. For stubborn evader-high piloting high-shield enemies, it was shield hacking + pilot mind control combo, which was able to completely disable 5-bubble shields in one salvo.
At to this fire bomb and teleporting of battle-hardened boarders (rarely in kamikaze formation, so they got maxed at fighting), and you may imagine that "The Stormwalker" really deserved it's name, and blazed through most enemies, including flagship. At first stage if final fight, I blasted it in something like 2 minutes (or less). Phase 2 was marginally harder, but ship was crew-less already, so I disabled it in a blink of an eye. Pro-forma visited two repair stations before phase 3 (was at 20 hull), taking down 4 rebel ships on the way, and, funny enough, bring boarders (locked in airless room, with 4 airless rooms between them and "living" part of ship) to phase 3. They instantly teleported into flagship, so I was facing AI-controlled auto-repairing ship with crew and drones together. Paired with super-shield on steroids and getting hit by full salvo of rockets despite max upgraded engines, it made this part hardest, but still like "stay in control" for the whole fight.
Blasting flagship completely resulted in few unexpected thing. First of all, Crystal ship got unlocked, which I'm irritated at (wanted to unlock it via secret sector, this auto-unlocking stuff should be optional). Well, I guess that I'll just have to totally ignore Crystal and pretend I don't have it, until I finally manage to get blasted crystal quest. What was more surprising, though, was that "win" tune was replaced by something strange - it sounded like developers singing a-Capella some folk-metal fanfare song. It started immediately after my "last" achievement icon popped up (making all achievements unlocked), so it might have something to do with it. The "funny" part, though, was that this "Secret song" played at full loudness, completely ignoring FTL sound settings, which resulted in it blasting at deafening levels in the middle of the night (I have powerful speakers and sound card, so all my games are set to very low sound levels - like 10% - in order to have normal volume. Imagine how it sounded ignoring it, playing at 100% volume...).
Anyway, it was one of my best runs of all time, and - judging by score - best of all, as with ~7900 points it is absolutely number 1 of my high scores. Thank you, CE, for all this awesomeness!
---
Now, the long-overdue, promised bug and suggestion lists (sorry for the delay - anyway, I've cleaned already fixed things from the list, so all issues should be valid for latest version)
Bugs:
1. The slugs (in slug controlled nebula) that "Sabotage your door system and charge fire weapons" doesn't properly reset disabled door system after a fight. Might be an issue if you need to went fire out after a tough fight... Better jump quickly and hope that you hit non-fight beacon
(Severity:
Medium)
2. During planetary artillery event in Mantis sectors, one of texts describing blue mantis spotter is still saying about red ship. (Severity:
Cosmetic)
3. Zoltan wise man anomaly doesn't properly reset weapons system after fight. Might be an issue if relying on weapon pre-igniter. (Severity:
Minor)
4. After accepting enemy's surrender Zoltan way, enemy boarders are still hostile (and require killing them). (Severity:
Minor)
5. Mantis Troopship gibs (the new, big one, former minelayer) seems to be incorrect (looks awkard after destrying them). Disregard, if it was silently fixed alongside enemy Lanius B variants (Severity:
Cosmetic)
6. First sector start still talk (write
) about requiment to jump into first sector, even despite fact that initial hyperspace jump got removed (Severity:
Cosmetic)
7. Upon loading game, the hyperspace jump sound is played. Ignore if unfixable, as this sound during hyperspace jump is cool, and the issue is: (Severity:
Cosmetic)
8. Many, many trade goods are unsellable in Civilian sectors (option to sell them doesn't appear in list, if the shop offer to sell 3 different trade goods). For example, the problem apply to Space Rations. New "Generic" trade goods doesn't seem to be affected. If this is intentional, consider allowing to sell them for low amount of money (like generic goods, maybe? 30 scrap), as it is strange that you can sell various "generic" goods there, but can't get rid of good'old trade goods (especially irritating, if you're pirating a lot, augment slots get filled up pretty quickly). (Severity:
Medium)
9. Breaking truce makes all your combat drones disappear (not deactivate, but just disappear in thin...vacuum). No idea if it's fixable, but definitely can be costly for ships using 3 drones. (Severity:
Medium)
10. Fueling station still doesn't allow to break truce with them. Intentional? Those 6 fuel cells they're offering as surrender offer doesn't seem balance-breaking (like with slavers and their slave tribute), and in later sectors, is outright cheap, suggesting to murder them anyway, without accepting surrender. (Severity:
Medium)
11. After using the 2nd option of hull-repair kit (20 scrap, 10 damage repaired) it doesn't show any icon about fleet delay getting increased. Haven't had opportunity to check if fleet delay is applied in reality (but have feeling that it might not). (Severity:
Medium)
When we're at it, I would suggest the 3th (2x fleet delay) option repair 20 damage for those 30 scrap - making it economically most feasible, at the high cost of 2x fleet delay. Currently, it repairs at the same cost as 2nd option (1 fleet delay) at rate of 2 scrapper hull point, and 15 hull repaired vs 10 hull repaired.
It equals to 5 more hull repaired (at additional cost, not free) for 1 visited beacon loss. Quite poor ratio, and practically, makes using 3th option a bad decision no matter of circumstances (better to repair 10 hull, or do it twice for the same fleet delay cost).
12. Raiding slug station in slug nebula act as piracy, but AFTER murdering them, there is no usual 2nd "we killed innocent" dilemma for crew. I had feeling that this double-roll (when starting to pirate, and after actually murdering) was to encourage accepting-surrender piracy, as opposed to "always murder", if pirating as non-hostile faction (by the fact, that accepting surrender doesn't result in 2nd moral dilema for crew = no 2nd risk of losing crew member, if we won first check). Sure, slugs are not high regarded in federation, but I think that it still constitutes as bug
(
Severity: Medium)
13. Accepting surrender of auto-station and getting result of it's frying it's processor result in VERY low salvage in later sector, as opposed to blowing it up (which seems to should result in same salvage). I got 13 scrap in sector 6, almost same as sector 2. Seems that leveling of rewards doesn't work properly in this case? (Severity:
Medium)
14. This poor engi ended up in "sealed for life" position. I could swear, that I have already reported it for this exact type of enemy?...
http://s16.postimg.org/mxjh4zfk5/engi_for_life.jpg
(Severity:
Minor)
15. This event:
http://s16.postimg.org/ydlapa4cl/everything.jpg
...begs for scrap reward in addition to gaining crew member ("Take everything you can"), even if it's vanilla event (no idea if it is). (Severity:
Minor)
16. Those enemies:
http://s16.postimg.org/ipoow8e4l/ice.jpg
http://s16.postimg.org/jdsy1fngl/ice_field.jpg
...seems to ignore ice-field ban on cloaking
(Severity:
Medium)
17. This event about scientists that research lanius ability to reshape metal:
http://s16.postimg.org/xhot9tuo5/lanius ... sition.jpg
...doesn't offer option to use Requisition License for pirating them. (Severity:
Medium)
18. Those bounty hunters (that want to share bounty on one of our crew members):
http://s16.postimg.org/4gp2e5zlx/sell_crew_member.jpg
...have strange black square floating near their ship. It was *not* a black-box flying projectile, this box was there all the time, at same position. (Severity:
Minor)
19. I don't get what those 2 options are about:
http://s16.postimg.org/4kivuf539/subspace.jpg
http://s16.postimg.org/fo2yje7b9/subspace1.jpg
Is this bug, or first option is about getting warning re approaching ion storm, and the second one disables cloaking? If the latter is true, then text could be more specific (I thought that 'scanning your environment" result in detecting cloaked ships too, lore-wise)
(Severity:
Minor or it's a feature and just needs better description)
Suggestions:
1. This really nice event with rebel cadets:
http://s16.postimg.org/itiichjlx/cadets.jpg
...ends up with fighting rebel ship in "neutral" zone (if we decide to follow general system law - I don't know if it's only possible result, but it's the one that I always got), and... nothing. We're not given any info of what happened with those captive cadets, they just "disappear" in thin air after winning with rebels that "don't care about their own".
I suggest few possible additional, lore-friendly outcomes. Let me write my ideas in event-tree fashion (for best reading, copy it and paste in some text editor - it will be much easier to read thanks to whitespace branching, as forum mess up with formatting):
Do not read if you don't want to have it spoiled (if Sleepy decides to use those ideas).
Code: Select all
*We get rebel cadets as prisoners and decide what to do with them:
a) execute them on spot (result as it's now)
b) arrange prisoners exchange (as it is now)
b1: (High chance) rebel's don't care about neutral zone and we have to fight them (as it is now).
b1-placeholder: lore text, continue button and blue option for b1z
b1x: (low chances automatic outcome) Rebel cadets get disillusioned with Rebels and drop their rebel
insignia,
one of them join our ranks and rest get dropped on nearby station, planning to join local Fed milita or
whatsnot.
b1y: (high chances automatic outcome) We contact Fed forces about the issue, and get quest beacon to meet
with Federation prison barque.
b1y-alpha: (50% chance) We meet Fed prison barque, transfer prisoners and get scrap reward
b1y-beta: (50% chance) The prison barque staff is demoralized/corrupt, and want to execute reb
cadets on spot/sell them to slavers.
b1y-beta1: We don't care and transfer prisoners for reward. Might disturb crew just like
slavery.
b1y-beta2: (Hostile factions) We don't care, our crew don't care, we get risk-free reward.
b1y-beta3: We don't agree and situation escalate to fight with war-crime committing Fed
prison ship. We get regular wreckage scrap for blowing them up and:
b1y-beta3-h: (High chances) Rebel cadets finally gets disillusioned with rebels
and thankful that we have fought with Feds to save then, one of
them join our ranks and rest get dropped on nearby station,
planning to join local Fed milita or whatsnot.
b1z: (Mantis ship) We sell rebel cadets as slaved (either for instant low scrap/resources reward, or have to
go somewhere and meet Mantis ship.
b2: (low chance) Rebels don't care about neutral zone and send commando unit armed with holo-projector invaders
to free their cadets (commandos stuff is gained as scrap/resources). Cadets die in the fighting.
c) (Mantis ship) We sell rebel cadets as slaved (either for instant low scrap/resources reward, or have to
go somewhere and meet Mantis ship.
2. There is this vanilla event when we overhear 2 slug ships wanting to raid a famous and wealthy pirate. When we get to the spot, they're already attacking and one of slug ships is blown. We may either help slug by fighting pirate (slug steal pirate's cache and run away) or head for cache ourselves (slug escapes, pirate is killed by us all the same, cache is lost in the clouds).
I think that subspace scanner (the one that makes our sensor work in nebula) should allow us to find cache if we tell slug ship GTFO and kill pirate (high scrap/supplies reward, high chance of finding weapon, drone, or augment).
3. There is this event when we meet ship with damaged shields, struggling to maneuver through asteroid fields. Apart from blue option, we may try to shield them with our ship, which may result in damage and saving them or no damage and them getting destroyed, with symbolic scrap reward (8 or 9 scrap). I think we should get such symbolic scrap (just like with chat with engi special outcome) even if we decide to leave them alone - after all, they get blown all the same. So, risk-free symbolic reward, or some damage risk and higher reward decision (or best decision blue options, as we have it now).
4. There is this vanilla event with station and faint life signatures aboard. Bad outcome may be finding no one and one of our crew members coughing and dying. Cloning doesn't work there, and I think it is wrong - after all, loss of skills is explained as DNA samples being done on routine from time to time, so his clone should be perfectly healthy. The "he would carry disease into new life" doesn't seem coherent here.
Also, there is no conflict with quarantine sector and illness of our crewmember, as we don't have idea when he got contracted (so we must destroy samples anyway, to avoid risk for whole crew). So, proper medical system is only way to go. Hoever, in the "faint life signatures" station's case, we perfectly know when and where (aka: just now, 5 minutes earlier) he got contracted and was left to die on station. Cloning should work.
5. This enemy:
http://s16.postimg.org/fjzhsa64l/harbor.jpg
...seems a little too harsh for sector 1 (and, frankly, for sector 2 too). Notice the ADVANCED combat drone (shooting fast enough to do damage even when 1 shield bubble is present, and, occasionally, even when 2 shield bubbles are present) + normal combat drone + weapons... He rips through ships in like 30 seconds, there is no way on earth to run from this thing on time, so early. Meet him few times already with similar configuration, it's a death sentence no matter ehat we're flying, on sectors 1 and 2 (rarely, you may get alive on sector 2 if you were very lucky and got strong ship so early... But only barely get away.)
---
Hope it helps,
/Estel
// Edit
I'm not entirely sure if people are interested in those "reviews" of winning runs - like the one in first part of my post - in this thread. I write them as winning on CE Hard is quite an event (for me), but...
So, Sleepy, if you think that those things doesn't belong in this thread (or my texts are simply too boring
) just say a word, I'll move those to other sections without any ill feelings, reserving thread for technical and feedback things about mod.
PITY, as IMHO they were looking much better, even after getting hit by it. But, still, the current version is better than vanilla one, anyway, so...
