WHAT IS THIS GAME
ABOUT?
WHAT DOES A FLEET
NEED?
Giving the
punishment - Weapons
Out
run the punishment – Engines and Warp
Take the punishment
- Shielding
What can a fleet
do?
FLEET DEVELOPMENT
BUILD IT YOURSELF
BUY IT - TRADEPOST
SALVAGE PARTS FROM
BATTLES
BUILDING YOUR EMPIRE
TRADEPOST
FREIGHTERS
BASES
THE CHARACTERS
STARKNIGHTS
DARKNIGHTS
MERCHANTS
NAVIGATORS
REPUBLICANS
Introduction
What is this
game about?
Primarily is about your fleet. To paraphrase
a 1920’s tank theorist ‘should be able to give the punishment, take
the punishment and out run the punishment’. The only the fleet can
win the game, and to lose your flagship you lose the game. All efforts
in the game should be to delivering the best fleet to the right time and
place. To do anything else is to give yourself as points to your
opponents.
What does a fleet
need?
With the starting fleet has a shuttle is a good
ship to look at because it has the base components of grander ships, being;
Jet, Shields Weapon and generator, it also has additional slot occupied
by a cargo bay (Alien tech.).
Laser Cannon inflicts damage of 6 and requires
the power generation of 3
Twin laser Cannon inflicts damage of 12 and requires
power generation of 6
In a melee both with run out of puff because weapons fire at twice the rate power reserves can be regenerated. If both were equipped with solar generators (generating 2 the ship natural +1 = 3 power generation) the effect would be dramatic on the ship with a twin laser. After 20 seconds of contact it would almost be likely that it would appear unarmed!
The second problem is that once reserves are depleted
the ship’s ability to regenerate shields is impaired. It is a lot
easier to take out a Juggernaut once its own weapons have taken down and
practically exhausted its generators.
Solve this riddle and you are half way there!
The second aspect to this range, whether by Ion cannons and missiles both attack before the generators are worn down. But as always grouped fire is the best fire!
Take the punishment
- Shielding
Shields keep you alive so that you can engage
another fleet and win the game. Shields, compared with armaments,
are very light on power but are slow to regenerate this is why your firepower
overcomes them. The bigger the shields the better protection end
of story. Shields need to be powered to work long term.
What can a fleet
do?
Moving a fleet around a sector uses up flight
time so why do you do it? Short answer is to grow. Set up starports
on planets you want, find crystals for weapons and artifacts and monoliths
for your finances. Attack pirates, Alien and rivals. Probes
really should do scouting as finding a flight path between stars absorbs
a lot of flight time that can be saved for a later engagement. To
attack some one and take over their planets costs up to 15 flight time,
whether it be pirate or rival.
Build it yourself
In number of game types you are given the planets
and starports and production to start your empire. In ‘Kill’em all
1’ you don’t and its very important to start the right way or waste time
and resources developing the wrong production and components. Starting
with the basics; you have a ship yard, factory and coal iron resources.
Need to get a foundry going and alu production on line. The ratio
between steel and alu plants is about 1:4 or 1:6
1 foundry per every 4 aluminum plants.
You will not need another foundry until there is a build up of alu at trade
post let alone another factory. Next is electronic and chemistry
plants for the production of ships structure by way of advanced chips and
carbon fiber. The investment in these plants is quite high but very
necessary.
Next look for Mountain planets for resources,
extra gold, coal for chip and fiber production, also for all important
titanium for future hardware. You will need at least one nuke plant
for plutonium and future power cells. Gas giants are very good cash
cows in that hydrogen, and a like diamonds, has an inflated price at Tradepost.
Look for water planets for the all important antimatter plant. Any
surplus production appears at trade post and you can sell it. Don’t
sell power cells, crystals, supraconductors, and magnetic cells they are
worth too much in the future for you. This will give a base empire; ship
structure should be arriving, hulls being made. You made want to
add a second electronic and chemistry plants to boost ship strut production.
This is about maximum your freighters can handle, may have to look at commissioning
more freighters to service your colonies particularly when you have high
extraction bonuses. Now it is time to build the real stuff; weapon
shop, propulsion, generators, faraday (shields) and warp. Though
normally you just buy a warp drive! Also upgrade your shipyard to
galactic, then imperial. The reason these are invested in is that
they give the fleet an edge over the others.
Hit them with twin lasers backed by fusion generators
in a falcon, better than dekkos or a corvette with 500 shields and double
laser battery. Right up to Dark Moons and Jugs when missile weapons
become viable options. Remember the bigger the ship the longer it
takes to commission it.
Salvage parts
from battles
This for most players this is the quickest way
of achieving growth. To attack pirates and salvage parts from the
engagement. After a few fights you have a collection of jet engines,
solar generators, 100 shields and laser cannons, also more importantly
a good collection of ship structure more than enough a Dekko, plus!
Also each pirate yield structure 10 - 19, with aluminum and steel which
is about enough, long run, to make an antimatter lab or 1/3 of a weapons
plant. This system is an obvious breeder reaction for you empire.
Thus, more pirates you attack the quicker you grow. Also this is
the biggest advantage players of high level have over Newbies. It
will take you, for it seems like it, forever to build a skid and equip
it to start salvaging from melees when more advanced players simply purchases
a salvage pod for 3000 credit and fit it to the shuttle. In this
time they will race ahead and you are unlikely to recover. A little
problem with pirates with in a sector is that they get progressively tougher
with better ships, more ships and equipment. So be mindful of this
and don’t kill yourself over a pirate; go on to easier pickings in other
sectors. Build a starport in a fresh sector, better yet multiple
sectors, and await the new pirate(s). Go back to the tough one with
a better fleet.
Freighters are at the core of your production system and work to a set format. In theory they pick a shipment ready to be exported and deliver it 4 turns later to the planet requesting the item. Unrequested exports or production/extraction surplus to current requests are delivered to trade post in 2 turns. They work each sector, each turn, sequentially, alphabetically through out your empire. Provided you have enough freighters. If you don’t you get a backlog of items requiring export and factories ground to a halt, in affect your empire stagnates until the backlog is cleared. You start with 7 freighters and in a very large game expect to buy or make at least 100, maybe 150! You can delete freighter routes for unwanted, surplus goods, like iron, petrolium, and Hydrogen & Diamonds when they cease to have monetary value. Effectively store these items at the planet of origin allowing freighters to move the priority shipments.
Freighters can carry up to 25 items of a single good at a time. So bulk resources (silicon, iron…) should be set to 25 Export. Items like supraconductors, mag cells, power cells and ship structure can be set at lower.
Export rates like 1 or 2. Imports should be tied to production level. A production level of 3 can with the right supplies produce 3 where a character with zero production ability can produce 1 item; 3 ship structures as opposed to 1. Provided resources are available - 9 Aluminium, 9 Carbon fiber and 9 advanced chips. So imports should be set at least 18 preferably 27 to run efficiently. The same import adjustment will have to be made for most plants throughout your empire to optimise production and make shore there is enough resources.
Strengths: Defence, Authority
Weaknesses: No navigation. Limited
alien tech.
Threats: Getting swamped by faster players.
High level Alien tech.
Opportunities: Getting a strong core empire of
one to 3 sectors and building large, fast attack fleet of 6+ ships and
rolling all opposition before you.
Newbie: Yes, you can kill your first pirate with ease and without technique and can start to build an empire.
Middleweight: Defensive securities as other characters like Merchants, Navigators and Republicans have not maximised their abilities.
Titans: Your enemies now have teeth to bite back and you need to rely on superior numbers to win through.
Strengths: Attack, Authority
Weaknesses: No Production and limited oracle
Threats: Anybody with production
Opportunities: Pirate killer, early killer extraordinaire
Newbie: The killer, hunter and stalker in easy times. Others production is too slight to worry you. Your good fleets from salvaged pirates can over come most opposition.
Middleweight: The killing is harder. To keep up you need 3 to 4 factories to match 1 factories production. The limit of pirates available to you (about 30) basically ends your growth curve. Growth through conquest is your only option.
Titans: Working on it. Opponents are now very strong, no longer the walk over they once were. You have become the hunted.
Strengths: Tradepost, Alien tech.
Weaknesses: Attack. Extraction
Threats:
Opportunities:
Newbie: The hardest to play early on, with no attack or speed to protect you and the benefits of the trade post have not come through. The bright side is that the salvage pod is readily available for quick starts.
Middleweight:
Titans:
Strengths: Speed, Instant Warp Drive. 10 Fleets to use.
Weaknesses: Defence, Limited authority
Threats:
Opportunities:
Newbie:
Middleweight:
Titans:
Strengths: Production, Extraction
Weaknesses: Authority, Tradepost, Few resources for that salvage pod or warp drive so a very slow start.
Threats:
Opportunities:
Newbie:
Middleweight:
Titans: