Part 203: Unwise

Unwise (19:21)




















I'm getting the feeling some of our cast here would feel quite at home in Ready Player One - they seem to prefer the simulations to the real world.




Or, perhaps it contains a lethal, destructive virus that will destroy all organic life in the galaxy. You don't know!




It's a small thing ... but get 'me' that info cache? I think Ticon's megalomania is growing ...




Text in the donut-shaped area reads 'Use Omnis to defeat the emitter'. As we'll see later, we don't really have a choice in the matter there. Upper-left is our extremely obvious starting location, with a ship schematic nearby, no enemy presence, and four energy crystals not to mention a decent amount of land to mire in the corner.




Here I manage the classic error of overbuilding. Two lathes constructing plus operating the Command HQ is far more than one moderate energy source can support. Let's all laff at the fact that I have 4 income, and 59 demand. That's a really BAD ratio.

I deactivate one of the Lathes, but really I should have turned both off until we got an energy crystal in and the storage to accomodate the buildup.










Let's hear for our new toy, the Particle Beam! They are indeed quite useful.




Ogun, hit yourself over the head with a blunt object, would you please?




The new ship is the Joven, and it quickly becomes my new favorite combat vessel. We move to the south to attack a particle emitter there, and immediately its particle beams get to work on repairing a small band of plasma in that direction.




The area is quickly pacified, adding a new Omni license along with other resources seen here.




After getting another energy source near Donut Isle, we stall somewhat. Takes me a bit to figure out that there's no way to get any ships in range to lathe that emitter to death, and that it's really good idea to just dump all the omnis on that land to speed up the process. It's the first time I've run into it, but spaceships can't go in the land areas, because this particular version of space is completely flat. I.e., in a galactic environment, starships simply float around in the 'void ocean' around landmasses, they can't go above or beneath it because there is no above or beneath. Because of course there isn't. But Omnis can go above land and set down on it, in fact they were designed to.

My brain hurts.




Directly above Donut Isle is this area, where we snag yet another energy source and spot the info cache.










Ragnol you say?




I knew they couldn't do it. 'House Abraxis'. And a grand conspiracy to hide the truth from we who merely project a finite existence, unaware that we are but pawns in the grand galactic arc of the universe.

You know what, I'm calling it. This entire plot is simply a manifestation of simulation theory. Skars/Platius got bored having full control over all of eternal space-time. We are merely data constructs in his whimsical alternate universe fantasy, and he's laughing his arse off as the Ticon fools who only think they are actual sentient lifeforms bumble about in their ignorance.













Having totally forgotten what was said before about the omni's Lathe ability - and the big on-screen message earlier in the level - I discovered this was a thing purely on accident - moving them forward to advance further. So the Donut Emitter goes down.




Two emitters yet remain, along with an impressive collection of particulate around an energy source.




There was little reaction from taking down the first one, so I tried to sneak Lathes into the hostile plasma at the second one. The nearby mass of particulate did not approve. Both ships survived, but only because I retreated. However, it did bring them into range, so I'm calling this a great strategic feint, not the foolhardly blunder it actually was.

It works as both, really.




The whatnow?




Think maybe you should have clued the Associate commanding your WHOLE FARGING FLEET in on that little tidbit? No? Ok then.







Blind leading the blind. It is once again interesting how each step of the journey has exactly the things we need. Yep, I'm sticking with the simulation theory explanation.




From Unwise, I do really like the Joven. They get anywhere in a hot hurry and the plasma repair is neato. Next it is apparently time to go stark raving mad, grab another Info Cache ... and if you look closely there's another ship type as well.