Part 21: 20 - The Fog of War
Let's play The Fog of WarDetermined not to let itself look too pretty, FS2 sometimes throws in backgrounds like this:
Have fun looking at that for the next ten minutes.
Also, I forgot to put the title card in the video before rendering. I know you're probably all devastated, so here it is to make you feel better:
Briefing
Viddler | Polsy | YouTube
Level
Viddler | Polsy | YouTube HD | Download .mp4
(Spoiler just until you've already seen video):
I love how this level turns from taking out gas miners into introducing the big huge bad guy. It's so sudden that I didn't remember it was coming in this level, even after many playthroughs.
Let's meet the Akheton, Lamprey, Maxim, and Rahu!
I have no idea how the Akheton has been passed over for this long, since it was introduced about level 2, I think. Anyway here it is at last.
General subsystem destroying gun. Decent when you are told you'll need it early on, but easily surpassed by the Stiletto II later.
The Lamprey is not just an anti-shield weapon, but actually drains energy from the target - burners, weapons, and shields. This sounds neat, but, need I say it again? Niche weapons are outclassed with so many others that could have just killed the target in the same amount of time.
That is, except for the...
As I said, the one niche weapon I ever use. It is hull damage only, but does such amazing amounts of it that it is worth bringing on any mission that has enemy cruisers. Frankly, it's a better weapon against Cain/Fenris-strength cruisers than bombs are. Even against larger ships, it is very good at destroying turrets, and with a firing range of 3600m, can often be used from a safe distance.
For damage comparison, one blast of Maxim does a bit over half as much hull damage as a single Tempest. Considering its rate of fire, and no need to rearm, that's a lot of damage.
As far as I remember, this is the only level with Rahus in it. Like the Vasudans' Anuket, it is a very pretty gas miner. It has a very strong hull, but with a Maxim, it's easy enough to take out.
And if you want to worry about some minutia, as I have learned from the wiki, consider how the Terran and Vasudan gas miners are labeled GTG and GVG. The Shivan equivalent should therefore be SG, but that's what sentry guns are marked as! Oh dear, Volition, you sure have written yourself into a corner here. So it's an SSG instead. The horror.
Since some people already mentioned it with much adoration, don't worry, you'll get to see our new ship/menu. It's slated for next update's meet.