Part 9: Turns 141-160

An endless sea of bugs (spawning inside the sun) Lets Play Sword of the Stars 2: Hiver Imperium

Update 9. Turns 141-160

Diplomacy gets me into trouble

Alternate title: HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN

Now, I was a bit wrong about Goop modules, there is some automation available to them. I'll talk about it when I actually remember to turn it on about 3 turns into the update.
First, we have a DIFFERENT issue with respect to repairs.


As you might notice, the repair slider here is past the end of the health bar for the Gateship. And ONLY the gate ship. And they're kind of important. There is a way to restore it to its proper position, so I can drag it to full, since my lone repair ship didn't have the capacity to fix every ship present.


Once I press Confirm Repairs, the slider resets to where it is meant to be, and I can fix my Gateship first. Once I confirm THAT, then I just hit repair all and call it good.


Also, I get one of my favourite Admiral traits! Every win gives you +1 moral to your citizens.


Since it's a few days out from HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN _{Soul robber} Planets have a new look.


It's okay I guess. Though I do wonder if they could have maybe spent the time spell checking tooltips instead or something.


The Tarka are here to join the fun, so while my ships shoot Jack in the face, I go look at their ships.
I actually don't seem to have the heavily armed War section yet. I wonder what tech I'm missing.


The Tarka also shoot glowly bolts at the planet. I'm fairly sure they are disruptor torpedoes.


New bullets! Less pinballing, more accuracy, and different coloured shots.


If you can figure out what it means when it says "the more the high explosive is to be activated" you're a better person than me. Or crazier at least.


In an interesting tactical move, the AI charges my fleet with its support squadron. I don't even have to TRY to hit their command ship first.


Other than that, it's more of the same. I'll be skipping a lot of these incidental battles because there isn't much new in them generally.


The planets are changed EVERYWHERE. (Halloween Halloween Halloween)


In an unsurprising turn of events, we can research HEAP. Hivers get a decent bonus to ballistics technology, so they can expect to get most of the available techs.


We also get an actual technology that we haven't already researched this time. Heavy Plasma cannons are multi-barreled versions of their medium mount counterparts. They fire 3 shots of their kind instead of 1. They're kind of neat.


Also, the Dolphins+Zuul do not approve of something we did. Probably killing their uncultured brothers.


The weird thing is, they are way more okay with me than say, the Tarka.


Apparently we haven't had any interactions for a while. Including their declaration of war


Then we meet another pointless dropdown list. I decide to offer the Morrigi a NAP and add an incentive. The Dragons only respect cash.


What they DON'T respect is my protectorate treaty! Note that even though they are attacking my protectorate, I don't get any option to tell them to go away.


I've also been spending my intel points because why not. And we rolled a critical success. Of course, the only spying implemented is information gathering. Besides system information, we could also chose to get information on what they are researching. Those squares aren't checkboxes by the way, even if they look it.


So I've got to break my new Non Aggression Pact, to try and save my protectorate. Sad!


So yeah. There is an Auto-trigger for Goop modules.


Since I had gates set up in Morrigi systems, I dropped a fleet through each one onto the Morrigi colonies. If you're playing with a human Hiver who you are regular diplo-allying with, remember to discuss where they are allowed to establish gates! Or you could find yourself with uninvited guests over your worlds.


The Morrigi are fielding energy weapons. X-Ray beamers in light turrets, and Neutron beams in their heavies. It's a nice change from all mass drivers all the time.


Wait, didn't I set Goop modules to automatic? How am I losing sections with charges still on the module?!

.
This sort of damage is the thing they're meant to at least delay!
If you paid careful attention to the text, you would have noticed that it says Goop modules will automatically activate when the ship's TOTAL armour has been reduced to 50%. As best I can tell, that's 50% across all 4 quadrants of the ship's 3 sections. I wasn't able to verify this since that practically never happens before the ship explodes. If it was when a section gets to 50% then on next hit they pop their goop, that'd be fine. As is, they will never auto-use it.
I had to go back and double check I'd automated it after this because just WHY.


Luckily standing orders mean my ships are still decent at destroying the enemy even when I am staring at my computer shouting WHYYYYYYY.


Also, I see these big boxy modules several times, but can't quite figure out what they are. Assault shuttle modules perhaps?


Such pretty modules. These are certainly supply ships, especially given they are in formation with their command ship.


Also during this turn, we encounter the VERY PINK Liir. I guess they were trying to establish a Somebody Else's Problem field.


It uh. Doesn't work.


Told you you could steal info on enemy research! Honestly, I'd rather have survey information.


Aww yeah. We can now fit our ships with guns that shoot bullets that explode.


I update the designs right away. Shame we're fighting across 4 systems, so it'll be a while before I can take ships offline to retrofit them.


We also unlock an interestingly titled Salvage project.


Some sections are just natural targets. The lighter Morrigi and Liir ships are actually getting pushed way away from the fights, so I've been switching target so they can come back into range. Which leads to a lot of this sort of thing.


More uneventful battles take place across the Morrigi systems. And my scientists assure me that tiny fusion drives for missiles are impossible.


It shames me that I have read the source of that name.


The Liir are bringing some serious firepower to the party. I would guess those are Combat Laser mounts. And given they have anti-matter, they may be using Lancers or other more advanced beams.


I guess the Zuul are the ones who put rust near the turrets.


I don't get to find out what they are because the Liir refuse to point them at me.


The Liir obsessively fly away from my fleets. We are about even on speed, so I respond by blowing up their drive sections.


Because I have HEAP, I quite literally am blowing them up. The explosions happen a second or two after the shot hits.


Our Torpedo equipped command ships get a new trait.


Having my command ships be more obvious is NOT ideal. But 15% more fire speed should help keep them safe.


The Zuul seek to hide their identities by writing their numbers backwards - must've learnt it from Alucard.


Now that it has been a while, some of my Admirals are gaining a second trait. Deploying Shermans is kind of tempting, actually. It would speed up bombardments.


I finally get around to building a ship with Grapplers - this is intended to be a single class to do most of the navy's heavy lifting, rather than having armours and point defenses and Blazers about the place. Also there apparently aren't Barrage sections to make torpedo boats in SOTS2. MagnoCeramic Lattices gives them a bunch more hitpoints if nothing else.


This fight hardly seemed worth the effort. Though it did mean that we had secured all of local Morrigi space.


I wonder if the game is trying to tell me something.


HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN


I am also able to regroup for a bit. This is 5 of my 8 warfleets. Give or take.


These new wars are giving a bunch of new projects. I have no idea what is going on with the sliders. Do I really have ~170% research capacity or what?


And I thought that learning what they were researching was useless!


This time I just decide that I'm going to press the attack.


The Ghost ship rocks up again.


I get another low level energy tech.


Also I finally noticed this increased production, and grabbed it. Industrial output = faster ships at my 3 building planets.


Hurrah, Another race of independants. No capital letters allowed!


We continue our No Dolphin Engines policies.


While one fleet closes on the Morrigi homeworld, another closes on the Zuul's. And this time they have a lot less ships.


And we find our first world of the Tarka. Better yet, our assault on Ilmater will be joined by them. Zuul trophies for everyone!

There was a LOT of planetary/fleet combat that I glossed over. I have no idea why the Liir haven't been willing to engage my fleets either.

Next time - we take on Two homeworlds!

(HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN AH HAH! SOUL ROBBER!)