Part 3: Turns 41-60
An endless sea of bugs (spawning inside the sun) Lets Play Sword of the Stars 2: Hiver Imperium
Update 3. Turns 41-60
Right. What the hell am I doing
I've got a fleet flying out of Star Haven to scout another arm, and some ships heading towards where I think Kerberos Interactive are hiding.
And am also trying to open up a new frontier to keep my fleets busy.
I start doubling up with colonies in some systems.
As a general rule, this is good when you can do it. Though I did forget to wait for something important to be built. I'll mention that later this update though.
We also get the micro hell that trade routes bring.
These guys will show up, destroy or capture exactly one freighter, then sod off before coming back to do it again. They're a good reason to use trade stimulus, since that builds a freighter every few turns. I'm waiting till I research heavy freighters for that though.
Of course, the SOTS2 UI lets me review their fleet. Would we expect anything less?
VRF technology completes the first full research circle, and I notice that planets both get filtered by the background of the UI, AND obscure it.
Truly inspired design.
I actually manage to predict where the pirates will arrive next! The game doesn't tell me where they're coming from. But then I remember they just hit Sera, and deploy near there.
This was a mistake, of course. Naturally their spawn, and the freighter's spawn, is fixed. And on the opposite side of the system to where I put the fleet.
Luckily we don't need sensor coverage to target their ships. Not that it helps this time.
Either that, or their ships are just plain using stealth technology so they don't appear on radar.
Even flying in at full speed doesn't give us enough time to do more than damage their ships.
Turn 44. A logical time to get this technology.
Shooting SMALL things with mass drivers? Is that even possible?
Expect to see this a lot if you're trading.
On turn 46, after slightly less than 13 turns.
So by turn 56, give or take. Gee I'm glad that no-one has boarding pods researched yet!
Not pirates, at least. Sadly because the colony is tiny, it is fucked. This is another relatively minor event that can hit your colonies. It involves a squad of 5 cruisers raiding and assault shuttling the colony.
Or just 3. who run away from the gate and destroy the colony. Eh.
I finally remember to upgrade the naval base at Beta.
This screen (station management) can (and does) quickly get ridiculously useless and cluttered.
I also re-colonise the world the slavers kicked us off. It wasn't even fully developed before.
My scouting pays off! We've found a Suul'ka colony still being set up. And we have a fleet inbound.
Speaking of fights, I never recalled the Survey Fleet. And it intercepts a second pirate raid.
Perhaps intercepts is the wrong term. I also forget where they spawn. Or it moves because otherwise my fleet would be too close. I'd believe either.
Only 1 sector away!
Despite being a lot closer, we cannot even find their ships to damage them. Eh. The names also tell me it's a different fleet to the last one.
Looks like it was vaguely accurate. And my advisor did advise me we got a breakthrough, So turn 52 is decent.
It's about now I remember I need to research another tech to actually retrofit ships. Apparently we haven't invented standard fittings by now or something?
Of course one of my surveys found a closer colonisable world to the enemy. Oh well. Beta is more appropriately named to be where Kerberos's doom comes from.
I upgrade one of my civilian stations. Obviously the defense is to increase trade there!
Since we're not at war, we can survey their system without trading weapons fire. Also have a gate station established. The Suul'ka are well known for their accomodating nature, after all.
The research times are almost accurate. It's amazing. It's turn 57!
I figure I should actually research diplomatic stations. So I can get enough points to declare war.
The idea that this used to be two technologies and you had to research staffing diplomatic stations once you could build them amuses me terribly.
We also meet some new friends! It makes perfect sense that the forum posts only exist to destroy Kerberos (there was a Kerberos Colony in Aditi last turn. Now there are just explosions.)
I still don't understand how or why they have diplomatic points.
Anyhow, lets look into refitting out fleets operating out of Beta.
OH WAIT, you need level 3 starbases to oversee refitting your ship. It's not like you can make guns and stuff just anywhere!
Meanwhile, at our Homeworld...
Even changing which weapon they try to keep range with takes time.
Meet our first new ship design. The Pathing Glitch. All because I wanted point defense on my support ships.
Negative Forum Posters continue to raid Kerberos' colonies. This has nothing to do with THE BUGS who are also present.
Since Kerberos aren't using it anymore, Tiamat becomes a nice site for a new colony for THE BUGS. Sadly Tarkan bombardment has rendered Tiamat 2 uninhabitable for us at the moment.
Can YOU tell our research is over budget?
Also, do you remember how I opened a new survey front? Because I didn't. But on turn 60, we are found by some more friends.
Next time! I research Heavy Cutting beams, and start building
Also, 40 turns of SOTS1 coming next.