Part 24: Turns 181-200

Memories of a better time - Let's Play Sword of the Stars as the Hiver Imperium.

Update 11. Turns 181-200

So then, lets get to it.


The first thing we get to deal with is a Zuul cruiser wing. My defense fleet is free, and moves to engage.


If only I had data correlation so I knew what some of those classes actually were. Sadly I have other things to research to keep me from dying!


The Zuul decided to bring along one of the toys from their expansion - corrosive missiles. When they explode they make a sphere of space goo that damages any ship that enters it. So I hope your point defense is on its toes.


The battle quickly enters close quarters. our first shot of stormers, too. I expect I have more though.


As we cut through the squishy Zuul ships, they demonstrate the PROBLEM with Stormers, and mass drivers in general. They have a nasty habit of bouncing off, and doing no damage. This is part of the reason I'm using AP drivers. They bounce a lot less.


Zuul ships are REALLY fragile. If only that were true of all our neighbours...


Speaking of neighbours, they've arranged quite the welcoming party for us.


Round 1: Anti-matter torpedoes.


The old standby of AM projectors, and what's this.
Fucking Heavy Cutting beams. The top tier heavy combat lasers.
Also looking again, I wonder if those aren't meson projectors. Fucking Dolphins.


Even when the kills are not in our favour, this is still satisfying.


So are these. Not that they proved to even the odds quite as much as I'd have liked.


Still, it's an improvement, we only need um. 80 cruisers or so to sweep the system. Hopefully we can start rolling strikes and make do with a few less.


Oh yeah. Cloakers. They always shift the numbers a bit. 11 v 58. And I'm on my last command ship.


I haven't been deep enough in the energy tree recently enough to remember what that beam is.


Besides murderous.


This guy, and a few ships I ordered to retreat are all that survive our attack. This guy does because he is already going at high speed away from the Dolphins.


Of course, now they're free to attack us back.


I didn't actually notice the damaged ships at the time. The two Uulani Bio-war cruisers are my main worry. We have 2-1 odds on our side for the rest.


This time I remember to gank the command ship before the Biowar ships show up. We've taken out about half their fleet now, time to cycle out damaged cruisers and prepare for the next wave.


That's no missile volley. Welcome to the FIRST surprise of the update. Dolphin Impactors. These things are brutal and I am sad that I haven't gotten them yet. I haven't gotten anti-matter or bursters yet, but everything else hasn't given them to me.
They are AMAZINGLY overpowered. Long range precision massdriver cannons. What's not to like? If I get them, I am researching AI fire control straight away. It is worth the slight risk of AI revolt.


There's the ship in question.


Taking poorly aimed shots at my gate ship no less.


Next up are the Biowar cruisers. We forcibly disarm one before it launches. The second, well.


Somehow launches, then phases out. Despite locking everything I have, I cannot connect.


Not that we are going to stop trying.


Even if they take out my command ship.


Fortunately, in low orbit, they all decloak, and we are able to bring weapons to bear on the sneaky git.


All in all, that went fairly well.


Also, I work towards Dreadnaught technology. Orbital Drydocks and Heavy Platforms are the two pre-requisites. Which is 5% off cruisers, and 10% industrial output respectively. So I probably should have grabbed these earlier anyhow.


But first!


Losing the infrastructure works, but at least we're not Assimilator plagued for once.


What, you thought that was it, ha! Dolphins have only BEGUN to be assholes.


By the way, you can target the main guns onto torpedoes with a left click.


Seriously, again?! I didn't think Phase cloaks were a thing!


Hey look, the Tarka have sent a scout fleet.


Fuck.


OF COURSE. That semi-circle. That's a deflector shield of some kind. With luck, they've been fighting the Liir, and brought energy deflectors.


Of course, since I've bitched about them in the thread, you already know it's a matter deflector. We cannot damage it from the front until that shield goes down.


What we did do, that I didn't notice for a minute, was assist one in crashing into the planet. I only noticed this after the battle, when I realised there were only two DNs giving me trouble.


Well. Only two for a while.


RIP colony. RIP fleet.


We at least put two of their DNs into the yellow with naval gunfire.


Also, we finish Heavy Freighter tech! These guys give a bunch of extra money compared to their destroyer counterpart.


FLY, the Tarkan DNs aren't done yet.


By the way. That other DN - Biowarfare equipped.


Hopefully they don't have a super amazing tip on them. Maybe Retroplague. then if we win we can get another shot at going further into the tree.


Our first pure gunfire kill, yay


See that second Dreadnaught there? It is hiding behind the first's shield. Our shots can't hit EITHER if they hit the shield.


Well. Unless those shots are combat lasers.


FUCKING TARKA


That's what it takes to kill ONE of them.


The other two come in for round 2. I am pretty sure I dont want to lose 28 more CRs to take them out.


This is what happens when stormers DON'T bounce on the way past.





Also, Chozanti managed to contain the plague. Huzzah. I don't have to recolonise another world.


Not that there's a break to regroup, of course.


I get the last pre-cursor to building DNs. Also lets me build the rest of my ships a bit quicker.


Finally. We kinda need these now.


Stormers for everyone! I was equipping them to deal with the Liir. Of course, then the Tarka showed up and pushed me straight back to AP. And will have to start getting some energy techs too.


Zuul ships still can explode.


In hindisght, I overdid it with the defenders. Still. Better safe than sorry. After the Tarka I wasn't taking the chance.


We can now make DNs at our shipyards.


And once we research these, we can field 3 at a time.


Which we can arm with these. Not quite Impactors, but I'll take it.


Since it happened to be turn 200, I just took a browse through the design screen.


Heavily armed. And only 6 times the price of a cruiser. Worth it though.

Next update - I build some for defense, get Heavy Stormers and Anti-matter, and then can FINALLY kill some dolphins.

I'm sure the AI will come up with SOMETHING to ruin my plans though.