Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N7 16-Dec-2023 Flying Tiger, Hidden Tentacle

[BBHood217]

Why are you shooting down pink ships? D:

[Ethereal_Medic]

Why are you shooting down pink ships? D:

I can't rely on those landing and willingly offering me the intact ship.
If the ship suddenly *pops* into oblivion due to mission done, I rather stick with gunning it down using lascannons.

I pref to not save-scum.

[Solarius Scorch]

It's a bit rude, but not really dangerous to the pilot.

[cc]

I can't rely on those landing and willingly offering me the intact ship.

Tractor beam them? Dragons are quite capable of catching Pink Ships (well, anything but Corvettes and Sentries on a Base Assault mission, really) and you only need three beams to force a landing.

[RSSwizard]

No, I'm being serious. This is exactly the reason - they are so awful that they take extra storage space. Like Dark Ones corpses.

I concur with this. The amount of space an item physically takes up doesnt necessarily mean it only takes up that much.

Reminds me of the plasma clips taking up so much space in vanilla... its because they probably have to be stored in a special secure locker, in a foam lined container box.

Gotta have a special arrangement set up to store certain items. Like how explosives go in the explosives locker. If not just for security in case the slaves go batshit and decide they cant take it anymore, its also to prevent accidents.
(this is why you cant have stuff strewn all out down the hallways)

In all fairness on my base defenses I do frequently see most of my items piled up and strewn about in my Burrow though.


Edit -
Mission Update Report.
I think im dying here.

February 2602
Menacing Hull still hasnt been built as a ship, im stuck on achieving the "shadowmasters" topic (which goes to cloaking device>intercepter assembly>fortuna manufacture)

More or less im still flying around an aircar, my balance hovers between $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. I do have a fair number of bounty hunting prizes though. No space missions, I dont have a sub for underwater missions. Ive researched mansion invasions but no mansions have popped up and its been about 2 months now.
(I did obliterate a bandit town using an Armored Car+LMG and my two best hands though, sent via the Airbus GDX that I kept)

Ive got 3 bases, one of which has a sweatshop of 55 runts. Storage space isnt a problem but its because I built 2 Large vaults (which set me back financially). I would take advantage of the storage space using contraband... but its so expensive I cant invest much into it because at the end of the month I lose 1 million. Only the primary base has overcharged radar, the other two only have outposts.

I dont know of any enemy hideouts on the map yet. Just about the only traffic going on the map are megapol cars, some stuff I cant ever seem to catch up to, and all of the excavators are being run by zombies.


And in tonight's highlights... my pirate gals brave zombies for a taste of forbidden fruit.
(a ratling village is overrun with zombies, but with finances baring down they must brave the wooden maze to collect as many apples as possible - im not going to bother trying to combat the stryx and funky zombies all over the damn place that can see through walls)

[Ethereal_Medic]

The 'Blowfish' can be used underwater IF you have the hangar space and equipment to try such a mission.
Without thief- and exploration-armor you better rely on rolling 'Mutant Fish' or those yellow crabs as opposition.

Sharks are the werewolves of the depths (they can swim = 'flying') and Deep Ones can shot at you using crossbows while suffering no stat-penalty.
Your hands are severe limited in TU and combat stats and without protection the stun/turn quickly adds up.

To get the "Shadowmasters" topic you've to roll lucky and 'ask' ninja gals and drifters about those.
There's no fast or direct way to get the topic imo. I used the codex-ships for around 5 months before I was able to build my fortuna due to unlucky 'get free research topic'.

Zombies have an extreme SENSE value. 20 or 40, have to guess atm. There's no place save to hide while they sense the smell of BRAINS.
Without proper shotguns it'll take a while to get rid of a zombie infestation and it will be troublesome to play around the strix and fast-as-hell funky zombies.

[Solarius Scorch]

Regarding underwater missions: if you don't have some SCUBA  gear (like the Chiller suit), you absolutely must bring oxygen tanks, and use them frequently. It's worth it to have at least one gal on oxygen duty (loaded up with tanks and using them on everyone). Otherwise you will almost certainly drown before the mission ends.

[HT]

Soo, can we have an approximate date about when will next version be released? Just to know.

[Ethereal_Medic]

Game looks fine right now. 
Also Valentine's Day. Pick up a bundle of flowers and smack that special civilian into submission.

[RSSwizard]

To get the "Shadowmasters" topic you've to roll lucky and 'ask' ninja gals and drifters about those.
...I used the codex-ships for around 5 months before I was able to build my fortuna due to unlucky 'get free research topic'.

In 99I the codex ships are now locked behind Shadowmasters so youve got to have that prerequisite before you can even get the "whats up with X ship?" type purchase techs.

Which is kinda silly since I think it should be the other way around, with those ships leading to the shadowmasters or cloaking device topic. And also silly because at this rate by the time I was able to actually receive a codex ship, I would actually be producing my Fortuna in the hangar since its like literally a straight shot 2 techs down from that. Which pretty much makes those ships irrelevant (unless for some reason I wanted more ships and would order them for my other bases).

I could get a Pachyderm right now if I wanted it, but I hate that thing and its expensive AF too (my deference to it has to do with on-map aesthetics, some specific ships such as the pachyderm should have a full job done on their map tilesets similar to the way the Triton or Hammerhead were put together in tftd with alot of specific, custom tiles to make it look like the ufopedia articles). I mean technically I can do without it right now, so thats what happens.

I believe it (will still?) go on underwater missions so it could be doing everything I want, though it also uses a Heavy weapon slot and everything regarding that is expensive and low accuracy early game.

There is also the fact that im only hovering at like 3-5 million cash and the only way im staying afloat is because of X-Grog between two bases. I need some other way to make money using materials (plastasteel? durathread?), I made an economy mistake for a couple months thinking I could make a profit, like it says in the bootypedia, on durathread by buying thread+plastasteel and making metal armor suits, but I was losing about 30% on it each time due to a miscalculation.

As for the zombies I did finish that mission somehow. The funky zombie growled and ran right up to my ship and got behind somebody but wasnt fast enough to attack. So he got blown away by a combat shotgun.
I managed to kill one of the strix with a K.Handcannon, took about 4-5 shells to do it though from the safe distance required. The other one got blown away with a blunderbuss that a gal in a grav harness was operating (through a window no less).

As for zombie encounters picture this... Excavator goes down, map rolls up as a standard civvie terror site neighborhood. Zombies in houses all over the dam place, and lots of them. Strix out in the street with plenty of space to reaction fire, and so is an armored zombie trooper. I got -nowhere- with that mission so ive learned to just engage those things when they land, if there's zombies I just leave, that way the ship doesnt stay docked for a long time doing its job.
(you only have an Aircar of 4 gals who are only wearing maybe metal/tac armor and a grav harness - and they dont really have the firepower with them to take out the trooper anyways)


Its worth pointing out that my hands who were wearing Tac Armor/Helm were able to shrug off and generally be unaffected by the spit attacks... but when the strix Explodes they definitely take damage from that even though they were unaffected by the spit
(the strix will also sometimes Explode Twice when killed, im thinking it has to do with killing it outright with alot of damage, and it is not a graphical glitch either because that damage is inflicted two separate times, it doesnt always do this though maybe 50% of the time)

Regarding underwater missions:

Im well aware of the underwater situation and generally speaking there isnt much down there for the risk involved, plus all the expense of having a submarine. Ive heard of people fishing out interesting loot from it but at least half the time I get galleons with some treasure and thats it.

I think the lethal harpoons (combined with harpoon carbines) are probably effective against deep ones, but I tried stun bolts the first time and those had about 0 effect, and I didnt bother to bring melee because of underwater difficulties.
(I have Thief armor, just got it within the past month, so its technically doable but im not going to go for it because of the craft requirement. Unlikely to go on sea missions until near the end of 2602. I rushed Thief because I researched mansions and im expecting a mansion to pop up soon, it has been awhile though)

[Ethereal_Medic]

Sunken USO = Sonic Oscillator Parts.
A less powerful version of the lascannon with 'unlimited' ammo and 100% hit by default.
It's worth a risk IF it pops up^^

I refuse to do mansions without a proper infiltration handgun and wall-buster and at least 12 soldiers + everyone in novice robes.

[RSSwizard]

I refuse to do mansions without a proper infiltration handgun and wall-buster and at least 12 soldiers + everyone in novice robes.

Oh I forgot about the oscillator. But I did hear that a charger laser was possible loot.

Mansions? Easy.
7or8 Hands in Thief armor. Add a Syn if possible.
Aye-Phones and Finely Distilled Rum (everyone has both)
Spiked SMG or K.Handcannon(shell) are alright choices.
Maybe a laspistol with adv. clips.

Everyone gets 1 Hellerium Grenade and 1 Stick Grenade for busting walls (it also busts the floor and cieling but I can usually tiptoe around it).

The gal who starts on the roof, either front or back of the lineup I cant remember which, gets additional nasty crap so she can assault the open-access shower rooms on the top floor and inflict more morale hits.

Kill as many as possible, might force a surrender. I go for captures in the wizard towers because there's usually someone important in there.



Today I had my first encounter with a Church Exalt on an unexpected shrine ship that had landed. Which I managed to take down with only 2 hands equipped with trench guns and metal/boss armor (one gal ended up losing a few health points, as in like 3 health but thats it).

Oh crap the exalt flies. Picked up an assault las and tried to use that on the exalt... hmm thats funny it didnt make her bleed at all, this is supposed to be armor piercing. Reloaded, tried to stick her in the back with a bayonet and that just didnt work out too well, took too long to get to her. Finally just blew her away with the shells (first burst of C.Shells... oh she's bleeding, here take another 3... this kills the exalt).

To be fair there were two Exalts, the other one got a care package (pre-primed High Explosive charge, I just dropped it next to her and ran - gives new meaning to the phraise "Drop It!"). I would have Loved to capture these as well as the Beastmasters but I only had 2 hands and they meant business. I captured a Reverend though and he translated my book for me.

[greattuna]

Thief outfits? Only 8 hands? Sorry, no, I'm afraid it wouldn't work on higher difficulties, you'd hit time limit because you just can't kill them fast enough with only 8, or worse, get overwhelmed by enemies and killed.

You don't really need SENSE outfits, either, but that'd make the search for the last drone\yeoman\guard\etc. very tedious and very risky. My personal advice: make a spy zeppelin and keep it just for mansions. 20 hands is a lot, and a lot more than 12\8.

Bring your best pistols\smgs (for me it's scorchies\magnums\gausses\cougars) + daggers, be it poison, barbed or plain ol' standard. They all work! Codex outfits are incredibly useful, too: fairy has 12 sense and stun that synergies with it; saviour has +50 TUs and in-built medikit\stamina recovery, ghost is, well, stealthy, plus IIRC has bonus armor, and destructor is just immune to any firearm enemies have in mansions.

Oh, also bring rum, it's got amazing utility.

As soon as you appear, waste no time; move out immediately and kill everyone except most important targets. Actually, kill those too, unless you really need one; their deaths tank enemy morale. If you're doing it right, by turn 7-9 a mass panic chain should start; keep it going, don't be distracted by potential hostages, they're not worth it. After few turns of this, all that'll be left is clean-up, meaning you have to find those stubborn enemies who didn't panic and bring those down.

Even with this tactic, with 12 maids on the turtle, I usually win only by turn 20-25. Search for last X is, again, long. So...

If all else fails, by turn 25-27 you should start scrambling back to the LZ. It's better to lose the loot than lose the loot, ship, and all gals involved, and another mansion will surely appear someday.

[RSSwizard]

Thief outfits? Only 8 hands? Sorry, no, I'm afraid it wouldn't work on higher difficulties, you'd hit time limit because you just can't kill them fast enough with only 8, or worse, get overwhelmed by enemies and killed.

True but I dont play on the higher difficulties, I suppose if I grew a masochistic hair I might have to invent new ways to handle situations at that point.
(8 gals is pushing it for mansions and I will admit that, its certainly enough to walk off with probably 80% of the important loot, but its like a coin toss as to whether you can sink the entire mansion... this is my way of challenging myself. Killing as many as you can find does tend to make the rest less dangerous while you're pilfering though)

Having a blimp on station full of gals just for this thing? I thought about that for certain situations but didnt want to invest that much resources into it. 20 gals who'd all have to be trained up, and also out of commission for doing anything else as they'd be airbourne. Im thinking of loading up lokknars or slaves in it so they can be portable radar.

Having enough gals to toss around to not care about that means you're paying boo-koo bucks on salaries because of ranks.

This also reminds me ive cracked the Million Dollar Safe topic... where by chance might I find that thing, is it in the mansion somewhere now or another mission? Its a new item in 99I (got the topic from a bandit boss interrogation)

[Ethereal_Medic]

I'm currently at August 2603, rocking 28M upkeep every month caused by buildings, crafts, runts, brainers and soldiers.

Across every base, I have at least 10 Elite Soldiers with decent equipment and panzerfaust.
2 Bases sporting research power, the rest chemical production until armory tower / factory are set up for mass-production of m1a1 tanks.

I keep recruiting more soldiers over the cause of the run, around 100 soldiers either maxed-out for 'serious business' operations or trainees for milk runs.
The first stats maxed for me is always firing (120+), TUs (100) and bravery (90-100).

I keep swapping gear around so I never grow tired of going into battlescape.