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31

General Discussion / Re: Alternative Discord Server - The Pilgrim's Path

« on: June 11, 2023, 05:25:34 AM »

I've basically ignored the "community" for 5+ years now, but I purchased this game in the Starfarer era in mid 2012. I love this title, it's one of my all time favorites. Seeing the discourse around this game get hijacked and dominated for this long is distasteful, to say the least.

I just want a place to post where I dont feel as if I'm about to get punted at any moment because I'm walking on eggshells to avoid moderator wrath. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I've never liked Discord, personally, never was on Twitter. I am however on 4chan since it's peak comedy if you know where to look.

Mind you, it has its uses but trying to properly comunicate a complex, layered game like Starsector by vomiting one-sentence replies into a deluge of spam is in most cases fruitless and a waste of one's time.
This forum works more than fine. Everything can be explained all at once, media can be shared, beautiful things can be put togheder and, most importantly, there's coherence.

I guess the fact I have not been on Social media for 10 years (I'm 27) has got me rather biased towards anything less than a forum as a medium, it just feels like it diminishes and fragments anything constructive into tiny littlepieces that get lost in a flood.

Edit: As per the OP, good luck to you. Every single DIscord community I've witnessed has ended up breaking into a thousand pieces (servers) due to small, ultimately pointless disagreements creating untreatable fractures between people that can no longer get along. Know you can always find company in the forum; it's legitimately the best game related forum I've ever had the pleasure to spend time in.

32

General Discussion / Re: [0.96] I'm back, Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 10, 2023, 01:03:03 PM »

The Ordo does not look like a full strength one.  One Radiant and most of the ships have no cores.

Ye, I've got to grow some cohones (I.E. getting more Story points in, cramming 9 Officers into 105DP of manned ships et cetera) before delving into those but I'll get back to this thread when that happens.

On the topic of S-modding things, I'm loving this Glimmer build, altough I'm sure there still are improvements to be made:

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It's suicidally aggressive, as all Fearless AI go this patch, but I think I've actually managed to make the Thrice Ludd-Damned abomination fast enough(260 speed in sim combat without the full bonus from Coodrinated Manouvers) and with a big enough flux pool that even if the AI really hates pulling out (hah, can't really blame him  ) it still has enough mobility to do so when it would be too late (for virtually any other frigate) and actually survive most of the time against non-beam weapons. Outrunning most missiles and the AI actually being able to dodge projectiles while overloaded is a big boon!

P.S: keep in mind the ship also goes 20% faster due to the full bonus of Coordinated Manouvers too and that the 4th Gamma Core skill once integrated into the ship would be Helsmanshipof course. Yeeeeeeeeeeeet

P.P.S: Breachers were my missile of choice to allow the ship to chew through a bigger enemy's backside and start dealing hull damage with the Ion Pulser significantly faster. Needless to say almost anything using ballistic hardpoints for the main source of kinetic damage is gonna have a very, very hard time dealing with or even outright winning against this. It managed to end the 2x Gauss Dominator in the sim by itself in what felt like a quick time!

P.P.P.S: Oh by Ludd it soloes a SIM Onslaught 

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Granted there's no officer or decent build on the other side but the fact an AI controlled SO frigate can kill something 8 times its DP within its peak performance time (a bit more than 4 minutes if we deduct the remaining PPK from the combat start one) but also consider all of this happened against the Onslaught build with two HACs on its ass. Not all capitals have that 

Edit: Typos

33

General Discussion / Re: [0.96] I'm back, Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 10, 2023, 11:16:52 AM »

Another point I would like to stress out is that even Remnants with their new, all improved extremely suicidal AI are still utter slaves to capturing points, which unironically makes a frigate heavy fleet like this dictate where the entire enemy force goes during the entire fight, essentially making me able to fight 10% of their fleet with 50% of my own fleet that's been instructed to kill the enemy and not care about capture points.

If this screenshot does not showcase the reason why this needs a minor tweak (at the very least), especially for very aggressive enemies (I.E. Remnants and Path) then I don't know what would.

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34

General Discussion / Re: [0.96] I'm back, Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 10, 2023, 11:01:40 AM »

You can also increase the amount of automated ships you can deploy by 40% by adding 5 D-mods per ship and adding the Derelict Operations skill to your character, since that skill also reduces automated ship points by 30%. It's not particularly great to deploy massive amounts of automated ships though (for example the Derelict fleet I had routinely deployed 13 automated cruisers), first of all you gain almost zero experience even if you destroy an Ordo, and second automated ships are unfortunately not that strong to begin with. I have not tried the Brilliant spam strategy, though. Does it work versus a high level fleet such as a double Ordo?

I'm still workshopping the fleet (I am mising on a lot of story points) but there's potential. I can deal with a decently sized ordo without losses if I manage the fleet properly:

Having Brilliants escort my Aggressive officer Odissey and putting an Avoid Order on enemy Radiants (unless they're exposed) guarantees their well being and opens up to killing opportunities thanks to having a very mobile 145DP contingent in my fleet moving around and cutting up remnants piece my piece while both Hyperions and Glimmers also kill stragglers but are most useful of keeping on capturing points and spreading the enemy around the map like nutella on a toast.

Two Brilliants (with he above loadout) will beat a Radiant in a Vacuum without too many issues and minor order use since the Radiant legitimately can't run away from them fast enough, but I find it a lot better to avoid Radiants up until I can get my 100DP contingent to focus fire on it and kill it fast.


Anyway, uh, here's some screenshots in chronological order displaying the tactic described above. Let's just say that 4 Ion Beams with Elite Target Analysis make a damn good job at rendering the target virtually harmless and immobile, besides any active skill that might bypass the engines being partially shut down or in a flameout. I'm not attempting any funny stuff with two Ordos since I'm on Iron Mode but I'll attempt that once I've got triple S mods on glimmer and have arranged an optimal DP and Officer Slot use for the remaining 105 Deployment Points after Automated ships. Anyway, here are some briefs powerpoints on a short battle I took against small-medium sized ordos:

Starting phase of the fight, all ships have their positions ready and I'm just nonchalantly cutting Remnants down until the Radiant is deployed

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Radiant is deployed, Avoid order is placed, battle evolves into a Starsector based, reverse whack-a-mole consisting of yeeting inferior Remnants where the Radiant isn't

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Small exerpt of no S-mod, 26% CR Overdriven Glimmers circlebeating a Scintilla that just spawned on the field. They're gonna be a lot scarier with 3 Smods!

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Radiant blinks towards my fleet, leaving its allies behind. I take the opportunity by turning the Avoid order into an Eliminate and manually ordering all 4 Brilliants and the Odissey to pay that Broccoli-shaped Booty a visit

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Radiant beatdown slideshow

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End battle result:

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35

General Discussion / Re: [0.96] I'm back, Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 10, 2023, 08:46:55 AM »

Welp, I had a case of the stupid and was wondering, for a painstakingly long amount of minutes, why my combat fleet DP was over 240 despite having 240DP of combat ships, until I realized I had Militarized Subsystems on my salvage rigs, tugs and non-revenant haulers.

With that out of the way, the total amount of Automated Ship Points split into Alpha Core Brilliants and Gamma Core Glimmers you can have above malfuction treshold with the above posted Commander skill distribution (I.E: 41% Combat Readiness) is 470 Automated Ship Points, which in this particular setup translates into 135 Deployment Points just in Automated Ships and leaves out 105 Fleet Points for any normie, organic infested piece of space garbage of your choosing, in my case being a single Odissey and 4 Hyperions.

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I can probably minmax to make full use of my 8 officers (9 if we also include my commander, which could pilot a frigate to have the ship get the WOlfpack Tactics bonus) plus the already present 11 AI Officers for a grand total of
20 officers in a single 240DP fleet 

I love Automated Ships but for the love of Ludd and all that is holy this needs a nerf bat immediately (along with the Radiant I guess but that's a can of worms for another thread)!

36

General Discussion / Re: Haven't seen a single very high importance contact in 100+ hours of play

« on: June 10, 2023, 04:21:59 AM »

I'm currently playing my first 0.96 RC10 campaign, I'm playing with a High Tech ship only (minus logistic ships like Salvage Rigs or Tugs) style and without a commission, I've worked towards getting friendly with both Pirates and the Path and once my colony got strong enough to hold its own I've made enemies with Indipendents, Hegemony and the Persean League.

Despite all that, I've essentially managed to find high to very high contacts with most factions (I only picked Pathers and Pirates since they were most useful).

The problem I seem to gather from what you said Amoekba is that finding contacts is not as straightforward as you might think. The absolute best way to find them is to do missions for agents in any and all colonies. I have for example found my Very High Pirate contact in Echou Bres by doing a spysat mission, next thing I knew he offered up to a Million credits worth of "not so legal" nanoforge use, which I used to get an Odissey plus a plethora of Revenants and Phantoms to uh...do buisness with factions I'm not currently friendly with.

By Ludd, I actually got my Very High Luddic Path contact by just casually trading and chatting in the bar of a High Bounty Pather base I originally was going to to get the money, which had me abort the mission and develop the contract instead!

In short, it does not matter what you're doing at a planet, always check the local bars first, you'll never know if you strike gold!

37

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 09, 2023, 02:36:44 PM »

Upon further testing I've decided this version is better overall. It loses a lot on kinetic damage but the upside is that it's not as suicidal and you can keep it relatively free of suicidal tendencies if you have it escort a bigger, slower ship and manually have it engage a vulnerable, risk free target when a juicy situation arises:

Spoiler

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Thoughts?

The heavy burst laser in the medium mount will cause the Brilliant to get too close, destroying the point of LR PD.  If you want PD on the ship, use the heavy mount for assault (HIL/Tach), and have it stay long range, you need LR PD or perhaps Tactical Laser in the small mounts only, and a long-range beam in the medium mount (I use Ion Beam, but Graviton or IR Autolance will do).  The small mounts will need IPDAI+ePD.  LR PD needs both for stopping power and more range, and Tactical Laser needs IPDAI s-modded to unlock PD capability.  I go for LR PD because I have I not s-modded IPDAI yet.

I've taken your insight to heart and, at the cost of committing heresy by mounting an LR PD laser on a medium turret, have achieved my most effective Brilliant Variant yet:

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I've also found out that you can just about squeeze 4 Alpha Core Brilliants and 4 Gamma Core Glimmers in your fleet, all of which bove malfunction CR if they all have 3 built-in hull mods, have Combat Endurance among their AI's skills and your Character has Crew Training and Hull Restoration. I hope Alex looks at this and goes "Oh nonono that's a bit on the OP Side, better nerf that a smidge"

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Also, uh, a bit off topic, but I am orgasming over this Odissey variant. It's able to solo 3 Dominators and a couple destroyers in the SIM under AI control, and I have not even gotten around getting the officer to max level, or building in ECCM aswell 

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I'll get around playing with 3-Smod Glimmers soon, I'm kinda grinding story points in high danger sectors while exploring the galaxy...

38

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 09, 2023, 01:38:50 AM »

system affected by expanded mags (mining blaster, autopulse, burst PDs, Paladin etc.) also get affected by built-in Armored Weapon Mounts?

Yes it does and it is AMAZING.

Oh, very nice. My AM Blaster Aurora just got a bit better!

39

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 08, 2023, 12:41:42 PM »

Has anybody tried a beam only Brilliant? I would say a version of it without PD and:
1x Tach lance
4x Grav Beam
2x Tac Laser
with both ITU and Advanced Optics would not be at all suicidal. I wish Grav beams ware affected by built-in IPDAI too, they'd legitimately be one of the best forms of beam PD in the game.

I'll workshop a full beam version of a Brilliant soon, altough it does not really fit nicely in my fleet, since the rest of my force is non-SO Hyperions and a single not-so-much meme Paragon with 4x gigacannons, 4x Burst PDs, 10x IR Pulses and 4 Swarmers.

Combining Built-in armored weapon mounts (for 10%more DPS on all non beam, non missile weapons) and built-in IPDAI is actually insane.

Edit: Question, does a weapon with a clip system affected by expanded mags (mining blaster, autopulse, burst PDs, Paladin etc.) also get affected by built-in Armored Weapon Mounts?

40

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 08, 2023, 05:25:43 AM »

Upon further testing I've decided this version is better overall. It loses a lot on kinetic damage but the upside is that it's not as suicidal and you can keep it relatively free of suicidal tendencies if you have it escort a bigger, slower ship and manually have it engage a vulnerable, risk free target when a juicy situation arises:

Spoiler

[close]

Thoughts?

41

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 08, 2023, 04:13:51 AM »

So uh, I've apparently severely underestimated the sheer amount of Alpha Cores you can just slap onto Brilliants and still getting away with over 40% CR on all of them:

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This thing would beat a SIM Onslaught if the AI wasn't foaming at the mouth as much but hey, beggars can't be choosers. I don't think you can get a better mix of facemelting DPS and survivability better than this one on a Brilliant, I just wish I had the option of getting a high OP cost laser PD weapon other than a burst laser, as the ship would legitimately never build up soft flux in any circumnstance if that was the case, allowing it to dissipate hard flux while shields are up at the maximum rate permissible.

AH, and the ship has an 85 top speed without the D-mod, I took the picture after I raided Chitomonzoc with 4 of these, a meme Paragon build and some non-SO Hyperions. The fact Reckless AI burn drives into enemy stations might have to be reported as a bug...

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And here's my commander skills allowing for a base +30% Combat Readiness bonus on any ship with 3 S-mods without needing to waste a point on Combat Endurance. All Automated Ships do have it tough. I?m still fishing aroun for the optimal Officers for most of my human controlled ships.I'm probably gonna switch Sensors or Navigation whenever I get to the true endgame.

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Edit: forgot about my commander skills, and to put images in spoiler tabs...

42

General Discussion / Re: Sensor UI and sensor burst question

« on: June 08, 2023, 03:43:59 AM »

Those "circles" are 1000 units apart and don't rapresent your personal fleet's sensor range, it's mostly used to explore systems without costantly using the minimap and chase off sensor signals you find with the Sensor Burst without opening the minimap when your sensor range is at its apex; provided your max sensor range is not bigger than 3000 units, you gotta open up the minimap like in this case:

Just to clarify - the map grid and the radar circles are 2000 units apart, so the radar shows stuff out to 6000 units - a little over the maximum sensor range, which caps out at 5000 in normal space and 2000 in hyperspace.


If the circles in question are the ones emitted by other fleets (colored by the fleet's faction), they show you the approximate range at which your fleet will be detected by that other fleet. If you're inside the circle, the other fleet can see you.

Ah! There we go! I've taken the habit of just opening up the system map with Tab every time I do a Sensor Burst once my sensor is at its Apex, good to know that wasn't necessary, thanks Alex!

Nice! It's great to know haha as now i know my measly 1850 sensor range doesn't cover much then and even my sensor burst can't be entirely relied upon. So if i pick up something outside the 2nd circle that means it just has a massive sensor signature?

Kinda wish there was some sort of material investment i could do to create giant sensor pings to cover systems as even with the guides and videos the neutrino detector is fiddly and unfun. I often just save scum after wasting weeks using it to scour a system because its so unrewarding. It'd be nice to create a telescope at one of the stable points then wait a few days as it scans sections of the map.

I am a high sensor range affectionado, installing high sensor modspecs on Cruiser and Capital sized cargo/troop haulers, getting a lot of frigates in your fleet (especially ones with built-in High Resolution Sensors like the Omen) will help a ton in fast surverying of systems.

All the surveryable stuff in a system tends to either orbit in or around stellar objects like planets, jump points, asteroid fields, asteroid belts, stable points in the systems and inactive gates. Some objects do however orbit around the star or the center of the system by themselves, like Cryopods, those can be tricky to find unless you've got a large sensor range!

43

General Discussion / Re: Sensor UI and sensor burst question

« on: June 07, 2023, 03:53:13 AM »

I assume he means the little radar icon in the bottom right of the screen that's present while traveling in space.

Those "circles" are 1000 units apart and don't rapresent your personal fleet's sensor range, it's mostly used to explore systems without costantly using the minimap and chase off sensor signals you find with the Sensor Burst without opening the minimap when your sensor range is at its apex; provided your max sensor range is not bigger than 3000 units, you gotta open up the minimap like in this case:

44

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 06, 2023, 03:32:38 AM »

With the addition of DEMs, Lumen is a nice Gorgon spambot.

Fulgent is a bit better or at least easier to outfit with more range and new missiles.

Apex is... okay.  It is sedentary, but it can pull its weight.  It is good at spamming Jackhammers in a short fight.  Who needs Hammer Barrage with cheap Jackhammers with x3 missiles from Racks and Missile Spec.

While Brilliant lost its PD flares, it can keep up with cowards and finish them off.  On the left synergy hardpoint, I have placed IR Autolance instead of a missile because IR Autolance is very flux efficient (by only firing at exposed targets), and it will poke and hurt targets that lost armor.

Nova is a disaster.  It is good in a duel, but many fights against the enemy in the campaign are not duels.  Mobs will tear Nova apart with ease.

As for PD, I have used LR PD+IPDAI+ePD (on Glimmer and Brilliant) just to force the Fearless ships with long range weapons to hang back more.

Fulgent is something I need to focus on getting to work, altough the non-AI complement of my current fleet is 6 Hyperions using HGM, Ion Pulser and Mining Blaster and a couple of Auroras, meaning I would like something that kind of can take punishment, and the Brilliant hits just the spot.

I've tried 4x Reaper Pd Apex but the 4x Jackhammer may feel better still, I'll keep cooking

The main issue with the Brilliant is that it gets in too close, stays close for too long and plasma burns back in before passively venting enough to be able to get in range with all its weapons again, essentially all my Brilliant setup both have Elite Helsmanship and Unstable Injector to be as mobile as possible without horribly butchering my weapons range by using SO. I'll keep cooking until I get a definitive non-SO brilliant to showcase.

Gorgon DEM spam Lumens sound interesting, but Overridden Glimmers with a single Ion Pulser and Built-in Expanded mags are just, orgasmic still. I'll make sure to give the Lumen a test or two tough!

I've actually found out that Nova with 4x IR Autolances, 2x Autopulses, 2xBreacher Pods, 2xSabots, 4Burst PD lasers and built-in expanded mags to work rather well even in the hands of the AI. 4 Autolances just straight up delete a target with all of it armor stripped!

45

General Discussion / Re: I'm back; Wohoo! Expanded/Overhauled [REDACTED] small talk

« on: June 06, 2023, 03:22:35 AM »

Aye, Fearless AI more or less screams "Override me baby, you know I wanna get in there and not come back" on essentially everything but the Scintilla.

Funnily enough, Scintilla is most viable with SO as it's too fast for most things to catch up to it.

Huh, that is interesting to say the least, altough my current commander skill tree does not have room for fighter skills, which would end up butchering one of the most important features of the Scintilla, I've got some in storage tough, so I will be able to put it to the test!