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[borgrel]

Hi,

Recently started playing and I must say this game is addictive!!! Well done folks
And many thanks to DarkRevenant for ur modding, it makes the game much more enjoyable (esp. Logistical Conservation and Additional Cargo hull mods).

So, my game so far (after many many failures)

I'm playing on normal difficulty and I started as a Freighter pilot with a fully loaded Tarsus
(which i immediately sell to buy a combat vessel because the I dislike the lasher and HATE the Centurion - the 'heavier' ship as less damage potential because its fields of fire are so crappy ..... SERIOUSLY?  ) (The scarab is AWESOME but I cant manage to make Tri-Tachyon friendly with me afterwards so I gave that up after 3-4 attempts - it seems that the pirates are farther away in all of the Tri systems than any other which seems overly unfair and even killing pirates I wasn't getting any relationship increases and spent 90% of my time running away from Tri fleets: IT SUCKED)

So I started and restarted and restarted until a Wolf was available to purchase. Sold everything (including the Tarsus) and bought a Wolf .... obviously tactical lasers werent available from the start but EMP cannons work just fine)

I had an amazing run of luck for the start of the game. There was a mission available for trade goods that were in my hold at the start for the beginning station, so I had plenty extra dosh and the area was just crawling in pirates for the first time ever. In 20-30 restarts I have never before had this quick an income and available fodder. Also a Gauss Cannon dropped in one of the first few battles. So I bought a Vanguard and mounted it and used a cautious officer in it and it is now the backbone of my fleet.

After that I got a Vortex (first time I have EVER seen it) and I modded it with Logistical Conservation and Cargo Holds and Crew Quarters (thank you DarkRevenant for MUST HAVE hull mods) and i NEVER deploy it in battle (it costs tooo many supplies) however its sensors are a *MUST* and the amount of time/resources I've saved by having massive sensors is just ridiculous.

I am now lvl 30 with 10 research, 5 Leadership and 2 Combat (first unlocked the important techs: +30% OP, Insulated Engine, Integrated PD, Aux Thrust, etc) then unlocked the marine boosts (the 25% maintenance reduction is also awesome) and i'm now working on combat skills.
I have a Tri-Tachyon commission, i'm friendly(64) with Independent and need to work on Sindrian.
I now have a Vanguard, Medusa, Sunder, Vortex (Log Conv nvr deploys), Mule (Log Conv nvr deploys), 3 alistairs, 2 wolves and a natilaus (I'm looking at buying an Archer next) ....... so many ships i still need to test!!!
I am starting to play at hunting bounties ...... done one so far.

Any advice will be welcome.


************
Questions:
* How come I cant buy Scarabs from Tri-Tachyon?
* I am struggling to find officers (I want steady officers but so far the entire game i've hired every available officer i've found except one and i have 2 steady, 1 cautious, 1 timid *completely useless until i deploy carriers!!!!* and 1 aggressive. In corvus there was not a single officer on sale and in Askonia i found 1. I have been looking at pirate bases toooo. What do i do??
* The Vanguard 1Lg Ball, the Sunder 1Lg En .... when I look at Cruisers to try chose my first purchase I can't seem to find a nice looking one?? I seems like cruisers are a 'downgrade'?? 98% only have medium hard points and the Dominator doesn't have enough cap or flux to be better than the Vanguard (especially at 1/4 the speed with lower burn) and the archer beats the Vindicator (missile forge + 3 med hard points beats 1 large with no ammo for a missile boat) Whats going on here?
* I'm interested in the Apogee and the Aurora cruisers .... sensor package!!! good shields and even though no large hard points it seems like they can actually power 3-4 meds unlike the rest of the cruisers. However the discriptions say they are very rare, how do i get my hands on these?
* Is there a decent way to get good sensor range? In over 30 games i've been offered a sensor ship once and thats a bit ridiculous! Is there a mod with a wing of scout fighters (that acts like sensors) or sensor shuttles or anything so u can push up ur sensor rating early??
* Can some1 please modify the Codex so new players can have some idea of where to get certain ships from reading their info? (even if it only describes the 'basic' ships available to each faction. Replaying 20 times to try to get a commission with EVERY faction just so u can get some basic idea of ships is INSANE. Just a basic tab listing factions with a list of their 'standard' ships as well as some fluff would be very nice.
* I cant seem to find any fighters worth purchasing to justify using my carrier ... 14supplies + fighter wing + 3x longer recovery time after battle than destroyers + no shields seems pointless. 2-3 destroyers will always be a better choice?

[Dri]

Ships are largely sold at random - no station is 100% going to have the ship you want. Now, there are a few rules that can help you narrow it down such as only the Hegemony will sell 14th Battlegroup ships but again, what they have for sale is random and refreshes each month.

Fighters, at least in Vanilla Starsector, are currently in a fairly bad way and thus carriers arn't too hot either. That should be changing soon enough though.

I somewhat agree on the Centurion's turret arcs being pretty terrible - it'd be nice if its missile slot was a "composite" slot so you could equip a gun there for at least 3 weapons firing forward.

The sensor boosts from the Apogee and Omen are so minor as to be pointless - don't go for those ships purely for that. Try Insulated Engine Assembly hullmod if you just gotta have a better sensor profile for your fleet. For the Aurora and Apogee you're going to have to keep trying the Tri-Tachyon military stations each month or attack Tri-Tach fleets and hope you can board one.

Officers refresh every month or something like that. I've never really had problems finding them so I'm not sure what your issue is.

[borgrel]

I am using Insulated Engine Assemblies

From what I understand IEA reduces ur sensor profile, making it more difficult for u to be detected (so u can 'sneak up' on other fleets) but doesnt increase ur sensor range in any way, so it doesnt help u detect other fleets better??

Thanks for the info on ships and officers 

[Wyvern]

Answers:

Ships available for purchase are random.  For highest chances at buying a Scarab, you'll need a TT Commission (which will auto-hostile you to the Hegemony among others so be careful!), to check their worlds with military markets, and a very good amount of luck.  I usually use the starting path that gives me a Scarab and just avoid TT fleets for a while.  To build up rep with TT after such a start you have to hunt bounties for them; the area bounties on pirates in a system are the best for this, and you'll probably do better hunting in hyperspace nearby rather than in-system.  (They won't pay you when they're hostile, but you'll still gain rep for the bounties you kill.)

Finding officers is also random, and the odds are not in your favor.  Just keep checking whenever you dock somewhere new (or somewhere old if you haven't been there for a while).

The Dominator is actually really strong - one of the best cruisers in the game.  I wouldn't advise flying one without the level five combat perks for improved maneuverability, though.  For other cruisers... large mounts aren't actually all that important; an Eagle will easily outperform a Vanguard (or two or three) despite not having any large mounts at all.

Apogee and Aurora are pretty much the same deal as the Scarab - rare and mostly available from TT military markets.  However, if that commission isn't something you're interested in (I pretty much never take commissions), you can also find these ships at the military market on Nortia in the Askonia system.  Purchasing things there requires reputation with the Independents faction, but does not require a commission.

No.  The game's built with harsh diminishing returns on sensor ranges; even with sensor-boosting ships in your fleet, they hardly make a difference.

Codex: Hm.  This one's a bit tricky, actually.  General rule of thumb, though, is that if you see a ship in a faction's fleets, you can probably (with sufficient luck) buy that ship from that faction's military markets.

Fighters are currently kinda bad; they've gotten outstripped by various skill and officer based benefits to other ship types.  Some mods add fighters that are worth using, though!  If you want to run a fighter-heavy fleet, you should take a look at the Diable Avionics mod.

[Megas]

Centurion is rubbish.  It is too hard to focus three turrets at a target.  In practice, Centurion is a Monitor knock-off - a tankish damage sponge, not an assault ship.  Wayfarer, with skills, is a better combat ship than Centurion, due to having more forgiving turret arcs.

With the Wolf gone from the starting lineup, its closest replacement is the Scarab.

In my last game, I worked on raising reputation with Tri-Tachyon after starting the game as a Scarab.  By the time I raised reputation high enough to get a Tri-Tachyon commission, I was about level 30 (forgot exact level) and it was almost endgame already.  It really takes work, but if you want a Scarab, that starting with one is the easiest way to get one given how rare that ship is.

Scarab is about as rare as Hyperion, which is very rare; rare enough that you may never see one for sale.  Scarab is a Tri-Tachyon exclusive ship.  Not even the
Independents use or sell it.  The only way to buy one is to visit a Tri-Tachyon (military or black) market.

Officers will trickle in and come.  Be patient.  You will get ten eventually.

Cruisers are a bit uncommon, especially those not used by Hegemony.  Apogee and Aurora may be found at Tri-Tachyon and/or Independents, though Tri-Tachyon is more likely to sell them due to not selling Dominator.  Aurora has become trash now that it lost its large missile mount (no more Cyclone Reaper domination).  All it is good for now is close-range fighting with blaster spam, which AI is not very good at.

I agree with Wyvern that Dominator is a very good cruiser.  It is probably best-in-class, at least as a hero playership.

Sensor range?  Uh... play Easy?  Sensor range is only a problem in early game when your primary opponents do not use transponders (i.e., pirates).  By endgame, your enemies are major factions, and they have transponders on, and can be seen a mile away.

Since the addition of officers, fighters have become obsolete.  There is a small window during the midgame when Thunders and Daggers are somewhat useful, but by endgame, carriers and fighters cannot keep up, and should be passed over in favor of pure combat ships.

[borgrel]

many thanks peoples

[Schwartz]

Use Starsector+ to make fighters more worthwhile through a more in-depth Leadership tree. The latest iteration of the mod is a fairly small package with most stuff but the skill changes and vengeance fleets taken out.

[borgrel]

i'm currently using:

starsector+ 3.5.0
autosave 1.0
lazylib 2.1
ship/weapon pack 1.0.2
zz graphicslib 1.0.1

I have also d/l'd but have not yet activated:
blackrock driveyards 0.8.5
interstellar imperium 1.12.0
starsector ai overhaul alpha 1
the knights templar 0.9.5g

[Kevin Flemming]

Welcome! Glad to hear you're enjoying the game and going through all of the emotions it causes too lol.

Restarting is something that can happen often, i would say. So just keep at it, pick your fights, keep your eyes peeled and don't be too stubborn to run occasionally. Although, if you're Level 30, I'd wager you've learned a fair few thing already.

I might just add suggestions for other mods.

Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority is definitely worth getting. Joining the faction and using their weapon configs is highly-enjoyable.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=3491.0

As Wyvern said, Diable Avionics is another great mod. The ships are awesome and fighters aren't made of cardboard (not OP, they can still get wrecked though).
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10046.0

Blackrock Drive Yards (you've already got it) is another of my must-haves. More praise for this mod too lol. So many good mods!

Hiigaran Descendants & Bushi & Kadur Theocracy, a 3-factions-in-1 mod that has some nice ships. I haven't looked at this one too much, but what I've seen has been pretty amazing.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10555.0

Combat Chatter is cool, adds a little more "realism" to battles with NPCs talking about situations.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10399.0

Tiandong Heavy Industries has some beastly-looking ships, although I've yet to actually use them.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=9583.0

Portrait Pack is bloody great too. Adds loads of new portraits and much-needed diversity to the Officers and NPCs.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10836.0

[MesoTroniK]

i'm currently using:

starsector+ 3.5.0
autosave 1.0
lazylib 2.1
ship/weapon pack 1.0.2
zz graphicslib 1.0.1

I have also d/l'd but have not yet activated:
blackrock driveyards 0.8.5
interstellar imperium 1.12.0
starsector ai overhaul alpha 1
the knights templar 0.9.5g

Beware of the AI Overhaul mod, it isn't something I would use for normal gameplay at least for now especially if you are new to SS.

Hiigaran Descendants & Bushi & Kadur Theocracy, a 3-factions-in-1 mod that has some nice ships. I haven't looked at this one too much, but what I've seen has been pretty amazing.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=10555.0

Beware of those, buggy, very poorly balanced, causes economy issues.

[Kevin Flemming]

Beware of those, buggy, very poorly balanced, causes economy issues.

Oh, is it a bit dodgy then? I remember that it was very old, out-of-date by quite a bit and got resurrected to work with 0.7.2. Shame it has issues, as every faction's ships are nice-looking. What exactly is wrong with the balancing? If it's too game-breaking then I might strike it from my list of installed mods.

[Midnight Kitsune]

Beware of those, buggy, very poorly balanced, causes economy issues.

Oh, is it a bit dodgy then? I remember that it was very old, out-of-date by quite a bit and got resurrected to work with 0.7.2.

It was shoddily ported over by a lazy and un-caring "modder" that makes Comcast Customer support look helpful

Shame it has issues, as every faction's ships are nice-looking.

Nice looking because they were ripped from HW2

What exactly is wrong with the balancing? If it's too game-breaking then I might strike it from my list of installed mods.

The stupid high burn levels for ships, stupid low credit and logistic costs (cruisers being the cost of some low end destroyers), OP ship stats and lay outs (FIVE large missiles, 7 medium energy, 6 small energy, 2 built in rocket launchers, SIX built in 1K range burst lasers and a built in large laser that can vaporize frigs and some destroyers in one shot. All on ONE ship!)

[Kevin Flemming]

It was shoddily...
...on ONE ship!)

I have no opinion on that, as I'm still new myself and don't know what people are like. No idea what Comcast is either, so the reference is lost on me I'm afraid lol.

Meh, rips I can deal with if the sprites are worth it, provided it's not directly from another mod. Everything, especially spaceships and such, take influences from others. It can't be helped. Even "original" designs end up looking similar to something else. I see many "Manga/anime" flavours in a few mods here. Subconsciously you might add a certain shape or colour that happens to be exactly the same as one you saw in a show or even another mod. It's just the way of things. Inspiration is rarely truly unique to the point where it's completely indistinguishable from another's work. But I digress.

That does appear to be some crazy "balancing" there though and that I care more about than anything else. If every ship is unbalanced to the point where is does in fact break the game, then I don't think I will bother. It's bad enough barely escaping with normal Burn levels, let alone if they're insanely-fast. A one-shot-kill should only ever happen on a Fighter, in my opinion. So that's being disabled, for sure.

Thanks for the extra info. It's good to know these things before fully getting into a game.

[moontan]

the Scarab is not a very good ship.

yes, it has 9 slots for weapons but you can only bring 5 on target, because of the firing arcs.
so it's no better than the Shade or the other Tri-Tachyon Phase frigate in this respect.
also, Wolfs can't escort a Scarab, so it's good to keep that in mind.

also, the Scarab flux management is very poor.
you'll overload quickly using only Tactical Lasers.

the Shade or the other Phase frigate are a much better 'bang for the buck', imo

[Thaago]

I'll disagree with that. Scarabs with their time fields are essentially untouchable and will easily take out destroyers, without skills. I typically leave at least 2 weapon slots empty, sometimes more. IR pulse lasers are the way to go.