Among the "Sundog modding compilation" mods, i think Ruthless Sector is probably the one i care about the most. The mod does adds quite a few things, all pretty good. But one thing stands out from the rest : the addition of Remnants patrols in hyperspace.
Vanilla's hyperspace is boring. Once i reach a solid enough fleet capable of warding off the wandering pirates and pathers, i always lay course to my destination and alt-tab away, ignoring storms and whatnot. Basically, i'm waiting for time to pass. I always considered that waiting because you have to wait is not good game mechanic. On the other hand, waiting because the player wants to wait is brilliant. But maybe that's for another topic. My point is, vanilla hyperspace lacks interesting interaction, it's boring.
Adding remnants in that big emptiness is a brilliant move. First of all, alt-tabbing away is no longer possible because no matter how big your fleet is, you can't ignore the potential AI gank squad. The outer rim is now a risky place, but not just a risky place, it also became a place of opportunity.
The thing is, it wouldn't have been as interesting if it was just some pirates or pathers lurking in the darkness. In fact, those would just have been an annoyance to avoid. Unless there is a bounty on their heads, pirates tends to waste the player's time. Fighting them will cost supplies, they are rarely exiting encounters and earn very little reward. Remnants on the other hand, are much more dangerous, but the reward is also much greater. High-end weapons and those sweet, sweet AI cores. One exemple : Pirates hit-list fleets from Nexerelin offers very little reward in fighting them. Running is often the most judicious option. They're an annoyance. Fortunately they do not occur with sufficient frequency to become aggravating.
That's why i really like this mod. Hyperspace is now a place of risk AND opportunity. There's an Ordo trailing me. Do i square against that Radiant for potential good loot? But i may lose some ships in the process... It offers the player a choice in a place where not much usually happens, and that's amazing. Add on top of that the hyperwarp jump mod (that is also in my must-have modding list), things can get even more heated by allowing them to "jump" next to you. It's dangerous but not just punishing, it's fun.
That's why i consider Ruthless Sector to be part of the indispensable overhaul mods like Combat Chatter or Secrets of the Frontier. It takes something that vanilla is lacking, or not great, and refine it into something worth my time. It's something i hope Alex will take inspiration from in the development of Starsector.
I wish others mods would add their own content into hyperspace for variety. But again, just adding enemies isn't enough, there must be a good reason/reward to fight theses enemies. Encountering Blade Breaker raiders or some Seeker anomalous ship in the middle of nowhere would keep things interesting throughout a campaign.
One thing i noticed, not related to this feature. I think the danger rating from ruthless sector favors D mods too much. Sometimes i purposely wrecked my own ships to gain D mods just to get better ratings and perks from Starship legends. Factions like the HMI Junkers that cumulate an excessive amount of D mods tends to get favorable ratings at the end of the battle, even with 90% fleet loss. Although the Junkers are a special case, i still feel one or two D mods is very beneficial to "grind" those good traits even for a normal ship.
In the same vein, danger rating for boss fleets (looking at you Seeker) tends to be very low, despite being some of the most dangerous encounters in the game. Perhaps because it contains fewer ships that a normal fleet? Even if i win such battle, i can end up with negative traits on most of my ships.
Author
Topic: [0.97a] Ruthless Sector 1.6.2 - High Risk, High Reward Difficulty Options (Read 323791 times)