Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Author Topic: Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)  (Read 1455 times)

Vexbane

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 1
    • View Profile
Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)
« on: April 10, 2021, 02:51:33 PM »

So I am at the point in the new story missions where you have to sneak to the satellite and install something in the hegemony space. I have no idea how to do this without turning the hegemony hostile. Right now I have stored all of my fleet except for a small phase? frigate and another small high-tech frigate (Scarab I think). I put insulated engines on them even. I cannot get the patrols away far enough to go undetected (most likely due to their sensor sat?)

I have snuck down and destroyed the nav sat on the other side of the system to lure them away?. Even going dark with no ships around they somehow knew it was me and I got a -5 to rep (no big deal) Then I tried (with burn 20 even!) to wait for their patrols to come to investigate and quickly go up to the required sat while avoiding them.... no luck patrol fleet there.

If I destroy the sensor sat to try and get an advantage they go hostile immediately. I think it's -100 rep or something? similar because I go from +48 to -55 hostile. So that is not good. 

I am a newer player, but not new to games like this etc.

I feel the sat you need to install to is too close to the planet where there is a lot of activity. If it were moved further away it might be easier to try and get the 1 patrol fleet away perhaps somehow?
Anyone else have trouble with this? What am I missing? How can you do this?
Is there a console command or cheat I can use (really, really  hate to) to get this mission done? I feel this is pretty much impossible in its current state and I do not want to anger a major faction. Did the game designer basically make it so you have to? Is that part of the story? Thanks in advance fr any help.
Logged

TuxedoCatfish

  • Lieutenant
  • **
  • Posts: 56
    • View Profile
Re: Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2021, 03:09:43 PM »

Yeah the stealth gameplay is really badly implemented. Even if you get the phase ship stealth skill and run a phase ships only fleet you end up having to sit around waiting for a tiny gap in the patrols for minutes at a time. The best solution to these missions is generally to just destroy all the patrolling fleets, but that wouldn't work in your case where you're trying to preserve standing with the faction (and narratively, isn't "stealthy" at all lol.)

"Shoe-horned stealth gameplay in a game that was never designed to handle it" is such a common pitfall that I'm a little shocked to see it in Starsector, the devs normally seem very aware of things like that going by their blog posts.
Logged

Chthonic One

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 44
    • View Profile
Re: Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2021, 03:12:01 PM »

I did this mission with a single fast ship. I first hacked their nav beacon for extra speed, then I hung out in an asteroid belt nearby, and let them see a blip. Then I jetted away while they investigated the blip and approached while dark from a different angle, and planted the computer virus.
Logged

Wyvern

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 3786
    • View Profile
Re: Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2021, 03:14:21 PM »

That particular mission I've only accomplished 'legit' once - I hung around, lurking for an opportunity, and the fleet that permanently orbits the comm relay did a sensor ping. It noticed me, headed over that way, but I was far enough off to slip around it and get to the relay while it was looking around.

...Since then I've just resorted to the console commands' 'kill' option, though. I got it legit once, I don't need to waste time trying to replicate the precise circumstances.
Logged
Wyvern is 100% correct about the math.

Chthonic One

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 44
    • View Profile
Re: Help with story mission, impossible sneaking (spoilers)
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2021, 03:15:29 PM »

That particular mission I've only accomplished 'legit' once - I hung around, lurking for an opportunity, and the fleet that permanently orbits the comm relay did a sensor ping. It noticed me, headed over that way, but I was far enough off to slip around it and get to the relay while it was looking around.

...Since then I've just resorted to the console commands' 'kill' option, though. I got it legit once, I don't need to waste time trying to replicate the precise circumstances.
Why waste time? You can do the ping yourself at any time you want. Pick the right moment.
Logged