Split space dead

Qel Hoth · Post by **Qel Hoth** » Thu, 14. Apr 11, 07:24

Is it normal for large tracts of space to be dead?

I finally got back to the Terran plot, and on the mission where you have to set up a satellite in a Split sector. Of course it didn't tell me I needed a satellite when I started the mission, or I would have stocked up near Omicron Lyrae where there are millions of them.

Instead, I set my autopillock for the Vault, which I had explored earlier and found a satellite factory. I checked every Split trading port along the way and even the 2 satellite factories I passed in split space, not a single one had any for sale. Also, I noticed that the majority of the sectors had no AI traders either, which is probably the cause for the lack of goods.

So, is something broken with my game or is this a hint that I should drop a couple local traders here and make unspeakable amount of money since my traders would have little competition. In my home systems around Omicron Lyrae, I cant SETA direct from one gate to another without moving off the plane since I come within 3km of another ship every 10 seconds.

I ended up having to go all the way to Argon Prime and Home of Light to find a satellite, with each having 1 advanced for sale each.

I realize my home systems were much closer, but that involved running through a Xenon sector that had 3-4 ships that looked like they were the same size as a station...

A5PECT · Post by **A5PECT** » Thu, 14. Apr 11, 07:34

Some sectors are very large, so they won't appear very busy. Traffic density is usually determined by the number of stations within the surrounding sectors. Core sectors like Argon Prime, Family Pride, and Omicron Lyrae typically have lots of ships moving through them at any given time.

Ripskar · Post by **Ripskar** » Thu, 14. Apr 11, 10:00

A couple of Nav sats will do for the plot.
You're heading into a Xenon Migration Route so you can expect them to go pop.

Qel Hoth · Post by **Qel Hoth** » Thu, 14. Apr 11, 10:15

The nearest nav sat factories I found were near Omicron Lyrae, so it was even farther to go to them than to go to Argon Prime without going through that Xenon sector.

I grabbed a jumpdrive in Home of Light though and now always keep a full hold of e-cells so I can jump over long voyages or dangerous sectors.

Ripskar · Post by **Ripskar** » Thu, 14. Apr 11, 19:00

Pick 'em up at the Military Outpost in Merchant Haven, jump across 590 or fly if you're fast enough and Bob's your uncle.

Qel Hoth · Post by **Qel Hoth** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 05:54

Relating to the not telling me I needed a satellite...

Went to start the OFF plot. Second mission I have to go scout a sector, so I jump on over there. THEN it tells me I need to drop an advanced satellite in the center of the sector.

Did they not think that was pertinent information to give me while I was somewhere I could buy a satellite... I think I'm just going to start carrying some with me at all times.

StarSword · Post by **StarSword** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 06:09

Qel Hoth wrote:Did they not think that was pertinent information to give me while I was somewhere I could buy a satellite... I think I'm just going to start carrying some with me at all times.

Um, I think that's a case of not paying attention during the mission briefing. If I remember correctly, the Split officer did tell me I'd need a satellite.

Spoiler

Show

You also need them during the Treasure Hunt plot.

But carrying ASats at all times is a very good practice. I keep up to 20 in my Panther's cargo bay at all times, and replenish them whenever and wherever I can. Never know when I'm going to run across something I might need to get at later, like a shipyard. I put at least one satellite in every shipyard sector so I can buy vessels remotely. I also build extensive satnets in sectors where I have major assets, such as complexes.

Since I now have two factories that make them, a multipurpose complex in Aladna Hill and a singleton in Elysium of Light (and I'm planning another ASat plex now, to be located somewhere in the southwest part of the galaxy), there's a decent supply in my game.

EDIT: Plan is finished, including 16 million set aside for freighters. http://tinyurl.com/3rgwqax

A5PECT · Post by **A5PECT** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 06:13

Qel Hoth wrote: I think I'm just going to start carrying some with me at all times.

You don't already?

Seriously, they're useful little pieces of kit.

- They have obvious applications for detecting enemies OOS.
- Drop them in sectors with shipyards to buy from them whenever you want.
- They help align stations during construction.
- Drop a few down during a patrol mission to acquire targets more quickly in large sectors.

The list goes on.

Qel Hoth · Post by **Qel Hoth** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 06:41

I think I waited too long to start the OFF plot.

With my 75MJ, 190m/s Nova Raider I cant even make it half way to the station before the Khaak kill me. Anything I've found that is significantly faster doesn't have enough cargo to hold the needed e-cells to get home, or doesn't have enough shields to survive.

Best to wait until I can afford to take an M6 in?

StarSword · Post by **StarSword** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 06:50

Kha'ak ships are very good at killing fighters and even weakly shielded M6's, largely due to their speed and, more importantly, the accuracy and instant-hit characteristics of the Kha'ak staple kyon weapons. (I lost a fully armed Dragon to a Kha'ak cluster once.)

Your best bet is, as you say, to hold off on Operation Final Fury until you've got a decent light capital ship. The Hyperion seems to be a popular choice for OFF (though you'll need to cap it), and so do the non-Argon M7s. The two Split M7s, the Tiger warship and Panther light carrier, strike a good balance between performance, defenses, and firepower (and coincidentally are the only ships able to mount the phased array laser cannon, which you may or may not have found floating around Kha'ak sectors).

Whatever you pick, be sure to mount lots of flak weapons. You'll need them to take out the clouds of Kha'ak M3/M4/M5. An unorthodox choice might be the Aldrin Springblossom M6, which can mount PSSCs and is faster than many fighters.

It might also come in handy to have a heavy capital ship like a Boreas in reserve, just in case.

A5PECT · Post by **A5PECT** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 06:57

In my experience most OFF missions can be completed with a heavy M6. The only time I had trouble was during the final mission. I managed to barely make it through using a Cerberus, but a more powerful ship would have handled it better (particularly something good at capital ship combat).

Lelouch · Post by **Lelouch** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 10:48

Qel Hoth wrote:I think I waited too long to start the OFF plot.

With my 75MJ, 190m/s Nova Raider I cant even make it half way to the station before the Khaak kill me.

Have you tried:
- using Turbo Booster MK1
- using Swarm missiles
- using Fighter Drones MKII

Yes, the Kha'ak weapons are good at shooting missiles down. However cheap swarm missiles like wasps can be used to distract them from shooting at you or weaken them.

The Turbo Booster can be used to escape if shield is running low, or to engage a mix of Fighter/Interceptor/Swarms and make them follow you. Since they have different max speeds they now can be dealt with easier.

Fighter Drones can be used to distract a swarm of Scouts or Corvettes.

(non-Broken) Clusters can be dealt with easily by a large missile (try Thunderbolt) or a nice hot squeeze of PBG fire.

PBGs are also good at making Kha'ak Corvettes return to the big hive queen in the sky - FAST.

StarSword · Post by **StarSword** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 14:50

Thunderbolts will only one-shot the smaller clusters. For the big ones, you need something with more firepower. The Hornet, for instance.

Also I just had another thought: OFF might be one of the few good places to use the phased shockwave generator, which makes the Paranid Agamemnon and Deimos a good bet (especially since they have 6 GJ of shielding).

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 15:06

Use the Firestorm. You know you want to.

StarSword · Post by **StarSword** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 17:19

Triaxx2 wrote:Use the Firestorm. You know you want to.

No need. Any missile that does more than 85K damage (RGW, Beluga and Beluga are the weakest in this category at 100K) will kill any Kha'ak cluster. Firestorm's too slow and expensive for use as a cluster-buster, plus it has a proximity trigger: if it crosses the path of anything hostile, it'll detonate. Hornets, on the other hand, are triggered by impact.

Qel Hoth · Post by **Qel Hoth** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 18:38

Had my first real run-in with the Khaak last night trying to find the start of the Treasure Hunt, after I decided to put off OFF until I get an M6 or more probably, an M7.

Saw a single Khaak ship in Brennan's Triumph, which had the icon of an M3.

Either I was too sleep deprived or something, but the words "Khaak Cluster" didn't make me think that it was going to turn into multiple ships.

Fortunately a good long burst of my HEPT took care of the big ship, and it dropped 8-10 M5s, which were taken care of fairly quickly with liberal application of PRG fire. Left the fight with no laser energy and 60% shields.

EDIT -

What is this Tubro Booster software? Haven't seen it for sale anywhere.

A5PECT · Post by **A5PECT** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 19:01

The Turbo Booster is a ship upgrade that allows your ship to go faster by using up energy cells. An afterburner, basically.

It's found in the bonus pack, which can be downloaded here.

Lelouch · Post by **Lelouch** » Fri, 15. Apr 11, 19:24

StarSword wrote:
Triaxx2 wrote:Use the Firestorm. You know you want to.
No need.

Listen mate. I'll repeat this once only. There's ALWAYS a good reason to use a firestorm!

;)

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Split space dead

Split space dead