Issues and recent discoveries

[jsmaltz]

Bottom line: I love this game. Drinks on me if you're ever in Virginia. I do use VRO so the offer includes you too Shuulo.

I haven't played in a bit and recently started another run. There are, however, a few things that have me saying "gah! what the f***" as well as having me experience a significant amount of frustration over not figuring things out quicker.

If there is an area that has more information listed (wiki is a bit light), please point me in that direction in case there are some things I haven't figured out yet.


A few new things I wish I knew earlier

1. There is a pause button. I feel like the time it takes to discover this function is an X4 rite of passage.

2. Pilot leveling Explorers - This is likely late but, thank you for fixing the explore command. I had started using scouts to manually map sectors back when "explore" was, well, not optimal. What I wish I knew lately was that pilots given the explore command on a gate that has not been flown through will travel through it and start working on the new sector. More importantly, they gain experience while using the explore command in new sectors while they earn 0 (or an unnoticeable amount) mapping a sector manually. 75% of the universe manually mapped on this run when I figured this out. *sigh*

3. Capital pilot leveling - I manually place capitals on gates to form a blockade and turn the turrets to attack all. No exp. Protect position command with a 20km radius though and they seem to start gaining. I don't see the utility difference between the two methods to blockade but one gains exp and one doesn't.


Things I haven't figured out

1. Capital ship formations - Why do my 3 x Sapporos (VRO XL Ship - turrets only) refuse to get into formation but, when I use something with a weapon, like the Asgard, as the fleet leader, it works-ish?

2. The thought behind the current mining mechanic. My Gaian Prop factory has its miners going out to the west edge of terran space for silicon - Bruh, look out the window. I'm not saying it's wrong, just that I don't understand how to make it work right.

3. Why does the "high" preset give me a 50/50 service crew and marines. If marines don't help the ship, they keep the star rating down, lowers mining efficiency, and take up slots from service crew... sounds like it hurts and not helps? If there isn't clear information on how crews/marines help the ship and then turn around and have a preset that doesn't help the player, I don't get it.

4. Pilots of mining ships do not gain noticeable exp when giving manual orders or attached to mine for a station. Everyone else on the ships does... what gives?


Things I wish I had/knew (maybe I already do but I don't know how)

1. Group turrets to set behaviors - When I fly ships with L turrets, I like to set the heavy hitters to "attack my current enemy" and then cycle through the surface elements - works great. When I leave the ship, change it all back to "attack all." The frustrating part is that when dipping into a ship, say an I just came through the gate, I have to run to the bridge, take command, pause, then click through the turrets to keep the M groups on attack all and each of the Ls to attack my enemy, unpause. Additionally, if I wanted to switch over the other capitals in the fleet to focus fire on the capital, go into the map, ship info, loadout, click each L turret to engage capitals, next ship - repeat. If I could group the turrets as I wanted, dip in, take command, Group 1 to attack my enemy, unpause. What would be even sexier is if I could set turret group behavior by right clicking a ship on the map.

2. Multi ship select repair/loadout change. Don't like one of the weapons on your standard carrier interceptor loadout and want to change it? Great. Count the clicks for one ship and multiply that by 90 to refit the fleet. Yall got me using my left hand out here.

3. Additional map right click command for "disable ship" instead of having it buried in submenus that have to be gone through for each ship. Would be nice to order an S fleet all at once to go disable an L/XL.

4. I'm having trouble getting my turrets to actually whack missiles down. My current successful intercept rate is 0. Watching a VRO Torpedo come for the ship deck at the speed of a zamboni and all M turrets are set to missile defense is a little frustrating. That little pecker (VRO S ship Xenon LX) sits outside of my M turret range so now I have to count on my Ls to take it down.

5. Missile defense turret behavior to be included in a few other behaviors. If it's idle, it's a waste. If I could have my M turrets set for fighters and if they're idle, they'll go for missiles or vice versa, that would be great.

6. Turrets against M's - So if I set a turret to attack fighters, it'll go for S/M. L turrets can hit M but not S but if they're set for fighter, they'll try for the S anyway. Waste. If I set it to capitals, it will go for L/XL. Leaving Ms alone - leaving a gap on a target they could go after. I'd like a way to set some L turrets to M and leave the S alone. Not really sure what the universal fix is but L/XL only has a use, S/M only has a use.

7. While flying a capital, I keep getting hung up on station defense drone wrecks or Ss. You're in an Asgard and want to close the distance for a Mjolnir shot on the I that just came through? Sure, but first, have you thought being spun around 180 degrees on an object you can't see - here, have a go! Try a picard maneuver but squeek out a william wallace.