!Science!

[Aklyon]

I don't even know why I thought of this, but it sounded like an interesting idea. Interesting as in the title, that is.

Vicious Exotic (Diff 1, 300% handicap, purple)/Vicious Exotic (Diff 6, -300% handicap, red), no secondary types, no handicap for me.
Simple Clusters 80 planets
Spirecraft Easy
Dyson 10/10
Botnet Easy
Resistance Fighters 10/10
Trader
Fallen Spire 4/10
Showdown Devices (the latter two because I typically leave them on regardless of actually doing them)
Low caps
Spire Blade Spawner starting ship

Starting unlocks: Harvesters II, SBS II, Enclaves II, Spider turret, Scout II.

Early scouting: Barely any resources nearby (Ortlieb, Phebe, Leftover are the only ones within two hops with more than 2 bits of resource), ARS on Sigma Stigma, Lightning Turret () Controller on Gamma Stick, Data center on poisoned twin.

Have a map while things start up some more

[Draco18s]

You did it wrong.  It's ?Science?
With double-exclamation points.

Edit:
BOO!  FORUM NO SUPPORT THE !! SYMBOL. Sadface.

[Aklyon]

I'd tested that in the preview box, and nothing is on fire quite yet.

For now, its just highly flammable.

[Draco18s]

I'd tested that in the preview box, and nothing is on fire quite yet.

For now, its just highly flammable.

Does sound like an interesting game, though.

[Aklyon]

20:02 - Well, Phebe has a shield and sniper turrets, that'll hold things for a bit at least. Unlocked harvesters III, but here comes the first exo!


A Dissassembler and a core missile frigate from a diff 1 ai (with a substantial handicap) is a bit more than I thought it could get its hands on, honestly. But it should still be quite doable, I think.


And a Sniper guardian too? Things should still hold though.

21:10 - Well, the wave is still here, but they've become rather...stalled after impact with the riot police.


Um.




I should stop giving that AI type positive handicaps, I guess. It went hilariously for diff 7, and now its killed me at diff 1. I'll try that again sans the diff 1's handicap later.

[keith.lamothe]

There certainly is fire potential in there, though I think the diff-1 guy's diff-1 multipliers will kinda gutpunch any attempt on his part to threaten you.  Though the 300% handicap could help.

... wait, did I just see a pile of unclaimed socks on Optimus Minor?

(pseudo-edit: too late, the elephant already arrived)

[Aklyon]

So, go #2, this time with no handicap for Purple (So its now VE diff 2 0%/VE diff 6 -300%). Also, decided to try something new and use the Zydra and a honeycomb map with 50 planets.

...and there is an interesting mixture outside my door. To the right, two coprocessors. To the left, your typical human HW-neighbor followed by a Zenith power gen and an ARS.

[Aklyon]

Found the third co-processor, I might be able to clean them up sooner than I thought.

12:17 - The ARS has Paralyzers, they sound useful enough, theres a number of fabs nearby I'd rather hack instead. Same unlocks as before, this time with Mini-forts as well. Also, the trader is on Outsider, so I got a ZPG, among other things that aren't going to be building for awhile.

The Fabs and core turret controllers show up as purple even if they're on a red ai's world, bit odd. Electric Shuttles on Baol, MLRS con on Monarda, Nun Nun has a Backup server (also MLRS), a Showdown device (Pliritur has showdown #2) , and a Star Con IV, Dominoral has Microfighters, Bigsystea has Planes (and a Troop accel), lastly, Homer has a Laser con and a data center.

14:34 - It begins again in 5.5 minutes. Lets see what I get for a wave this time from the viciously exotic diff 2.
15:46 - Kantor, you are awesome. The fourth co-proccessor, Botnet golem, and a data center. Tiaress is also somewhat awesome (though covered up, oops) for having a Sniper con! Caramel has an ARS.


Your timing is far too good, AI 2 the Red. Why must you pop up with exactly the same timer now?


After what happened last time, I'm a bit surprised. But at least its not throwing a bloody golem at me in the first wave!

21:57 - Bird 5.1 got knocked down, despite Zydra help. But I'd kinda expected that, it wasn't heavily defended because I need the resources to do that on Outsider.

And then I got killed by a brownout with one Reprocessor IV left in the wave >.>
I'm just going to reload from pre-wave, since brownouts are neither unavoidable nor favorable to science!

[keith.lamothe]

And then I got killed by a brownout with one Reprocessor IV left in the wave >.>
I'm just going to reload from pre-wave, since brownouts are neither unavoidable nor favorable to science!

Yea, it was probably some idiot Assistant Researcher firing up his Electrified Skeletal Magma Elephants experiment at exactly the same moment your FFs needed to recharge, etc.

Or maybe someone was just using the printer.

[Aklyon]

You know, for that its probably not a question of how they made that elephant, but how to you contain it?

[Draco18s]

You know, for that its probably not a question of how they made that elephant, but how to you contain it?

Shallow pit.  Skeletal magma elephants can't fly.

[keith.lamothe]

Shallow pit.  Skeletal magma elephants can't fly.

Very shortsighted; you never know when one of the spontaneous explosions will blast them clear.

[Aklyon]

With the first waves out of the way (this time with less exploding Bird) some unorganized priorities are in order:
1. Homer, Monarda, Tiaress have Turret controllers. Wstar2 does also, but its only lightning turrets and its further out.
2. Dyson Edge, for fab hacking, dysons, and the ars. Mostly in that order.
3. Reltid, Sstuss, Polateranu, and Kantor have the coprocessors.
4. scout pickets

Might as well clean up Reltid first.

24:20 - Zydras are pretty awesome at attacking shields. Dunno if it'll continue for the stronger shields though.
30:35 - As it turns out, Sstuss is absolutely worthless in terms of resources except for a few asteroids, but does block one way into my home. Thus, it shall receive the honor of exploding repeatedly being a military system.
36:36 - Heavy beam cannons and Zydra IIIs, both could be rather useful. Also if I wanted to start FS, Chi Tau would be the place to be apparently.
40 or so - Apparently Bird got attacks by threat, only for it to be stalled by spider turrets. (Well, except for the zenith starship involved, which was attacked by more zenith)


58:58 - The unhandicapped diff 2 VE seems to get significantly more exo than the capped diff 6 one does if all I got from Red was some flagships and fleetery, while this one is sending a mkIV Siege Tower my way. Not quite enough to cause major trouble though.

1:10:15 - Amel. Amel Amel Amel. Spire Corvette core fab, showdown device, Missile turret con, Ion III, and right next to Agatho and its Spider turret controller and Reprocessor backup. I like this map.

1:18:~ - Theraneres has the Superterminal, and another exo from Red is coming. Progress is being made in reaching out towards Dyson and Polateranu.

1:21:~ - It said Exo from AI 2, and yet all the new ships I can see are...not red. They are purple. And reproccessors are kinda annoying when they survive the battle and then sit right outside your FF in cloak and don't attack when they are literally a spaceinch away from your ships.
1:28:14 - Co-processors cleaned up, the Dyson ARS has Fireflies. Now theres just the problem of hacking the fab there while also under attack by hostile dysons, then we can blow the station and leave them alone.

1:44:00 - Go hacker go! And quickly, thar be gatlings. Gatlings that can be stalled by enclavespawn, but not particularly well.
1:48:44 - 39 hostile dysons is a lot to clean up. But I have Core shredders, dash for the command station!
1:49:56 - Success, I shall come back for the ARS later once theres not all these purple gatlings here. I only made it back out with the Hacker and 1 Zydra III as it is anyway.