" With my own captains in their places and total military might mine, I started working on getting my own political liasons out of prison as well. I would need even more access to the restricted weapons for what our old nemesis was going to throw at me. The same old ship that had annihilated most of our empire from the galaxy : The Hunter/Killer."
- Executor Admiral MalThe AI begins this by letting me know that it is working on something very special for me.
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Campaign - Head Hunter
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Operation Null Jump to Devil's Eye
==========Mercy must be neutered in order to give us access to the metal rich MarkIV world Calculus. I also won't let the knowledge on Mercy go to waste, so I dial up plans to conquer the Plasma Eye, guardian defended complex.
I also take the time to build an armored warhead, as I know that Calculus and Mercy are both high priorities for special forces. Before this is over, I will be using this:
Finally, to make sure my entire empire is protected, I establish the roaming fleet defense force. Being speed boosted and firepower boosted by the military stations, they are a MK2 force effectively
I jump into Mercy with multiple starships and regular transports. It is slow going to neuter this system with powerful guardians that lower the ship count, so that I cannot use my carriers nearly at all due to the Plasma Eye. On top of this, the Disassembler Guardians are swallowing my Raid ships, making this a difficult task. The AI laughs at me multiple times with the following:
and again as I struggle to hammer at the very effective defenses and guardians:
But I am finally victorious with a beach-head, rally my troops into Mercy around it, and begin the Knowledge Hack.
I spent way too long on beating Mercy into a pulp due to the Eye...and I probably lost more AIP just doing this than skipping the planet and bombing the warp-gate. But at least now it is clean and I can setup operations for Calculus. Then the AI begins its own response.
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Campaign - Head Hunter
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Operation Spy's Knife
==========I can't back out now, I am committed to taking Calculus. I take a look at it's defenses. Nothing crazy and the backup structures don't hold anything I want, a gravity drain and a zenith mirror. .
So I remake my starship fleet and pack the engineer corp into the new Assault Transports I unlock. After losing the assault fleet to the swarm of defenses and guardians that appear, I make a solid beach-head on Calculus.
Then the AI unleashes the Master-Plan it had been working on.
I race over to see both Planet Project Crusher and Suicide Salute engaged in a massive battle with carriers, guardians, and many other battleships.
I throw the warheads I had been stockpiling on Golem Tree, through the worm-hole network, 2 a piece towards Project Planet Crusher and Suicide Salute. Both come in just in time to save them.
But the carriers were just a distraction it would seem. The motherhugers I have been waiting for this whole Operation have finally appeared at Calculus, just moments away from completely destroying the new station, trying to trigger the Shark B plot.
But little do they know, waiting on just the other side of Calculus, in Mercy's connection to it, awaits an armored warhead. The missile soars through the wormhole and right into the duo of death, just before they are able to start wrecking everything.
Nothing feels so good in this game as one-shotting these guys.
Meanwhile, engineers and remains rebuilders along with the mobile fleet defense hold off and stabilize the Project Planet Crusher and Suicide Salute.
My scientists on Calculus grab us the AI secrets for the below:
With that, our turrets will be able to better be repaired if our engineers are down and provide decent long-range firepower. The shields are needed as we have just ran out on placing our last 2 on Calculus.
We have finally gotten rid of two of those high mark worlds, of about 5 that are haunting our starting territory. With Calculus being our fortress world, I can safely take Golem Tree and convert it to an Economic III Station that I unlocked earlier. If I manage to neutralize Solar Bone that is next to Mercy, I might just take Mercy as well for the extra economic station III.
With that, I will leave you with the last words from our gracious AI Opponent:
Vengeful AI does not seem to work - The Mercy system was controlled by the Vengeful/Vanguard AI. I destroyed tons of outposts on it and I am still not seeing an Exo type attacks coming from it. Am I just not seeing what is behind the scenes with this mechanic? Is there not supposed to be an Exo launch alert or timer for this?
