What Could Possibly Go Wrong

[Minotaar]

Here are the rules:
Rule 1: Dyson Sphere and Advanced Hybrids.
Rule 2: Not a single damn given about Rule 1.

Comments containing spoilers, public service announcements, or the word 'suicide' will be disregarded!
Tight and solid play will not be tolerated!
Other unimportant things to consider:
7/7, 80 planet Realistic, Random Mod/Easier (some turtly turtles disabled), Spirecraft-Hard (need to mess around with those). 1 AIP/30 min.
Zenith Bombardment Ships have been selected, because HELL YEAH BOMBARDS
Map detangling ........................................................66.6% complete

Well, this position certainly looks prettier than it did in the lobby! I'm probably going to win. Very easily. I mean, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

[TechSY730]

Here are the rules:
Rule 1: Dyson Sphere and Advanced Hybrids.
Rule 2: Not a single damn given about Rule 1.
[...]
Comments containing spoilers, public service announcements, or the word 'suicide' will be disregarded!
Tight and solid play will not be tolerated!

Deliberately reckless play, and rejecting useful advice from the community.
Hell yea! I mean, it's not like anything bad is going to happen. 

[keith.lamothe]

The Hybrids wish to express their profound gratitude

[zoutzakje]

nice looking map ^^ I think I know where one of the homeworlds will most likely be.
and of course nothing can go wrong
Thinking of doing a similair set-up once I'm done with my current game, just to see how little there is that can go wrong

[Wanderer]

If they're not tight and solid, does that mean you like them fat and well-used?  I have some advice like that as well....   

Sounds like a fun game.  Much luck.

[Minotaar]

@0:57

Things That Went Wrong So Far:
1. Co-Processor in your face! (@Caveparme)

2. First AI is Stealth Master. First Unlock: Tractor Platforms. Second AI is Mine Enthusiast... whew? First unlock: SSBs.

3. First distribution node is obv trojan


Other than that...
Unlocks: Econ II,III; Scout/Fighter/Bomber/Bombard II; Warp sensor; Decloaker; Grav Turret; Tachyon Beam Emitter
Took the adjacent planets easily, then went to Boomvar for some easy asteroids. I want some spirecraft before I attack the MKIV world which has an ARS (@Remati) and a FactIV (@Udonaelanc). What an easy map.  Siege Tower construction has started!

The Hybrids wish to express their profound gratitude

The Zenith Bombards also wish to express their profound gratitude for the generously provided target practice.

If they're not tight and solid, does that mean you like them fat and well-used?  I have some advice like that as well....   

Will not even go there 

[Minotaar]

@2:59
.
Going pretty slow because of the...
Things That Went Wrong So Far:
4. Built Implosion Artillery I. Seriously, do those things even do anything except consume power?
5. Unlocked Reaction Emitters from ARS. Come on! Hybrids eat 8k energy and they still don't do jack against them.
6. Lost a Penetrator waiting for it to recloak after firing. Huh.
7. Lost a Martyr to lack of attention. Standard.
8. Accidentally unlocked TachyBeams II while KRaiding Uhgen.
9. Destroyed first exowave at Boomvar and sent fleet south, only to have Boomvar obliterated by around 20 Hybrids. Guess they really were mobilizing down there.
10. Had this brilliant idea to send most of my fleet to defend a wave while harassing Hybrids on the factIV world with my artillery detachment. I mean, what could possi...

That worked out PERFECTLY. Caps of Bombards MK1-3, Implosion Artillery I, Riot Starship I went MIA, then Piramondxi got burninated by angry hybrids. Awesome.

In other news, bombards ROCK. I use a group of spire shieldbearers, riots, bombards, decloakers and implosions (R.I.P.)  group-moving around picking off targets while being relatively safe.
Found another ARS down 2 planets from the FactIV, which means all 3 of these planets are selected for liberation. Can't wait for ScoutIV and the ensuing analysis paralysis 

[HellishFiend]

Entertaining read so far. Looking forward to more. =)

[keith.lamothe]

First AI is Stealth Master. First Unlock: Tractor Platforms.

Stealth Master with Tractor Platforms?  Is that as highly unpleasant as it sounds?  AI steals some of your ships, runs off through its own systems to alert them, and you don't even know what was alerted...

Second AI is Mine Enthusiast... whew? First unlock: SSBs.

Ah yes, regardless of the AI Type, fear the Spire Stealth Ships-Of-Illegitimate-Ancestry.

The Zenith Bombards also wish to express their profound gratitude for the generously provided target practice.

Well played.

4. Built Implosion Artillery I. Seriously, do those things even do anything except consume power?

Ooh, ooh, I know this one, it's a rhetorical question!

The higher mark ones are pretty good against high-hp stuff, not sure about the Is.  One of the nice things about spirecraft, though, is that if you only like the higher marks of a particular line you don't have to spend anything on the lower tiers (i.e. Knowledge) to get to them.

5. Unlocked Reaction Emitters from ARS. Come on! Hybrids eat 8k energy and they still don't do jack against them.

That's a roughly 8x multiplier, or 60% higher than their base damage (minimum multiplier of 5), but yea, 117k cap-dps (on epic) still takes nearly 20 seconds to kill a single hybrid hull, let alone the shield too, and the shield's energy use is only 1k*mk, leaving you with the minimum 5x multiplier.  So yea, against hybrids they stink   Will file that one with the pile of IRE complaints

6. Lost a Penetrator waiting for it to recloak after firing. Huh.

It's spy-club membership has been revoked posthumously for sloppy tradecraft.

7. Lost a Martyr to lack of attention. Standard.

"Self-Destruct Combatant" is a career with occupational hazards.

9. Destroyed first exowave at Boomvar and sent fleet south, only to have Boomvar obliterated by around 20 Hybrids. Guess they really were mobilizing down there.

Oh yea.  Basically every exo wave all the defensive hybrids decide defense is boring and join the cavalry.  This could slow down rule #1, but probably not by too much.

I mean, what could possi...

Black holes are singularly annoying, aren't they?


Great stuff

[TechSY730]

4. Built Implosion Artillery I. Seriously, do those things even do anything except consume power?

Ooh, ooh, I know this one, it's a rhetorical question!

The higher mark ones are pretty good against high-hp stuff, not sure about the Is.  One of the nice things about spirecraft, though, is that if you only like the higher marks of a particular line you don't have to spend anything on the lower tiers (i.e. Knowledge) to get to them.

At the risk of violating the "sane advice and information" ban, even Mk. I spirecraft implosions can still do wonders against very high HP targets, like AI forcefields. When high health the target is at full HP, Mk. I spirecraft implosions can easily out-DPS almost every other ship type in the game.

5. Unlocked Reaction Emitters from ARS. Come on! Hybrids eat 8k energy and they still don't do jack against them.

That's a roughly 8x multiplier, or 60% higher than their base damage (minimum multiplier of 5), but yea, 117k cap-dps (on epic) still takes nearly 20 seconds to kill a single hybrid hull, let alone the shield too, and the shield's energy use is only 1k*mk, leaving you with the minimum 5x multiplier.  So yea, against hybrids they stink   Will file that one with the pile of IRE complaints

The IRE not doing so great against the shield due to its low energy cost is annoying, but understandable.
But going up against something with 8k energy use and still doing only slightly better then usual? 8k energy, although most certainly not crazy energy consumption, is still a pretty energy hungry ship, and the IREs should do good against those.

Is it possible to either,
a. Increase the base damage of the IRE, or
b. Increase the "slope" of the damage multiplier to target energy usage formula (like, an extra 1x per 500 energy, instead of the current 1000)

[keith.lamothe]

But going up against something with 8k energy use and still doing only slightly better then usual?

Is a 60% increase only "slightly"?

Is it possible to either,
a. Increase the base damage of the IRE, or
b. Increase the "slope" of the damage multiplier to target energy usage formula (like, an extra 1x per 500 energy, instead of the current 1000)

Both are possible, and likely, yes.  Their max (441k cap-dps) is probably as high as I want it, but they could do better on the lower ranges.

[Minotaar]

Yay! Thread has been derailed! Don't have to write the report anymore! Mission accomplished! 
The emitters I think need a pretty giant buff. I mean, they aren't even that insane against golem-sized things, while being downright terrible against 99.5% of the stuff that actually gets thrown at you.
Though I have a feeling I will still need them in the final showdown, whatever it might be 

[keith.lamothe]

Yay! Thread has been derailed! Don't have to write the report anymore! Mission accomplished! 

Woot!  I am become Dearth, the Derailer Of Threads

Now back to the part where the hybrids eat you.

[Minotaar]

11. OH YOU DYSON OF A *****

[keith.lamothe]

So the Dyson's on Chrse (I can't quite read the name of the selected planet, and the intel window is for a different planet) ?