Well, I'll make a half-hearted attempt at nitpicking trivialities to fill the void, like I often do.
I've scouted out an advanced starship constructor; it hasn't shown up on my objectives screen.
On some of my promised feedback, I've tried out both the Starfleet Commander and Mad Bomber AIs. They are serious contenders, though not enough to move them to the 'hard' category. The waves are fairly manageable (the starfleet commander ones a bit more interesting), but the biggest threat is planetary defenders. I'm a couple hours in on my current game (simple map, mk3 fighters) and doing fine. I did have one forty-minute game on an X map that ended with my death. I was hemmed in by two MKIV planets, three shields and mk2 fighters weren't sufficent to handle four mkIV Heavy Bomber Starships (tested on Standard, not Epic). The next and current game I was excessively cautious with six additional forcefields and mk3 fighters unlocked immediately. I haven't needed all that yet, and pared it down to a mere four extra forcefields.
I've only colonized two additional systems, while spire civilian leaders have been ticking upward, but it's paid back in the locating of a Raid Engine next to a planet I'd been planning to Data Center raid, a data center I did raid, and formation of a solid plan for rapid expansion combined with a new whipping boy. Sadly, it looks like my 'decentralized' defense test isn't happening this game, but a couple Ion Cannons in a decent location are making for an attractive location to shift my whipping boy to and build actual defenses, when popping two-four systems radically increases the waves against me.
I've found an advanced starship constructor not far from my position, but I've not unlocked any starships at all. Between the AI heavily using Starships and not any *particular* bonus ships aside from Zenith Bombards (in entirely reasonable numbers so far, thanks to the patrol and reinforce spending and specialization), I'm at a loss of ideas for what to unlock to try it out, if I should unlock it at all. I do have medium golems enabled as well as Fallen Spire, but I don't see myself much using the Plasma Siege Line, compared to more forcefields.
Heavy Bombers, Zenith, Spire, Plasma Siege, Leech, and Flagship have all been rebalanced, and I should try them out before throwing the balance out the window with fallen spire. I haven't been facing large numbers of gravity or tractor units, so no immediate preference for the siege/bomber lines. I'll probably go with Zenith, Spire, or Flagship thanks to their radar dampening, and Zenith if I face a lot of cutlasses (i've seen a few). I could check the damage multiplier cap, but I'm not sure there is any practical way for the human player to hit 400%.
P.S. Missile posts murder the hell out of mk1 transports. At least when the transports are forced between a crossfire of two-three mk3 missile posts. This isn't exactly a bad thing, some make it through, and this will make transport drops more interesting and more strategic. If I can find a way, I'll even slot mk2 transports into my strategy to try them out. Given what I've seen so far, the additional HP should actually matter now, since they're dealing with posts, not just (often binary dead/notdead) threatballs. I exagerate a bit on how deadly they are, but they're able to focus fire longer than most anything else the AI has, and that 35% hp drop makes the transport a much softer target.
