So far, I've been working relatively slowly on my challenge. I've been catching up on video, but not due to refleeting or boredom. This inattention has led to a few slipups, particularily with my cloakers.
Casulties have been minimal thanks to mini forts, mk2 fleet, mobile repair stations, plasma siege and heavy bomber starships mk3, and most criically, cloaker starships 1/2. Generally, I can take down most guard post without casulties in two 'pulses', I'm really looking forward to finding an advanced starship constructor.
There is an advanced factory within reach but I'm not too excited about it thanks to a pair of defensive AIs with so many Eyes. I've actually been much more interested in the fabricators scattered around, and am currently eyeballing a sniper fab.
7 hours in, 11 planets, 175 AIP.
The Vampire Claw fabricator has been critically useful in defending my choke from the missile frigates that outrange my turrets. Until recently, after a wave of 700 missile frigates hit, I'd completely avoided unlocking any upgraded defenses, and in fact had been using about only half my mk1 turret cap, lightning (full), flak (full), heavy beam cannons (only 2) aside. And won without any of the rest of my fleet on hand.
To make it properly challenging for me, I'm not going to unlock any regular or modular fortresses, just the minis. I decided not to hack the one ARS I found for Forcefield Bearers, instead grabbing the default Spider ship. I'm sure I'll regret it, but I've been on the receiving end of surprisingly few casulties, usually operating with my fleet above eighty if not ninety percent capacity.
Conclusion? None really relevant, but I do find myself liking fabs more than I expected. I've pretty much neutered the entire southern half of the southwest cluster, so i'm about to push for those fabs in my area, then simultaneously expand out of my little corner of the galaxy while consolidating my backyard, which (if I survive) should take me to twenty/thirty planets. The added fabricator variety and improved positioning is really doing a lot to make them more tempting on 7.6, albeit against defensive AIs.
P.S. This is an iron-man game, no savescumming.
P.P.S. And unlike you guys, I never use leeches and parasites. They mess with my clean tidy symmetrical numbers.
