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First off, a bit about myself.
I used to play EVC on the old family mac, it had slowdown at times and I never registered (I was just a kid back then), but it made me a lifelong Ambrosia SW fan. Then EVN came along for mac and my parents got it for me as a gift, it was like the EV of my childhood, except shinier, more complex and new. I showed it to friends and made several more fans who bought it as well. (Sorry for not registering the first one, but I hope I made up for it with the new fans I brought in as well as the EV)
I played the hell out of it and eventually tried out the EVC plug in, but was still too entranced with the new to bother with the old game of my youth.
Years later I moved out and the (newer) family mac stayed with the family (the old one with EVC on it died).
Recently I rediscovered EVN (Well, I never really forgot it, but I have not been playing it)(it was on a PC I bought used from a friend) and have been playing it. I tried out the EVC port and it was utter nostalgia and I forgot how good this game was.
Sorry for the rant, my questions are:
What are all the side missions out there? (I remember a handful and I mean the ones with something more than kill some pirates or smuggle)(Like the artemis group, shipping, eco-rescue)
How do I best equip my kestrel? (I know a corvette is faster in the end, but I do love my kestrel and it has some good perks going for it)
On mine I equipped it as seen in the pic I attached (ignore the particle beam and 2 hawks though, I was just playing around there)
I heard you can get all 3 secret gov techs on one ship, how do you do this?
Does anyone else like the redone decoy launcher?
Which ships are fun to play around with?
Proton VS Laser VS Neutron?
Missile VS Torpedo VS Javelin VS Heavy Rocket VS Space Bomb? (I normally buy one javelin pod to steal any javelins from ships, plus it is decent when you need a good OOMPH in your attack, but don't want to blow the credits on a full missile)
Any other good weapons that are must haves?
Any good trade routes? (I was a bit too lazy to map out some of the routes I did like when I was young, so I just capture 6 argosies and just traveled around, delivering freight, buying a 100-200+ tons of what is low, selling it for a profit wherever I could. Which is not really practical with an paid escort trading fleet but sure is fun with a captured one)
Anything really worth doing/relieving?
Welcome, John! Like you, I was first drawn in by EVC and have been playing ASW Games. In fact, I got sucked into EVN, as well, and haven't done much with EVC since. Ambrosia certainly has some gems here. Now for your questions:
Side missions are pretty few in EVC. There's the Artemis Group, but not much more than that.
Equipping any ship to its fullest ability depends on how the player uses it.
This one's a spoiler, read at your own risk. To get all three special outfits, the Tractor Beam, the Particle Beam, and the Cloaking Device, go into the Confed storyline, get far enough to receive the Particle Beam, then hang around Rebel planets for a while. Eventually you should get captured by the Rebellion, at which time you can defect to the Rebellion and do their missions to get the Tractor Beam and Cloak.
I never used either, instead getting a Missile Jammer and using speed to outrun ordnance.
I like to take a freighter, and freighter at all, and see if I can turn it into a halfway decent warship. I once took down a Kestrel in an Argosy. Had to be from long range, but still. You could also take a warship and see if you can turn it into a bulk freighter that can still fight.
Neutrons are slow, too slow. I use Proton Turrets if I can fit them, though I think Laser Turrets have a slightly longer range. It's a tough call between those two.
Javelins, all the way. Who needs missiles and torpedoes when you can rush the enemy with Javelins and take them down in a matter of seconds? As for heavy rockets and bombs, too heavy.
This is another spoiler. There really aren't many more weapons in the game, I guess just try to get the Particle Beam. The Tractor Beam was better in the original EVC than in the EVC port because it totally immobilized your target, very good for starfighting. In EVN, however, the engine handles tractor beams differently so that your target is only slowed, not neutralized.
Trade routes... trade routes... never used them much. I just did missions until I could get a ship good enough to go up against pirates and then I'd just loot them.
Make sure you check around the add-ons pages for EVN, look for anything that says it's for the EVC port, especially Realm of Prey. You also might want to try rEVisited.
That's all I got to say for now. Welcome again, John, it's always good to see new members of the community.
Oh, I played the heck out of the old EV, so there are no real "spoilers" for me, just me forgetting the game and going "oh yeah, I remember that!"
I know personal preference trumps all, but I have always lent towards stripping a warship and making it a tough freighter (when I was young), but as I grew older I got more aggressive, but I still lean towards the more defensive build (rather pack some more shields instead of missiles). So any help there is appreciated.
The decoy flare launcher in the EVN port launches the flare behind you as a missile is coming up, it stands a really good chance of taking a missile off your tail and at 1 ton for the launcher and 250cr per flare, it is cheap enough. (So it acts like a PD weapon and not like the "attractor" in EVC)
But speed has always been the best tool for me. A nimble kestrel+afterburner will rarely ever get singed by such fire.
I am still stuck between the two (laser and proton), can anyone else weigh in?
How do missiles and torpedoes compare?
For other weapons, I meant stuff like the mass driver, I can't remember if that was good or not. I did forget how awesome the particle beam was though.
Oh yeah, upgraded ships, my kestrel was a nimble little thing, let alone my corvette, even my argosy was a good one.
Yeah, Ambrosia games are tops, I just hope I made up for my original sin of not buying the first EVC.
And thanks for welcoming me to the forum.
Regarding the spoilers, there are others who might read this and not know about it, thus the spoiler tags.
Sorry, forgot about that. Anything of mine I should tag?
Anything involving the special outfits. Other than that, you're good. That said, this part of the board is a bit dead right now, and probably will stay that way for a while so the chances of anyone even reading this are low. Still, never hurts to be safe.
Well, the EV games are niche and EVC is OLD, but still so good...
My suggestion would be to ditch the sheild capacitors; even at their tonnage, they really don't give you enough of a boost to justify getting. The regenerator , on the other hand, is a sure keeper.
If you can find the room, buy Tritanium before you get Durasteel or Armaplast. When you have to choose between armor kits, its usually the best bet, if only for the sheer number of armor points it gives.
Go for Laser canons. They don't have as good range as proton guns, and they don't do as good of damage against armor, but they have a higher damage-per-second rating against shields (which most ships rely on) and are lighter than protons. In the turret department, however, just go for the proton turrets.
Neutron Blasters, as my colleagues have already suggested, are fairly useless. Not necessarily because of their short range or slow rate of fire, but simply because they're just too large. At 35 tons apiece, you'd be better off just buying missiles or torpedos, launcher and all. The 40 ton Mass Driver is similarly pointless.
Missiles and Topedos are both good weapons, but I'd recommend using one and eschewing the other. Which one is chosen is situational on your targets (and where you'll be hunting them).
Heavy Rockets are quite powerful, but difficult to aim if you're not in a fighter (in which its hard to justify having a 30-ton launcher). Javelins are a far better option, really.
Just avoid Space Bombs. They're deadly, but nigh-impossible to use (even harder without killing yourself), and too limited in their utility (and availability) to justify the tonnage. Only use them if you feel like screwing around.
As for trade routes, I was fond of a run between Rupert (Persephone) and Alkaid (Alkaidion). I took food from the former to the latter, and equipment back. I'd capture a few bulk frieghters first, though.
The "side-missions" were as follows: Starbound Shipping United Galactic Express Artemis Group Diphidia II Locate Weapons Cache (you can do this without joining the rebels) Transport Industrial Toxins/Refined Toxins (likewise, you can do this without joining the feds!) Black Market Wood (repeating, but worth mentioning) Defend Lethe/Cydonia (likewise, notable repeating missions)
Thanks for the help, so I did find all the side missions in youth.
QUOTE (~vIsitor~ @ Mar 31 2010, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I disagree with the regenerator, since it really only makes any noticeable difference on the Defender. I also disagree with the Tritanium since it only gives you double the armor of Durasteel, but weighs much more, and costs significantly more. So I'd personally only going with Durasteel, since it's the best deal you're going to get.
I agree with the rest of his post.
I did look up the stats on tritanium, only really useful if you REALLY need the armor.
What should I do for shields then? Dump it all?
Any preference for missiles VS torpedoes? I prefer flexibility the most of all.
Depends on who you're using them on. If you use guided ordnance more on fighters, then I'd get missiles since they're faster and I can store more of them due to a lighter launching system. However, if you're hunting frigates and cruisers, then I suggest torpedoes for their superior damage-to-weight ratio.
I'd still use neither, but if I had to use one or the other, that's what I'd do.
What do you prefer then?
Never got the hang of heavy rockets, always seem to miss by a hair, even while aiming and against a stationary target
Edit:
Armaplast Plating Armor: +100u Mass: 5 tons Qtty: 1 (max) Cost: 30,000 cr
Durasteel Armor Armor: +250u Mass: 20 tons Qtty: 1 (max) Cost: 90,000 cr
Tritanium Armor Armor: +500u Mass: 40 tons Qtty: 1 (max) Cost: 1,000,000 cr
20 armor per ton costs 6000 12.5 armor per ton costs 4500 12.5 armor per ton costs 25000
I think that is right, so you see the difference. Armaplast is very efficient and Durasteel gives the next best boost.
This post has been edited by John(squared) : 02 April 2010 - 07:16 AM
QUOTE (John(squared) @ Apr 2 2010, 03:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I personally go for torpedos against all targets, but that's just me. For weapons, try different things and go with what works for you.
In regards to the Tritanium: I just figure that if you add together the 5 tons from the Armaplast, the 20 from the Durasteel, and the twelve tons from the four sheild capacitors, you're only three tons short of getting the Tritanium anyway (sell some torpedos, maybe?). Its hardly the most cost efficient, but its got the same armor-per-ton ratio as Durasteel, with the added bonus of granting twice as much of it. That alone has saved my pilots' bacon more than once.
Armaplast is, without a doubt, the most efficient upgrade of the lot, but it doesn't grant much protection in the absolute sense. For this reason, I always buy this one last if I can fit the others (although its still a very good investment if you can't).
Except, if I cut out the capacitators then I can focus more on payloads and even squeeze some missiles in.
You may get MORE with the tritanium, but it takes up 40 tons and that is a big chunk, just for armor. Especially as it is Durax2 for a higher cost. And if you look at it from the other side, arma/dura -150 for 15 tons free space version of the tritanium and is a huge benefit cost wise. Besides, the speed on my kestrel lets me make an escape and attack from range if armor is hurt that badly, in which the 15 missiles/torpedoes makes a difference.
I always buy Armaplast first, because of the efficiency, especially as combined with the duraplast is almost up to tritanium and few ships can hold tritanium anyway.