Wish: Exotank that works

[leuthesius]

Seems that more than half the time the Exo-Tank does nothing, and I lose 30 crew. It's pretty hard to be an explorer if you spend most of your time running around trying to get more crew.

I have the feeling that if I didn't have a scout officer, I'd lose my crew constantly. This is happening on planets with a difficulty rating of 9, and I'm a Paragon II, 20 wisdom, 20 tactics, 20 warrior. That shouldn't be happening as often as it does...?

[Cory Trese]

What turn is the game on?

[slayernz]

Also, what is your Explore skill value? How often have you explored the same planet? Finally ... what is the "explore" value of the planet.

Of the 4 planets that are hazard level 9, the highest level of Explore is 6 and the lowest is 1.

There are many more planets that give you waaaay better bang for buck than these level 9 planets.
Ghactllli (13,-9) is Hazard 6, Explore 7
Ihaca-3 (19,-9) is also Hazard 6, Explore 7
Refuge Camp (-9,-9) is Hazard 8, but Explore 8.

Good luck.

[Cory Trese]

slayernz -- those are excellent questions. I think if we had the answers to yours and mine could probably explain the mass deaths -- either from exhaustion or late game richness / danger adjustments. Also, depending on how many Crew are going with the Captain, 30 deaths may or may not make sense.

It's a gambling game =)

[slayernz]

Hey Cory - I'm still after the award for killing more than 1,000 crew in exploration missions It'd be the "Red Ensign Shirt" award

Unlocks: Guarantees 50 willing suckers volunteers at every urban area

[Cory Trese]

I don't think the number of Crew dead is something we keep a running total of.

I have heard this request but right now the Captain doesn't keep count =)

[leuthesius]

I am Level 20 Explorer, Tactics, and Warrior.
I hit a level 9 place and I'm losing tons of my crew, despite having both a scout, AND an Exo-tank.

[Cory Trese]

Scout and Exo Tank will not make you invulnerable if you are making bad moves...

[leuthesius]

I'd understand getting these results from a level 23 place for exploration. Which I do. Thing is, I get equal results from both level 9 up to level 24. It's like its completely random and I shouldn't bother with the scout or exotank at all.

[Cory Trese]

I am trying to help explain the game so that you come to understand that while it does use dice, the game is far from random.

If you are performing actions that yield a low number of dice to roll in the test, you will loose. If you choose to ignore the questions that are critical in determining the number of dice rolled, I have little to go on in terms of helping you.

When you saw "equal results" what do you mean? Equal returns on the wagered Crew? or Equal returns in terms of the number of artifacts consumed? Or equal returns in the number of wounds risked by the Captain? These are all different types of results and different strategies will yield different types of returns.

First, having Level 20 in skills is a good number -- that is an important fact for us to discuss. However, the value of "Level 20" in Explorer is vastly different in turn 2,000 than turn 12,000.

When you say "level 9" what do you mean? Do you mean Danger or Exploration?

All Planets also have a maximum number of explorations. If you have repeatedly run the same Exploration on a planet you may have completely exhausted the resource. Permanently.

[Cory Trese]

It seems that you are frustrated. I am sorry for that.

I have put hundreds and hundreds of hours into tuning the Exploration and Harvesting systems, constantly focused on making it a game of strategy and technique over random luck. Have I done a 100% perfect job? Not by a long shot.

However, I am confident that if you are willing to engage in a dialog about the game's rules and strategies, you will see the game is not random, even though it does use dice.

[leuthesius]

I don't wanna sound angry, just fyi. Just trying to help you in fine tuning while being frustrated ;p

Level 9 is in danger.
Level 24 in Exploration (artifact availability)

Yet if I go to a planet with 19 to 20 danger, and level 18 in exploration, I get roughly equal results. Crew dies, hardly find anything.

[slayernz]

what turn are you on in the game? The only way you can find that number quickly is by going to the main menu, opening roster, then viewing your player. You'll see "Turns Played".

Also - what difficulty is your game on?

Both of these things will help us understand what's going on here.

I've got a captain on Crazy, turns = 19,078 and he finds very little unless there is a rumor associated with that planet.

[leuthesius]

215.36 AE
Normal Difficulty


Wait.... the game gets harder the longer you go?

[slayernz]

Hmmm ... that equates to around turn 8300. Yes definitely the game gets progressively harder as turns progress. The difference between say the first few years (up to turn 1,000 and turn 8,000) is pretty significant. The game level at turn 1,000 in Normal is around Level 4. The game level at turn 8,000 is Level 34.

You should still generally find things to harvest at turn 8,300. Have you checked out the three planets I listed above? They should certainly be much more productive in terms of providing returns than the level 9 planet you are trying out.

Also, make sure that it's even worth your while. If you are on a level 9 planet that has only level 1 Explore, then you're going to find scant pickings, even without the risk of the planet trying to kill you and your crew.

There are a number of planets around that have the Explore value equal to or greater than the hazard level. Focus on those planets for the most rewarding explorations.