IMPOSSIBLE: Tips for Newbies

[rabidbite]

This thread is here to collect tips for surviving in IMPOSSIBLE setting.

Earlier this week (or late last week ... don't remember) I was proud to loose my first testing captain on IMPOSSIBLE setting.

Guess what ... it wasn't on impossible. It was on insane. I forgot to scroll up and clicked on the last visible difficulty and mistook it.

NOW I'm playing on impossible and have learned simple, but life saving tips, that might help others.

At the beginning of IMPOSSIBLE, as in all difficulties, your captain completes a contract and gets a little faction with whomever you have chosen as your primary faction.

Unlike other difficulties you will have the following problems:
1. $0 money. Zip. Nada. Empty. Nothing KAPUT.
2. Usually 7 water fuels.
3. No contracts available on first round.

So how the hell are you to survive the initial IMPOSSIBLE turns?

I did it like this (Mind you this might not be good for everyone) :

1. (Kudos to Slayernz for this tip) Unlocked SPY and created SPY captain on impossible. SPY begins with Quickness (stealth and piloting) Wisdom (Tactics) and Charisma (Intimidation). You will also have 4 Electronics 4 Weapons and some Records.
3. Sell Records on your Primary faction. Instant cash.
4. Get some Water Fuel.
5. Fly to nearest independent star (I happened to have one 4 units away)
6. Sell electronics and weapons (alternatively: you could stash em away if you're confident of finding water fuel)
7. Grab a couple of contracts OR (if close enough) land on the easiest planets around with WILD (There is a list of the planets someplace, me I went Tuscanae-Javat mining) and HARVEST. Don't waste your time with Exploring because you won't have a Trade Permit as of yet. I also bought as much water-fuel as my hold could have, before harvesting, and stashed it on Tuscanae-Javat wilderness.
8. Do not take any contracts that push you too far away from your 'safety' faction envelope. Fuel IS consumed at an alarming rate.
9. If your contract damages the rep of a faction. Well, depending on your money buy a pardon. I try to keep myself very neutral initially.
10. Don't buy anything beyond water fuel initially unless you have a close by (8 AU or less for me) market to dispose of your goods. Only transact goods on surplus or shortage rumors. Ignore all rumors that take you far away from faction area.
11. Build up your stats as soon as you can, don't let your XP pile up unused.

That's pretty much how I survived the initial levels of IMPOSSIBLE.
I dedicated myself to putting points on STEALTH and PILOTING up to 20 skill each.

The floor is now yours Share your tips, contribute your audacity, let's play some Star Traders RPG

[rabidbite]

Ok further tips I've learned as I go along.

As you progress through IMPOSSIBLE you will begin leaving the safety of your faction area behind to do contracts, trade, hunt aliens, the usual things.

I've found that when completing contracts over large distances I cannot rely on the automatic navigator to get me there efficiently.
1. It just cares about the shortest route that will safe water-fuel but does not take into consideration if you will have enough water-fuel to get to your destination.
2. It doesn't give a fart about faction territory so it is just as happy plotting a course through the heart of your worst faction as your best.

So, its very important you keep your eye on your plot. Familiarize yourself with the fuel consumption of your ship so that you are able to 'guess-timate' your fuel consumption.
Manually establish waypoints on planets that are of appropriate faction to top your fuel tanks off as you travel, sort of 'hopping' from one safe planet to another till you get to your destination.

Keep on flying! ;D

[blackgauntlet]

I started out differently as a Military Officer.

Keep going in and out of your home planet as a Landing action.

You will get ships coming over to land as well.

Acknowledge them if they're your own people. Rob and plunder them if they're not and could not fight against you.

Store precious WF as cache, leaving just enough for you to keep robbing till your 1st WF cache holds at least 100 units.

Including credits earned from sales of all ill-gotten goods, you're good to go.

[rabidbite]

Another useful tip.
Not sure if this makes sense to non SPY characters, but here it goes:

Surveillance doesn't have to be done at a planet. It can be done in any square of a faction's territorial map.
SO, If ..say ... you're in Javat and want to spy on Steel Song, you fly exactly 1 AU. I'm not kidding, 1 AU that's it. One square. And surveillance your heart out, fly that 1 AU back to Javat, sell your records, rince and repeat. EASY money. EASY faction. ;D

[slayernz]

Yup only blockading requires you to be above a planet. Surveillance works anywhere within a territory. You can do that even if you aren't a spy.

What else makes you live. Relying on doing only delivery missions to begin with - preferably in deep space if they are around. Don't be afraid to reject contracts because they are too risky - your captain's life is seriously at stake.

Unlike lower difficulties, instead of picking one or two factions to like and to hell with the rest, do the opposite. Pick one or two factions that you don't care about, and be really careful with the rest. The fewer enemies out there who want to kill you, the better life gets. My 5th character in Impossible is hated by Rychart and Steel Song (surprise surprise) ... but has +thousands of RP with the other factions. Most of the travel space is safe to go thrugh except the center of the map. At the beginning, I didn't stray too far from the top-left hand side of the map anyway, so that didn't bother me. Later on, I looked forward to the regular flights through Rychart land.

One last tip ... kind of an exploit of the memory use of the phone than anything else, and up to you guys if you want to use it or not. When you are in the middle of a battle that you'd rather not be in, and things are definitely not going your way, you can either take the risk that your 1 remaining point of hull will last longer than his 32 remaining points of hull ... or you can go back to the home menu of your phone and play CK or TA for a while. After a few hours, going back to ST will bring you back to the home screen where you select your captain. The ship will be as battered as you last left it, but you'll be out of the encounter and in the co-ordinates that you were last at. It gives you the chance to limp to the nearest space port to get fixed up.

You aren't using any task killers, or resetting your phone. You're simply choosing to go to a different application for a while.

[rabidbite]

One tip I just experienced:

I love aliens. I find they are the toughest scum sucking a*holes in the game and I don't feel truly challenged until I'm going toe to toe against one.

But don't just go in guns blazing and think you will win with no problem. Aliens are TOUGH.

So prepare with the following if you can:
1. Have a Pilot Officer (where the spice traders gather). Have 10-40 spice in your hold.
2. Have an Veteran/Alien Hunter (wilderness alien rumor): No idea what to have in hold.
3. Have a military officer (mercenaries rumor): Have 10-40 weapons in hold. They give stats for ship-to-ship combat and boarding actions.

Pump up the stats YOU believe will give you victory. (I tend for stealth and piloting with tactics as my third) Having too high a stealth WILL make alien appear less.
Chew gum, smoke a cigar, write your will, do a couple of the spice girl dancers.
If you're a praying man ..pray.

Go find the nearest "alien attack in deep space rumor" and if there is a Dead Planet, patrol it a little. That's your best chance for an alien.

If you win, you just made $250k. (About $2.5K IF NOT have Veteran/ Alien Hunter)

Good luck.
You'll need it.

[Fenikso]

I am starting the game by taking easy contracts to get some reputation and money. I buy Trade Permits with all Syndicates. Then I sell weapons or electronics if I have some. Then I usually Patrol for independent traders and become Pirate for a while.

A lot has been already said, so here are few tips which are in my experience essential for long term survival on Impossible:
1) Warrior skill (is IMPORTANT )
2) Always carry weapons. A lot of them.
3) Impact shield generator. Really. I would say it saved my ship like 50 times after level 50.

[Fenikso]

Dec 4, 2011 17:28:23 GMT -5 slayernz said:

One last tip ... kind of an exploit of the memory use of the phone...

I thought that Cadar captains die with honor! Shame on you! ;D

[blackgauntlet]

Nah, that's a Templar thing.

Cadar Captains die with empty Torpedo holds. ;D

[slayernz]

Fenikso, first this response is not defensive - I completely understand your point of view, with all of its intended humor. I think you play to commit - and I commit to play

For my post I see it as this ... if you die in the middle of battle unavoidably, then you die a Cadar hero. However, if you can avoid dying in one encounter, it means you can:
a) Kill more enemies in the longer run (dead captains really find it difficult to press the launch button)
b) Help the Cadar economy more by buying more Cadar branded ordinance
c) Help reduce the population of all those who don't deserve living.

Slayer's rule 101 - it's better to be a captain who survives to fight again than a martyr who blindly keeps on fighting even when the battle is lost.

Slayer's rule 102 - if you run out of torps - then either you've had one hell of a good fight ... or you picked a ship that doesn't have enough torp tubes in the first place!

[blackgauntlet]

All the more reason for an Obliterator Cruiser! ;D

[Fenikso]

slayernz and blackgauntlet - fair enough ;D.

[slayernz]

It is a tragic day for Cadar as one of their own fell in combat. Hyperion Overload "Impossible" Eric (Fifth in line of the Impossibles), fell in combat today trying to rid the galaxy of one more dishonorable pirate. The 102 level captain, flying his Royal Class flagship, The Slaughterer came across a 182 level pirate flying Rychart colors. As all Cadar-bred captains do, Eric felt compelled to confront this fiend in battle.

Although Eric started the battle at full health, somehow he had 5 hits against him that were enough to be fatal. Analysis of The Slaughterer flight recorders showed Eric was shot in the stomach, crushed by a force hammer, sliced horribly, burned terribly, and run through with a plasma lance.

In the 573 years that Eric flew, he had 682 battles and only one loss. He never had a mutiny, never surrendered, and might have accidentally destroyed a total of 652 ships after they surrendered.

He leaves behind a small personal fortune exceeding $21.8M credits, all of which will go to his favorite Charity - Torpedoholics Anonymous, an organization that helps people understand the emotional pull that Torpedoes have on day-to-day lives, and helps them embrace the Torpedo way.

[rabidbite]

Dec 4, 2011 0:08:56 GMT -5 blackgauntlet said:

Keep going in and out of your home planet as a Landing action.

This is a very good tip.

Though I didn't do this on my "home planet" I've taken to doing this particular trick on independent planets with the following characteristics:
1. Available repairs.
2. More than 50 Water Fuels available for purchase on Urban side OR a Wilderness side were I can stash a lot of Water Fuels.
3. Close by to a faction planet for increased profits when selling cargo.
4. Enough Spice units to keep my non-pirate captain crew happy after destroying independent crews and their ships.

Why?

I'm trying to get good faction with everyone in Impossible (in fact I did get it) and when I do this trick I can net 3-4 independent ships with as much safety as I can find. No faction loss, though your morale (as I'm playing SPY) drops, thus the spice.

[Fenikso]

Dec 7, 2011 16:48:30 GMT -5 slayernz said:

It is a tragic day for Cadar as one of their own fell in combat. Hyperion Overload "Impossible" Eric (Fifth in line of the Impossibles), fell in combat today trying to rid the galaxy of one more dishonorable pirate...

It seems to be tragic week for Cadar indeed! Hyperion Overlord Zirkan IV., the Cadar Zealot, was killed in combat, defending his Ship and Crew from bloodthirsty Alien. His Inquisition Cruiser was locked in fight with Knife Alien.

The Alien boarding party caused havoc on the Cruiser and finally reached the Bridge. The 102 level Captain was unfortunately no match for his 365 level foe and it was literally "Impossible" to survive. He died honorably in duel in which he standed no chance...

During his 583 years carrier he owned 20 ships and had 7 terrible mutinies on board -- all of them ended with bloody massacre. He lost just one battle of 781 and destroyed 894 ship (do not know how).

His requiem is scheduled for tomorrow at Hydri-Thulon Prime orbit. Bring you cruisers and torpedo tubes loaded along for the party.



I think we may be of need for a thread for this