regarding water/fuel strategy

[dumb]

I read in your (cory's) water-fuel tips to keep crew at maximum.... but at the same time increased crew means increased fuel usage. Maybe I'm misreading something in the guide.

[Cory Trese]

both facts are true

[jtwood]

Cory,

I shot you an e-mail about this today, but I'll go ahead and post it here, too.

I found what I believe is an infinite-experience exploit. Basically...

1. Upgrade ship's sails until flight in the green zones is free (no water-fuel cost).
2. Fly back and forth building up experience until you're blue in the face.

I started a new game on hard last night and was able to reach this point in just a few minutes, and then I jumped about 4 levels in no time at all. I have to think this isn't functioning as intended.

[Cory Trese]

crap

[dumb]

yeah, at almost any setting, if your first stop also happens to have nanocoating and you upgrade sails, you're set from the very beginning.

[Kelvin Zero]

One way to combat that would be to have the game monitor repetitive cruising without actions and reply with sending opponents after that captain until they start doing something in the game other than that. It would be similar to if someone is just walking back and forth in a store without buying anything, eventually the store owner would ask them what they are doing.

The other thing would be to decrease crew morale over time if the captain is doing nothing more than cruising aimlessly. Each step seems to take about a month. So imagine how a crew of 30 to 50 men would feel about a captain who is just cruising around in deep space, never landing, never doing anything interesting. Months and years go by without a break, the captain spends all his time in his training chamber. That sounds like grounds for mutiny. ;D

[Cory Trese]

Mr. Zero,

Your point is brilliant and totally implementable. Just stop issuing XP until the Captain does something other than cruise. Linking Morale to it on higher levels is a nice idea too.

Thanks!