Starting a Game - Humans
The following is a SolForce training walkthrough, meant to introduce new recruits to the particulars of commanding SolForce fleets and the unique early game feel when playing as humans. SolComm would like to thank Rorschach of Earth Admin for preparing this article - be advised that all screenshots are from a beta build of the game. Game elements as seen may not be final.
Game Setup:
Star Map Shape: Spiral
Star Density: 60
Players:4
All other settings, as shown, are default:
Turn 1:
Already I know I’m in for a tough time. There’s 4 node lines from the homeworld of Excalibur and they’re all more than my default range of 9.
My Extended Ranges can travel 18, but my current tech can’t get anything else down the node lines. I design the ER and set two to be built. Then I start research on Pulsed Fission Drive and since there’s not much else to do I set research to max.
Turn 2:
Scouts are on their way to the two node lines within range.
Turn 5:
Good news is Research is done, bad news is the first explored planet, Fort, is a dustball.
I design new ships around the Pulse Fission Engine, bringing my range up to 12 for normal ships and 21 for ER. I build a Tanker Mk2 and another ER to extend my exploration of the lines coming off of Fort. That brings my savings down to 150, so I start research on Recombinant Fissionables at 3/4 of budget with the other 1/4 going to money.
Turn 6:
ER heads down the line to Fort. The second explored planet, Beowulf, is habitable, but not a great place with a Hazard Rating of 270+. It’s 12.5 away from homeworld so I couldn’t get a colony ship to reach there if I wanted to, for now.
Turn 7:
Tanker Mk2 heads to Fort.
Turn 10:
All ships arrive at Fort, refuel and are sent to Arcadia, an unexplored system 9 away.
Turn 12:
Research for Recombinant Fissionables goes over budget. I’ve got over 150k in the bank at this point so I increase Research to maximum.
Turn 13:
Deja vu. The planet is uninhabitable, but the research is done. The next two node lines are past the range of the Tanker Mk2 so one last refuel and then the ERs both take a node line for their next jump.
With both Pulse Fission Drive and Recombinant Fissionables I can get a range of 15 from regular ships and 21 with ER.
I queue up two Tanker Mk3s and two ER Mk3s to be built.
Turn 14:
Forgot to mention that I started research of Waldo Units last turn at 3/4 budget. The Tanker Mk3s are ready, I send one to Fort and the other to Beowulf.
Turn 15:
The ER Mk3s are ready and I send them both to Fort.
Turn 17:
Crap! The Tanker gets to Fort and it picks up a Tarka scout fleet heading in system! Looks like it came from Ku’Sulto. Should be an interesting fight with two of my ERs (entering the system during the turn) against probably an ER and Tanker from the Tarkas.
Looks like the newly explored world, Ko’Haathra, is good for colonization at Size 7, Hazard Rating of 145.79 and more resources than Excalibur. Only problem is it’s less than 15 away from Ku’Sulto. Back at Excalibur I queue up a Tanker, Colonizer, and 4 Armors.
Turn 17 Battle:
It’s my two ERs and a Tanker versus the Tarka’s single ER and Tanker. I pull back the Tanker and engage with the two ERs in formation focusing fire on the enemy ER and pretty much ignoring the enemy Tanker. It’s a Gauss cannon fight on both sides and I quickly wear down the Tarka ER.
The lone Tarka is no match for two ships and after a few minutes he goes down.
The Tarka Tanker runs for it and evades my ships until the 4 minutes are up.
Turn 18:
Another Tarka scout fleet is in incoming on Arcadia, and all I have there is a lone Tanker. I decide discretion is the better part of valor and retreat to Fort. I take the least damaged ER at Fort and send it on to Arcadia to pave the way for my colonization fleet, and leave behind the remaining ER and Tanker to take out the damaged Tarka Tanker from last turn.
Kao’Podar is explored and it’s a dustball. My Tanker makes it to Beowulf so I add it to the ER fleet, refuel and head for Delta Pavonis crossing my fingers for a good world.
Turn 18 Battle:
The damaged tanker doesn’t have enough fuel to make it to another system and can’t refuel itself since I blew up the mission section last combat round. Unfortunately our tactical speeds are matched and I can’t close with it to finish it off.
Turn 19:
Excalibur has 2 Armors, a Tanker and a Colonizer ready to go. The remaining two Armors will be built next turn. I send the four ships out to Fort knowing that the missle launchers on the Armors will make short work of the annoying Tanker. The remaining two Armors will link up at Fort to proceed on to the proposed colony location of Ko’Haathra. I send the Tanker and ER at Fort back to Excalibur for repairs. There’s quite a bit of traffic on the Excalibur - Fort - Arcadia route.
Turn 20:
Scout fleet arrives at Delta Pavonis. It’s pretty much the little brother of Beowulf with the only real difference being it’s a size 6 instead of an 8. At least it’s nice to know I’ve got two okay worlds in my “backyard” if the Ko’Haatha gambit doesn’t work out. No node lines lead from DeltaP so I refuel and send the fleet back towards Excalibur. The final two Armors are ready to go so I send them on to Fort.
Turn 20 Battle:
My damaged ER makes it to Arcadia. I don’t think it will survive but if I can take out the Tanker mission section, chances are they will still be there when my colonization fleet passes through. After a high speed pass and trading Gauss Cannon shots my ER is pretty bad off, but I’ve got a lock on the Tarka Tanker. As the ER overshoots me I continue after the Tanker and take it out before the ER can circle back.
My primary objective completed I see if I can do a little more damage on the Tarka ER. Maybe take out it’s engines. On our next pass it ducks below me and shortly thereafter takes out my engine section.
Then it’s only a matter of time before my heavily damaged destroyer is finished off.
Turn 21:
The Waldo Units are complete, it’s time to get some better weapons. This game I can skip Green Lasers and go straight to UV, but that’s an estimated 16 turns of research. I need something a little quicker so I research VRF Technology. It won’t give me any new weapons but it will automatically upgrade the ROF on all my Gauss Cannons in an estimated 6 turns.
Looks like the Tarka Tanker at Fort decides to run for it and it leaves the system. No matter, it won’t get far at all, not even a need for me to try to intercept it.
Turn 22:
Colonization fleet arrives at Fort. I refuel from the tanker making it’s way back from Arcadia to Excalibur and wait a turn for the rest of the fleet to catch up. I figure now’s a good time to update my Armor and ER designs to include the Hammerhead command section I acquired from Waldo units.
The construction and savings costs go up but those are partially offset by the Waldo Unit bonuses. I queue up 4 of the new Armors for defense of Excalibur.
Turn 23:
The Armors catch up with the colonization fleet at Fort, refuel and head for Arcadia. A scout fleet makes it to Beowulf so I refuel and head for Excalibur. The fleet that defended Fort has made it back to excalibur and been repaired and refuelled so I send them back out to Fort.
Turn 25 Battle:
A Tarka scout fleet of a Tanker and ER meets up with my ER at Ko’Podar. I let the AR take that battle while I stomp on the ER at Arcadia with my full colonization fleet. I almost feel sorry for the Tarka as the four missle volleys stike home before he can even get in range. With my Colonizer and a Tanker running away from the fight the Tarka ER can’t even make one pass before it is destroyed.
Turn 26:
Just some fleet management as I send out the repaired ships from Excalibur and give orders for the now bloodied Colonization fleet to make it’s final jump to Ko’Haathra.
Turn 27:
VRF Tech is complete. Since I’ll eventually be colonizing Beowulf and DeltaP (hopefully after a successful colony at Ko’Haathra) I start research in the Biotech tree with Gene Modification.
Turn 29:
Scout fleet makes it to Arcadia. I send it on to Ko’Hraathra to hopefully refuel at the soon to be colony.
Turn 30:
Time to start a new world right on the front doorstep of the Tarkas. I’ve gotten this far to create a colony, but can I defend it? This could be very interesting.
Thanks everyone for being patient with me at letting me get these screenshots posted up. Please feel free to keep asking any questions about what I’ve posted especially if I’ve been unclear.
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