X2 - The Threat

[TimberWolf]

I am now looking into either a Second Titan or the Split Python. The reason behind this is that they are the only ones able to mount Mass Drivers. If I get the Python then I get extra speed and will name it XMEN. If I get another Titan then I get the 5th shield slot and it matched the speed of my existing ship but I currently don't have a name picked out for it.

For pictures of the Python click the following link:
http://www.the-commander.com/x2python.htm

For picture of the Phoenix click the following link:
http://www.the-commander.com/x2phoenix.htm

For pictures of the Titan click the following link:
http://www.the-commander.com/x2titan.htm

For pictures of the Khakk m2 click the following link:
http://www.the-commander.com/x2khaakdestroyer.htm

If I choose the Python then for next time I play I will:
1. Buy 4 125MW shields
2. Buy 17 Mass Drivers for Python and 18 for Titan with ammo for both
3. Buy Split Python
4. Max out its engines, rudder, and equip it with the proper gear
5. Transfer my fully armed Khaak M3 to Python
6. Gather enough energy cells for both Titan and Python
7. Take both ships to Khaak sector for XMEN maiden voyage

Plan for attack:
The Lords of Steel will take point and get the Khaak M2's attention. As that is happening the XMEN will come along side of the Khaak M2 and use its port and forward mass drivers to begin taking down its hull. It is hoped that the Lords of Steel's shields don't fail or else it will be a mission failure. If it appear the Lords of Steel will loose its shields before the Khaak M2 is destroyed I plan on taking the XMEN into the path of the Khaak weapons to protect the other ship. All fighters will remain docked due to the fact that the enemy ship can destroy them in less than 5 seconds.

[XMEN Gambit]

Would a handful of M6s help there at all? At least they wear 125 MW shields.

[TimberWolf]

I should try making a video of the Khaak M2 attacking. If I used M6's then I would have to use many Teladi Ospreys, which have the most shields. But they would be the equivalent to fighters in that they will last for a couple of shots. Also by having more ships I would be forced to have some fly in the firing arcs of its side and back turrets which will only allow it to kill them faster.

To give you an idea here is how long, estimated, my attempts lasted:
Titan Alone - 1min - Only Shield Damage Delt
Titan w/ Fighters - 1min, 30sec - Only Shield Damage Delt
Titan w/ Fighters and Osprey - 1min, 45sec - Only Shield Damage Delt

The worst part about the Khaak is that their weapons are basicly perfect shots. If they fire they will hit. Compaired to the Xenon where you can avoid 99% of the shots, the Khaak have the bigger advantage by being able to avoid my shots while still landing their own on me. I even tried using their own M3 on them but ended up having my butt scattered across the sector.

For the time being the more expensive Mass Driver route looks the best. I maybe able to do it without a second capital ship there if I equip my Titan with them now. I just need to get my hands on the 18, or just enough for the forward turrets, to equip it and fill its cargo bay with ammo boxes.

[XMEN Gambit]

How about a holdful of drones? Like, in the hundreds?

[TimberWolf]

That may keep it distracted long enough but the problem is I can't find them easily and what I do find are only handfuls, less than 15. It would require me to setup a loop to produce them to get that many. I should look into using missiles from any ship that is not under fire. Or I could buy up all the laser towers in the universe and deploy them just as I am entering battle. Could try and find a ship to do a suicide run with Ion-Disruptors to bring its shields down faster. There is also the possibility of laying Squash mines in front of it as it follows me around.

[TimberWolf]

Well, I no longer have the need money to buy and outfit another M2. I used a large chunk of it to buy the coordinates of the other Khaak sectors and the Khaak ship and weapon information. But I did try again to destroy a Khaak M2 but got my butt handed back to me because I found one that could fly faster than me.



I did ring around the asteroid with two Khaak M2's and their constantly spawning fighters were causing me hell. If I kept that up long enough I probably could have tricked one into ramming the asteroid but after 30 minutes I was no more than half way around.

[TimberWolf]

I scanned one of the Khaak M2's to see what their weapons and shield power were. They are exactly the same compaired to the Titan. The only difference being that their weapons almost never miss and are near instantly hitting when fired compaired to by weapons that miss easily and take several seconds to hit.

I need to either find a Xenon invasion mission or set up more stations to rebuild my funds. Have had some devistating losses to Khaak attacks in Argon sectors. I have been capturing Pirate ships to replace many of my destroyed freighters. I have also gotten the first HEPT from my factory, which leads me to feel i need to setup another loop to support a second to help me build a fleet faster. My plans to get Mass Drivers is also hitting a wall with only a handfull of places selling them and only a couple of them actually have any in stock. The ammo is available every where but the weapon it self is sold out.

[TimberWolf]

I accidently left my X2 CD at home. My mind was on X3. I won't be able to pick it up again for 3 months.

[TimberWolf]

Gambit, how is your empire doing?

[XMEN Gambit]

Trying to accumulate fundage for an M6. I don't feel very confident about assassination missions until then, and that's where the decent money is in missions.

I'm repopulating President's End, as well. Need fundage to get a good supply of laser towers to protect the sector, though. The patrols are pretty effective but not fast enough to save my transports sometimes.

One UT so far. I keep expecting him to buy some upgraded equipment for his transport but I'm not seeing it. Maybe because I had him set a station as home and keep siphoning off the funds...

[TimberWolf]

The UT's will only buy jump drives and fighter drones in X2. In X3 they will actually upgrade the ship itself over time.

What fighter are you using as your personal ship? If you have almost any M3 you can handle most assasination missions until you get a high combat rank. When you start seeing more than one M6 you should then consider getting an M6 for yourself.

Sector patrols: I am currently using an Argon M6 to patrol Elena's Fortune and my Teladi M6 to patrol Presidents End. So far I have had no attacks and my HEPT factory is almost done with its second weapon which means I will be getting a second Argon M6 to patrol another sector near by. Over all the X2 universe is much quieter than the X3 universe I am now use to.

Get a couple of sector traders going to become UT's later. I have been using them for gathering weapons and shields for my new ships. The next time I play this I will begin buying weapons and shields for a new M2, most likely will be the Split M2 and be named Xmen. It will be a while before I have the money to buy the new ship after getting another Centar and the 18 weapons and 4 125mw shields for the new M2.

I may try to get into a habit of playing each of the X games every other weekend. But trying to make money in X3 is so fun and hard.

[TimberWolf]

I did some playing last night, bought all the weapons and shields for a new M2 and got myself another M6 Centuar to do sector defence. I would have bought the M2 but I used up about half of my funds just buying the equipment.

With the need for money in mind I started to hunt for a Xenon Invasion mission. Found one in Menelaus' Paradise. I let my Titan (Lords of Steel) go and have fun destroying anything it wanted while I worked on destroying the K. No luck, the dang thing keeps running away each time it shields are almost gone. I then decide to use my Titan and again it runs faster then I can keep up until its shields recharge. From there I decide to try and take out the J that jumps in to replenish the fighters. Only problem was several fighters went and followed the K as it goes wondering off into the void faster that any of my ships. So there goes that idea.

I decide to dock and save, see whats on the boards. Well, there was another Xenon Invasion mission. So I took it, but it didn't vanish from the board. So I accepted it again, still showing on the board. Every single word was the same and by the time it vanished I had hit accept 5 times (I think). So with the idea that at least one mission will be done soon I went out and got back into my Titan. And this is what I saw:



Needless to say my frame rate was low. It was about 1:20 am and I had to go to bed. I left it like that, with all those Xenon ships floating around doing attacks on anything that moves. Now I wish I had that other M2 right now. Tempted to jump out of there and equip all of my M6's with jump drives to bring them here to help out.

My Battle Fleet Consists of:
Titan M2
Nova M3
Perseus M3
Khaak M3
Buzzard M4

My Sector Defence has:
Ospry M6
3 Centuars M6

I probably have enought equipment from captures sitting on my Mammoth to equip another Osprey or a couple of Centuars. No matter what I know at the end of all of this I will be stinking rich with that credit glitch. It will be a while before I can buy more PPC's for a third M2 because it takes so long for them to be built.

Here is a map of every sector I have stations in as of this time:


I may set up a new color to show where I have sector patrols but for now they are in and around Presidents End.

[TimberWolf]

With the horrible frame rate from all of the Xenon I went to the next system to attack their J's as they sit and wait, using my Perseus:





And this was how my money stock looked after a paycheck:



A ship in the distance, what could it be?



The ship comes into view:



A Split Python, named Xmen, flying long side with the Lords of Steel, an Argon Titan:





Currently its only equiped with PPC's. I did a quick run int a Khaak sector and found how dumb the AI really it. The Titan was to follow the Python until we got far enough way so only one Khaak M2 would engage at a time. But the reality was the Titan went into the Khaak forces head on and right into 2 Khaak M2's. Needless to say I tried to save it but ended up being destroyed myself and ended my playing for the night. Next time I will be in the Titan and set the Python to protect me.

[TimberWolf]

A gift to you all:



A note though, when I tried to repeat the victory with the Khaak Carrier it didn't turn out well. Xmen, the Split Python, went astray and left me alone in Lords of Steel, the Argon Titan, and I died. I have tried several times since to repeat the victory but each time the dumb AI moved the Xmen into a possition where it did no good or was over powered. But at least I know I have the fire power now if it is used correctly.

Next time I play I will expand on the number of stations I have in Presidents End to either produce weapons and shields or in support of the local economy to help rake in profit. I may still build fabs for the Spacefuel and Spaceweed in Elena's Fortune sine I can get free power from my SPP in Presidents End. Also it is where my Osprey is stationedwhich I can order to ignore pirates so they can buy my illegal goods.

[TimberWolf]

My Empire grows. I now have the following sectors protected by my ships:

Red Light
Home of Light
Presidents End
Elena's Fortune
Coudbase SouthEast

The following sectors have my stations and what they are for:

Red Light (Power Loop for Economy)
Presidents End (GHEPT Loop)
Elena's Fortune (Spaceweed)
Argon Prime (Hole in Economy)
Ringo Moon (Part of Red Light Power Loop)
Antigone Memorial (Hole in Economy)
Three Worlds (Hole in Economy)
Kingdom End (Hole in Economy)
Rolk's Drift (Hole in Economy)

In total I have about 33 Stations in these 9 Sectors. I have 4 Argon Centuars, 1 Teladi Osprey as my sector defenders. The Xmen and Lords of Steel are on call to Khaak problems that the SD's can't handle (which has yet to happen). I may place the Lords of Steel as SD for Ore Belt if I start building Mining Stations there to support further expansion in the region. Currently the Boron sectors are still running low on Ecells and the Argon sectors are low on food sources. I will continue to fill in these gaps as much as I can to create a base to build my funds back up. So far I have just under 10 game days done and the plot is completed.

Plans for future development: Get the core area stabalized and secured, leaving the Pirate sectors open for Pirates, except Elena's Fortune. After Argon and Boron main sectors I will push my development into the Paranid sectors to the south. Fill in any gaps in the economy there and take some of their stations to expand weapons production in Presidents End. Once done there push through Teladi core systems east of Boron sectors and then into Split core systems. Once completed there head back to the south and finish filling in the games until only the Pirate sectors and the Xenon sectors are left. Will have to look into means of servicing stations near Xenon sectors without them being attacked my enemy forces. This should keep me busy for the next year or so.


How is everyone else doing?