Claiming Silent Witness XII

[akeelah]

This time (in Scale Plate Green I), Sector ownership status didn't change when construction began on the first player-owned Admin Center, but when it was completed.

Perhaps the behavior is different when the Sector is owned vs. not owned when construction begins on the first player-owned Admin Center


Not yet contested:
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Contested:
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[ei8htx]

:\ Maybe you can only "contest" a system with a fully complete admin module, but only need to start building in an uncontested one to immediately claim?

As you've seen, appears a little buggy. Back around 1.6 there's the bug where you have to build the admin module first, too (but appears you're on top of that).

[akeelah]

The Scale Plate Green System is finally... well, green.


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After destroying the last visible station in SCP I (the Xenon Wharf), sector ownership remained 'contested'. I assumed there were still additional stations just out of view, so I dispatched a few scouts to find them and went about my business elsewhere. Some time later (15 - 20 minutes?), I returned to Map to issue more search instructions to a scout ship when suddenly and without warning, SCP I turned green before my eyes. No new stations discovered, let alone destroyed. I had recently saved, so I reloaded and watched carefully in the map view at around the same time. Same thing happened. But this time I noticed the sector changed from 'contested' to player-owned at exactly the same time the grey icon of the last Xenon Defense Station to be destroyed disappeared from the map. Go figure.

SCP VII was much simpler. After the only visible Xenon Defense Station was destroyed, the sector instantly switched to 'unowned'. After construction was completed on the Admin Center of a new player-owned station, the sector instantly turned green and switched to player-owned.

So, it would appear that the sector-ownership transition (in v1.60, anyway) is sometimes delayed for some reason, but otherwise seems to work as advertised.

[ei8htx]

Nice! SCP 1 is the last holdout I got (aside from #79B, which I'm keeping around as a Xenon zoo of sorts).

Been battling invincible, destroyed stations for days. Keep hoping my patrol craft will eventually be able to destroy whatever's left.

[Sir Warwick]

On the other hand, if the sector is owned, say by the Xenon, you have to kill ALL of their stations to own the sector. Even partially built stations (e.g. just the build module) still owned by the Xenon would deny ownership to anyone claiming the sector. And this is a bug that need to be fixed.

When I 'took over' Silent Witness 1 from the Argon, I did so by building a base with a couple of admin centers and carrying out a surgical minor terrorist action on the existing argon defence platform to blow up its admin center only (using mines). This only annoyed the local station security who eventually noticed me damaging the station, came to winge at me and investigate and got caught up in the explosion of the final set of mines, so I never heard from them again before the sector was mine. It may have caused a minor rep loss (cant remember), but otherwise seemed to go unnoticed and now argon seem to be a happy rep 30 trading partner as they were before my minor act of sabotage.


The problem I find with some Xenon stations is it appears some cannot cannot be destroyed at all. Some seem utterly impervious to damage (You would expect 40 maxed behemoth destroyer to at least put a scratch on after an hour of blasting away). Others get to near zero hull and just wont die which is very annoying as they attract the attention of all of your ships on attack targets in range so they just get shot at trying to kill and unkillable station while hoards of khark get magically spawned in around them in waves so you have to keep repeatedly do remove order and wait, attack targets in range until they get around to noticing the enemy ships and attacking them. Pretty useless really....

[akeelah]

On the other hand, if the sector is owned, say by the Xenon, you have to kill ALL of their stations to own the sector. Even partially built stations (e.g. just the build module) still owned by the Xenon would deny ownership to anyone claiming the sector. And this is a bug that need to be fixed.

When I 'took over' Silent Witness 1 from the Argon, I did so by building a base with a couple of admin centers and carrying out a surgical minor terrorist action on the existing argon defence platform to blow up its admin center only (using mines). This only annoyed the local station security who eventually noticed me damaging the station, came to winge at me and investigate and got caught up in the explosion of the final set of mines, so I never heard from them again before the sector was mine. It may have caused a minor rep loss (cant remember), but otherwise seemed to go unnoticed and now argon seem to be a happy rep 30 trading partner as they were before my minor act of sabotage.

Ha! You and @ei8htx both, then! I've tried it several times. Destroying the Argon's Admin Center is no problem. But it rebuilds itself in under 6 minutes. And sector ownership does not change when it's destroyed, either. I've tried it with and without first building an Admin Center of my own. I plan to go back and try again, but I got sidetracked taking over the Scale Plate Green System. Having completed that task, I'm now sidetracked on tweaking Station Trader scripts...

For the record:

• What version were you playing when you succeeded in taking over SW I? I'm still on v1.60.
• Did sector ownership switch to you immediately upon destruction of their Admin Center, or was it delayed?
• Have they rebuilt their Admin Center?

The problem I find with some Xenon stations is it appears some cannot cannot be destroyed at all. Some seem utterly impervious to damage (You would expect 40 maxed behemoth destroyer to at least put a scratch on after an hour of blasting away). Others get to near zero hull and just wont die which is very annoying as they attract the attention of all of your ships on attack targets in range so they just get shot at trying to kill and unkillable station while hoards of khark get magically spawned in around them in waves so you have to keep repeatedly do remove order and wait, attack targets in range until they get around to noticing the enemy ships and attacking them. Pretty useless really....

I've encountered two distinct versions of that problem:

In the first one, the station was decidedly not indestructible, but initially appeared that way. It was the Xenon Shipyard just south of the gates in Scale Plate Green I. Since the time I first discovered the Sector near the beginning of my game, the Teladi had been pounding away at it mercilessly. It was down to 0% hull and shields, but wouldn't die. I didn't care up until very recently. Nearly 9 game-days later, the Teladi were still pounding it and still failing to kill it.

Based on info found here, I discovered that there were two turrets the Teladi hand't killed. They were not visible, but I discovered them by using the Object List trick and firing into space, amongst the station wreckage. When I finally did hit one, it became outlined in white making it easy to stay on target and finish it off. The fact that they survived when their parent station module was destroyed is clearly a bug. But I think the fact that the Teladi couldn't destroy them had more to do with being shielded from Teladi fire by the station wreckage around them. I had to maneuver around to finally get shots past the wreckage and land on target. Once I did that (twice, as there were two such remaining turrets), the parent module became visible for a brief second before exploding once and for all. The station is now well and truly gone.


In the second case, the station appeared in Scale Plate Green I well after I had taken ownership. It's visible in the screen shot posted above, southwest of my Defense Station. There is actually no station there; construction has been ordered but not started. I feel sure this station is indeed destructible, if I was willing to put in the effort (as described in this thread). But it will likely just respawn. I've decided to leave it for now, since it's harmless.

[Sir Warwick]

Re taking over silent witness 1 - I just built two admin centers in my ship yard (and let them complete building) before engaging in the minor act of sabotage.
Sector was mine as soon as the argon admin center module was trashed. I was careful to only damage that module and nothing else, though I did over do it a bit on the last lot and nearly took my own ship out as well - 5 mines in one go is probably too much

Yes they did rebuild, but as I put two admin centers in my shipyard, then I guess it was too little too late

Re indestructable bases - I wasnt actually in sector at the time (other stupid issues are keeping me out of the cockpit - in particular that very very annoying pop comms dialog that keeps appearing in the middle of the screen whenever I get close to an enemy - like I really want to talk by that stage? just want them dead - no pleasantaries!)

I had no trouble destroying their warfs, though considering the number of destroyers and bomber and corvettes I had pounding away at them, it seemed to take a ridiculously long time. I find it annoying you do not appear to be able to also completely destroy (into nothing) the build anchors for the defence platforms - I have certainly made them temporarily unusable by destroying the storage and docks and basically everything, but the icon remains and eventually get repaired start building the defence platform again. With the Khark is seems a bity pointless anyway as even after having destroyed everything of theirs (into grey icons at least) there are still endless timed waves of them spawning in around which is a bit lame.

TBH - this whole part of the game seems very buggy at the moment - left over turrets or whatever being one cause, that sector owners seem to take no action whatsoever against invaders building defence platforms - there is one sector that has loads from HOP ANT and ARG in it. The teladi have built loads in a Xenon sector that seem to get ignored and likewise there are loads of Xenon defence platforms scattered around that the local seem to care nothing about. So for now I am leaving it until there is some hint that this lot has been revisited and fixed - sadly with all the other issues getting in the way that doesnt really leave much left at all...