Wanton use of nukes and the path to galactic conquest!

[KongRudi]

Woah! Careful using this as a manual - no-one has the 'slugs luck!

I don't think it's as simple that he is just favoured by the X-gods.
I think it's just that when most people like myself fly past 10 ships, Nuklear slug probably fly past 10 ship and scan every one of them.

And when we see he manages to cap two ships with a jumpdrives intact, we think he's insanely lucky, when he actually knew about the jumpdrive before he started trying to pirate the vessel, wich alot of other people wouldn't have. :-/

[Jack Slinger]

Hello I know I dont talk much but I love reading, I read every thing and any thing and I have to say your stories are great! Anyway I've decided to join up if you'll take me.

Ship: Nova Raider
Ship Name: Under Dog
Weapons: Fill it with PAC or HEPT wich ever you prefer
Missiles: Not good at missiles so pick somthing you think will work

And yes I am a noob

[kerDajan]

I don't think it's as simple that he is just favoured by the X-gods.

You mean N-S isn't GOD? I thought we were hearing echos from within the machine

[novacatt]

Hiya Peeps,

@ N.S.......
Hiya mate,
I decided to bite the bullet & put my hand up to command one of your ships as well.......

Details:
Pilot name: NovaCatt
Race: Human (Male)
Ship: TS Super Freighter (the bigger version of the two preferably), if not, next best thing...
Weapon Loadout: B.Pac if the ship can support it, otherwise A.Pac, set to "Missile Defense"
Ship Role: Fleet Missile/Resupply Tender
Ship Name: Collier 1
Home Base: Your Missile Spettiplex when it's up & running....

That'll do me, I reckon....

Can't wait to read what happens next in this fantabulous story of yours N.S!!

Cheers & Thranx

[1muvwndr]

I don't think it's as simple that he is just favoured by the X-gods.
I think it's just that when most people like myself fly past 10 ships, Nuklear slug probably fly past 10 ship and scan every one of them.

And when we see he manages to cap two ships with a jumpdrives intact, we think he's insanely lucky, when he actually knew about the jumpdrive before he started trying to pirate the vessel, wich alot of other people wouldn't have. :-/

Well it's hard not to scan every ship (even those that you regard as friendly) when you play a game in which you can't buy ships/weaps/upgrades (except the tunings). I play such a game now and after one game day I'm still searching for a trading extension (can't even train marines remotely!). The JD is simply a mirage. And I've been pirating Argon, Split, Paranid, Yaki and Teladi (somestimes) from the start. While I have a lot of ships (some 15 superfreighters, 4 M3+, 8 M3, 2 TP, sold all non-SF TSs, M4s and M5s), I really don't have the shields and weapons to equip even the 4 M3+s.

Yeah, I think N-S's got thit by a Hammerhead-sized load of luck in at least some occasions.

[stealthhammer]

Well I guess I'll sign up myself to.

Details:
Pilot name: Sean "Hammer" stuart
Race: Argon Male
Ship:M7M (Cobra)
Weapon Loadout: Flails or hammers
Ship Role: Support
Ship Name: It's Hammer Time

I'll Also do a carrier if you have it perhaps that boran one you passed earlier....

Keep up the work nuke.

[The Invader Zim]

I want to be a marine:
Race: Argon or Split
Nickname: iBBQ
Role: Hacker

[Lord of Nothing]

Sign me up.
0.5. Pilot Name: Ba' oom
1. Ship: Thresher.
2. Name: "Peaceful Solution Not Possible".
3. Weapons: Full PPC battery (All 10) up front, all others Flak Artillery Arrays.
4. Missles: No Missles- Who needs them with that many PPC's?
5. Role: Heavy demolition/General mayhem causing.

[imperium3]

Another volunteer!

Pilot Name: John "Wee Jock" McAngus
Race: Argon
Ship: Heavy Nemesis
Name: "Aggressive Negotiations"
Weapons: Preferably PBGs front, EBCs on turrets. Or just as many PBGs as you can cram onto it.
Role: Toasting everything within reach.

[em3e3]

Many seem to be missing this part of NS' invitation:

3. Preferred weapon loadout, Main/Turrets. Being all professional piratical types naturally you will all eschew the use of PBG, space-fuel is for drinking not setting fire to.

Eschew means to 'avoid habitually', so it's not likely you'll get your ship with Plasma Burst Generators. I guessing it's because he doesn't want a bunch of ships fricasseeing* everything and everyone in sight!

It's also just as unlikely that any of you will be getting Alpha, Beta, or Gamma versions of any weapons, since they don't exist in Terran Conflict.


*probably frire, to fry (from Latin frigere, to roast, fry) + casser, to break, crack (from Latin quassare, to shake, shatter; see squash)

[Glean]

NS, are you having no problems getting your missles to fire with the auto-p attack?

I'm flying a TM and it fired missles the first few times, but now seems to never fire them even at 100%. Got plenty of missles on board, loaded, but it dosn't seem to "blink" indicating trying to fire? (only the ship I'm flying, the fighters fire as normal)

Tryed using different types of missle and no change.

[imperium3]

Many seem to be missing this part of NS' invitation:

3. Preferred weapon loadout, Main/Turrets. Being all professional piratical types naturally you will all eschew the use of PBG, space-fuel is for drinking not setting fire to.

Eschew means to 'avoid habitually', so it's not likely you'll get your ship with Plasma Burst Generators. I guessing it's because he doesn't want a bunch of ships fricasseeing* everything and everyone in sight!

It's also just as unlikely that any of you will be getting Alpha, Beta, or Gamma versions of any weapons, since they don't exist in Terran Conflict.


*probably frire, to fry (from Latin frigere, to roast, fry) + casser, to break, crack (from Latin quassare, to shake, shatter; see squash)

Oops, I did miss that. To be fair I didn't have much chance of finding it in an 88 page thread.

In that case I have a better idea...

Pilot Name: John "Wee Jock" McAngus
Race: Argon
Ship: Nova Raider
Name: "Chomp"
Weapons: 8x MDs, PRG in rear turret.
Role: Eating ships. Obviously nothing that N-S is planning on boarding.

[softweir]

The Fire percentage setting only applies to ships which are running an Attack... command, so the playership won't auto-fire while you are flying it - for that, you have to hit the launch missile key. If you are saying the playership fails to launch missiles even when it is running an attack script, then that puzzles me, I would have thought it would do.

[Megamolanius]

Well it's a thought, but I'm fairly sure going after that Python is an operation that is pretty likely to result in some substantial casualties unless it's done right, so for now I've put that one on hold while I contemplate..

For reference let me tell you how I'm taking on K's with my Panter at the moment. The ship is fitted with CIG's, no IBL's present. So in order to comfortably kill the M2 I need to use fighters. My fighter wings are organized similar to yours, even use the same color codes
Purple 4 Perseus sentinels, Blue 7 Perseus raiders, Green Susanowa raider, pirate Buzard, Scorpion

Green doesn't play a role here only used for clean-up purposes, Purple is in protect my ship mode and Blue is my personal wing controlled by hot keys and is the wing I use for initial assault. Whilst I move in towards the target Blue is in defence mode, at about 10km out I switch them towards attack my target mode. Now the biggest danger is while the fighters are flying towards the capital since at that time they aren't yet spamming Wasps so I precede the wing with a few Typhoons which do a good job keeping the turrets busy. Once the fighters get in range they take over and start spamming Wasps. I don't actively try to control Purple wing but if I get hit they will move in and add their say to the discussion.

Used this approach a number of times and haven't noticed any of the K's actively attacking one of my fighters, the Wasps do a wonderful job at turret distraction. So much so that often my Panter, which also joins into the fray, comes out without a scratch. My fighters only get hit occasionally by a stray bullet but without follow up attack no danger there.

[ZeakTanir]

*Comm channel popping up. A young mans voice begins to speak in a low, cold tone*

"Steve Kayean. I've heard about you in the underwould. I've got to say you are very interesting. My name is Zeak. Captin of the Night Hawk. Doubt you've heard of me considering i keep a low profile except to those who can either pay well or I have an interest in meeting. I have a proposition for you. I am willing to help you in whatever you need doing. My price is 10 million up front and 3 million per month for continued services. Now you may be thinking that's a bit much but my normal pay is 20 million up front and per mission plus 10 million per month for continued support. I say i'm giving you on hell of a bargin. Now before you decide let me tell you of my ship. Though I'm human I fly a Split Raptor. Armorrments are as follows:"

FAA: 1 top, 1 bottom, 2 right, 2 left
IBL: 4 back
ID: 1 top, 1 bottom
GC: 2 right, 2 left
ISR: 4 front
Missiles for reamrming fighters
Personal missiles *you choose*(never used missiles before so i will let u decide)
Hanger: (preferred ships but load what you want/have)
20 Interceptors (anti fighter gun/missile loadout. 20/25% firerate)
45 Heavy Fighters (heavy gun/missile loadout for cap ship *granted not so much they kill themselves or friendlys*. 30/40% fire rate)

"If you decide your interested or can offord me then contact me when your ready. Till then, damned fish need some bugs stomped over in Faded Dreams"
*Comm ends*

[Gold Dragon]

The Fire percentage setting only applies to ships which are running an Attack... command, so the playership won't auto-fire while you are flying it - for that, you have to hit the launch missile key. If you are saying the playership fails to launch missiles even when it is running an attack script, then that puzzles me, I would have thought it would do.

I've had the ship I'm on fire missiles without my pressing the Launch key. It's why I really HATE the auto-loading of missiles everythime you leave/re-board the ship.

[JMCorp]

I've had the ship I'm on fire missiles without my pressing the Launch key. It's why I really HATE the auto-loading of missiles everythime you leave/re-board the ship.

is that an m7m? if you have the missile turrets set to auto-attack enemies they will launch missiles without you hitting the launch key. no other ship does that in my experience.

[mrbadger]

is that an m7m? if you have the missile turrets set to auto-attack enemies they will launch missiles without you hitting the launch key. no other ship does that in my experience.

A fully loaded M7M acting as your backup in a fight, set to 'attack all enemies' is an impressive sight indeed.

[NUKLEAR-SLUG]

N-S, considering the pictures of your "complex-rows" of factories, is the placement and orientation of the respective factories done by a script?
I can't imagine getting this done by hand....

Nope, all done by hand. I'm not doing anything very technical with them, just parking them all in a row.

NS, are you having no problems getting your missles to fire with the auto-p attack?

Check it actually has them mounted. I had an M8 once that refused to fire even tho it had 200 odd Tomahawks on board. Checked weapons config and realised they weren't listed. Set them as mounted and it worked fine from then on.


Prev chapter<->Next chapter
68 - Purple Redux


Had a little bit of a close call again today down Family Njy way. The Split military forces in the area had apparently heard rumours and been anticipating trouble, but were expecting it to be a Xenon foray out of X-472. Not so it turned out as the energy signatures didn't match any known Xenon ships. They quite accurately matched those of the Khaak tho..

Brimming with bravado, after the casual dispatch of many a P, I decided not to wait for the support of the resident Raptor on station in this sector and instead went barelling into the approaching wing of four Khaak corvettes on my own with the full expectation of swatting them aside.. only to discover that Khaak Corvettes are not quite such a pushover. They might look a little flimsy, but there's a Gj of shield wrapped around that flimsy and while even a Gj doesn't last long under the abuse of quad Gauss cannons that's still a good deal more survivability than a 400Mj P. Add to that Khaak corvettes have a substantially better turret arrangement than a P, and add to that those turrets all have Kyons which just plain don't miss and the situation can rapidly reverse on the careless Shrike captain. Finally the last corvette goes down, but while normally against a similar sized P patrol I've been unlucky if I take as much as 20% shield damage, this time I'm easily down to the low 40%.

Well that's put me firmly in my place and I won't be making that mistake again. As far as Khaak corvettes go in future it's going to be a case of handle with extreme care or nuke with extreme prejudice, preferably at range.. probably the latter. For now though there's a second wave of five turned up across the sector, but I'm in no state to try and take on another three or four, let alone five, so I'm for leaving it to the Raptor to deal with. The Raptor does the job, but doesn't fare much better against them than I did and its shields are down a good deal by the time it takes out the last one.. just in time for the final wave to arrive, and that doesn't go so well..

http://dbbr17626.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/steve/68-1.gif

.. One less Raptor in the area, however it looks like I've benefitted from it. My first two IBL's, excellent! Just a small cloud of scouts and a fighter from a broken super-cluster to deal with while I hoover up the goodies and I think I'm home free. The Khaak however have other plans and drop a destroyer on top of me..

http://dbbr17626.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/steve/68-2.gif

.. Exit stage right, tout de suite!


Safely back in friendly space, with my single digit shields recharging and my heartrate returning to sub-hummingbird levels, and I'm highly inclined to stay out of any major trouble for a while, unfortunately that seems destined not to be as we've just picked up an Ares heading up thru Mi Tons Refuge. I think we'll go for this one and then go do something a little less dangerous, like go work for the Goners.

On the bright side tho it won't be me being shot at this time!



Assets
1x Shrike 'Preemptive Shrike'
1x Gannet 'Providence'
1x Elephant 'You Want It Where!?!
1x Kestrel 'Flash II'

1x Caiman 'NMMC Storage'
1x Iguana Vanguard 'Suicide Taxi Services'

10x Vulture Miner ' Miner - 01,10'
2x Vulture Super Freighter


Time: 5-15:12
Credits: 1,542,523

[Tiedyeguy]

http://dbbr17626.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/steve/68-1.gif

.. One less Raptor in the area, however it looks like I've benefitted from it. My first two IBL's, excellent!

Don't forget that PPC and the pair of FAAs! Those should add a nice boost to your dwindling cash flow or be put to use on an M2/Thresher to make more monies.