Squiddy McSquids possibly short life - {Possible spoilers inside}

[Arcturas]

Someone should mod in a Killed Princess counter at the stat screen

There are better things you could do with a princess then killing her.

I find alien princesses to be a murky subject, I wouldn't be confortable wooing a Boron princess with that many tentacles. I'm afraid they'd get creative.

hrmm... some odd japanese animation comes to mind

[Creston]

Hurrah for Squiddy! This has to be my favorite X thread ever. Well done to you, good sir.

Egosoft should link to this thread when they advertise the game. Turn it into a nice linky on the main site, and it'll sell 10,000 copies.

I have to admit, your Dead is Dead scenario has really made a massive strategic difference in the way you play (or at least, in the way you play vs the way I play.) There were plenty of times where my mind immediately went "reload", and to be honest, that's kind of sad.

I was bored with my current M2 + 6 Heavy Centaur as a wing game, so I think I'll start a similar scenario to yours.

Thanks for the entertainment, Nuklear Slug.

[Necrosexual]

I'm nearing or am past my twentieth try. but I'm getting better today I fought off the urge to kill a split dragon(after i killed the first one+escorts with a nuke). The desire to live prevailed and i fled the scene before that second dragon decided to show me what the blast radius on his firestorm torpedo was.

[zenbuda]

Thanks for the story it makes not being able to play TC much more enjoyable. KUDOS on FAT BOY

Personally I love the Elephant its like a big fat fighter that can deploy fighters too. You can just imagine the freighter captains go 'WTF!!' when you jump in and hit boost up to top speed.

[GCU Grey Area]

logic would also dictate that all enemies, when overpowered would attempt emergency jumps.

This sometimes happens - e.g currently trying to capture a Deimos. My drones have been launched, its shields are <5% & every time my marines get close ('approaching target'), the damn thing jumps away. Done it twice now When I found it the second time it had even reset its IFF system (it was blue), presumably in the hopes I wouldn't notice it while it sneaked past. Time to collect up the drones & marines (again) - it's got to run out of jumpdrive fuel sooner or later...

[Teebor]

I found a good method when taking the Deimos was to wait for it to pass through a gate on its journey and have several M6's ready to strip the shilelds on the other side.

I sat the M6's just below and behind the gate ready for attack.

Deimos came through, stripped its shields and landed the marines before the first of its escorts came through, never knew what hit them.

Once the escorts were picked off the Deimos was left alone for the marines to move in.

Nice thing with the Deimos I took was that the shields did not recharge fast enough to go from 0% to 10% in the time it took the marines to land.

[JoeVN09]

What next, Squiddy?

This is so getting a *BUMP*

[Tenlar Scarflame]

Here's a tip you might enjoy. Want a bucketload of cash really fast? Chase down a weapons transporter. I just persuaded a Paranid transport to relinquish its 9 plasma burst generators to me, plus a freighterload of missiles. From broke to millionaire in one go!

[NUKLEAR-SLUG]

Thinking it would be a grand idea to outfit my new HCP's with weapons and shields and even grander if I didn't have to pay for them I jumped my entire fleet (2xM7M, 2xHCP, Scavenger TS) into Nopileos Memorial and setup halfway between the centre of the sector while I headed in to scan traders for stealable things. There was a Pirate Carrack wandering back and forth between the east/west gates flakking eveything in sight and generally making a right old racket but for some reason or other the pirates seem to be back on friendly terms with me just lately so he wasn't a concern, just bloody noisy. I'm guessing the vast amount of cash I've been funnelling into pirate training programs may have boosted my rep with them some.

Anyways, we're all ok for a while, I'm busy doing things of a piratical nature, I've even got a couple freighters to bail, when I suddenly notice a bunch of red dots on my gravidar. Now they're not the odd red dot of Split traders in the trade lane, these red dots are way off to the side. With the distinct impression this is unlikely to be a good thing and/or that general feeling of impending doom I bring up the sector map and yep, there's a P and flurry a Xenon fighters coming up thru the south gate and heading right for my practically unarmed and undershielded fleet. And I don't think they're looking to be friends.

Now you'ld probably rightly say it's my own fault for setting up on the doorstep of a Xenon sector but in my defence I'ld like to say that in all the time I've spent pirating in this sector not once since day one have I seen so much as a single, solitary N come thru that gate, much less a complete P task force. It seemed fairly safe to me. Well they're here now and while my personal desire would be to RSLG my very expensive and hard won fleet will get totally shredded if I do. Looks like I'm going to have to fight my way out of this one.

Short-jumping to the south gate I start dumping missiles at everything in sight and go straight for the P since that is currently the biggest threat. By this point there's a fairly sizeable amount of fighters around me. I'm not quite sure how many but a quick sector check shows lots, ranging from LX down to N. The P evidently doesn't like being prodded with Wasps and turns to engage me which suits me fine. The fighters have found me by now and and as we close to firing range I'm taking light PBE fire as I open up and take him out in one pass.

A quick look behind me and I'm really not liking how many Xenon I can see, especially since they seem to like packing PBE these days. Fortunately I do still have a trick up my sleeve in my M7M's. I've tested the Flail individually before just to see what they do but I've never actually tried the volley-fire command as I've never had enough missiles to be able to waste testing it. Well if ever there was a time to test run it I'm thinking now would probably be it so I get 'Shoot First' to target an M and 'Ask Questions Later' to target another and tell them to have fun. Meantime the M/N/s are all over me by now and my 800Mj is depleting at an alarming rate so I emergency jump to the south gate again..

Arriving at the jumpgate with around 18% shield left I'm greeted by the beautiful sight of a mass of twirling yellow swarm missiles streaking out from my M7M's towards the enemy. The good thing about the Flail is it's self-targeting so as soon as the first Xenon goes down they'll reacquire a new target and chase that down. I'm not sure how many my M7M's accounted for and how many went down to me sat at the gate hurling Dragonflies at anything that moved but the rest of the Xenon fighters went down pretty fast and aside from an LX and a couple L I had to chase down that was job done.

Unfortunately that's my entire stock of Flails expended and my M7M's are now completely toothless, but given I could so easily have lost both HCP's I think I got off lightly. Learnt my lesson too.. I'll be setting up piracy ops on the OTHER side of the trade lane in future..

Deciding that was enough trauma for one day I headed down to my Hub loop which, after much deliberation and in a spasm of creative genius, I've decided to call 'Hub Loop' and did some admin work organising freighters. I've split it into two seperate loops, one for Teladianium and one for Ore since I might as well get a headstart on the ore production being as that Boron git wants 450,000 units of the stuff.

While I'm there I notice a 'Paranid Employee Shuttle' on my Gravidar which is odd because a) I've set my stations to not trade with anyone else and b) this is an unknown sector so there's no other reason he should be visiting. Being the curious type I wander over to see what he's up to and apparently he's decided he wants to dock at my power loop. Well I've decided no he's not but, I wouldn't mind another TP. Explaining to the captain why I'ld like to borrow his Hermes until say, the end of time, it appears he can't fault my argument and graciously hands it over.. and what do you think I find when I check in his hold..?

http://dbbr17626.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/slaves.jpg

.. I reckon that just solved my Merc problem.


Total Assets:
1x HCP 'Thunderchild'
4x 200Mj shield
6x HEPT, 2x PBG, 3x PBE, 3x ION-D

1x HCP 'Walk Softly'
1x HCP 'Big Stick'
1x M7M Minotaur 'Shoot First'
1x M7M Minotaur 'Ask Questions Later'
1x Elephant 'Fatboy'
1x Zephyras TM
1x Medusa 'Questionable Ethics'
1x Blastclaw
3x Blastclaw Prototype
3x Caiman SF - L
2x Caiman SF - S
1x Caiman Hauler 'Logistical Support'
1x Caiman Miner 'Red Dwarf'
1x Toucan Hauler 'Training - 01'
2x Hermes
1x Express 'Carjacker'
100,000cr

[Random_Guy]

[translator=binary]
Assaulting the Boron is not advised. Studies have not yet been completed and the sudden termination of the subject would render all examination thus far to be useless. Official request to CPU Sub-Core 101 to cease all aggression against the Boron for the purpose of continued study. Additionally, the specimen appears to have a masterful command of his ship, empire, and "luck" to the extent to which any aggression against it or its property is futile. In the event that the subject is to be terminated, a full battle fleet will be dispatched to resolve the issue.

The recent skirmish has yielded favorable results for the ongoing examination. The creature's movement patterns are being analyzed by CPU Core 023 and valuable information has already been gleaned from the observations. Upon the completion of the analysis, an estimated 7% increase of efficiency in battle tactics is to be expected.

The Boron has also secured a Paranid transport which was at maximum capacity. Behavioral analysis dictates that these creatures will soon be pressed into the Boron's personal marine force.

Examination of the subject will continue until this unit is recalled.
[/translator]

[Legionnaire]

Squiddy goes from Strength to Strength, each adventure seems to out-do the last, and while ive not posted before ive been an avid reader of the Chronicles of squiddy since day 1, and would happily buy a book if it was printed up

Legionnaire

[western]

Re the TP - You jammy b*st*rd!

[jordan kirwan]

hmmm.........
those passengers belong to the "Lar Unuru" race?
those poor workers signed up to work at a energy complex only to be kidnapped and turned into marines :rolf:

[Creston]

What the heck is Lar Unuur??



Oh, and Xenon would never quantify anything as "luck".

Creston

[MegaJohnny]

What the heck is Lar Unuur??



Oh, and Xenon would never quantify anything as "luck".

Creston

Judging from their fighter armory they certainly don't leave their bullets hitting to chance...

[Squishee]

What the heck is Lar Unuur?

Default character name for the boring boron start

[KiwiNZ]

Mercs on a platter.

I have never used flails myself but it sounds they do a very nice job.

[Random_Guy]

Oh, and Xenon would never quantify anything as "luck".

You also can't truly study "luck". It is an element observed to be present in all asects of existance and the Xenon are attempting to assimilate it as to take full advantage of it themselves. Obviously, if they really understood what "luck" is, they wouldn't be trying to study it . They are using the designation for the same reason they call a Boron a Boron and a Paranid a Paranid. They have realized that it exists and are referring to it by the word that is associated with the concept in their futile attempt to understand and assimilate it.

I suppose they might figure it out eventually .

As a note from me, Go Squiddy!!! Now that you've seen what those Flails can do you should really consider scratching together enough dough to make a complex for them.

[Tenlar Scarflame]

Paranid employees? Probably off to a meeting. Just imagine listening to your Paranid boss lecturing about stock figures and business analysis for hours. You probably did them all a huge favor.

At least, that's what I'd tell myself.

On a different note, here's a hair-raising sight for anyone who's playing dead-is-dead: I was coasting through Nyana's a little while ago and saw a bunch of red light up in front of me, with the accompanying flash of a gateless jumpdrive. My concern quadruples when I see that it's three Kha'ak carriers and (I'm not making this up) SEVENTEEN CLUSTERS. ALL BIG ONES. I got a whole slew of screenshots as the clusters started to break and swamp a space fuel distillery. It's one thing to see 200+ purple gnats spread out over a whole sector, but when they're all converging on the same target, it's quite a spectacle.

[gamer993]

Paranid employees? Probably off to a meeting. Just imagine listening to your Paranid boss lecturing about stock figures and business analysis for hours. You probably did them all a huge favor.

At least, that's what I'd tell myself.

On a different note, here's a hair-raising sight for anyone who's playing dead-is-dead: I was coasting through Nyana's a little while ago and saw a bunch of red light up in front of me, with the accompanying flash of a gateless jumpdrive. My concern quadruples when I see that it's three Kha'ak carriers and (I'm not making this up) SEVENTEEN CLUSTERS. ALL BIG ONES. I got a whole slew of screenshots as the clusters started to break and swamp a space fuel distillery. It's one thing to see 200+ purple gnats spread out over a whole sector, but when they're all
converging on the same target, it's quite a spectacle.

post some screenshots! I bet that was cool to see. i haven't seen a khaak invasion yet.

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