<gulp> Another fine mess you've gotten me into...

[dpm_dpmartin]

So, here's how Critical Mass dumped me into one of my custom missions... "Hyper! Hyper!" - the idea being that you've been asleep at the wheel of your interstellar craft while shepherding some water tankers and suchlike and suddenly, loads of Merikon scum have hypered in and taken your fleet completely by surprise... I sure was surprised when I found myself in a love-clinch with these three big fellas...

This is all prior to turn 1:


You can get the mission from here if you're interested. How would you go about working your way out of this one?

I did a sharp left while firing 4 Daycorns, then ended up with some more Daycorns in my rear... before getting a bit scared, pressing CTRL-H, circling and firing at whatever I could get a shot at before hot chocolate at bedtime.

[Old Man Johnson]

I'd probably try to shoot in between the 2 in front, so the Daycorns from behind hit them, and hopefully they might also crash. I don't think there's a way to beat these guys with only Daycorns and Drachans, though.

More than that, your taskbar has tons of icons on it...lol

[Fuzzy Wonky]

Well, three big bandits for you alone... BTW they are Ryckurns, not Merikons.
1) I think you were right to make it sharp on the left (one more bandit at 4.00...). That should have you avoid most of the plectrons (not the daycorn though), leaving them for... your follower. The Warriors in front of your ship will have a hard time following you (one may succeed, not both IMO); they will have to face some fellow missils from the third Warrior) and they're left each with only one missil to fire next turn (there are only four launchers on Warriors). Of course the third one will go on firing... as there is no doubt it will cling to your tail (it is better than you as both turn and thrust are concerned).
2) OMJ is right on this: much too many daycorns on such a ship... Never go out without a minimum 10 plectrons (at the very least geenees or olriks). All daycorns can do is give Warriors a good laugh ("Come on, guys, it's only a scratch... Let's get him! ")
3) Ctrl+H was of course the second thing to do (just after selecting "Attack at will")

Did I tell you I hate Zyans anyway?
Fuzzy

[dpm_dpmartin]

He's my dog-fighter... and I'm building him to a budget - normally I have 10 Plectrons as suggested. I've always been a big Daycorn fan though, yet I am starting to experiment with others... hence all my Whities as well. I went with Blueies for a while, but didn't like them. Orangies = no too. Light-Blueies, sure - in the right circumstances.

[Old Man Johnson]

For my dogfighters I usually just take no more than 20 Daycorns, usually less (like 10 or 15). Since Plectrons are so damn powerful they end most fights quickly (or at least more quickly). Also, they're cost effective; assuming you hit with most of them, the firepower-to-cost ratio is satisfyingly....er, would it be low or high? Low?

[dpm_dpmartin]

Often, at the beginning of Major Engagement or Attack Enemy Planet missions, where I'm at the head of my big fleet wedge, I will fire off 5, sometimes 10, Plectrons into the darkness, in the middle of a very minor shift (or two) in trajectory, so I get a wave of purple death spreading out in front of me...

...then I wait, while moving forward...

...often, there is silence for a while, then before "Contact", you hear a boom or two... and you've destroyed a Drone, maybe a Lynx or given some real bad damage to a Whirlwind etc..

Sometimes there is nothing... but there's more often something than nothing. It's not skill, it's luck... it's being prodigal with ordnance, but - so what? It's not like I personally get charged for it or anything.

[dpm_dpmartin]

Another fine starting position you've got me into...



Solution, sharp left again, hit the Frigate on the nose a couple of times and take out the Ultra Drone completely. Sometimes I think they don't like me.