Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Attack Bomber
One of the benefits of a larger Fighter frame is the ability to modify a Strike
Craft to carry powerful directed energy payloads. The plasma bomb system draws
high-energy plasma from the Fighter's fusion torch drive and vents it into a
small magnetic containment sphere mounted aboard a direct fire missile. The
plasma venting occurs in the split second between the pilot firing the bomb and
the bomb actually leaving it's cradle. Upon impact with the target, the bomb's
containment sphere ruptures and releases the neat-fusion plasma in a single
massive burst. While the missile is unable to accurately target fast-moving
Strike Craft, it can be devastating to slower-moving Capital Ships. This
ornate and powerful weapon system leaves a Strike Craft without any room to
mount other weapons.
-Defender Sub-Systems:
Required Tech: Fighter Chassis (single-player only)
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Defender
With the need for better space superiority systems, engineers have developed a
whole new generation of targeting computer and sensor suites and combined them
into specialized Fire Control systems. These new control systems can be
adhered to gimbals mounted weapons to enable them to track and fire upon small,
fast Strike Craft.
-Cloaked Fighter(Kushan Only):
Required Tech: Fighter Chassis
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Cloaked Fighter(Kushan Only)
While researching electromagnetic ram-scoops, a Kushan scientist stumbled
across a process by which intense fields could wrap photons around an object
and render it invisible. Because the ration between the size of the field and
the mass of the generator kept the effect minimal, it was considered nothing
more than a scientific curiosity. This was until a research team discovered
that a generator large enough to emit electromagnetic fields just strong enough
to render a Fighter invisible could be mounted on a Fighter chassis.
-Defense Fighter(Taiidan Only):
Required Tech: Fighter Chassis
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Defense Fighter
Exploiting the Fighter frame even further, Taiidan scientists were able to
produce a design capable of supporting the large dome Array mounting which
makes the Defense Laser possible.
-Corvette Drive:
Required Tech: Nothing
Leads to: Corvette Chassis
Needed for: Light Corvette, Salvage Corvette, Multi-Gun Corvette, Heavy
Corvette, Minelayer Corvette
This improvement to the Fighter Drive trades mass for power. While far to big
to wrap a Fighter around, this new drive is perfect for the Corvette class of
ships. The higher power output allows for heavier weapon systems and powered
turrets. Unfortunately, despite a higher degree of fusion efficiency, these
drives still require reaction mass to be injected into the fusion torch and
must be refueled regularly.
-Corvette Chassis:
Required Tech: Corvette Drive
Leads to: Heavy Corvette Upgrade, Fast Tracking Turrets, Minelaying Tech
Needed for: Light Corvette, Salvage Corvette, Heavy Corvette, Multi-Gun
Corvette, Minelayer Corvette
With an improved engine, engineers were quickly able to expand their initial
large utility hulls into a full-fledged combat chassis. This new generation of
Strike Craft had large crew areas with multiple control stations which would
open the door for heavy, multi-role Strike Craft with full turret capabilities
and superior composite armor plating.
-Heavy Corvette Upgrade:
Required Tech: Corvette Chassis
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Heavy Corvette
This breakthrough represents the pinnacle of corvette class design and
technology. The achievement here is beefing up the structural strength of the
Corvette hull with advanced components and EM field couplers so it can handle
the stress of carrying a second heavy turret. Advancements in ablative armor
techniques are the final part of an upgrade package that creates the most
powerful Strike Craft in existence.
-Fast-Tracking Turrets:
Required Tech: Corvette Chassis
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Multi-Gun Corvette
IN an attempt to further increase fleet defense against high speed Fighter
attacks, breakthroughs were made in both computerized and high-speed magnetic
couplings. Engineers combined these into a new series of fast-tracking turrets
that can be mounted in multiple configurations on hulls as small as Corvettes.
This ability to track multiple targets and engage them with separate turrets
has allowed the creation of small gunships that can serve effectively in the
anti-Fighter role.
-Minelaying Tech:
Required Tech: Corvette Chassis
Leads to: Nothing
Needed for: Minelayer Corvette
When scientists tried applying plasma bomb launcher technology to the larger
Corvette hulls, they accessed a more powerful fusion drive that allowed them to
experiment with the size of the plasma bomb containment field and new
deployment methods. The development of super-dense plasma injectors made it
possible to create a mine dispenser that would fir inside a Corvette hull and
still be able to produce dozens of small plasma warheads designed to detonate
on or near contact with enemy hulls. With this technology, it's possible to
create minefields around the Mothership at a moment's notice.
-Capital Ship Drive Drive:
Required Tech: Nothing
Leads to: Capital Ship Chassis
Needed for: Assault Frigate, Ion Cannon Frigate, Drone Frigate, Defense Field
Frigate, Support Frigate, Gravwell Generator, Cloak Generator, Resource
Controller
The advances in Strike Craft drives soon made it obvious that the next step in
ship engineering should be drives large enough to achieve self-sustaining
fusion torches while accelerating high mass vessels to combat speeds. The
capital ship drive finally allows for vessels that do not require refueling.
-Capital Ship Chassis:
Required Tech: Capital Ship Drive
Leads to: Ion Cannons, Super capital Ship Drive, Super Heavy Chassis, Gravity
Generator, Cloak Generator
Needed for: Ion Cannon Frigate, Drone Frigate, Defense Field Frigate
The new heavy drives require a whole new hull technology based on heavily
reinforced alloy skeleton that can bear the stress of multi-level decking and
heavy weapon mounts. The groundwork had been laid to design the ship's spine
to incorporate theoretically very heavy beam weapons. This breakthrough can be
adapted to several special purpose designs as well as the creation of Frigate
class warships. Scientists believe that this chassis could lead to even more
massive ship designs.
**************************
Section 6: Battle Strategy:
[Some of the data contained here contradicts what I said above. This data
takes precedence, but only for where it's mentioned.]
**********
01-Kharak:
=Mission Objectives:
-Construct Research Ship
-Harvest Asteroids
-Destroy Target Drones using a formation
-Destroy Target Drones using tactics
-Capture the Target Drone using a Salvage Corvette
=Secondary Objectives:
-Research Fighter Chassis
This stage is basically training mode in the single player. First, it gives
you a cut scene showing basically what's talked about in the first few pages of
the manual. Then it goes through the Mothership disembarking from the
Scaffold. After that, you finally get control of the game.
Start by commanding the Resource Collector to Harvest the asteroids. While
it's doing that, build a Research Ship, and get your Scouts in a formation.
When Fleet Intelligence pops up again and tells you to destroy the Target
Drones using a formation, go out there and get them.
By now, your Research Ship should be done building. Research the Fighter
Chassis, then when it's finished, research the Corvette Drive. Sometime in
there, Fleet Intelligence will order you to use tactics to destroy Target
Drones using tactics. Give them Evasive so they don't run into the Drones
(it's happened to me before) and destroy the Drones. While the Scouts are out
making scrap metal, build a Salvage Corvette.
Now, hopefully you've at least finished researching the Fighter Chassis.
Research the Corvette Drive now to save time later, then use the Salvage
Corvette you built to capture the last Target Drone. After that, you'll be
allowed to Hyperspace to the next level. Make sure the Corvette Drive Research
is complete, then click the button.
******************************
02-Outskirts of Kharak System:
=Mission Objectives:
-Send probe to the Khar-Selim
-Protect the Mothership
-Salvage the Khar-Selim
-Defend salvage team
-Defend the Mothership
-Destroy the attacking force
=Secondary Objectives:
-Investigate large power signature
Your first real fight. Tell your Resource Collector to Harvest. Retire all
your Scouts, and build 15 Interceptors. Group the Interceptors, put them in
Sphere formation, and give them the Aggressive tactics. Research the Corvette
Chassis. Now, wait for the Resource Collector to get to the Khar-Selim as your
probe. It'll trigger a cut scene, which leaves you with an alien force
attacking the Mothership. Order your Interceptors to attack them, and the
attackers will get crushed easily.
When the enemies retreat, dock all your fighters and wait for the Resource
Collector to return(Note: there is an unharvestable asteroid near the
Khar-Selim. Don't worry about not getting it (the attackers totally forgot
about the collector, so it shouldn't be damaged)). By now, the Corvette
Chassis research should be complete or close to it, so research the Heavy
Corvette Upgrade when it's done.
Launch your Fighters and your Salvage Corvette. Make sure the Interceptors
have been ordered to guard the Salvage Corvette in Sphere formation, then put
the Interceptors in Aggressive. Fly the Salvage Corvette over to the
Khar-Selim, and have it Salvage the biggest piece of wreckage.
Now, some more enemy Fighters and Corvettes will attack your Salvage
Corvette. When it's done Salvaging the Khar-Selim, tell the Salvage Corvette
to dock with the Mothership. While it's going there, the Interceptors will
fire on the enemy attackers, destroying them before they can attack the Salvage
Corvette.
Once your Salvage Corvette begins to dock with the Mothership, have your
Interceptors abandon the Salvage Corvette and attack the pursuing fighters and
corvettes. When the Salvage Corvette docks, another cut scene will play,
showing the sound of the destruction of the Khar-Selim. The video will just be
the wreckage you've already seen.
Continue whacking the Fighters around close to the Mothership. After a
while, Fleet Intelligence will enter the scene with his obnoxious attitude,
informing you that he has detected a large power signature nearby. You don't
need to do much to investigate it. Just whack the enemies as fast as you can
the second you see them, and you'll end up fighting further away from the
Mothership... And further...
You'll see a Carrier, the source of the large power signature, if you've been
whacking enemies fast enough and headed straight for them the second you saw
them. Don't even try to attack it, it'll cut you to pieces. It's got two ion
cannons and a few accurate turrets. Stay a fair distance away, and keep
destroying Fighters.
Anyway, after a while, they'll get tired of being killed and they'll retreat.
Dock your Fighters to repair and refuel, and build Salvage Corvettes until you
have 8 total. You'll use them.
Make sure all the research is completed, and make sure your launch bays
AREN'T set to 'Stay Docked'. You need the Fighters to scramble as soon as they
can. When you're ready, click the Hyperspace button to Return to Kharak.
Bug: Yes, there is a bug on this level, but it's rather useless. You can
finish off the Investigate Large Power Signature objective without it ever
appearing. To do it, when your Salvage Corvette docks with the Mothership with
the mission data recorder and returns it, hit the space bar to go into the
Sensors Manager in the middle of the scene which follows. Hit it again to
return the view to the Khar-Selim, but now you can use all your usual functions
of camera zooms. Anyway, look up, and try to Alt focus on a enemy ship. Look
around, and you'll see the carrier. Fleet Intelligence will blurt out the
obvious, and you'll never have a Secondary Objectives list for the rest of the
mission. I doubt that's even a bug, now that I think of it.
********************
03-Return to Kharak:
=Mission Objectives:
-Defend cyro trays
-Capture enemy ship using 2 Salvage Corvettes
-Salvage cryo trays
Hopefully, your Fighters will exit the Mothership as soon as it's finished
exiting Hyperspace. You'll immediately notice Kharak is a cinder. Only this
time, Fleet Command blurts out the obvious. As soon as the cut scene starts,
exit it by pressing the space bar, then get back out of the sensors manager and
Alt focus on a cryo tray. Now, some enemy ships will start firing on a cryo
tray. Move your 8 Salvage Corvettes halfway between the enemies and the
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