Space Engineers vs Empyrion: Galactic Survival - Sidewinder Edition
- Thread starter Darkfyre99
- Start date
And now, SE-Squared, round fourteen! There's a whole lot of construction going on!
The first thing I did upon starting round fourteen, is reverse the rotation of the solar panels. I wanted to get them roughly back into alignment. Thankfully, I had previously made it very easy for me to do. I still need to put some detail work on this thing, though.
Sadly, I forgot to reset the direction until it was too late. Oops!
I then decided to complete construction of the hanger. Its current girders aren't much insurance against lightning strikes, and for that I needed more iron. I also wanted to add two more wind turbines to the base.
On the return, my completely planned drift past the smaller hanger to the base gave me an opportunity to snap a quick shot of the Sidewinder in its hanger.
I then got to work on the roof and sides of the hanger. I was going to make the roof solid, but I decided I wanted some sky lights.
As sunset approached, I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to reset the solar panels.
I hurried outside, expecting the worst, when I saw this:
They were almost spot on. Which was quite a relief. Gross adjustments to their orientation is far too fiddly for my tastes.
Disaster averted, and my hanger protected by strong iron walls on four sides, I returned to construction of the Sidewinder. First things first, before relocating the main thrusters and the fuel tanks, I wanted to secure the fuel lines and Mav Clusters to the side of the ship. Which would require completing them first. So I did.
That done, I reached the point of any build where I got tired relying solely on my suit's built in flashlight for illumination. So I installed some lights throughout the base. I must say, SE's artificial underground darkness does make for some dramatic lighting.
Inevitably, I ran out of iron again. Fortunately, there was plenty more iron nearby. It's the main reason why I decided this was a best location for the main base... after realizing my initial choice was a poor one. Good thing I realized my mistake before construction really started.
Thruster Clusters secure, I finally moved the hydrogen tanks and main thrusters. Which I forgot to take a screen shot of. Instead, you get a screen shot of me welding the fuel lines.
Fuel lines complete, I decided it was time to complete the back of the Sidewinder. At one point, in preparation for the Main Engine/Fuel tank move, I'd installed the door to the Sidewinder. The actual door is thankfully three blocks wide. I probably should’ve checked that before committing to it right away.
Looking at the roof from that angle, I'll want to add a few more blocks. I prefer smoother transitions with the terrain. The “roots” sticking out may annoy me in the future too.
After that, I moved on to adding the ship’s power management system. I’m planning on adding a reactor for power, but in the meantime, I’ll have to get by with batteries. I’m installing four to start with, two on each side, but there’s room for four more between the fuel lines.
About that time, I needed to make a third iron run. Once again, I deliberately drifted past the entrance, so I could check how the solar panel alignment was going. It looked pretty good.
I finished the last of the batteries, then went outside togreet
Next on my agenda for SE-squared: installing the floor and sides of the Sidewinder, including the cockpit.
But first, coming up in EGS:SE - it’s time to see what it’ll take to complete the Sidewinder in that game.
The first thing I did upon starting round fourteen, is reverse the rotation of the solar panels. I wanted to get them roughly back into alignment. Thankfully, I had previously made it very easy for me to do. I still need to put some detail work on this thing, though.
Sadly, I forgot to reset the direction until it was too late. Oops!
I then decided to complete construction of the hanger. Its current girders aren't much insurance against lightning strikes, and for that I needed more iron. I also wanted to add two more wind turbines to the base.
On the return, my completely planned drift past the smaller hanger to the base gave me an opportunity to snap a quick shot of the Sidewinder in its hanger.
I then got to work on the roof and sides of the hanger. I was going to make the roof solid, but I decided I wanted some sky lights.
As sunset approached, I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to reset the solar panels.
I hurried outside, expecting the worst, when I saw this:They were almost spot on. Which was quite a relief. Gross adjustments to their orientation is far too fiddly for my tastes.
Disaster averted, and my hanger protected by strong iron walls on four sides, I returned to construction of the Sidewinder. First things first, before relocating the main thrusters and the fuel tanks, I wanted to secure the fuel lines and Mav Clusters to the side of the ship. Which would require completing them first. So I did.
That done, I reached the point of any build where I got tired relying solely on my suit's built in flashlight for illumination. So I installed some lights throughout the base. I must say, SE's artificial underground darkness does make for some dramatic lighting.
Inevitably, I ran out of iron again. Fortunately, there was plenty more iron nearby. It's the main reason why I decided this was a best location for the main base... after realizing my initial choice was a poor one. Good thing I realized my mistake before construction really started.
Thruster Clusters secure, I finally moved the hydrogen tanks and main thrusters. Which I forgot to take a screen shot of.
Instead, you get a screen shot of me welding the fuel lines. Fuel lines complete, I decided it was time to complete the back of the Sidewinder. At one point, in preparation for the Main Engine/Fuel tank move, I'd installed the door to the Sidewinder. The actual door is thankfully three blocks wide. I probably should’ve checked that before committing to it right away.
Looking at the roof from that angle, I'll want to add a few more blocks. I prefer smoother transitions with the terrain. The “roots” sticking out may annoy me in the future too.
After that, I moved on to adding the ship’s power management system. I’m planning on adding a reactor for power, but in the meantime, I’ll have to get by with batteries. I’m installing four to start with, two on each side, but there’s room for four more between the fuel lines.
About that time, I needed to make a third iron run. Once again, I deliberately drifted past the entrance, so I could check how the solar panel alignment was going. It looked pretty good.
I finished the last of the batteries, then went outside togreet
Next on my agenda for SE-squared: installing the floor and sides of the Sidewinder, including the cockpit.
But first, coming up in EGS:SE - it’s time to see what it’ll take to complete the Sidewinder in that game.
I have been using decoys as lightning defenses and they seem to work. I believe that the devs are still making changes to the weather systems and there was a dev post about it. I think it was set a bit to high initially but I cannot find the post atm. Either way I haven't been struck by lightning in the last few days which is a bonus .
steamcommunity.com
.
Steam Community :: Guide :: Official Survival Guide: Weather
This is the official guide for the new automatic weather system that was released in 1.195 (Sparks of the Future)....
And now... Round 14 of Empyrion: Galactic Survival... Sidewinder Edition!
The good news is that I was able to unlock the thrusters I wanted to use on the Sidewinder. I'd overlooked gaining a second level on that little adventure, so I had plenty of tech points to spare.
The better news is that I (barely) had enough cobalt to build them.
They looked properly massive on the back of the Sidewinder.
There was just one, teeny, tiny problem with this.
I'm going to need a Tier 3 processor in order to get them to work!!!
Well, armed with a new objective, I naturally got straight to work... fleshing out the interior of the ship. I'd been putting it off until I had the engines built, and I wanted to at least get some idea of what the rest of the interior was going to look like. At any rate, it was close to sunset, so I turned in for the night, after tending my garden. Need to keep the body well fed, after all.
I spent a lot of time on the second day simply working on the interior: placing and tearing down walls, shutters, stairs, and floors. At one point during the day, a radioactive fog moved in. My suit's AI was reporting that the Zirax would attack "soon," which would've made the fight more "interesting," but they didn't show up at that point.
Between waiting for the Zirax, and my own interior design work, I failed to notice when the sun set. Thankfully by that point, I had two solar capacitors full of energy, so working through the night didn't drain them too much. Still, I was surprised that the Zirax still hadn't attacked...
I had no sooner gotten back into the Sidewinder when they chose to attack. Wonderful timing on their part. Didn't stop me from shooting down their drones, but at least they tried.
The third day of this round was spent much like the second: designing the interior of the Sidewinder. I actually only detailed one room completely. Pretty much everything else still needs detail work to do. A quick tour of the work in progress:
Starting with the cockpit, I actually dialed up the FOV so the turrets were fully visible. I really wish small ships had retractable turrets. The need to maintain cabin pressure meant I couldn't place them as close to the canopy as I wanted.
Next up is the living area. On the left is the door to the bathroom. The door on the right is the door to the stairs leading to what will be the main cargo bay. I really wish Eleon (or Keen for that matter) had functional small ship decorative blocks.
It really says something about me that the first room I actually finished was the bathroom. Not sure what it says, though.
The rest of the ship remains to be partitioned out. I've actually tried doing that twice, but I wasn't satisfied with the results. The large shutter doors on the left leads to where the Warp Drive will eventually be housed. I'm planning on installing additional oxygen tanks under the stairs to the right. Between them is the airlock.
Finally is the hanger. On the left is an armor locker (for an EVA suit), oxygen station, and oxygen tank.
On the right are a pair of cargo containers that are the closest thing I could find to equipment lockers.
And that was about as far as I got before nightfall. Next on my agenda for EGS:SE? Returning to space to explore the moon!
But first, on SE-Squared... Sidewinder Construction continues!
The good news is that I was able to unlock the thrusters I wanted to use on the Sidewinder. I'd overlooked gaining a second level on that little adventure, so I had plenty of tech points to spare.
The better news is that I (barely) had enough cobalt to build them.
They looked properly massive on the back of the Sidewinder.
There was just one, teeny, tiny problem with this.
I'm going to need a Tier 3 processor in order to get them to work!!!
Well, armed with a new objective, I naturally got straight to work... fleshing out the interior of the ship.
I'd been putting it off until I had the engines built, and I wanted to at least get some idea of what the rest of the interior was going to look like. At any rate, it was close to sunset, so I turned in for the night, after tending my garden. Need to keep the body well fed, after all. I spent a lot of time on the second day simply working on the interior: placing and tearing down walls, shutters, stairs, and floors. At one point during the day, a radioactive fog moved in. My suit's AI was reporting that the Zirax would attack "soon," which would've made the fight more "interesting," but they didn't show up at that point.
Between waiting for the Zirax, and my own interior design work, I failed to notice when the sun set. Thankfully by that point, I had two solar capacitors full of energy, so working through the night didn't drain them too much. Still, I was surprised that the Zirax still hadn't attacked...
I had no sooner gotten back into the Sidewinder when they chose to attack. Wonderful timing on their part. Didn't stop me from shooting down their drones, but at least they tried.
The third day of this round was spent much like the second: designing the interior of the Sidewinder. I actually only detailed one room completely. Pretty much everything else still needs detail work to do. A quick tour of the work in progress:
Starting with the cockpit, I actually dialed up the FOV so the turrets were fully visible. I really wish small ships had retractable turrets. The need to maintain cabin pressure meant I couldn't place them as close to the canopy as I wanted.
Next up is the living area. On the left is the door to the bathroom. The door on the right is the door to the stairs leading to what will be the main cargo bay. I really wish Eleon (or Keen for that matter) had functional small ship decorative blocks.
It really says something about me that the first room I actually finished was the bathroom. Not sure what it says, though.
The rest of the ship remains to be partitioned out. I've actually tried doing that twice, but I wasn't satisfied with the results. The large shutter doors on the left leads to where the Warp Drive will eventually be housed. I'm planning on installing additional oxygen tanks under the stairs to the right. Between them is the airlock.
Finally is the hanger. On the left is an armor locker (for an EVA suit), oxygen station, and oxygen tank.
On the right are a pair of cargo containers that are the closest thing I could find to equipment lockers.
And that was about as far as I got before nightfall. Next on my agenda for EGS:SE? Returning to space to explore the moon!
But first, on SE-Squared... Sidewinder Construction continues!
And now... Round 14 of Empyrion: Galactic Survival... Sidewinder Edition!
The good news is that I was able to unlock the thrusters I wanted to use on the Sidewinder. I'd overlooked gaining a second level on that little adventure, so I had plenty of tech points to spare.
The better news is that I (barely) had enough cobalt to build them.
They looked properly massive on the back of the Sidewinder.
There was just one, teeny, tiny problem with this.
I'm going to need a Tier 3 processor in order to get them to work!!!
Well, armed with a new objective, I naturally got straight to work... fleshing out the interior of the ship.
I spent a lot of time on the second day simply working on the interior: placing and tearing down walls, shutters, stairs, and floors. At one point during the day, a radioactive fog moved in. My suit's AI was reporting that the Zirax would attack "soon," which would've made the fight more "interesting," but they didn't show up at that point.
Between waiting for the Zirax, and my own interior design work, I failed to notice when the sun set. Thankfully by that point, I had two solar capacitors full of energy, so working through the night didn't drain them too much. Still, I was surprised that the Zirax still hadn't attacked...
I had no sooner gotten back into the Sidewinder when they chose to attack. Wonderful timing on their part. Didn't stop me from shooting down their drones, but at least they tried.
The third day of this round was spent much like the second: designing the interior of the Sidewinder. I actually only detailed one room completely. Pretty much everything else still needs detail work to do. A quick tour of the work in progress:
Starting with the cockpit, I actually dialed up the FOV so the turrets were fully visible. I really wish small ships had retractable turrets. The need to maintain cabin pressure meant I couldn't place them as close to the canopy as I wanted.
Next up is the living area. On the left is the door to the bathroom. The door on the right is the door to the stairs leading to what will be the main cargo bay. I really wish Eleon (or Keen for that matter) had functional small ship decorative blocks.
It really says something about me that the first room I actually finished was the bathroom. Not sure what it says, though.
The rest of the ship remains to be partitioned out. I've actually tried doing that twice, but I wasn't satisfied with the results. The large shutter doors on the left leads to where the Warp Drive will eventually be housed. I'm planning on installing additional oxygen tanks under the stairs to the right. Between them is the airlock.
Finally is the hanger. On the left is an armor locker (for an EVA suit), oxygen station, and oxygen tank.
On the right are a pair of cargo containers that are the closest thing I could find to equipment lockers.
And that was about as far as I got before nightfall. Next on my agenda for EGS:SE? Returning to space to explore the moon!
But first, on SE-Squared... Sidewinder Construction continues!
Excellent work Cmdr, its looking good. Any ship names floating around yet?
Not really. I feel like most of my good ship names were taken by Elite: Dangerous. Right now, I'm leaning towards calling it the Cerastes.
What time is it, boys and girls?
Why, it's time for Space Engineers: Sidewinder Edition - Round Fifteen!
(crowd cheers)
I think this is the round which really exemplifies the fundamental difference between the two games, and why I still enjoy Space Engineers, despite feeling that Empyrion: Galactic Survival is the better game in almost every single category. EGS is a survival game first and foremost, with a great ship and base design system. SE is a ship construction and engineering game first and foremost.
When you combine SE's inherent gameplay with its near future technological base, you get a lot of moments where you need to stop and think about "How am I going to make this work?" EGS has those moments as well, but not nearly as often, and you never need to think about "How am I going to connect this to that?"
This is also the round when I really noticed how much larger the SE avatar is compared to EGS's. It's a good thing that we can crouch in this game!
At any rate, on with the show!
I started the day by working on the starboard side of the ship. It went surprisingly fast, despite requiring four different blocks to construct. It's one of the few advantages to SE's approach to ship design: when you've got a pattern you'll be repeating, you can set up your construction bar to easily lay down that pattern.
I repeated the pattern on the port side of the ship.
There's something rhythmic, almost musical, about the process of welding large number of blocks.
It's at about this point of the round that I suddenly realized I dodged a bullet not installing the bottom of the ship right away. I was looking at what I'd been privately calling an "Engineering Bay" when it occurred to me that I didn't know how much room I'd actually need for the two decks of the ship. I'd been mentally assuming that I could get away with two meter tall (four blocks) decks, but was that really the case?
I decided I'd better start with the obvious deck, the deck with the cockpit, and work my way down. And for that I'd need to lay out a construction bar. I ordered up a bunch of window components, and then selected the window shapes I was going to need. While I waited for my assembler to turn out my order, plus some more iron sheets, I went out to check the time.
I really wish this game would properly simulate sunsets. Before installing the canopy, I actually needed to lay out the front of the ship as well. Again, having a pattern laid out on my construction bar made life much so much easier. Soon enough, I reached the point where I'd be installing installing the ship's cockpit canopy. I am so glad I got all this experience installing canopies in EGS, because installing this one was a breeze.
This is the point where I wish I'd taken a screenshot of the resulting work, because it turned out that four of the panels were "backwards." That is, the darker side was facing the inside rather than the outside. I'd actually expected that, due to limited number of slots in a single construction bar. If you look at the screen shot above, you'll notice I didn't include the drill, even though I typically keep it on there. I was actually surprised that there was only four panels that needed to be replaced.
Thankfully, this was easily fixed: I just removed the offending panels, and replaced them with the "inverted" versions of themselves. The hardest part was getting the orientation correct.
Cockpit canopy completed, I finished welding the front of the ship.
While I was doing that, I thought I heard a rumble of thunder.
Thankfully, it never came close.
Once the front of the ship was done, I moved on to the upper deck, starting with the cockpit door. Once door was installed, I corrected a potential problem, and put a line of half blocks down the center of the ship. This revealed I had put the back door too high, so I fixed that, and put a line of half blocks down the middle of the new floor. There’s just enough room at the bottom of the ship for a little bit of detail work to break up the a bit.
The cockpits in both games are the same size. The one in EGS feels small. This one feels just plain cramped. There’s barely enough room to get into the command seat.
It’s at this point I got tired of relying on the jet pack to get to parts of the ship. I put in a temporary ramp, and then added something I really really wish EGS had: small ship ladders. Even a small ship elevator would be nice.
The day in real life was getting on, so I decided to the moon o’Clock. Dawn was maybe 10 minutes away. Just enough time to finish the round. That’s one of the annoying aspects of playing SE on my schedule. Since I’m relying on the sun in thIs “geocentric” solar system to mark time, it’s difficult to know what time f night it is. If I could reliably give myself solid two hour block of time, I’d use it to play Elite.
Last thing I finished this round was the air lock. Again, it’s exactly the same size as the one in EGS. In EGS, it feels small. In SE, it’s so cramped I need to stand in the right place to close the airlock.
False dawn came and went, as I debated about what to do about the cargo hatch. I would’ve liked to make this feature functional, but I don’t think the blast door blocks are airtight. For now, I’ll just paint the blocks. Finally, the dawn came.
Before closing out the round, I hopped back into the cockpit. I wanted to see how much the ship already massed.
Almost 102 tons? That can’t be right. I’m 95% certain that SE counts a docked ship as part of an entire grid. Guess I’ll have to fuel and fly the ship to find out.
Next on SE-Squared, the puzzling out the problem of landing gear.
But first, on EGS:SE... to the moon! I need to find some cobalt! Oh, and advance the story, of course.
Why, it's time for Space Engineers: Sidewinder Edition - Round Fifteen!
(crowd cheers)
I think this is the round which really exemplifies the fundamental difference between the two games, and why I still enjoy Space Engineers, despite feeling that Empyrion: Galactic Survival is the better game in almost every single category. EGS is a survival game first and foremost, with a great ship and base design system. SE is a ship construction and engineering game first and foremost.
When you combine SE's inherent gameplay with its near future technological base, you get a lot of moments where you need to stop and think about "How am I going to make this work?" EGS has those moments as well, but not nearly as often, and you never need to think about "How am I going to connect this to that?"
This is also the round when I really noticed how much larger the SE avatar is compared to EGS's. It's a good thing that we can crouch in this game!
At any rate, on with the show!
I started the day by working on the starboard side of the ship. It went surprisingly fast, despite requiring four different blocks to construct. It's one of the few advantages to SE's approach to ship design: when you've got a pattern you'll be repeating, you can set up your construction bar to easily lay down that pattern.
I repeated the pattern on the port side of the ship.
There's something rhythmic, almost musical, about the process of welding large number of blocks.
It's at about this point of the round that I suddenly realized I dodged a bullet not installing the bottom of the ship right away. I was looking at what I'd been privately calling an "Engineering Bay" when it occurred to me that I didn't know how much room I'd actually need for the two decks of the ship. I'd been mentally assuming that I could get away with two meter tall (four blocks) decks, but was that really the case?
I decided I'd better start with the obvious deck, the deck with the cockpit, and work my way down. And for that I'd need to lay out a construction bar. I ordered up a bunch of window components, and then selected the window shapes I was going to need. While I waited for my assembler to turn out my order, plus some more iron sheets, I went out to check the time.
I really wish this game would properly simulate sunsets. Before installing the canopy, I actually needed to lay out the front of the ship as well. Again, having a pattern laid out on my construction bar made life much so much easier. Soon enough, I reached the point where I'd be installing installing the ship's cockpit canopy. I am so glad I got all this experience installing canopies in EGS, because installing this one was a breeze.
This is the point where I wish I'd taken a screenshot of the resulting work, because it turned out that four of the panels were "backwards."
That is, the darker side was facing the inside rather than the outside. I'd actually expected that, due to limited number of slots in a single construction bar. If you look at the screen shot above, you'll notice I didn't include the drill, even though I typically keep it on there. I was actually surprised that there was only four panels that needed to be replaced.Thankfully, this was easily fixed: I just removed the offending panels, and replaced them with the "inverted" versions of themselves. The hardest part was getting the orientation correct.
Cockpit canopy completed, I finished welding the front of the ship.
While I was doing that, I thought I heard a rumble of thunder.
Thankfully, it never came close.
Once the front of the ship was done, I moved on to the upper deck, starting with the cockpit door. Once door was installed, I corrected a potential problem, and put a line of half blocks down the center of the ship. This revealed I had put the back door too high, so I fixed that, and put a line of half blocks down the middle of the new floor. There’s just enough room at the bottom of the ship for a little bit of detail work to break up the a bit.The cockpits in both games are the same size. The one in EGS feels small. This one feels just plain cramped. There’s barely enough room to get into the command seat.
It’s at this point I got tired of relying on the jet pack to get to parts of the ship. I put in a temporary ramp, and then added something I really really wish EGS had: small ship ladders. Even a small ship elevator would be nice.
The day in real life was getting on, so I decided to the moon o’Clock. Dawn was maybe 10 minutes away. Just enough time to finish the round. That’s one of the annoying aspects of playing SE on my schedule. Since I’m relying on the sun in thIs “geocentric” solar system to mark time, it’s difficult to know what time f night it is. If I could reliably give myself solid two hour block of time, I’d use it to play Elite.
Last thing I finished this round was the air lock. Again, it’s exactly the same size as the one in EGS. In EGS, it feels small. In SE, it’s so cramped I need to stand in the right place to close the airlock.
False dawn came and went, as I debated about what to do about the cargo hatch. I would’ve liked to make this feature functional, but I don’t think the blast door blocks are airtight. For now, I’ll just paint the blocks. Finally, the dawn came.
Before closing out the round, I hopped back into the cockpit. I wanted to see how much the ship already massed.
Almost 102 tons? That can’t be right. I’m 95% certain that SE counts a docked ship as part of an entire grid. Guess I’ll have to fuel and fly the ship to find out.
Next on SE-Squared, the puzzling out the problem of landing gear.
But first, on EGS:SE... to the moon! I need to find some cobalt! Oh, and advance the story, of course.
You are correct about blast doors, they are not air tight.
Thanks. Guess the cargo hatch is going to have to be cosmetic. Which, to be fair, is what the cargo hatch on the EGS Sidewinder is as well. It may open, but there isn't tall enough landing gear to get anything under the ship to make use of it.
And now, Empyrion: Galactic Survival - Sidewinder Edition continues!
Round Fifteen! - Journey to the Moon
My first day of the session was pretty what I'd call a "maintenance" day. The Zirax were going to attack "soon," so I wasn't about to leave it under-defended. I wasn't in the right mood to work long on decorating the Sidewinder, so I pretty much putzed around. Moved a few things around in the base. Made a few tweaks of the garden. Considered and then rejected moving the main engines of the Sidewinder. Considered and rejected working on a proper hover vehicle. With the threat of a Zirax attack looming, I really didn't want to start anything substantial.
Naturally, the Zirax attacked the next morning.
The starting planet Zirax drones aren't very dangerous once you've got yourself an armed ship. If you're on foot, they can be deadly, but with enough range and height, they're almost helpless against you.
With the Zirax attack safely behind me, it was time to go to the moon. I knew there were cobalt deposits there, plus the story mission lead there. As always, I prefer to kill multiple birds with one stone.
It's easy to forget how small the small bodies in this game can be.
It took a while, but I eventually found cobalt. I naturally dug it all up. A combination of my drone and the epic drill made it easy.
And now we reach the point where I got really stupid. How stupid? "Too dumb to live" stupid. I'm really lucky I survived to tell the tale. Instead of heading straight back to base with my massive haul of precious ore, I continued scouting.
At one point, I actually decided it was safe to do a "high speed" run past some Zirax defenses to resolve a resource node. I heard something go "bang" 
behind me, and that's when I decided to beat a hasty retreat. 
Once "safely" in space (let's face it, there's a lot of Zirax patrols), I surveyed the damage. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad...
Besides the hull damage, it's missing my oxygen tank, the O2 station, the fridge, and quite a few modular storage containers. It also damaged the ship’s core. If I’d been hit on the other side, I would’ve lost the fuel tank!
I soon discovered the true cost of my bout of stupidity...
I lost the cobalt!
Needless to say, as soon as I got back, I started to repair and redesign the Micro-Hauler.
After realizing it was night time, I decided my original impulse was way too Battlestar Galactica Viper like for my tastes, so I removed the engines, and tried something different. Along the way, I made an interesting discovery with the modular storage blocks...
As night approached, a radioactive fog rolled in. I decided to keep working until I at least finished the bodywork and paint. After all, I have a shower so I can remove the radioactivity from my skin, as long as I don't get too much radiation.
It was well into the night when I completed all the repairs and improvements. What you don't see are the additional belly thrusters. I'm planning on upgrading the armor of this ship, so I'll save the statistics for later.
I headed back to bed, and then heard the wail of the alert sirens. The Zirax had returned already??? Thankfully, it was a troop transport this time.
I was a bit surprised by the attack, so my response wasn't as fast as it should've been. The troop ship was in the process of landing to unload troops by the time we shot it down.
Next on my agenda on EGS;SE? Upgrading the Micro-Hauler’s armor, and returning to the moon so I can get that second deposit of cobalt!
But first, on SE-Squared, exploring alternative landing gear solutions. I have a few ideas I want to try out. I’m also going to install a lift for the rear airlock.
Round Fifteen! - Journey to the Moon
My first day of the session was pretty what I'd call a "maintenance" day. The Zirax were going to attack "soon," so I wasn't about to leave it under-defended. I wasn't in the right mood to work long on decorating the Sidewinder, so I pretty much putzed around. Moved a few things around in the base. Made a few tweaks of the garden. Considered and then rejected moving the main engines of the Sidewinder. Considered and rejected working on a proper hover vehicle. With the threat of a Zirax attack looming, I really didn't want to start anything substantial.
Naturally, the Zirax attacked the next morning.
The starting planet Zirax drones aren't very dangerous once you've got yourself an armed ship. If you're on foot, they can be deadly, but with enough range and height, they're almost helpless against you.
With the Zirax attack safely behind me, it was time to go to the moon. I knew there were cobalt deposits there, plus the story mission lead there. As always, I prefer to kill multiple birds with one stone.
It's easy to forget how small the small bodies in this game can be.
It took a while, but I eventually found cobalt. I naturally dug it all up. A combination of my drone and the epic drill made it easy.
And now we reach the point where I got really stupid. How stupid? "Too dumb to live" stupid. I'm really lucky I survived to tell the tale. Instead of heading straight back to base with my massive haul of precious ore, I continued scouting.
At one point, I actually decided it was safe to do a "high speed" run past some Zirax defenses to resolve a resource node.
I heard something go "bang" behind me, and that's when I decided to beat a hasty retreat. Once "safely" in space (let's face it, there's a lot of Zirax patrols), I surveyed the damage. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad...Besides the hull damage, it's missing my oxygen tank, the O2 station, the fridge, and quite a few modular storage containers. It also damaged the ship’s core. If I’d been hit on the other side, I would’ve lost the fuel tank!
I soon discovered the true cost of my bout of stupidity...
I lost the cobalt!
Needless to say, as soon as I got back, I started to repair and redesign the Micro-Hauler.
After realizing it was night time, I decided my original impulse was way too Battlestar Galactica Viper like for my tastes, so I removed the engines, and tried something different. Along the way, I made an interesting discovery with the modular storage blocks...
As night approached, a radioactive fog rolled in. I decided to keep working until I at least finished the bodywork and paint. After all, I have a shower so I can remove the radioactivity from my skin, as long as I don't get too much radiation.
It was well into the night when I completed all the repairs and improvements. What you don't see are the additional belly thrusters. I'm planning on upgrading the armor of this ship, so I'll save the statistics for later.
I headed back to bed, and then heard the wail of the alert sirens. The Zirax had returned already??? Thankfully, it was a troop transport this time.
I was a bit surprised by the attack, so my response wasn't as fast as it should've been. The troop ship was in the process of landing to unload troops by the time we shot it down.
Next on my agenda on EGS;SE? Upgrading the Micro-Hauler’s armor, and returning to the moon so I can get that second deposit of cobalt!
But first, on SE-Squared, exploring alternative landing gear solutions. I have a few ideas I want to try out. I’m also going to install a lift for the rear airlock.
Today, on Space Engineers: Sidewinder Edition, round 16, we have the exciting drama of getting landing gear to work.
I don't think this project would've been possible before the "Sparks of the Future" update, which introduced hinges to the game. Rotors could've worked, but they'd be much bulkier to work with. While there are landing gear in this game, they're not retractable... not to mention tiny relative to this ship. I have to admit that getting these parts of the ship to be functional was a lot of fun.
I also took a surprisingly large amount of screen shots. I'll try to pare them down a bit.
First up was the airlock elevator. Much to my disappointment, I wasn't able to attach a second piston to the platform. It was still nice to remove external ramp.
I then went to work on the landing gear. In the first version, I went with simple blocks, which quickly failed to stow properly.
The second version, I used blast doors. One problem: I got the orientation wrong. It still didn't stow properly.
The third time was the charm. Naturally, out of the 23 screen shots I took, I didn't take one of it close up.
In order to get everything to work smoothly, I also had to line the outside of its bay with blast doors. Before working on the port side landing gear, I took a moment to connect the port and starboard conveyor systems to each other. I also included two conveyor junctions for future expansion. As I write this, I realize that I'm going to need additional junctions to connect the cockpit and other living areas to this system as well.
Plumbing in place, I decided to complete the back-starboard quarter of the bottom of the ship. This included sealing the landing gear bay, and then making sure everything still worked. It did.
A landing gear design now firmly in place, it was fairly easy to duplicate on the port side.
A round of SE-Squared wouldn't be the same if I didn't check the moon o'Clock at some point.
Despite this, false dawn still took me by surprise.
It was getting close to dawn, not to mention bedtime, and I wasn't ready to quit yet. The back-port quarter of the bottom hull wasn't quite finished yet!
In what can only be described as a case of "One More Turn" syndrome, I kept working. I was so close to getting this stage done.
The one problem with this entire project is that lowering and retracting the landing gear won't be a "one button" process... at least not without learning how to write scripts in this game. In order for it to work, there's three steps that need to happen, in the right order, for it to work. C'est la vie. I'm just glad that it looks good visually, while still being extremely compact when retracted.
I also decided to leave the control panels I used while constructing these landing gear in place. They can still serve a useful function, and they add visual appeal.
Finally finished, I took a peek at the sun. Looks like the next session will be a short one... or at least a little shorter than normal.
Next time on SE-Squared... building the front landing gear! It's going to be a different design than the rear ones.
But first, on EGS:SE - Returning to the Moon. This time, things will be different!
I don't think this project would've been possible before the "Sparks of the Future" update, which introduced hinges to the game. Rotors could've worked, but they'd be much bulkier to work with. While there are landing gear in this game, they're not retractable... not to mention tiny relative to this ship. I have to admit that getting these parts of the ship to be functional was a lot of fun.
I also took a surprisingly large amount of screen shots. I'll try to pare them down a bit.
First up was the airlock elevator. Much to my disappointment, I wasn't able to attach a second piston to the platform. It was still nice to remove external ramp.
I then went to work on the landing gear. In the first version, I went with simple blocks, which quickly failed to stow properly.
The second version, I used blast doors. One problem: I got the orientation wrong. It still didn't stow properly.
The third time was the charm. Naturally, out of the 23 screen shots I took, I didn't take one of it close up.
In order to get everything to work smoothly, I also had to line the outside of its bay with blast doors. Before working on the port side landing gear, I took a moment to connect the port and starboard conveyor systems to each other. I also included two conveyor junctions for future expansion. As I write this, I realize that I'm going to need additional junctions to connect the cockpit and other living areas to this system as well.
Plumbing in place, I decided to complete the back-starboard quarter of the bottom of the ship. This included sealing the landing gear bay, and then making sure everything still worked. It did.
A landing gear design now firmly in place, it was fairly easy to duplicate on the port side.
A round of SE-Squared wouldn't be the same if I didn't check the moon o'Clock at some point.
Despite this, false dawn still took me by surprise.
It was getting close to dawn, not to mention bedtime, and I wasn't ready to quit yet. The back-port quarter of the bottom hull wasn't quite finished yet!
In what can only be described as a case of "One More Turn" syndrome, I kept working. I was so close to getting this stage done.
The one problem with this entire project is that lowering and retracting the landing gear won't be a "one button" process... at least not without learning how to write scripts in this game.
In order for it to work, there's three steps that need to happen, in the right order, for it to work. C'est la vie. I'm just glad that it looks good visually, while still being extremely compact when retracted.I also decided to leave the control panels I used while constructing these landing gear in place. They can still serve a useful function, and they add visual appeal.
Finally finished, I took a peek at the sun. Looks like the next session will be a short one... or at least a little shorter than normal.
Next time on SE-Squared... building the front landing gear! It's going to be a different design than the rear ones.
But first, on EGS:SE - Returning to the Moon. This time, things will be different!
Today, on Empyrion: Galactic Survival, Sidewinder Edition: Round Sixteen... Return to the Moon.
Round 16 started out beautifully. Not a cloud in the sky, a comfortable temperature, and a brilliant drive off the first tee... a pattern that would hold until the last two holes...
Oh, wait... that was the round of golf I played on my day off yesterday.
What remained of the day was spent up-armoring the Micro-Hauler. It’s fiddly work, especially after I accidentally used the few, precious titanium plates. Titanium is probably going to require an auto-miner for extraction, and their cores can’t be built, only bought.
I finished the work just at sunset, whitch made for a lovely background for the summary screens.
Secure in the knowledge that the Zirax won't be attacking for at least another day, I returned to the moon.
There are plentiful resources on the moon, just waiting to be extracted. A lot of them are in Zirax territory, though. One step at a time, I suppise
Before mining the cobalt deposit, I explored the wrecks for andwers
A couple things made exploring the wreckage interesting: radiation, relatively high temperatures during the day, and me not realizing that the Zirax destroyed my armor locker last time I was here, not my oxygen station. I found additional insulation for my suit in the front part of the wreckage, but I couldn’t equip it! I didn’t want to remove the armor, but hyperthermia is no joke in this game!
Thankfully, I found an armor locker, including a second insulation mod, the midsection.
The last story event at the wreckage sites can be pretty much summed up as, “We need a distraction... try not to die too quickly.” The new armor was thankfully up to the task.
Once I was safe, I stopped to dig up the cobalt.
Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat. It didn’t help that I’d started this trip with seven large oxygen bottles, and I was down to two.
I landed at my base after sunrise. Upon returning home, I repaired the minor damage, and then checked with my AI. The Zirax would return “soon.” Knowing full well that “soon” meant tomorrow, I went downstairs to order a smaller set if engines fir
I no sooner stepped off the elevator, when the Zirax attacked! After returning to the Micro-Hauler, I checked the map, and saw they were approaching over the water again. When I didn’t immediately see them, a sudden idea occurred to me. Why not ping my sensors? Sure enough, they lit up,like a christmad
Unlike space-based drones, these fell easily to my armed pickup truck.
The next level unlocks fusion batteries, which doubles the energy efficiency of promethium. I’ve been making due with fuel scavenged from wrecks and drones, but I doubt it’ll supply a capital ship!
Once I got back from diving for salvage, I returned to making a few adjustments to the Sidewinder.
In a moment of thoughtlessness, I also built a computer upgrade. If I’d been thinking, I would’ve saved those flux coils for a “recycler.” Once that is built, I can salvage capital ship scale thrusters for all the flux coils I would need!
At least the Sidewinder has enough processing power to fly if I want it to...
In Elite: Dangerous, the DSSA Eleanor is nearing my location, so I'll be concentrating on that game for the next couple of days. My Commander's been out exploring for almost two years, and it's definitely time for her to sell all the data she's been collecting.
When I return, I'll be building a front landing gear in SE-Squared. And then, on EGS:SE, I'll be returning to the moon to continue the storyline, and maybe do some salvaging of the wrecks.
Round 16 started out beautifully. Not a cloud in the sky, a comfortable temperature, and a brilliant drive off the first tee... a pattern that would hold until the last two holes...
Oh, wait... that was the round of golf I played on my day off yesterday.
What remained of the day was spent up-armoring the Micro-Hauler. It’s fiddly work, especially after I accidentally used the few, precious titanium plates. Titanium is probably going to require an auto-miner for extraction, and their cores can’t be built, only bought.
I finished the work just at sunset, whitch made for a lovely background for the summary screens.
Secure in the knowledge that the Zirax won't be attacking for at least another day, I returned to the moon.
There are plentiful resources on the moon, just waiting to be extracted. A lot of them are in Zirax territory, though. One step at a time, I suppise
Before mining the cobalt deposit, I explored the wrecks for andwers
A couple things made exploring the wreckage interesting: radiation, relatively high temperatures during the day, and me not realizing that the Zirax destroyed my armor locker last time I was here, not my oxygen station. I found additional insulation for my suit in the front part of the wreckage, but I couldn’t equip it! I didn’t want to remove the armor, but hyperthermia is no joke in this game!
Thankfully, I found an armor locker, including a second insulation mod, the midsection.
The last story event at the wreckage sites can be pretty much summed up as, “We need a distraction... try not to die too quickly.” The new armor was thankfully up to the task.
Once I was safe, I stopped to dig up the cobalt.
Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat. It didn’t help that I’d started this trip with seven large oxygen bottles, and I was down to two.
I landed at my base after sunrise. Upon returning home, I repaired the minor damage, and then checked with my AI. The Zirax would return “soon.” Knowing full well that “soon” meant tomorrow, I went downstairs to order a smaller set if engines fir
I no sooner stepped off the elevator, when the Zirax attacked! After returning to the Micro-Hauler, I checked the map, and saw they were approaching over the water again. When I didn’t immediately see them, a sudden idea occurred to me. Why not ping my sensors? Sure enough, they lit up,like a christmad
Unlike space-based drones, these fell easily to my armed pickup truck.
The next level unlocks fusion batteries, which doubles the energy efficiency of promethium. I’ve been making due with fuel scavenged from wrecks and drones, but I doubt it’ll supply a capital ship!
Once I got back from diving for salvage, I returned to making a few adjustments to the Sidewinder.
In a moment of thoughtlessness, I also built a computer upgrade. If I’d been thinking, I would’ve saved those flux coils for a “recycler.”
Once that is built, I can salvage capital ship scale thrusters for all the flux coils I would need!At least the Sidewinder has enough processing power to fly if I want it to...
In Elite: Dangerous, the DSSA Eleanor is nearing my location, so I'll be concentrating on that game for the next couple of days. My Commander's been out exploring for almost two years, and it's definitely time for her to sell all the data she's been collecting.
When I return, I'll be building a front landing gear in SE-Squared. And then, on EGS:SE, I'll be returning to the moon to continue the storyline, and maybe do some salvaging of the wrecks.
More beauty of Empyrion.
We know many other space games have much better graphics. But unfortunately many of those prettier games lack the depth of games like Empyrion and Space Engineers.
Even though the graphics may not be 2020 (AAA) stuff. Both games are quite beautiful.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDiUNjTSxTA
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJGZ-YihlsE
We know many other space games have much better graphics. But unfortunately many of those prettier games lack the depth of games like Empyrion and Space Engineers.
Even though the graphics may not be 2020 (AAA) stuff. Both games are quite beautiful.
Just found out that Keen are closing the Space Engineers forum. That would also apply to M/engineers no doubt.
Sad really, but not that surprised.
Sad really, but not that surprised.
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When last we visited our stranded Space Engineer, she was working on her Sidewinder’s landing gear. We now return to round 17 of Space Engineers: Sidewinder Edition.
While I love the design I came up with for the back landing-gear, the way they fold into place, I wanted to do something different for the front. It would be a simpler design, so I started with something simple, locking in range of motion for the hinges and piston.
I then changed my mind, and went with something even simpler. I installed pads of the landing gear, and gave them a try. I hated the results. I wanted something that could “seamlessly” fit into the hull, but that would require a wider range of blast door blocks to actually work. My initial attempt tended to get caught on the sides.
After reluctantly concluding that what I wanted to do wasn’t possible, I ended up going with a simple landing foot.
With all three landing gear in place, I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, and cut the Sidewinder free of its starting sprue.
The resulting chaos wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but the results was somethingI could work with.
The landing gear I’d made pushed the Sidewinder up. I was actually expecting it it to drop a little. The end results meant I could actually walk under the ship, which is definitely something I could work with.
Needless to say, I realized there was a bit more work to do on the landing gear. I immediately made preparations to do so.
It was about this point that I noticed that my supply of iron was getting low again. Three tons of iron ingots may sound like a lot, but I was consuming it rapidly. Still, it was enough to finish the bottom of the ship.
Before I knew it, dawn had arrived. I’d missed the moon o’clock, but I could still check the solar panels.
There was only one thing left to do
Next time on SE-Squared...Installing the life support systems.
But first, on EGS;SE... Moon Madness, part three.
While I love the design I came up with for the back landing-gear, the way they fold into place, I wanted to do something different for the front. It would be a simpler design, so I started with something simple, locking in range of motion for the hinges and piston.
I then changed my mind, and went with something even simpler. I installed pads of the landing gear, and gave them a try. I hated the results. I wanted something that could “seamlessly” fit into the hull, but that would require a wider range of blast door blocks to actually work. My initial attempt tended to get caught on the sides.
After reluctantly concluding that what I wanted to do wasn’t possible, I ended up going with a simple landing foot.
With all three landing gear in place, I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, and cut the Sidewinder free of its starting sprue.
The resulting chaos wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but the results was somethingI could work with.
The landing gear I’d made pushed the Sidewinder up. I was actually expecting it it to drop a little. The end results meant I could actually walk under the ship, which is definitely something I could work with.
Needless to say, I realized there was a bit more work to do on the landing gear.
I immediately made preparations to do so.I still needed to set some groups so I can easily extend and retract the landing gear. So I put the ship on blocks.
It was about this point that I noticed that my supply of iron was getting low again. Three tons of iron ingots may sound like a lot, but I was consuming it rapidly. Still, it was enough to finish the bottom of the ship.
Front Gear Extended
Front Gear Retracted
Front Gear Retracted
Before I knew it, dawn had arrived. I’d missed the moon o’clock, but I could still check the solar panels.
There was only one thing left to do
Next time on SE-Squared...Installing the life support systems.
But first, on EGS;SE... Moon Madness, part three.
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Screen shots won’t be able to do justice to Round Seventeen of Empyrion: Galactic Survival. So instead you get a story.
Gather round, boys and girls, for the story of Lieutenant Bloodtooth of the Zirax Empire.
Now, keep in mind that Lt. Bloodtooth is neither his rank nor his actual name. It is merely the English equivalents for the Zirax versions of his title and family name. A more literal translation of his rank would be “One who has survived 20 combat engagements.” It is assumed that anyone who has survived so long knows what they are doing, and thus they are placed in charge of the Zirax equivalent of a platoon, minor installations, or multi-crewed vessels. His family name is completely unpronounceable by humans, and is more of a promise of what they’ll do to their enemies, than the adjective-noun construction presented here.
Lt. Bloodtooth was also an idiot.
Now, most sapient life in the Andromeda Galaxy would consider such a statement, regarding the Zirax in general, to be one of the fundamental axioms of the Universe, such as “1+1=2,” “never tempt fate,” or “Star Citizen is five years from release, and always will be.” The truth is far more complex. A civilization doesn’t conquer much of the galaxy by being a race of idiots. It’s just that most of the galaxy was far more acquainted with the typical Zirax warrior, than they were the other castes of Zirax society.
Zirax warriors weren’t idiots either. Instead, they were carefully indoctrinated to be aggressive, fearless, xenophobic, unquestioningly obedient, and indifferent to anything outside of their role in society. The results of this program would rush into battle, heedless of casualties, focused solely on destroying their targets. Those who survived their first few encounters would see their authority and responsibilities increase within the Imperial Zirax Military, a type of military Darwinian selection in action. The Zirax believed that any who survived their "bloodying tour" would be a cut above the rest. They failed to account for blind luck.
Lt. Bloodtooth was a being of phenomenal luck. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, while simultaneously avoiding the the wrong places and times. In any other military in the galaxy, his service record would’ve included numerous evaluations by superior officers, independent testing authorities, and other ways of separating the fortunate from the truly extraordinary. The Zirax didn’t do this, which explained how a being like Lt. Bloodtooth came to be in command of small, isolated, and unimportant outpost. Which was fortunate for him, because had been in charge of anywhere else, his incompetence might have drawn the ire of his immediate supervisor, and been immediately shot.
Such was the way of the Zirax.
Sadly for Lt. Bloodtooth, this was the day his luck finally ran out.
His most unfortunate day began when one of his high speed interceptor drones crashed. He had been ordered to dispatch three of them to a nearby Terran wreck, and had never thought to recall them. 'I should recall the other two for refueling,' he thought. A more curious Zirax officer might’ve thought to inquire about what caused the crash. After all, their Fusion Cells were capable of powering them for decades before requiring replacement. And while curiosity may have been actively discouraged during the initial training period, the few that survived their "bloodying tour" were naturally curious. Curiosity had never been strength of Lt. Bloodtooth, so he never thought that far ahead. And so, the extremely lengthy "dogfight" between Interceptor Drone TD-117a-937, and a small Terran armed transport called the "Micro-Hauler," went unnoticed.
Several hours later, the second of Lt. Bloodtooth's interceptor drones crashed. This was soon followed the third. A more learned Zirax officer might have made the connection between the time that passed between the the initial crash, and the two that followed, the distance from their outpost and a Terran base on the planet below, and how long it would take to fabricate and install additional thrusters and weapons to increase the overall lethality of the Terran transport. But extra-curricular learning was actively discouraged during the initial training period, and reading made Lt. Bloodtooth's head hurt.
Instead, he made a note to complain to the techs about shoddy maintenance. Drones were following out of the sky, almost on a direct line between the crashed Terran capital ship and his outpost. How was he supposed to defend it against the many enemies of the Zirax Empire if his drones kept falling out of the sky?
His day continued to get worse, as the wave of malfunctions spread into his base. Interior defensive turrets were malfunctioning on the ground floor of his base, and so were the medical sensors installed in his platoon's armor. If he didn't know any better, it was as if his people were dying, room by room, in a counter-clockwise circle around the base's central elevator shaft. Sentry robots were also malfunctioning down there as well.
This wouldn't do at all! He ordered what was left this command to stop and perform an immediate diagnostic on all their equipment. If the enemy attacked now, it would be a disaster!
He frowned at the screen in front of him, as the malfunctions spread to the second floor. This time, he could hear explosions on the floor below him. Maybe the last shipment of power cells was faulty? Someone below seemed to have a faulty laser rifle. The darn thing kept discharging. Not to mention the occasional shotgun blast. This wouldn't do at all! He was going to have to give a stern lecture about the importance of gun safety at this rate!
Finally, the malfunctions reached the top floor of his outpost. The first malfunction was heralded by laser fire, followed by the destruction of the turret defending the top of the elevator shaft. He then heard quiet footsteps behind him. He frowned. He'd given orders for his command to inspect their equipment. They shouldn't be wandering around like that! He had half a mind to turn around and reprimand the offender, but he was still trying to trace down the source of the malfunctions!
Then came the extremely loud discharge of a shotgun behind him, followed closely by a second. The second slug struck him in the arm. Fortunately for him, the first slug had ripped into the back of the head of the Terran survivor who had been creeping up behind him.
"Are you okay, sir?" his senior platoon sergeant asked, before sending two more slugs from his shotgun into the body of the Terran intruder.
"Nothing a medi-pack won't fix," Lt. Bloodtooth said, gingerly touching the hole in his arm. "How did a Terran get into our base?"
"They fought their way in, sir. Didn't you notice?"
"I guess that would explain all the malfunctions," Lt. Bloodtooth froze, a horrifying thought occurring to him. "Does this count as a combat engagement?"
"If the enemy is seconds away from blowing your head off your shoulders, yes. This would make it your 25th one, correct? Congratulations, sir!"
The 25th combat encounter was the a really special one for a Zirax warrior. It was the one where they would return to their Homeworld, where they would be evaluated by Imperial Command. They would make him take tests! And attend classes!
And thus, Lt. Bloodtooth returned to Ziraxia. Where, upon review of his service record, he was declared to be "too stupid to be useful in the military," and sent to a lab to serve as a test subject for the development of new survival gear.
What's the moral of this story, gentle reader? Why, if your a Terran survivor attempting clear a Zirax outpost, always send your drone to scout ahead of you. You never know if there's a competent Zirax warrior creeping up behind you as you're angling for a clear shot at the idiot looking the other way, completely oblivious to your approach. Drones are disposable. You're not.
Current Score: Space Engineers 2: Empyrion Galactic Survival 1
Next Time on EGS:SE - In a parallel universe, a Terran survivor finds herself plummeting towards a planet, far from home. Rather than the green and blue marble of an Earth-like world, she'll have to survive the rigors of an arid planet. The goal remains to build a functional Sidewinder.
But first: on SE-Squared - Installing the Life Support Systems.
Gather round, boys and girls, for the story of Lieutenant Bloodtooth of the Zirax Empire.
Now, keep in mind that Lt. Bloodtooth is neither his rank nor his actual name. It is merely the English equivalents for the Zirax versions of his title and family name. A more literal translation of his rank would be “One who has survived 20 combat engagements.” It is assumed that anyone who has survived so long knows what they are doing, and thus they are placed in charge of the Zirax equivalent of a platoon, minor installations, or multi-crewed vessels. His family name is completely unpronounceable by humans, and is more of a promise of what they’ll do to their enemies, than the adjective-noun construction presented here.
Lt. Bloodtooth was also an idiot.
Now, most sapient life in the Andromeda Galaxy would consider such a statement, regarding the Zirax in general, to be one of the fundamental axioms of the Universe, such as “1+1=2,” “never tempt fate,” or “Star Citizen is five years from release, and always will be.” The truth is far more complex. A civilization doesn’t conquer much of the galaxy by being a race of idiots. It’s just that most of the galaxy was far more acquainted with the typical Zirax warrior, than they were the other castes of Zirax society.
Zirax warriors weren’t idiots either. Instead, they were carefully indoctrinated to be aggressive, fearless, xenophobic, unquestioningly obedient, and indifferent to anything outside of their role in society. The results of this program would rush into battle, heedless of casualties, focused solely on destroying their targets. Those who survived their first few encounters would see their authority and responsibilities increase within the Imperial Zirax Military, a type of military Darwinian selection in action. The Zirax believed that any who survived their "bloodying tour" would be a cut above the rest. They failed to account for blind luck.
Lt. Bloodtooth was a being of phenomenal luck. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, while simultaneously avoiding the the wrong places and times. In any other military in the galaxy, his service record would’ve included numerous evaluations by superior officers, independent testing authorities, and other ways of separating the fortunate from the truly extraordinary. The Zirax didn’t do this, which explained how a being like Lt. Bloodtooth came to be in command of small, isolated, and unimportant outpost. Which was fortunate for him, because had been in charge of anywhere else, his incompetence might have drawn the ire of his immediate supervisor, and been immediately shot.
Such was the way of the Zirax.
Sadly for Lt. Bloodtooth, this was the day his luck finally ran out.
His most unfortunate day began when one of his high speed interceptor drones crashed. He had been ordered to dispatch three of them to a nearby Terran wreck, and had never thought to recall them. 'I should recall the other two for refueling,' he thought. A more curious Zirax officer might’ve thought to inquire about what caused the crash. After all, their Fusion Cells were capable of powering them for decades before requiring replacement. And while curiosity may have been actively discouraged during the initial training period, the few that survived their "bloodying tour" were naturally curious. Curiosity had never been strength of Lt. Bloodtooth, so he never thought that far ahead. And so, the extremely lengthy "dogfight" between Interceptor Drone TD-117a-937, and a small Terran armed transport called the "Micro-Hauler," went unnoticed.
Several hours later, the second of Lt. Bloodtooth's interceptor drones crashed. This was soon followed the third. A more learned Zirax officer might have made the connection between the time that passed between the the initial crash, and the two that followed, the distance from their outpost and a Terran base on the planet below, and how long it would take to fabricate and install additional thrusters and weapons to increase the overall lethality of the Terran transport. But extra-curricular learning was actively discouraged during the initial training period, and reading made Lt. Bloodtooth's head hurt.
Instead, he made a note to complain to the techs about shoddy maintenance. Drones were following out of the sky, almost on a direct line between the crashed Terran capital ship and his outpost. How was he supposed to defend it against the many enemies of the Zirax Empire if his drones kept falling out of the sky?
His day continued to get worse, as the wave of malfunctions spread into his base. Interior defensive turrets were malfunctioning on the ground floor of his base, and so were the medical sensors installed in his platoon's armor. If he didn't know any better, it was as if his people were dying, room by room, in a counter-clockwise circle around the base's central elevator shaft. Sentry robots were also malfunctioning down there as well.
This wouldn't do at all! He ordered what was left this command to stop and perform an immediate diagnostic on all their equipment. If the enemy attacked now, it would be a disaster!
He frowned at the screen in front of him, as the malfunctions spread to the second floor. This time, he could hear explosions on the floor below him. Maybe the last shipment of power cells was faulty? Someone below seemed to have a faulty laser rifle. The darn thing kept discharging. Not to mention the occasional shotgun blast. This wouldn't do at all! He was going to have to give a stern lecture about the importance of gun safety at this rate!
Finally, the malfunctions reached the top floor of his outpost. The first malfunction was heralded by laser fire, followed by the destruction of the turret defending the top of the elevator shaft. He then heard quiet footsteps behind him. He frowned. He'd given orders for his command to inspect their equipment. They shouldn't be wandering around like that! He had half a mind to turn around and reprimand the offender, but he was still trying to trace down the source of the malfunctions!
Then came the extremely loud discharge of a shotgun behind him, followed closely by a second. The second slug struck him in the arm. Fortunately for him, the first slug had ripped into the back of the head of the Terran survivor who had been creeping up behind him.
"Are you okay, sir?" his senior platoon sergeant asked, before sending two more slugs from his shotgun into the body of the Terran intruder.
"Nothing a medi-pack won't fix," Lt. Bloodtooth said, gingerly touching the hole in his arm. "How did a Terran get into our base?"
"They fought their way in, sir. Didn't you notice?"
"I guess that would explain all the malfunctions," Lt. Bloodtooth froze, a horrifying thought occurring to him. "Does this count as a combat engagement?"
"If the enemy is seconds away from blowing your head off your shoulders, yes. This would make it your 25th one, correct? Congratulations, sir!"
The 25th combat encounter was the a really special one for a Zirax warrior. It was the one where they would return to their Homeworld, where they would be evaluated by Imperial Command. They would make him take tests! And attend classes!
And thus, Lt. Bloodtooth returned to Ziraxia. Where, upon review of his service record, he was declared to be "too stupid to be useful in the military," and sent to a lab to serve as a test subject for the development of new survival gear.
What's the moral of this story, gentle reader? Why, if your a Terran survivor attempting clear a Zirax outpost, always send your drone to scout ahead of you. You never know if there's a competent Zirax warrior creeping up behind you as you're angling for a clear shot at the idiot looking the other way, completely oblivious to your approach. Drones are disposable. You're not.
Current Score: Space Engineers 2: Empyrion Galactic Survival 1
Next Time on EGS:SE - In a parallel universe, a Terran survivor finds herself plummeting towards a planet, far from home. Rather than the green and blue marble of an Earth-like world, she'll have to survive the rigors of an arid planet. The goal remains to build a functional Sidewinder.
But first: on SE-Squared - Installing the Life Support Systems.
Screen shots won’t be able to do justice to Round Seventeen of Empyrion: Galactic Survival. So instead you get a story.
Gather round, boys and girls, for the story of Lieutenant Bloodtooth of the Zirax Empire.
Now, keep in mind that Lt. Bloodtooth is neither his rank nor his actual name. It is merely the English equivalents for the Zirax versions of his title and family name. A more literal translation of his rank would be “One who has survived 20 combat engagements.” It is assumed that anyone who has survived so long knows what they are doing, and thus they are placed in charge of the Zirax equivalent of a platoon, minor installations, or multi-crewed vessels. His family name is completely unpronounceable by humans, and is more of a promise of what they’ll do to their enemies, than the adjective-noun construction presented here.
Lt. Bloodtooth was also an idiot.
Now, most sapient life in the Andromeda Galaxy would consider such a statement, regarding the Zirax in general, to be one of the fundamental axioms of the Universe, such as “1+1=2,” “never tempt fate,” or “Star Citizen is five years from release, and always will be.” The truth is far more complex. A civilization doesn’t conquer much of the galaxy by being a race of idiots. It’s just that most of the galaxy was far more acquainted with the typical Zirax warrior, than they were the other castes of Zirax society.
Zirax warriors weren’t idiots either. Instead, they were carefully indoctrinated to be aggressive, fearless, xenophobic, unquestioningly obedient, and indifferent to anything outside of their role in society. The results of this program would rush into battle, heedless of casualties, focused solely on destroying their targets. Those who survived their first few encounters would see their authority and responsibilities increase within the Imperial Zirax Military, a type of military Darwinian selection in action. The Zirax believed that any who survived their "bloodying tour" would be a cut above the rest. They failed to account for blind luck.
Lt. Bloodtooth was a being of phenomenal luck. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, while simultaneously avoiding the the wrong places and times. In any other military in the galaxy, his service record would’ve included numerous evaluations by superior officers, independent testing authorities, and other ways of separating the fortunate from the truly extraordinary. The Zirax didn’t do this, which explained how a being like Lt. Bloodtooth came to be in command of small, isolated, and unimportant outpost. Which was fortunate for him, because had been in charge of anywhere else, his incompetence might have drawn the ire of his immediate supervisor, and been immediately shot.
Such was the way of the Zirax.
Sadly for Lt. Bloodtooth, this was the day his luck finally ran out.
His most unfortunate day began when one of his high speed interceptor drones crashed. He had been ordered to dispatch three of them to a nearby Terran wreck, and had never thought to recall them. 'I should recall the other two for refueling,' he thought. A more curious Zirax officer might’ve thought to inquire about what caused the crash. After all, their Fusion Cells were capable of powering them for decades before requiring replacement. And while curiosity may have been actively discouraged during the initial training period, the few that survived their "bloodying tour" were naturally curious. Curiosity had never been strength of Lt. Bloodtooth, so he never thought that far ahead. And so, the extremely lengthy "dogfight" between Interceptor Drone TD-117a-937, and a small Terran armed transport called the "Micro-Hauler," went unnoticed.
Several hours later, the second of Lt. Bloodtooth's interceptor drones crashed. This was soon followed the third. A more learned Zirax officer might have made the connection between the time that passed between the the initial crash, and the two that followed, the distance from their outpost and a Terran base on the planet below, and how long it would take to fabricate and install additional thrusters and weapons to increase the overall lethality of the Terran transport. But extra-curricular learning was actively discouraged during the initial training period, and reading made Lt. Bloodtooth's head hurt.
Instead, he made a note to complain to the techs about shoddy maintenance. Drones were following out of the sky, almost on a direct line between the crashed Terran capital ship and his outpost. How was he supposed to defend it against the many enemies of the Zirax Empire if his drones kept falling out of the sky?
His day continued to get worse, as the wave of malfunctions spread into his base. Interior defensive turrets were malfunctioning on the ground floor of his base, and so were the medical sensors installed in his platoon's armor. If he didn't know any better, it was as if his people were dying, room by room, in a counter-clockwise circle around the base's central elevator shaft. Sentry robots were also malfunctioning down there as well.
This wouldn't do at all! He ordered what was left this command to stop and perform an immediate diagnostic on all their equipment. If the enemy attacked now, it would be a disaster!
He frowned at the screen in front of him, as the malfunctions spread to the second floor. This time, he could hear explosions on the floor below him. Maybe the last shipment of power cells was faulty? Someone below seemed to have a faulty laser rifle. The darn thing kept discharging. Not to mention the occasional shotgun blast. This wouldn't do at all! He was going to have to give a stern lecture about the importance of gun safety at this rate!
Finally, the malfunctions reached the top floor of his outpost. The first malfunction was heralded by laser fire, followed by the destruction of the turret defending the top of the elevator shaft. He then heard quiet footsteps behind him. He frowned. He'd given orders for his command to inspect their equipment. They shouldn't be wandering around like that! He had half a mind to turn around and reprimand the offender, but he was still trying to trace down the source of the malfunctions!
Then came the extremely loud discharge of a shotgun behind him, followed closely by a second. The second slug struck him in the arm. Fortunately for him, the first slug had ripped into the back of the head of the Terran survivor who had been creeping up behind him.
"Are you okay, sir?" his senior platoon sergeant asked, before sending two more slugs from his shotgun into the body of the Terran intruder.
"Nothing a medi-pack won't fix," Lt. Bloodtooth said, gingerly touching the hole in his arm. "How did a Terran get into our base?"
"They fought their way in, sir. Didn't you notice?"
"I guess that would explain all the malfunctions," Lt. Bloodtooth froze, a horrifying thought occurring to him. "Does this count as a combat engagement?"
"If the enemy is seconds away from blowing your head off your shoulders, yes. This would make it your 25th one, correct? Congratulations, sir!"
The 25th combat encounter was the a really special one for a Zirax warrior. It was the one where they would return to their Homeworld, where they would be evaluated by Imperial Command. They would make him take tests! And attend classes!
And thus, Lt. Bloodtooth returned to Ziraxia. Where, upon review of his service record, he was declared to be "too stupid to be useful in the military," and sent to a lab to serve as a test subject for the development of new survival gear.
What's the moral of this story, gentle reader? Why, if your a Terran survivor attempting clear a Zirax outpost, always send your drone to scout ahead of you. You never know if there's a competent Zirax warrior creeping up behind you as you're angling for a clear shot at the idiot looking the other way, completely oblivious to your approach. Drones are disposable. You're not.
Current Score: Space Engineers 2: Empyrion Galactic Survival 1
Next Time on EGS:SE - In a parallel universe, a Terran survivor finds herself plummeting towards a planet, far from home. Rather than the green and blue marble of an Earth-like world, she'll have to survive the rigors of an arid planet. The goal remains to build a functional Sidewinder.
But first: on SE-Squared - Installing the Life Support Systems.
What a nice story bit. You don't need screenshots when you can create them by narrating.
It's been a busy week at work and at home. But I finally finished the next round of Space Engineers - Sidewinder Edition! Episode 18... Life Support.
The round started out by connecting the cockpit to the proverbial plumbing.
That's when I had the absolutely brilliant decision to install the life support systems (Oxygen Tank, O2/H2 Generator, and Survival Kit) in that space between the landing gear and the cockpit. This required removing the blocks I'd placed there to ensure that the ship's atmosphere wouldn't leak out through that space in the first place. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Soon enough, the life support systems were installed:
Life support in place, it was time to finish the hull. And for that, I'd need another load of iron.
The installing the top of the hull didn't take too long. I even decided to install a few windows where the crew cabin is going to be.
With the hull finally installed, it was time to depressurize the ship, to ensure that the ship was airtight. I made my way to the cockpit, and drained the ship of air. At first, all seemed well. The cockpit cabin depressurized like it was supposed to.
I then opened the cockpit door, and fresh air came pouring in.
I spent the rest of the round getting increasingly frustrated by my inability to diagnose and fix the problem. In a previous game of EGS, I managed to fix a similar problem quite quickly, because that game provides you with all the information you need to do so in the game itself. In SE, on the other hand, I had to consult a hopefully up to date wiki, and then try to guess where the holes in the hull were.
First thing I did was move the life support systems to a new location, and seal the breach in the hull I'd created. I then spent the rest of the round putting in armor patches around the rest of obvious leaks, but the rest of the ship stubbornly refused to remain airtight.
Now that I had a chance to sleep on it, I've realized that there's two potential solutions to my problem:
The first is to tear out all the functional stuff I've installed already (H2 tanks, all the thrusters, battery banks, etc.) and double up the hull of the ship. Apparently, SE is rather "fiddly" when it comes to space worthiness, and some block alignments that look airtight actually aren't. This will increase the ship’s mass by a lot. It already masses twice as much as the MAV thrusters can lift under earth gravity, and its only going to get worse. What I wouldn’t give for a “light weight armor” equivalent.
The second is to seal off the most likely “leaky sections,” leaving the cargobay the only area on the bottom deck that has atmosphere.
Guess what I’m going to do.
But first... Episode One of Empyrion: Galactic Survival - Sidewinder Edition II. It’s hot. It’s arid. There’s no forests for convenient sources of carbon. There’s no oxygen to breathe, and the local fauna are probably deadly.
What could possibly go wrong?
The round started out by connecting the cockpit to the proverbial plumbing.
That's when I had the absolutely brilliant decision to install the life support systems (Oxygen Tank, O2/H2 Generator, and Survival Kit) in that space between the landing gear and the cockpit. This required removing the blocks I'd placed there to ensure that the ship's atmosphere wouldn't leak out through that space in the first place.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Soon enough, the life support systems were installed:
Life support in place, it was time to finish the hull. And for that, I'd need another load of iron.
The installing the top of the hull didn't take too long. I even decided to install a few windows where the crew cabin is going to be.
With the hull finally installed, it was time to depressurize the ship, to ensure that the ship was airtight. I made my way to the cockpit, and drained the ship of air. At first, all seemed well. The cockpit cabin depressurized like it was supposed to.
I then opened the cockpit door, and fresh air came pouring in.
I spent the rest of the round getting increasingly frustrated by my inability to diagnose and fix the problem. In a previous game of EGS, I managed to fix a similar problem quite quickly, because that game provides you with all the information you need to do so in the game itself. In SE, on the other hand, I had to consult a hopefully up to date wiki, and then try to guess where the holes in the hull were.
First thing I did was move the life support systems to a new location, and seal the breach in the hull I'd created.
I then spent the rest of the round putting in armor patches around the rest of obvious leaks, but the rest of the ship stubbornly refused to remain airtight.Now that I had a chance to sleep on it, I've realized that there's two potential solutions to my problem:
The first is to tear out all the functional stuff I've installed already (H2 tanks, all the thrusters, battery banks, etc.) and double up the hull of the ship. Apparently, SE is rather "fiddly" when it comes to space worthiness, and some block alignments that look airtight actually aren't. This will increase the ship’s mass by a lot. It already masses twice as much as the MAV thrusters can lift under earth gravity, and its only going to get worse. What I wouldn’t give for a “light weight armor” equivalent.
The second is to seal off the most likely “leaky sections,” leaving the cargobay the only area on the bottom deck that has atmosphere.
Guess what I’m going to do.
But first... Episode One of Empyrion: Galactic Survival - Sidewinder Edition II. It’s hot. It’s arid. There’s no forests for convenient sources of carbon. There’s no oxygen to breathe, and the local fauna are probably deadly.
What could possibly go wrong?
And now, Empyrion: Galactic Survival - Sidewinder Edition continues!
Round Fifteen! - Journey to the Moon
My first day of the session was pretty what I'd call a "maintenance" day. The Zirax were going to attack "soon," so I wasn't about to leave it under-defended. I wasn't in the right mood to work long on decorating the Sidewinder, so I pretty much putzed around. Moved a few things around in the base. Made a few tweaks of the garden. Considered and then rejected moving the main engines of the Sidewinder. Considered and rejected working on a proper hover vehicle. With the threat of a Zirax attack looming, I really didn't want to start anything substantial.
Naturally, the Zirax attacked the next morning.
The starting planet Zirax drones aren't very dangerous once you've got yourself an armed ship. If you're on foot, they can be deadly, but with enough range and height, they're almost helpless against you.
With the Zirax attack safely behind me, it was time to go to the moon. I knew there were cobalt deposits there, plus the story mission lead there. As always, I prefer to kill multiple birds with one stone.
It's easy to forget how small the small bodies in this game can be.
It took a while, but I eventually found cobalt. I naturally dug it all up. A combination of my drone and the epic drill made it easy.
And now we reach the point where I got really stupid. How stupid? "Too dumb to live" stupid. I'm really lucky I survived to tell the tale. Instead of heading straight back to base with my massive haul of precious ore, I continued scouting.
At one point, I actually decided it was safe to do a "high speed" run past some Zirax defenses to resolve a resource node.
Besides the hull damage, it's missing my oxygen tank, the O2 station, the fridge, and quite a few modular storage containers. It also damaged the ship’s core. If I’d been hit on the other side, I would’ve lost the fuel tank!
I soon discovered the true cost of my bout of stupidity...
I lost the cobalt!
Needless to say, as soon as I got back, I started to repair and redesign the Micro-Hauler.
After realizing it was night time, I decided my original impulse was way too Battlestar Galactica Viper like for my tastes, so I removed the engines, and tried something different. Along the way, I made an interesting discovery with the modular storage blocks...
As night approached, a radioactive fog rolled in. I decided to keep working until I at least finished the bodywork and paint. After all, I have a shower so I can remove the radioactivity from my skin, as long as I don't get too much radiation.
It was well into the night when I completed all the repairs and improvements. What you don't see are the additional belly thrusters. I'm planning on upgrading the armor of this ship, so I'll save the statistics for later.
I headed back to bed, and then heard the wail of the alert sirens. The Zirax had returned already??? Thankfully, it was a troop transport this time.
I was a bit surprised by the attack, so my response wasn't as fast as it should've been. The troop ship was in the process of landing to unload troops by the time we shot it down.
Next on my agenda on EGS;SE? Upgrading the Micro-Hauler’s armor, and returning to the moon so I can get that second deposit of cobalt!
But first, on SE-Squared, exploring alternative landing gear solutions. I have a few ideas I want to try out. I’m also going to install a lift for the rear airlock.
What did the Zirax hit your ship with to do that kind of damage? Assuming different weapons with varying effects, I'm assuming some kind of cannon or missile? Glad you made it home.
Most of their base defenses are plasma cannons, which I believe are the most powerful weapons in the game. If I had had steel armor, as opposed to carbon fiber, it would've absorbed most of the damage, sparing the modular storage in the center. If the ship had been empty, it would've been fast enough to get out of range before they got off more than a few shots. Combine both, and it was like flying a clay target through a shooting range.
All in all, it was a very poor decision to continue scouting after I'd mined load of cobalt.