Spaaaaaaaace (StarDrive AAR)
 

So, I picked up this cool game and thought to do an AAR. StarDrive is a 4X
space RTS which heavily concentrates on designing your own ships, ranging
from small 10 slot shuttles to 1300+ slot Dreadnoughts.

http://www.stardrivegame.com/

Word of warning: The game is in full release status, but it's pretty much in
beta stage atm. Haven't had any big problems with it yet, though.

Settings
(I also set in-system FTL speed penalty to -60%)
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...2.jpg~original

Home Sweet Home. Earth, orbited by my flag ship, Perseverance, and 1 colony and 1 scout ship.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...3.jpg~original

I'm going to allow AI to handle most tasks, from colony management to constructing subspace projectors (space roads!) and managing freighters.
So, first thing I need to do is design a freighter and a colony ship!

Here's the small freighter hull I am going to use.
I = internal module
O = outer module
E = engine
IO = inner/outer module
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...4.jpg~original

The vanilla design is virtually the same as what I came up with. Only two differences are cockpit location (vanilla has it towards the front, out of power)
and 4 small engines instead of 2 small engines and 2 warp engines that I used. Colony ship design is the same, except there's a 2x3 colony module in the front
part of the ship.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...5.jpg~original

While I'm here, I also switch the second small engine to a warp engine on the scout ship design.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...6.jpg~original

For starter research I pick:
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...7.jpg~original

I lack the technology to build Biospheres needed to make use of planets that are mostly barren (everything but Earth in Sol), so I order two more scout ships
to help explore the other systems and hopefully find a nice first planet to colonize.

I got a bit of time before the construction of the scouts is finished, so let's look at the fleet design.

In StarDrive, you can design fleets by freely placing ships on the fleet design screen. Once done, you can order the fleet to be constructed. The way you place
the ships in the designer is the fleet's default formation they use. Want to have them move in the shape of a middle finger to mock your enemies? Go ahead.
If the fleet suffers losses, you can use the fleet screen to order reinforcements to be build, so all in all, it's pretty handy.
There are also settings to tell the fleet (or invidual ship in the fleet) what you want it to prioritize.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...0.jpg~original

I only have a Vulcan fighter to start with, using the same shuttle hull as the scout ship. (unnamed module is nuclear reactor)
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...1.jpg~original

I end up designing a 14 fighter fleet.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...2.jpg~original

To be continued...

Ok, time to send out those scouts!

I usually have the worst luck with nearby systems having crappy low population planets, but this wasnt the case
this time. Ndoree II will make a good farming planet with fertility 3, food is always on demand when colonizing
new planets. Luxor I is an average planet, not really rich or fertile, but good population at 4,9.
Might make a research planet out of it at some point.
http://i.imgur.com/6P6rFF6.jpg

One of my scouts is attacked by Xeno vessels at Wendu II, guess it's time to get that fleet out. I've found a few anomalies
as well (relics, crash sites etc.), so need to get some space marines to go and check them out, might find something cool.
http://i.imgur.com/Yr6EyfI.jpg

I called my scouts back after a bit of exploring, dont want them to bump into some other race just yet. Luxor I has been
colonized, Ndoree II is waiting for a Colony ship. In total, I found about 8 planets I'm going to colonize, all ranging
from 2,5 to 5,9 population cap. Good start!
http://i.imgur.com/hxBC3P3.jpg

Galaxy map
http://i.imgur.com/2qDviPq.jpg

To be continued....

Still strikes me as what one would get if you put Star Ruler and SoaSE in a blender. Which is a good thing. SoaSE doesn't really go much beyond the RTS genre and SR just never really comes together as a game.

Dont think I've played either of them. :hmmm: It has definitely been influenced by MoO2, though. :yep:

----------------------------

The Aeroponic farm research finishes finally, that extra +1 food production will help my colonies to
grow and not depend on shipments from Earth.

My fleet of 14 Vulcan fighters is done too, so I'll head over to Wendu. See, if I can rid the system of
Xenos. I try to lure them out one by one, they have shields so I'd rather take them out fast.
http://i.imgur.com/UrNWEsL.jpg

Of course that doesnt work, they all spot me and it's furball time.
http://i.imgur.com/2GivzpA.jpg

My low-tech fighters fare well against the much better equipped Xenos. I concentrate my fire on one of
the Heavy Drones and it goes out with a big bang.
http://i.imgur.com/DAWZZpo.jpg

Second Heavy Drone goes out in a spectacular boom.
http://i.imgur.com/KPgXGCk.jpg

All in all I lost 5 out of 14 fighters, not bad at all. I also get a new research which is very nice.
Remnant equipment is well suited especially for fighters with not much space in them.
Speaking of research, I finished the Rover bay (+1 prod.) and Warehouse (+100 storage) as I was fighting,
so yay!
http://i.imgur.com/NWUdZFt.jpg

I go check out one of the anomalies at Loball, an ancient mine. Naturally, it's infested with Antlions.
http://i.imgur.com/P86bwj9.jpg

Fortunately, my space marines can clear them out with no own losses.
http://i.imgur.com/TBTXNJP.jpg

SPACE PLANT!!!!! Omg omg omg omg!
http://i.imgur.com/Gp1jfcX.jpg

Ok, you dont shoot me and I dont shoot you, mkay?
http://i.imgur.com/intymd6.jpg

Think I'm going to try and make an alliance with them, those guys are cool.

Colonized planets in Oramy, Loball, Ndoree and Yuken.
http://i.imgur.com/L7KdPrm.jpg

Galaxy map.
http://i.imgur.com/lnPTXRc.jpg

To be continued...

With Interstellar Governance(.25 gold/pop./turn) researched, I focus on getting my first larger ship type and some fancy new boom-sticks.
http://i.imgur.com/7HwjQ34.jpg

Now that I've met my first race, I'm going to hire a spy and send him to a training mission. The other races like to steal your stuff, so hopefully my spy can catch them red handed.
http://i.imgur.com/2QqlaQM.jpg

As soon as I get my spy, I start to get reports of Pollop spies. Damn guys! I make a trade treaty with them despite all this James Bond stuff.
http://i.imgur.com/OOV99ur.jpg

I send my fleet to Azield, some Xenos have been spotted there, probably guarding one of the high fertility planets. As I get closer, I notice a larger ship amidst the Xenos.
Umm.. yeah, I think I'll wait until I get the Corvette to challenge that thing. 20k shields, lots of weapons and assault troops onboard (the 9/13 figure).
Heck, even with few Corvettes I will probably lose a few to their boarding parties.
http://i.imgur.com/LV6xsyM.jpg

Galaxy map. Wendu II colonized.
http://i.imgur.com/wxtRnr5.jpg

To be continued...

I send one of my scouts to check out the cluster of systems in the lower part of the galaxy.
http://i.imgur.com/sC1Zr5D.jpg

Space Marines duke it out with some skeletons on Loball V and uncover ancient spices, I do like the 10% bonus to research.
http://i.imgur.com/KyvIslz.jpg

Corvette and the weapons research finishes, time to get some lazors! The advantage of beam weapons is that they dont require ammunition.
http://i.imgur.com/EQpUgYn.jpg

"Maelstrom Mk I" is my first Corvette design, two Railguns in bow, four rocket launchers on each wing and two point-defense Vulcans in rear.
I have no idea how well this thing performs, but it's going to be a temporary design. Once I get lazors, I'll design a Mk II version.
http://i.imgur.com/U3ajFke.jpg

Galaxy Map.
http://i.imgur.com/EtjbfRZ.jpg

To be continued...

I get the beam weapon research done, time to update my Corvettes!
http://i.imgur.com/YIrM8Rg.jpg
1 heavy mount beam in the bow and I replaced the two PD Vulcans in the rear with point defense beams.

The Pollops are expanding towards Azield, so I'll add the new Maelstrom Mk II's to my fleet and head over to challenge the Xenos.
http://i.imgur.com/oK0Zr0r.jpg

The Corvettes do a good job taking out the lighter Xeno ships with their rockets.
http://i.imgur.com/A6EdBqS.jpg

But in the end, the Assimilator just is a too tough nut to crack. I pull my fleet back to Sol.
http://i.imgur.com/0VIIKua.jpg

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!
http://i.imgur.com/aPKDnbW.jpg

The Ralyeh are one of the more aggressive races, so it's time to gear up for war I think.

Galaxy Map.
http://i.imgur.com/HEj8TNt.jpg