Kicking this LP into overdrive: Let's Play StarCraft 2!

[Artanis]

It looks like Maw of the Void has won the next mission vote, although it got close late. The credits are going to Shockwave Missiles, and Tech Reactors won by a landslide

[Artanis]

MISSION 17: MAW OF THE VOID



Briefing:

Spoiler

Show

None of us was particularly happy about the new alliance with Valerian. But we'd trusted Raynor in the past, and I for one was willing to trust him on this. At least, that's what I kept telling myself as we headed for Sigma Quadrant, a remote area that Valerian said held the final artifact. There, the artifact was to be found on a derelict Xel'Naga ship guarded by a large Tal'Darim base.




The artifact was also guarded by what Valerian called "Rip-Field Generators", which could break stuff down at the molecular level. Stuff like, say, us. Tychus stormed off the bridge, ranting about the Rip-Fields making it a suicide mission. He had a point: nothing short of a Battlecruiser could survive the Rip-Fields long enough to get to the artifact.




Luckily, Valerian just so happened to have a bunch of Minotaur-class Battlecruisers available. Battlecruisers, plural. And as Commander of the coming mission, they'd be all mine.

The Mission:

Spoiler

Show

I rode down towards the LZ aboard one of the three Battlecruisers that were immediately available. There was little in the way of unmined resources on the wreck, but we'd found an impact site with a few minerals and a thin vespene geyser. It wasn't much, but it would do to start. First though, we had to clear the LZ of the Rip-Field Generator sitting in the middle of it.




The three Battlecruisers easily blasted away the handful of Stalkers guarding the generator and then took down the generator itself with a barrage of laser fire and a couple well-placed Yamato Cannon blasts. That opened the way for us to fly facilities in and begin harvesting what resources we could find.








The local mineral fields and vespene geyser would run out quickly, but eons of drifting through an asteroid field had inevitably led to countless asteroid impacts that scattered usable minerals and crystallized vespene everywhere. It was just a matter of going and securing them, by force if necessary.




Soon, the Tal'Darim sent a small attack to probe my defenses. They found was a couple undermanned Bunkers...and three Battlecruisers.




After calling up a fourth Battlecruiser and solidifying my base's defenses, I sent my fleet after the next Rip-Field Generator. The Tal'Darim had set up some Photon Cannons to protect that approach vector, which gave my Battlecruisers an opportunity to demonstrate the power of their mighty Yamato Cannons.




Further resistance was encountered when the Battlecruisers stumbled upon the Tal'Darim loading Warp Prisms for another attack on my base. Even with a pair of Phoenixes and several Stalkers in the area, the Tal'Darim simply could not stand up to my Battleships, and the Rip-Field Generator quickly fell.




In the chaos, the Warp Prisms managed to slip past the Battlecruisers and drop ground troops outside my base. However, between the casualties they had already taken, the full Bunkers, and the pair of Siege Breakers that I had called in moments before, the attack was doomed to failure.




After the attack was repelled, we got a call from some Dark Templar who had been imprisoned by the Tal'Darim. They swore to help us if we could free them.




They would have to wait. The Rip-Fields had taken their toll on my Battlecruiser fleet, and all of them needed repairs to some degree. Even the fifth one that had just been called in had taken some damage. I ordered the fleet back to base for repairs and reinforcements. A Science Vessel helped keep costs down, but SCVs were still needed to expedite things and clear the crowded skies above my base.






As expected, resources were running low at my base, so my next attack was not against a Rip-Field Generator, but against a small Tal'Darim outpost near a sizable mineral field and several vespene geysers. The Battlecruiser fleet quickly took down the Nexus and then moved on to a nearby production complex, securing the area.






My fleet kept going, securing the first prison and freeing the Dark Templar held there.





As my Battlecruisers once again retreated for repairs and reinforcements, the now-free prisoners laid into the Tal'Darim forces, inflicting heavy casualties. Protected from the Rip-Fields by their shields, they also collected vital resources to be added to the war effort.






The Dark Templar retreated to help defend a new base going up at the site of the now-destroyed Tal'Darim outpost. They got back just in time to witness the Tal'Darim send a Carrier against the fledgling base. The base would have been almost defenseless if not for the presence of my ever-growing Battlecruiser fleet.




The Tal'Darim finally started to pick up on the whole "Battlecruisers = dead Protoss" thing I had going on and launched an attack while my fleet was away freeing more prisoners. They ran into much heavier defenses than they expected, and the attack was quickly blown apart.






After even MORE repairs to my fleet, the next target was the third Rip-Field Generator. It quickly fell to a hail of blazing hot laser death from my fleet.



Too late, the Tal'Darim sent a Void Ray and a pair of Carriers to engage my Battlecruisers. They were outnumbered and outgunned to a huge degree and did not last long.






With my seemingly-unstoppable fleet carving away the Tal'Darim defenses, they decided to get clever. Or what passed for clever with the Tal'Darim, at any rate. First, they lowered the artifact into a vault.



Then, they called in a Mothership.




The vault wasn't going anywhere and the Mothership seemed content to hang out near the artifact, so neither was a problem just yet. So I went ahead and went after the next item on the checklist, which was another Rip-Field Generator off the ship's southern flank. Like the last one, this Generator was guarded by a small, three-ship fleet that my Battlecruisers quickly dispatched. The unguarded Rip-Field Generator was destroyed shortly thereafter.








The Tal'Darim had absolutely terrible timing with their attacks on my base. It seemed like every time they sent one, my fleet just so happened to be back for reinforcements and patching up.




Another attack obliterated, and a squadron and a half of Battlecruisers was ready to head into the next Rip-Field to free a third set of prisoners.




The next Rip-Field Generator was almost exactly on the line between the third and fourth prisons, so I ordered my Battlecruisers to head in that direction. Next to the Generator, my fleet ran into a major production complex and the makings of another air drop...and obliterated both.







They then continued southwards and freed the final batch of prisoners.




Angry at the freeing of their prisoners, the Tal'Darim finally sicced the Mothership on my fleet. It was a massively powerful vessel, but it was outnumbered 14:1, and my side had Yamato Cannons. Although it badly damaged one of the Battlecruisers, the Mothership itself took critical damage before teleporting to safety.






The Battlecruisers were too slow and now, too far away to reasonably bring them back to base for repairs. I sent the reinforcements out to meet up with the fleet in the field, using them to escort my Science Vessels as they did so. After some attention from the Science Vessels and a couple of MULEs, my fleet - now numbering fully sixteen vessels - was fully repaired and set about plowing its way through the crumbling Tal'Darim resistance en route to another Rip-Field Generator








With their forces collapsing, the Tal'Darim desperately sent the Mothership to try to stop my fleet. This time, there would be no escaping the barrage of Yamato fire unleashed by my Battlecruisers, and the Mothership was reduced to floating scrap.






With their Mothership destroyed and their forces shattered, the Tal'Darim had almost nothing left with which to defend the vault. Their last-ditch defense was swatted aside and the vault was blasted open by my Battlecruisers.

Aftermath:

Spoiler

Show

Most of the crew was not happy about the last mission, victory or no. Swann and Kachinsky even got into an argument about it in the Cantina, with Kachinsky declaring that Raynor had sold us out to the Dominion as Swann reminded the crew that we'd trusted Raynor in the past, and should trust him now.

Then Tychus got into it.

Tychus was pretty thoroughly drunk, and declared that Raynor couldn't be trusted. He didn't much care for Swann trying to stand up to him.




Raynor appeared to defend his men and his name...



...and Tychus went ape****, ripping out pieces of the Cantina to throw at Raynor.






The jukebox was a mistake on Tychus's part. A big one. Raynor dodged around behind Tychus, grabbed the power cable, and used it to fry Tychus and short out his armor.






With Tychus down and out, Raynor addressed his Raiders. We weren't going to Char because Kerrigan was there, and we weren't going because the Dominion wanted us to. We were going because if we didn't, the Zerg would wipe Humanity off the face of the Koprulu Sector, leaving nobody left to free.

It wasn't so much what he said though, as how he said it. We'd all signed up to follow a James Raynor who knew where he was going and what his goals were. That James Raynor had been gone for the past few weeks, but now, it seems that he was finally back. As Raynor left the Cantina, Kachinsky was the first to voice his support for our Commander.

Whee! Battlecruisers!

That mission not only got us Battlecruisers and the final artifact, but it was pretty lucrative too. We have a whopping 230,000 credits to spend...and it's a good thing too, since the new Battlecruiser stuff is seriously expensive!

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)
--Jackson's Revenge - Battlecruiser (80,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically put out fires and partially repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Battlecruiser - Defensive Matrix: Temporary energy shield (150,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


We have the last artifact, but there's too much unfinished business in Terran space for us to go after Kerrigan just yet. There's lots more money - and lots more units - that we still need to get our hands on, so our choices for the next mission are:

--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings
--Tarsonis: The Great Train Robbery - Raid a Dominion train convoy
----Rewards: 140,000 credits, Diamondbacks

[vikingofdoom]

Let's go Jackson's Revenge, Defensive Matrix, and that's everything. For the mission, Haven's Fall is my choice.

[Douglas]

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)
--Jackson's Revenge - Battlecruiser (80,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically put out fires and partially repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Battlecruiser - Defensive Matrix: Temporary energy shield (150,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


We have the last artifact, but there's too much unfinished business in Terran space for us to go after Kerrigan just yet. There's lots more money - and lots more units - that we still need to get our hands on, so our choices for the next mission are:

--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings
--Tarsonis: The Great Train Robbery - Raid a Dominion train convoy
----Rewards: 140,000 credits, Diamondbacks

Also, I vote you use battlecruisers as your primary unit as much as possible from now on. This might not be practical for train robbing due to move speed issues, but at least give it a try.

[Cieyrin]

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)
--Jackson's Revenge - Battlecruiser (80,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically put out fires and partially repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Battlecruiser - Defensive Matrix: Temporary energy shield (150,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later

We have the last artifact, but there's too much unfinished business in Terran space for us to go after Kerrigan just yet. There's lots more money - and lots more units - that we still need to get our hands on, so our choices for the next mission are:

--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings
--Tarsonis: The Great Train Robbery - Raid a Dominion train convoy
----Rewards: 140,000 credits, Diamondbacks

Also, I vote you use battlecruisers as your primary unit as much as possible from now on. This might not be practical for train robbing due to move speed issues, but at least give it a try.

All my votes, right here. We need Media Blitz, stat!

[The Glyphstone]

Jackson's Revenge and Defensive Matrix, Safe Haven.

[ThePhantom]

[B]--Battlecruiser - Defensive Matrix: Temporary energy shield (150,000)[/B]--Save cash for later


--Tarsonis: The Great Train Robbery - Raid a Dominion train convoy
----Rewards: 140,000 credits, Diamondbacks

Let's rob some trains.

[Demon 997]

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)
--Jackson's Revenge - Battlecruiser (80,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically put out fires and partially repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Battlecruiser - Defensive Matrix: Temporary energy shield (150,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


We have the last artifact, but there's too much unfinished business in Terran space for us to go after Kerrigan just yet. There's lots more money - and lots more units - that we still need to get our hands on, so our choices for the next mission are:

--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings
--Tarsonis: The Great Train Robbery - Raid a Dominion train convoy
----Rewards: 140,000 credits, Diamondbacks

[Artanis]

Any more votes?

[Artanis]

Guess I'll go with Jackson's Revenge + Defensive Matrix and The Great Train Robbery then

[Douglas]

Guess I'll go with Jackson's Revenge + Defensive Matrix and The Great Train Robbery then

And battlecruisers as your primary unit? Come on, I want to see trains robbed by giant fleets of capital ships.

[Artanis]

They're a little slow for that in The Great Train Robbery, but don't worry, BCs won't be forgotten

[Douglas]

Just get enough of them to kill the train before it can pass. You'll just have to kick your economy and building into high gear a bit faster than normal to amass the required numbers quickly enough. No, I haven't actually tried it myself, so I don't know if it's really even possible, I just like the idea.

[arguskos]

Just get enough of them to kill the train before it can pass. You'll just have to kick your economy and building into high gear a bit faster than normal to amass the required numbers quickly enough. No, I haven't actually tried it myself, so I don't know if it's really even possible, I just like the idea.

I've tried it. It's... technically possible, but it requires some shenanigans to really pull off, like a rapid expand to the upper left base area. The fun thing is using a few BCs to gun down the kill squad.

[Cieyrin]

I've tried it. It's... technically possible, but it requires some shenanigans to really pull off, like a rapid expand to the upper left base area. The fun thing is using a few BCs to gun down the kill squad.

That's like gotta be a Marauder's worst day ever.

[arguskos]

That's like gotta be a Marauder's worst day ever.

Pretty damn close (the best is when you've got an Archon Toilet going with a big ball of Marauders, but BCs/Carriers are pretty bad too).

[Artanis]

MISSION 18: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY



Briefing:

Spoiler

Show

Tarsonis. Once, it was the capital of the Terran Confederacy, the greatest of the three Terran nations of the Koprulu Sector. A shining beacon of the wealth and power - not to mention the corruption and tyranny - of the Confederacy. Then, during the Great War, the Zerg attacked en masse and literally tore the heart out of the Confederacy, leaving nothing but ruins and wasteland.

Now, half a decade later, Mengsk had found something there that he wanted. He was moving it by train to the makeshift spaceport that Dominion engineers had hastily thrown up, and it was important enough to guard the train stops and scan-shield the trains. For Raynor's Raiders, that was like putting a great big "STEAL ME!" sign on it.




Tychus had robbed his fair share of trains in his day, and he looked like a kid in a candy store during the trip down in the dropship. I was glad to have him - and his experience - along since we'd need to rob a lot of Dominion trains in not a lot of time to make sure we found whatever it was that Mengsk wanted so badly.

The Mission:

Spoiler

Show

Not long after landing, the Hyperion's scanners picked up some interesting stuff. Among them were some old Defiler bones that we could sell to Moebius, as well as a handful of abandoned vehicles. When I sent a couple Marines out to investigate.







As useful as the two batches of Defiler bones I found would be after the mission, the better find was that the abandoned vehicles were Diamondbacks. Diamondbacks had been fairly effective back on New Folsom, and their ability to fire their Rail Guns while moving would be invaluable for chasing down trains. Now that we had a couple in hand, Swann was able to get their schematics to our Factory so that we could throw together more of them.


We got the third of the Diamondbacks that we had found running and crewed just in time, too, as the first train soon arrived at a station in the northwest. I sent out the Diamondbacks and, just to be safe, a half-squad of Marines to sieze the train.







It took a while, but the defenseless train soon went down. The train was just a resource hauler, with nothing particularly noteworthy aboard besides mineral pallets and vespene tanks, which I quickly "confiscated" for my own uses.






During the time before the next train, I set my Factory to work building more Diamondbacks and sent my existing ones out to find other abandoned vehicles and the final set of Defiler bones.






Not long after the find, another train appeared, this time to the west. Unlike the first one, this train was guarded...



...but not guarded enough to stop my Diamondbacks.





This one also held nothing but a few resources.




My Diamondbacks continued scouring the area as I waited for the third train to arrive. Meanwhile, the Dominion had gotten irritated at my success thus far and sent a small attack against my base. It was easily blown away by a Bunker that I had set up.




The third train arrived to the south. The Dominion added Hellions to this train's escort.



The Hellions were not particularly effective against Diamondbacks. Unfortunately, there was again nothing but a few resource pallets worth stealing.






As I awaited the fourth train, I got news that the Dominion was trying to set up Bunkers to defend the tracks.



My ever-growing swarm of Diamondbacks could handle a few Bunkers, but I figured it was time to call in a recently-acquired weapon of war: the Jackson's Revenge. Not only would the Jackson's Revenge shred any Dominion forces it came across, but it could also fly over the battlefield in search of the final abandoned Diamondback.






The fourth train was guarded even more heavily than the third, but my own forces had grown even faster than the Dominion had been beefing up its escorts.



This one was yet another resource hauler, and thus yet another no-go on interesting stuff.




The Jackson's Revenge, meanwhile, had found something interesting: a nearly-unguarded air route into the northwestern train station.




The Dominion sent another attack my way, this time a bit bigger than a single Bunker would want to tackle alone. Luckily, I had pulled my Diamondbacks back to base for reinforcements and repairs, and they easily repelled the assault.






The Captain of the Jackson's Revenge was amusing himself blowing up the northwestern train station when the fifth train arrived there. The old Battlecruiser sent some cannon shells and a Yamato blast at the train as it went past, then went back to razing the area. The Diamondbacks then dismantled what was left of the train.






The Dominion was starting to get a bit desperate, and called in a kill team of Marauders to deal with my Diamondbacks. While Marauders are quite effective against armored vehicles like Diamondbacks, they aren't terribly useful when outnumbered more than 2:1.






Since escorts weren't working, the Dominion tried boosting the speed of the sixth train. The Diamondbacks ran it down and destroyed it anyways.






By this time, the Jackson's Revenge had largely finished demolishing the northwestern train station. It finished just in time to pump some fire into the seventh train, which was speed-boosted like the sixth.







Like the six before it, the seventh train held resources and little else.




With the seventh train down, the Jackson's Revenge wandered south while the eighth train arrived. This train wasn't speed-boosted, but it was much more heavily-guarded than any previous ones, with a heavy mechanized presence traveling with it.



However, I had a LOT of Diamondbacks, and the eighth train's fate was the same as the first seven.






Jackpot! Hidden among the usual resource haul was a well-armored container with an old Adjutant inside. There was no doubt that it was what Mengsk was after, so we immediately loaded it into the dropship and made our escape from Tarsonis.

Aftermath:

Spoiler

Show

The Adjutant we had captured was one that had been in service in New Gettysburg before the Fall of Tarsonis. I recognized the name: New Gettysburg was the town that had grown up on a space platform above Tarsonis, and had been the first place the Zerg had hit on their way down.

It was also the place where Kerrigan had been left to die by Mengsk.




Unfortunately, the Adjutant wouldn't tell us a damn thing when Stetmann got it running in the lab. The only one it would even talk to was Raynor, and that was just to tell him that he was a criminal and thus wouldn't be given access to its information. We were determined to find out why Mengsk had been so desperate to get his hands on it though, and Raynor said he'd make a few calls to see what he could dig up.

Fun fact: if the Jackson's Revenge is too close to its target, it'll switch to using standard-looking lasers instead of its cool gatling guns. You can actually see it in the screenshot right after the kill on the sixth train if you look closely.

Also, the Jackson's Revenge did a lot more damage than the write-up makes it look, I just had atrocious timing with taking the screenshots. All the best stuff came while I was looking away to take a picture of other stuff.


On a more positive note, we've got a bit of money to spend! There isn't THAT much - just 140,000 credits - due to the last round of purchases draining us dry, but it's still (barely) enough to keep the entire list open

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Diamondback - Tri-Lithium Power Cell: More Range (75,000)
--Diamondback - Shaped Hull: +50HP (90,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically douse fires and half-repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


For our next mission, we have 3 choices on two planets. On the one hand, we've got ourselves an old Adjutant, but she won't talk to us until we get an expert to hack into her. On the other hand, Ariel's people needing our help again. So it's up to you all to decide where we go next:

--Deadman's Port: Cutthroat - Hack the Confederate Adjutant
----Rewards: 150,000 credits, Vultures
--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings

[Cieyrin]

On a more positive note, we've got a bit of money to spend! There isn't THAT much - just 140,000 credits - due to the last round of purchases draining us dry, but it's still (barely) enough to keep the entire list open

-Mercenaries:
--Spartan Company - Goliaths (40,000)
--Dusk Wings - Banshees (60,000)

-Upgrades:
--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Diamondback - Tri-Lithium Power Cell: More Range (75,000)
--Diamondback - Shaped Hull: +50HP (90,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)
--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically douse fires and half-repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


For our next mission, we have 3 choices on two planets. On the one hand, we've got ourselves an old Adjutant, but she won't talk to us until we get an expert to hack into her. On the other hand, Ariel's people needing our help again. So it's up to you all to decide where we go next:

--Deadman's Port: Cutthroat - Hack the Confederate Adjutant
----Rewards: 150,000 credits, Vultures
--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings

Let's get our Banshees further up to snuff and hack that Adjutant! Plus, I love playing with all those Mercs in Cutthroat.

[dgnslyr]

We should leave one series of missions as woefully underplayed as possible to have the highest possible tech when we do decide to start those missions. Let's leave Haven's Fall/Safe Haven undone, so when we do decide to do it, we'll have Battlecruisers and Thors and all sorts of high-tech goodies. Unless there's a time restriction on it that I'm not aware of, but hey, the best time to do side quests is when the world needs saving.

[Artanis]

We should leave one series of missions as woefully underplayed as possible to have the highest possible tech when we do decide to start those missions. Let's leave Haven's Fall/Safe Haven undone, so when we do decide to do it, we'll have Battlecruisers and Thors and all sorts of high-tech goodies. Unless there's a time restriction on it that I'm not aware of, but hey, the best time to do side quests is when the world needs saving..

There sort of is a time limit on the Haven missions, especially Safe Haven.

In Safe Haven, there's a big ship flying around nuking stuff, and if you take too long killing it, it'll eventually get to your base. In Haven's Fall, the enemies spread over time, so if you drag your feet too much, you'll get swamped.

[arguskos]

There sort of is a time limit on the Haven missions, especially Safe Haven.

In Safe Haven, there's a big ship flying around nuking stuff, and if you take too long killing it, it'll eventually get to your base. In Haven's Fall, the enemies spread over time, so if you drag your feet too much, you'll get swamped.

Not what he meant. He was saying "unless there's a time limit for actually doing the mission itself" not "unless there's a time limit during the mission".

[dgnslyr]

Not time-restriction within the mission, just if there's a reason you can't complete every mission except that one beforehand. My idea was to get all the way up to Thor tech before starting it, because even Thors don't seem particularly useful there, I want to see one mission blasted away with ultra-high tech units the mission doesn't expect you to have.

[arguskos]

Not time-restriction within the mission, just if there's a reason you can't complete every mission except that one beforehand. My idea was to get all the way up to Thor tech before starting it, because even Thors don't seem particularly useful there, I want to see one mission blasted away with ultra-high tech units the mission doesn't expect you to have.

There is no restriction (I'd know, I once did Outbreak with EVERYTHING else done, and used BCs and Science Vessels to just roll around destroying everything in sight; also, there's like no gas in that mission ).

[Artanis]

Not time-restriction within the mission, just if there's a reason you can't complete every mission except that one beforehand. My idea was to get all the way up to Thor tech before starting it, because even Thors don't seem particularly useful there, I want to see one mission blasted away with ultra-high tech units the mission doesn't expect you to have.

Oh, gotcha

There's some restrictions on a few of the missions, but we've long since fulfilled those requirements

[Douglas]

We've already got battlecruisers, and that's as high tech as you can get in this game. And yes, steamrolling side missions with battlecruisers and science vessels is amusing. That's how I beat Welcome to the Jungle the first time.

[vikingofdoom]

My vote is Cross-spectrum Dampeners, Dusk Wings, and hit Deadman's Port. Not only will it be funny, but you should be able to steamroll most opposition with dusk wings and Jackson's Revenge.

[Demon 997]

My vote is Cross-spectrum Dampeners, Dusk Wings, and hit Deadman's Port. Not only will it be funny, but you should be able to steamroll most opposition with dusk wings and Jackson's Revenge.

I agree with this man.

[The Glyphstone]

Out of curiosity, I've never tried it, but do you fail the mission if you can't pay off Mira Han in time, or do her forces just turn hostile?


I'd go for Dual Fusion Welders, Save Surplus, and Cutthroat. Oh, and on Cuttthroat, don't bother with the resource contract. Hire Jackson's Revenge and go level Orlon's command center with that instead.

[Douglas]

Out of curiosity, I've never tried it, but do you fail the mission if you can't pay off Mira Han in time, or do her forces just turn hostile?

You fail the mission. I was rather disappointed, as I'd been hoping to get the challenge of fighting through her forces in addition to the normal enemy forces just to see if I could.

[ThePhantom]

--Marauder - Kinetic Foam: +25HP (90,000)
--Reaper - U-238 Rounds: More range and more damage vs. light armor (60,000)
--Reaper - G-4 Clusterbomb: Anti-infantry time bombs (75,000)
--Hellion - Twin-linked Flamethrower: Double attack width (40,000)
--Hellion - Thermite Filaments: More damage to light armor (60,000)
--Goliath - Multi-lock Weapons System: Can fire both weapons at once (50,000)
--Goliath - Ares-class Targeting System: More range (80,000)
--Diamondback - Tri-Lithium Power Cell: More Range (75,000)
--Diamondback - Shaped Hull: +50HP (90,000)
--Missile Turret - Titanium Housing: +75HP (50,000)
--Missile Turret - Hellstorm Batteries: Gain an AoE attack (80,000)
--SCV - Advanced Construction: Multiple SCVs can help build structures (60,000)--SCV - Dual-Fusion Welders: Double repair speed (80,000)
--Bases - Fire-suppression System: Automatically douse fires and half-repair buildings (90,000)
--Medivac - Rapid Deployment Tube: Deploy troops almost instantly (50,000)
--Medivac - Advanced Healing AI: Heal two guys at once (115,000)
--Banshee - Cross-Spectrum Dampeners: Stay cloaked twice as long (80,000)
--Battlecruiser - Missile Pods: Anti-air AoE ability (140,000)
--Spectre - Psionic Lash: BIG damage shot (100,000)
--Spectre - Nyx-Class Cloaking Module: Infinite cloaking (125,000)

-Save cash for later


For our next mission, we have 3 choices on two planets. On the one hand, we've got ourselves an old Adjutant, but she won't talk to us until we get an expert to hack into her. On the other hand, Ariel's people needing our help again. So it's up to you all to decide where we go next:

--Deadman's Port: Cutthroat - Hack the Confederate Adjutant
----Rewards: 150,000 credits, Vultures--Haven: Haven's Fall OR Safe Haven - Save the Agria colonists' new home
----Rewards: 155,000 credits, Vikings