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So... beating the game on Normal

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silentbobus

Jan 15, 2013 7:19 pm GMT
I was able to beat the flagship on Easy with 2x Mk2 burst lasers, a Mk3 burst laser, maxed shields, drones and a cloaking system.

So now I'm trying Normal and it isn't going very well. On my last run with the Osprey the first two sectors went just about as well as they possibly could. No difficult battles, lots of extra scrap, a free Burst Mk3 in a random encounter, two extra crewmen and I was able to purchase 2 autoloaders at stores, which the wiki says are stackable. And then I got completely taken out by a random ship in sector 3 that seemed much too well equipped for so early in the game. I would say it was even better than my own ship, with 3 different weapons systems including missles.

Are there any tricks for beating Normal mode? How often should a skilled player be expected to beat it? Are there any starting ships that do better than others? Any overall strategies for Normal to maximize your chances of winning it?
Megawizard

Jan 15, 2013 8:06 pm GMT
silentbobus posted...
Are there any tricks for beating Normal mode? How often should a skilled player be expected to beat it? Are there any starting ships that do better than others? Any overall strategies for Normal to maximize your chances of winning it?

I'm always partial to the Mantis ships since you can board from the get-go which lets you ramp up defense early on (as long as you stay out of Zoltan sectors). The biggest thing to remember on Normal is it's on the same level as any other roguelike, if there's a fight you can't win, run like hell as soon as you're able and cut your losses before you lose it all. You may get screwed in the next jump, you might not, but it's a better chance than getting definitely obliterated or extremely damaged by the current fight. Everything can vary wildly; I've actually seen 2-shield enemies in sector 6. Granted that's like almost never, but everything's a possibility.

*Edit: You might have bumped into one of the Assault Ships; those things are always loaded to the teeth. If I can't disable them by the time the drive's charged, I'm gone.
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silentbobus

Jan 17, 2013 4:39 am GMT
Well I tried Normal again starting with the Crystal ship, and that went pretty well. This time around I got Drone Control and a Defense Drone I and that helped out immensely. But I still fell behind the curve by the time I got to sector 4. For some reason I kept hitting empty sectors, boarding events and events that gave me crewmembers instead of scrap. And then once I fell behind the curve I couldn't consistantly beat the ships I came across. I guess I'll just have to keep trying.
RPG_Wizard

Jan 17, 2013 7:45 am GMT
Are you doing staggered shots with the crystal ship? Remember that the Light Crystal Burst gives two shots to drop shields, whereas the Heavy Crystal does 2 damage to whatever it hits. You want to fire the Burst, then fire the Heavy so that the real damage gets through the shields.
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*Casts Doom on everything* You all must now feel the pain that I have felt...DIE!
RPG_Wizard

Jan 17, 2013 7:45 am GMT
Are you doing staggered shots with the crystal ship? Remember that the Light Crystal Burst gives two shots to drop shields, whereas the Heavy Crystal does 2 damage to whatever it hits. You want to fire the Burst, then fire the Heavy so that the real damage gets through the shields.
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*Casts Doom on everything* You all must now feel the pain that I have felt...DIE!
perfect_sierra

Jan 17, 2013 8:53 pm GMT
Was that double-post an intentional example of a precisely staggered volley? ;D
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ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
RPG_Wizard

Jan 18, 2013 5:16 am GMT
Nah, it was why I hate posting with a cellphone. I shall leave it now that you've made a humorous quip though.
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*Casts Doom on everything* You all must now feel the pain that I have felt...DIE!
perfect_sierra

Jan 18, 2013 11:07 am GMT
Hooray!
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ROMANES EUNT DOMUS
silentbobus

Jan 18, 2013 4:50 pm GMT
I've tried a few more times, but it seems that I start falling behind the curve at the point I get to the 3rd sector, and all of the additional money in repairs means I fall behind further. It seems like I've already gotten to a point where I would need to be incredibly lucky to win Normal, yet incredibly unlucky to lose on Easy (except possibly to the flagship, if you didn't have a chance to buy the right gear on the way there)

If you played perfectly, how many games on average would it take you to win on Normal?
RPG_Wizard

Jan 18, 2013 11:55 pm GMT
Define "played perfectly". Are we talking about winning on every gamble? Not taking gambles? Having perfect dodging of missiles? What qualifies as playing perfectly?

If I have the Kestral, Red-Tail or Bravias? I tend to win. They're all very potent ships for the first few sectors.
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*Casts Doom on everything* You all must now feel the pain that I have felt...DIE!
silentbobus

Jan 19, 2013 5:12 pm GMT
Playing perfectly essentially means making no mistakes. Making the probabilistic correct choice at every fork, using the best tactics for combat, purchasing the right equipment and upgrades at the right times. The main problem I have on Normal is that even if everything goes right for the first two sectors, I start getting outclassed by Sector 3, there's just not enough scrap to purchase the necessary upgrades to fight and win without taking significant damage. Then the scrap starts going towards repair costs and I fall further behind. Just hitting a bunch of non-scrap sectors early on can set this cycle in motion.
ShinesmanOW

Jan 20, 2013 11:44 am GMT
I had an almost-win on the Rock Type B (Shivan) but I lost half of my "marines" to stupidity- an unmanned ship with cloak in one case, not teleporting out in time in another, and so on...

I think my critical mistake, though, was not having enough weapon power - couldn't punch through the Zoltan shields, only had one defense drone and couldn't repair fast enough to survive the missile spam.
RPG_Wizard

Jan 20, 2013 12:44 pm GMT
silentbobus posted...
If you played perfectly, how many games on average would it take you to win on Normal?

Probably about 3-5, given a ship that doesn't have a swingy opening.
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*Casts Doom on everything* You all must now feel the pain that I have felt...DIE!
ShinesmanOW

Jan 20, 2013 4:28 pm GMT
I'm finding the Type B rockman cruiser works really well - all you need is the teleporter and some basic defenses (defense drone, more than one shield ASAP) and it works pretty well.

Just scored my first Normal victory with that strategy.

I was really annoyed at that game - I got my Crystal guy in sector three, never saw a Rock Homeworld, just pirates, rebels, and bears (oh my!). Mantis are godless killing machines, right?
Jet082

Jan 30, 2013 7:23 am GMT
I went through almost the same thing you're going through now. I was able to beat Easy consistently, yet would have trouble making it to the boss on Normal (let alone beat him). I finally achieved it when I unlocked a ship that I happened to enjoy immensely (Crystal B) - that's when I realized I could probably beat it on Normal with a similar strategy. It worked. I still had trouble with other ships, but it was a step at least.

Eventually, I was able to beat Normal with other ships. The trick comes from really learning about the game. Normal can be brutal compared to Easy (you can easily encounter some difficult ships in the first sector), but if you understand the game you'll do better. Try out each ship and each type variant on Easy and make sure you can beat it. Try different offensive strategies - lasers, ion, missiles, bombs, beams, fire, breach, drones, boarding. Each method has its advantages. Learn what works best for you, and what works for a given ship.

Know when to run - I was able to get a win on Normal even after running from nearly every fight in Sectors 6 and 7. I didn't expect it, but I utilized what little I had to great effect. I was able to beat the boss with just an ion bomb, boarding party, and a 2-shot laser.
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