Purchasing advice for my play-through?

[mresc]

Hello, just wanted to say this game is AWESOME! Got the Advanced Edition on a discount on GoG.com and was pleasantly surprised by both gameplay and story! (seriously, I'm having more fun with this then I did with most major games nowadays) I think it could use a saving after every sector on easy at least, but anyways this isnt a critique.

I was hoping to get some advice on my current playthrough, particularly on what I should (or shouldnt) buy. Here are the details (see bottom links for ship and store screenshots):

7 Crew members:
Nazia (Human) - Pilot
Markel (Human) - Formally weapons, now doorman/helper
Manon (Human) - Shields
Justin (Human) - Formally Engines, now Cameraman/helper
T'ten (Rockman) - Engines
King (Zoltan) - Living battery! (powers systems when needed)
Gumpo (Mantis) - Weapons

The crew that was "formally x" was replaced because the new guys specialized in that area.

After plenty of trials and errors, this is probably the best run I've been in so far. The only downside being low on fuel (I already ran out of fuel 3 times but was lucky enough to attack/be saved by other ships) and I still have the same basic weapons when I first started. I'm near the end of the 4th sector (Zoltan territory), and I think the next sector is either an Uncharted Nebula or Hostile.

My ship is at full health (for once xD), and has 3 upgrades on Shields (2 layered-shields), 1 on Engines, and 2 on Weapons. Since I have more than enough crew manning every station right now, I think its better to buy from the store rather than upgrading smaller systems (doors, camera's, etc). The ship does NOT have any augmentations whatsoever.

The store doesnt sport new weapons but it has one page of augmentations and system upgrades.

System upgrades:
Drone Control - 85 (comes with a free defense drone mk.1)
Cloaking - 150
Mind Control - 75

Augmentations:
Long range scanners - 30
Distraction Buoys - 55
Battery Charger - 40

If I sold the Anti-drone I'm still only a single scrap short of Cloaking, so that's out of the question. Leaning more toward Drone or Mind control, though I heard mixed reviews of each. For Augmentations, I dont think the Buoys wlll be that useful but the battery charger and long-range scanner sound promising. Not sure what the battery charger does really, but if the "backup battery" that it charges isnt the ships' power would I have to buy one?

Regardless, what do you guys recommend? Save my scrap and hope for the best? Buy Mind or Drone Control to make up for basic weaponry? Focus on upgrading ship systems? Frame these screenshots and never play the game again? Let me know what you think.

IMAGES:
Ship/crew: https://anonfiles.com/file/d198e2b186f6 ... a6dda4919b
Ship upgrades: https://anonfiles.com/file/f312da2a7930 ... ac7ddeaa64
Ship equipment: https://anonfiles.com/file/a9828b083d54 ... 528825bf05
Store: https://anonfiles.com/file/ee133cd9d114 ... 822c5552ce

[5thHorseman]

I'd buy 3 more engines and 2 power. Then take the power out of the medbay and put it into engines for a total of 3. There is 0 benefit to powering the medbay unless someone is standing in it and needing to be healed. Then, I'd consider trying for that 3rd shield layer.

Then I'd work on getting another weapon, selling the Artemis if necessary. Another BL2 would be great but a Flak 1 works just as well (better in many ways) or even a BL1. Charge laser or chain laser is good too.

Don't worry about O2 or Medbay. You need to shore up your defense and offense ASAP before the bad guys' stats start ramping up. You're basically at the last point in the game where what you have can hurt the enemies, and you're behind on defenses that will keep the enemies' weapons at bay.

Good luck, and welcome to the game! I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as we all do

[shadowcrust]

I'd buy the Long-Range Scanner, so you can detect ships in adjacent beacons. Lots of scrap from the fights - if you win them

[mresc]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Since I still have the same weapons as when I first started, I think I'm going to purchase either Drone or Mind control to make up for that, them MAYBE buy the long-range scanner instead of upgrading the ship right away. since I have the chance now and I'm low on fuel. (so I can scan for stores/ships/etc for more fuel/scrap ahead of time)

Drone control sounds promising since I'll be making use of two drones right away (Anti-Combat drone and Defense drone). If I go with that I'm pretty much focusing on defense, but I think 5th horseman is right, best defense is a good offense right now.

That said, has anyone used Mind Control? Do you find it that good when on the offense, or is it really only effective with other upgrades, such as teleporting (boarding)?

[5thHorseman]

You don't need a LRS to find stores however it is a fantastic augment. Almost a must-buy especially early on because it's so cheap and works well up through sector 7. Also, it mitigates most of the problems you have in nebulae by allowing you to see not only where ion storms are, but where ships are NOT so you can avoid those areas

I've found mind control to be a very good adjunct/tactical addition. By itself, its best use is to eliminate most of the enemy's dodge right as you fire a volley. A second and very good use is when 2 or more people are fixing a system or (even better) trying to put out a fire, MC one of them and they'll fight each other instead of fixing their ship.

However if you do the first one of those, you don't have MC available to do the second, and the second is so powerful that it's hard sometimes to justify doing the first. And when you chose not to do the first thing, you'll notice that the enemy seems do dodge all of your shots

So yeah, MC is better in tandem with something else. Teleporting is obvious, and I love it with a fire beam/bomb. You can fairly easily kill all the crew in many ships without a teleporter with a single fire bomb and a mind control device. And if you've got a fire beam instead, a full-powered hacking drone to take down shields can ruin a lot of enemy's days.

And don't forget, you can use a 1-power MC to fully* mitigate an enemy's mind control on your own crew.

*It's actually not QUITE fully. In the single case where the enemy teleports into a room AND mind controls the guy in that room, you cannot mind control THAT GUY back to your side. You have to just mind control the room, and hope that you get lucky and turn your own guy back. More often than not, you turn one of the bad guys to your side which does far less good

[mresc]

It was a tough choice, but I finally decided to go with the Mind Control along with Long-Range Scanners and upgrading the ship. I've been able to make it all the way to Sector 7 before finally being destroyed...one node before a store. Those double/triple layered enemy shields are near-impossible to get through. xD

That was the farthest I've ever gotten and I think I would've died alot sooner if I didnt post this question. Thanks for all your help/advice! Time for another run.