Subset Games Forum

I consider myself intermediate at this game but I'm still unsure of some things if people can help please.

1: Are there reliable ways to determine which sectors are the most profitable? I tend to visit rebel or pirate sectors the most often if I have the choice because I assume they have enemy encounters the most frequently and will give more scraps. Mantis and Rock sectors might also apply but I choose to avoid them if I do not have a good setup for dealing with boarding tactics.

Aside from that how about the other sectors? Are civialian sectors good for anything in particular over other green sectors? Are nebula sectors good for something not obvious? I guess if you have a ship with slugs and no sensors a nebula sector might be ok but the problem with them is you have no chance to slow down the rebel fleet by visiting nebula's because of that mechanic so I treat them as pretty much the least ideal sector possible. Not to mention I find it hard to anticipate profitable choices when dealing with slugs even when you know the events, they are just so unreliable.

2: Doubt it, but do certain sectors favor specific shop content? Like if I want a transporting pad really bad will it have a greater chance of appearing in a mantis sector than another one?

3: Once you select a target to send a hacking drone to, are you ever able to choose again? Paying a 2nd drone would be fine...As far as I can tell you cannot which is understandable since they are already very powerful but who knows.

4: Just my observation, but did advanced mode reduce the extra scraps gained for boarding tactics? I remember boarding ships to their crew's death used to make me go "whoah look at all the scraps!" before, now it's like "eh? that's not much more".

5: Is there some kinda hidden difficulty modifier to the game beyond the user-adjustable one at the start? Kinda like rank in shootemups? I'm not talking about more difficulty in later sectors but... well...It just seems like whenever I actually try out the crystal cruiser, I fight crazy armed ships one after another after another. Yeah the crystal cruiser is powerful and I'm not complaining, but is the player really better off when all the enemies are more powerful as well? Maybe it's coincidence? It's like I have a hard time actually with it because I'll end up facing enemies with like 3 shields on a regular basis by as early as sector 3, and never had the chance to get a new weapon yet so I can't deal with 3 shields reliably since the enemies will often dodge 1 of those 3 shots.

6: I know scraps gained for defeating enemies is randomized, but is it modified in any way by the ship you face as well? I mean is there a better chance of getting more loot for defeating a mantis bomber than some little 2 crew 3 room slug ship (in the same sector).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ghaleon wrote:1: Are there reliable ways to determine which sectors are the most profitable?

I don't know if this is best, but I go where my ship can handle itself. Sometimes (Esp. with the Engi ships) that means going to a green sector. Usually that means going to a red sector. "Red 'til you're dead" is my mantra. I will only go to Nebula sectors if I'm forced or if I have a Long Ranged Scanner.

Ghaleon wrote:Are civialian sectors good for anything in particular over other green sectors?

No, and you can't get a free Zoltan shield there. There are other bonuses, though I don't pay that much attention. You get fights everywhere but there are less stores in red sectors, for example.

Ghaleon wrote:Are nebula sectors good for something not obvious?

The only time I like 'em is when I have LRS so I can use the (weak) rebel slowdown to my advantage by hitting every ship and then getting outta Dodge.

Ghaleon wrote:2: Doubt it, but do certain sectors favor specific shop content?

Not in stores, but you can get special, unique things only in certain sectors from other events. The best one is the aforementioned Zoltan Shield. Wow can THAT change the game.

Ghaleon wrote:3: Once you select a target to send a hacking drone to, are you ever able to choose again

Nope. Choose wisely

Ghaleon wrote:4: Just my observation, but did advanced mode reduce the extra scraps gained for boarding tactics? I remember boarding ships to their crew's death used to make me go "whoah look at all the scraps!" before, now it's like "eh? that's not much more".

I'm not sure. Advanced mode has less scrap total, so boarding would also have less scrap. I've not done a systematic comparison though.

Ghaleon wrote:5: Is there some kinda hidden difficulty modifier to the game beyond the user-adjustable one at the start? Kinda like rank in shootemups? I'm not talking about more difficulty in later sectors but... well...It just seems like whenever I actually try out the crystal cruiser, I fight crazy armed ships one after another after another. Yeah the crystal cruiser is powerful and I'm not complaining, but is the player really better off when all the enemies are more powerful as well? Maybe it's coincidence? It's like I have a hard time actually with it because I'll end up facing enemies with like 3 shields on a regular basis by as early as sector 3, and never had the chance to get a new weapon yet so I can't deal with 3 shields reliably since the enemies will often dodge 1 of those 3 shots.

That's a very interesting psychological phenomenon called Observer Bias. You think something's true so you notice it. It's like when you buy a new car, and then it seems like 20x more people drive that type of car. There are no differences between events of the same type based on anything but difficulty level and sector number.

Ghaleon wrote:6: I know scraps gained for defeating enemies is randomized, but is it modified in any way by the ship you face as well? I mean is there a better chance of getting more loot for defeating a mantis bomber than some little 2 crew 3 room slug ship (in the same sector).

Sort of. It all depends on how the event is laid out. If it's EXACTLY the same event (same text at the start is a good sign) then no, but two very similar events (pirates chasing some dude or whatnot) could have different rewards even though they appear very similar.

1. The different sectors don't really differ in the average amount of resources, as far as I can tell. They do differ in the types of enemies you'll face. For example, rock sectors have lots of rock ships, which have the rock hull augmentations, meaning that they usually can be shot at more, without exploding - very useful if you want to kill the crew, but don't have a teleporter. Also, the crewmen you get from encounters, tend to be skewed towards the native race for that zone. So, if you want a lot of Zoltan, go to Zoltan sectors and hope for the best!

2. Shops are independent.

3. Hacking drone is single-target. (Would be nice if they patched in a self-destruct button, but I wouldn't hold your breath. :)

4. I've been playing too much on hard mode to be able to compare. Even if it's only a small amount higher than non-boarding, you'd still be better off boarding.

5. Coincidence, and confirmation bias. ;)

6. I think the rewards are based on what started the battle, not the types of ship.

Thanks guys, though I resent that bias comment =P. People who are bias towards something generally aren't willing to consider the possibility that their experience is merely a coincidence, and asks such =P.

Ghaleon wrote:Thanks guys, though I resent that bias comment =P. People who are bias towards something generally aren't willing to consider the possibility that their experience is merely a coincidence, and asks such =P.

It's not a slur on you, it's a term scientists use on themselves (and I use it on myself too. I was convinced that missile ships got more missiles for killing ships than the average for months, based on what I thought were empirical observations. However, my unknown bias was at fault and I was only noticing the data that confirmed my bias). No offense was meant.

1. Red sectors give you more ships to fight and therefore more scrap. Homeworlds are the same thing as well as having some exceptionally profitable quests. Nebulas are a mixed bag since you get more jumps, but there are a lot of beacons with absolutely nothing. Civilian sectors (as well as engi and zoltan) are great if your run is going poorly and you want a bunch of sectors that will just give you free stuff without a fight and extra stores.

2. No. Shops are entirely random by all accounts.

3. Not during that fight. You can jump away and then back and then hit a different room, but I don't think that's what you meant.

4. Events where you get boarded have always been terrible fails. In vanilla FTL basically all of them were wasted jumps, tedious fights, and really poorly explained from a story perspective. What, a bunch of random dudes floating in space waiting for a ship? At least in AE a couple of things actually have a reward. TBH, 100% of events when you are boarded SHOULD have a reward.

5. No. You have just been getting unlucky or are maybe trying to get away with a less defensive setup than usual.

6. Scrap, fuel, missile, and drone rewards for ship kills to my knowledge are fully dependent on what sector you are in and are not in any way based on ship type or what gear the enemy is running with.