The Factions of Infinite Space, Part 5: Calatians and Ravians
After several posts of discussing most of the original races of the Infinite Space trilogy, I have chosen to focus on two of the races introduced in Weird Worlds, the Calatians and Ravians. The former could originally only be encountered when you visit their colony, causing their emissary to board your flotilla. The latter only showed up as part of a quest in which their destruction was the primary objective, unless you let them destroy Glory first. Now, in Sea of Stars, they each have their own homeworld, and while one of them is always hostile, this isn't true of the other.
Calatians were introduced in Weird Worlds as a minor alien race whose ambassador would board your flagship if you discovered the Calatian Colony. This time, though, they are a full-fledged space-faring civilization. Like the Muktians and Zorg, they are neutral by default, i.e. they will not attack unless provoked and will normally warn you not to do so. In combat, however, they are a mixed bag. Their fighters have two turrets instead of just one, and can target anything not in the rear quadrant, but when controlled by the AI, are only fitted with weak Iridium Pellet Guns. In fact, it would take a very large number of these tiny vessels to destroy a capital ship, and even then it would seldom be possible if the target had enough high-end equipment installed. Calatian capital ships, meanwhile, can only carry small weapons (except for the two largest ones, which have room for medium-sized weapons), and are not very effective in long-range combat.
On the other hand, Calatian pellet guns have point-defense capabilities, and the Plasma Cannons used by Calatian Dreadnoughts are quite powerful. Electric Bolt Guns, however, deliver less damage per shot and have a shorter range, but fire faster and have a higher muzzle velocity, and are thus found on every Calatian capital ship. Nevertheless, their lack of long-range combat capability has forced the Calatians to rely on their 360-degree field of vision and their strong shields - late in the game, they will use robust Meson Lattice Shields, which the Zorg also use. Moreover, since Calatian ships are smaller and lighter than equivalent vessels from other civilizations, they are not only faster, but also more maneuverable.
In short, Calatian vessels appear small and unassuming, but can deliver plenty of firepower when attacking. However, they can't snipe their foes from afar or carry the biggest weapons. Nevertheless, with excellent speed and maneuverability, plus few, if any, blind spots, their capital ships can be a force to be reckoned with, especially when upgraded - so always try to negotiate with these tiny critters when possible.
Ravians, on the other hand, are some of the nastiest foes a Terran commander can possibly encounter. This is mostly due to their capital ships (except for the scout-sized Seeker Scarabs) being armed with accurate rapid-fire Proton Claws, and their entire flotilla (excluding their fighter-sized Bug Commando ships) carrying medium-ranged Gluon Webs. These weapons are built into the structure of Ravian capital ships and cannot be replaced, nor can they be installed on non-Ravian ships. It is for this reason that I omitted them from my earlier weapons guide. Nevertheless, despite their limited range and damage, their high fire rate makes Ravian vessels (particularly the larger and more heavily armed Hive Lords and Moon Mutants) a legitimate threat to any flotilla.
The Ravians are not without weaknesses, though. Their sublight speed is only average relative to other factions' ships, and they have an obvious blind spot at the rear, although the larger ships' wider field of vision mitigates this somewhat. Moreover, even though Bug Heads are launched from their capital ships after their destruction, these escape pods are quite fragile and only carry a single Gluon Web. Finally, Bug Commandos are among the weakest fighters in the game in terms of offense and defense.
In short, Ravian vessels can be intimidating foes in combat early on. However, as you upgrade your flotilla's ships with better weapons and shields (as well as other equipment for good measure, if you have to), they, like all other hostile factions in the game, end up as fodder, since they will eventually be much less of a threat. Ultimately, defeating a Ravian flotilla can often be a challenging task, particularly on the higher difficulties and/or when you have to stop them from destroying Glory, but it tends to be a quite rewarding one in any case. In my next post, I will describe a race of friendly avians and the only silicon-based non-mechanical lifeforms in Sector Prime.
The Calatian Fleet, miniature orb-fortresses of utter destruction.
Calatians were introduced in Weird Worlds as a minor alien race whose ambassador would board your flagship if you discovered the Calatian Colony. This time, though, they are a full-fledged space-faring civilization. Like the Muktians and Zorg, they are neutral by default, i.e. they will not attack unless provoked and will normally warn you not to do so. In combat, however, they are a mixed bag. Their fighters have two turrets instead of just one, and can target anything not in the rear quadrant, but when controlled by the AI, are only fitted with weak Iridium Pellet Guns. In fact, it would take a very large number of these tiny vessels to destroy a capital ship, and even then it would seldom be possible if the target had enough high-end equipment installed. Calatian capital ships, meanwhile, can only carry small weapons (except for the two largest ones, which have room for medium-sized weapons), and are not very effective in long-range combat.
A Calatian fleet making an apparently suicidal attack on a Ravian fleet... or is it?
On the other hand, Calatian pellet guns have point-defense capabilities, and the Plasma Cannons used by Calatian Dreadnoughts are quite powerful. Electric Bolt Guns, however, deliver less damage per shot and have a shorter range, but fire faster and have a higher muzzle velocity, and are thus found on every Calatian capital ship. Nevertheless, their lack of long-range combat capability has forced the Calatians to rely on their 360-degree field of vision and their strong shields - late in the game, they will use robust Meson Lattice Shields, which the Zorg also use. Moreover, since Calatian ships are smaller and lighter than equivalent vessels from other civilizations, they are not only faster, but also more maneuverable.
The Calatians have won - but only just.
In short, Calatian vessels appear small and unassuming, but can deliver plenty of firepower when attacking. However, they can't snipe their foes from afar or carry the biggest weapons. Nevertheless, with excellent speed and maneuverability, plus few, if any, blind spots, their capital ships can be a force to be reckoned with, especially when upgraded - so always try to negotiate with these tiny critters when possible.
A bunch of giant interstellar bugs? No problem...
Ravians, on the other hand, are some of the nastiest foes a Terran commander can possibly encounter. This is mostly due to their capital ships (except for the scout-sized Seeker Scarabs) being armed with accurate rapid-fire Proton Claws, and their entire flotilla (excluding their fighter-sized Bug Commando ships) carrying medium-ranged Gluon Webs. These weapons are built into the structure of Ravian capital ships and cannot be replaced, nor can they be installed on non-Ravian ships. It is for this reason that I omitted them from my earlier weapons guide. Nevertheless, despite their limited range and damage, their high fire rate makes Ravian vessels (particularly the larger and more heavily armed Hive Lords and Moon Mutants) a legitimate threat to any flotilla.
When Calatians and Ravians clash, the ensuing battle is bound to be epic!
The Ravians are not without weaknesses, though. Their sublight speed is only average relative to other factions' ships, and they have an obvious blind spot at the rear, although the larger ships' wider field of vision mitigates this somewhat. Moreover, even though Bug Heads are launched from their capital ships after their destruction, these escape pods are quite fragile and only carry a single Gluon Web. Finally, Bug Commandos are among the weakest fighters in the game in terms of offense and defense.
In short, Ravian vessels can be intimidating foes in combat early on. However, as you upgrade your flotilla's ships with better weapons and shields (as well as other equipment for good measure, if you have to), they, like all other hostile factions in the game, end up as fodder, since they will eventually be much less of a threat. Ultimately, defeating a Ravian flotilla can often be a challenging task, particularly on the higher difficulties and/or when you have to stop them from destroying Glory, but it tends to be a quite rewarding one in any case. In my next post, I will describe a race of friendly avians and the only silicon-based non-mechanical lifeforms in Sector Prime.
No comments:
Post a Comment