The Factions of Infinite Space, Part 6: Klakar and Tchorak
The final post about the regular factions of Sea of Stars deals with the Terrans' greatest allies and a bunch of silicon-based, seven-armed thermophilic rock-dwellers. I'm talking, of course, about the Klakar and Tchorak respectively. These two alien races have unique properties that set them apart from all other NPC factions. Make use of them and you will find it easier to have some allies on your side in combat.
Unlike other NPC factions in Sea of Stars, Klakar are inherently friendly towards Terrans from the outset and will ally with you as soon as you encounter their flotillas. They have a station orbiting their homeworld of Kreee'Ark, and a frigate which generally spawns near Glory. This station is called an Orbital Nest, and in addition to being armed with several turrets can launch up to three pods, called eggs, at once. The Klakar Frigate, meanwhile, has three forward-facing hardpoints and a dorsal turret with 360-degree coverage.
All this firepower should add up to a deadly combination in theory, but in practice their pacifistic nature means that the Klakar tend to require assistance more often than usual due to their lack of accuracy. There is one notable exception, though: in a regular game, a Klakar Orbital Nest will, more often than not, resist an attack from a Garthan invasion force, even on higher difficulty settings, and will seldom require any assistance from your flotilla. Moreover, summoning a Klakar frigate during combat will force you to move an item from your inventory to its cargo hold if it survives, lest they take your Klakar Beacon, although it's better than allowing them to be destroyed, ensuring that you will never be able to summon them again for the remainder of the current game. Nevertheless, due to their ability to trade on a 1:1 basis, Klakar are regarded as highly essential allies for not only your flotilla, but also other factions which are not inherently hostile towards the Terrans.
Tchorak, unlike other spacefaring races, are silicon-based non-mechanical lifeforms, and are normally hostile towards every other faction, including Terrans. There is, however, one exception: if you have a Crystal Fish (itself a silicon-based lifeform) in your cargo hold, the Tchorak will offer to negotiate with you. Decline the offer and they will remain hostile permanently; accept the offer and they will become your allies for the rest of the game. This is quite an important attribute since they can be tough to defeat at times, even if your flotilla has plenty of high-end equipment installed.
As for their lineup, it is characterized by a total lack of shields, instead relying entirely on their reinforced hull for defense. Even this is not a foolproof means of resisting enemy fire, though, since repeated hits from high-damage-per-shot weapons will eventually tear them apart. On the other hand, Tchorak weapons are very powerful and can demolish your flotilla without adequate protection. Whereas the Burst Cone (which is standard on every Tchorak vessel except for the Lava Pod, which is never armed with them) is basically a much more powerful version of the Micrometeorite Gun (especially at close range), the Lava Bomb Launcher (not used by Rock Breakers and Magma Probes) fires a highly destructive missile which produces the same effect as a Burst Cone if it is shut down, while Flash Craters serve as wide-angle point-defense mechanisms.
In short, the Klakar are indispensable allies in your quest to conquer Infinite Space, while the Tchorak are always guaranteed to be very dangerous adversaries unless you find a Crystal Fish and give it to them. Do so, and you will end up with allies more helpful than any other race in the galaxy. Otherwise, deal with these silicon-based septapi using Plan B: just demolish their flotillas with overwhelming firepower and shielding, and you should be fine. This marks the end of my discussion on the factions found within this game.
Above, from top to bottom: Four stages of a battle involving a Garthan flotilla besieging a Klakar Orbital Nest defended only by a single Klakar frigate and a lone Terran destroyer. Notice how the Klakar, despite their advanced technology, require some degree of assistance from allies to win a battle, especially one on such a large scale as this.
All this firepower should add up to a deadly combination in theory, but in practice their pacifistic nature means that the Klakar tend to require assistance more often than usual due to their lack of accuracy. There is one notable exception, though: in a regular game, a Klakar Orbital Nest will, more often than not, resist an attack from a Garthan invasion force, even on higher difficulty settings, and will seldom require any assistance from your flotilla. Moreover, summoning a Klakar frigate during combat will force you to move an item from your inventory to its cargo hold if it survives, lest they take your Klakar Beacon, although it's better than allowing them to be destroyed, ensuring that you will never be able to summon them again for the remainder of the current game. Nevertheless, due to their ability to trade on a 1:1 basis, Klakar are regarded as highly essential allies for not only your flotilla, but also other factions which are not inherently hostile towards the Terrans.
Tchorak, unlike other spacefaring races, are silicon-based non-mechanical lifeforms, and are normally hostile towards every other faction, including Terrans. There is, however, one exception: if you have a Crystal Fish (itself a silicon-based lifeform) in your cargo hold, the Tchorak will offer to negotiate with you. Decline the offer and they will remain hostile permanently; accept the offer and they will become your allies for the rest of the game. This is quite an important attribute since they can be tough to defeat at times, even if your flotilla has plenty of high-end equipment installed.
Above, top to bottom: A battle between Tchorak and Tan Ru flotillas with a Terran destroyer providing backup. Note that the strong hulls and immense firepower of the Tchorak vessels helped minimize their losses, despite their lack of shields.
As for their lineup, it is characterized by a total lack of shields, instead relying entirely on their reinforced hull for defense. Even this is not a foolproof means of resisting enemy fire, though, since repeated hits from high-damage-per-shot weapons will eventually tear them apart. On the other hand, Tchorak weapons are very powerful and can demolish your flotilla without adequate protection. Whereas the Burst Cone (which is standard on every Tchorak vessel except for the Lava Pod, which is never armed with them) is basically a much more powerful version of the Micrometeorite Gun (especially at close range), the Lava Bomb Launcher (not used by Rock Breakers and Magma Probes) fires a highly destructive missile which produces the same effect as a Burst Cone if it is shut down, while Flash Craters serve as wide-angle point-defense mechanisms.
In short, the Klakar are indispensable allies in your quest to conquer Infinite Space, while the Tchorak are always guaranteed to be very dangerous adversaries unless you find a Crystal Fish and give it to them. Do so, and you will end up with allies more helpful than any other race in the galaxy. Otherwise, deal with these silicon-based septapi using Plan B: just demolish their flotillas with overwhelming firepower and shielding, and you should be fine. This marks the end of my discussion on the factions found within this game.
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