The Sea of Stars Challenge

The Sea of Stars Challenge: A Guide to Getting the Best Possible Scores in Infinite Space III

This time, I will discuss something more relevant to serious gamers, although the advice in this post is relevant even to newcomers. In fact, it will be of particular use to anyone seeking to obtain the Top Dog achievement, which is attained by finishing the game with the highest possible ranking - the Glory system president. Even so, newcomers (who are often advised to start on lower difficulty settings) can also apply the advice shown here to ensure that they can fully understand how to eventually beat the game on higher difficulty settings.

Plotting a route through a sector which is mostly nebula is tough, so stick to normal space when you can.

The first thing you should do is to survey the sector map. At maximum difficulty, this is particularly relevant since much of it is taken up by nebulae, and you also want to identify hazardous places (black holes, supernova shockwaves, systems occupied by hostile forces, etc.) very quickly, allowing you to steer clear of them until you have the right equipment. In fact, when you do, you will eventually need to visit such locations, not just to increase your score through combat success, but also to complete a critical quest later on. Moreover, given that you must also explore as many systems as possible, avoiding nebulae (unless your flotilla can move through them quickly enough) is a top priority, as is finding the fastest route between systems. Doing so will allow you to visit more systems in less time, although if you have equipped one of your ships with a Hyperdrive or hired a Zorg helmsman, it will be even easier for you to explore the whole sector.

The Calatians have offered us an ultimatum... and in the interests of our own safety, we will accept it and leave.

When you visit a system occupied by another faction (except for the friendly Klakar), don't immediately go into combat against them; doing so will cause them to be hostile towards you if they weren't already your enemies. Instead, decide whether or not it is safe to attack them, and if not, just leave the system, then return to it later when you are either able to negotiate with them or overwhelm them with superior technology. In the latter case, victory isn't guaranteed, but it's likely, although having strong shields and/or fast-acting targeting computers helps, and while you're at it, giving your ships repair mechanisms and/or cloaking devices (for defensive purposes) will be even more useful in combat.

Even a Terran Corvette, when fitted with the right equipment, can be deadly in the right hands. This Urluquai Carrier is basically doomed!

On the subject of combat, while it may seem tempting to trade in your existing capital ships for larger ones as soon as you are able to afford them and also equip them fully, that option is not always the best one available to you, particularly early on. The reason for this quickly becomes clear after the first battle following a trade-in of your starting ship: to match the strength of your flotilla, NPC flotillas will also get stronger. Moreover, trading up will leave you with a slower and less maneuverable ship than the one it replaced, and usually, you'll end up forking out some credits (or coins) to fill any unused equipment slots it will have. However, if you need to destroy a powerful hostile fleet, a lot of firepower and armor will be needed, and only the larger capital ships can provide those. In such situations, trading up is definitely a viable option, and one that is much more easily recommended.

Above: Trading up to bigger vessels on higher difficulties makes most sense near the end of the game, when you already have plenty of cash and/or items. Below: High-value artifacts such as a Marvelous Toy are definitely worth seeking out, and should be traded in for equipment as soon as possible.

Speaking of trading, in the early going just getting the more desirable items can be a challenge at this level, since you will rarely have enough credits and/or items to trade for high-end stuff, such as cloaking devices. However, as you collect more items over the course of the game, it will be easier to trade with other factions and ultimately turn your flotilla into a nigh-unstoppable force. But what about selling items to Terran facilities? In this instance, you will be better off selling expensive artifacts and devices, such as the Black Monolith. At Gamma Station, however, lifeforms are a real blue-chip commodity, and fetch higher prices there. Hence, with sufficient knowledge of the values of each item at each store in the sector, you can easily trade your way to success.

In short, Sea of Stars is very tricky to beat on the highest difficulty level. However, it is a highly rewarding challenge, and one which brings plenty of satisfaction if you are successful. In such cases, you are almost guaranteed to end up with a score of over 100,000 points, although it is possible to get around 200,000 points, which is simply insane. And to all players who take up this challenge, I wish them good luck - and may the forces of good be with them!