The Myths of Infinite Space, Debunked
There are many myths surrounding the entire Infinite Space trilogy, especially in the latest game, Sea of Stars. Due to persistent fan rumors, I have chosen to debunk them in the hopes of making the game easier to understand. So here are some of the more important ones, along with evidence to disprove them.
Myth: "You can never use the Limited Vacuum Collapser more than once in the same game."
Fact: It actually can be done. However, to pull it off, you'll need a sector which contains an LVC and the Timeless Bauble (which can be turned into any other object when activated). Then pick up the LVC first and detonate it, making sure that your flotilla is outside the blast radius (along with the Terrans' home system, Glory). Now activate the Timeless Bauble, and enter the words "Limited Vacuum Collapser" when prompted to enter the name of the item you are asking for. Finally, detonate your new LVC wherever you like, taking the same precautions as you did with the first one. You'll destroy at least a pair of star systems if you do it correctly both times, but if any of those systems belong to hostile factions, you'll remind the rest of the galaxy that the Terrans must not be messed with under any circumstances.
Myth: "It's impossible to destroy multiple alien homeworlds in the same game."
Fact: This isn't always true either. Occasionally you will be playing on a map which not only contains a Limited Vacuum Collapser, but also has two alien homeworlds placed in such a way that both of them can be destroyed altogether with a single LVC detonation. Under these very specific circumstances, placing the LVC where it can destroy both homeworlds will do the trick. If, in addition to this, it is also possible to create another LVC from the Timeless Bauble, you should do this first before creating the second LVC in order to obtain the latter. Once the first LVC has detonated, you are then free to make another one - and if you choose to do so, you can destroy a third alien homeworld with it. In fact, under these even more specific circumstances, if you followed all of the above steps, managed to form an alliance with both initially neutral factions (any two of the Zorg, Muktians and Calatians), and also delivered a Crystal Fish to the Tchorak, you will never encounter a hostile flotilla for the rest of the game - although this is an extremely rare occurrence.
Myth: "Bigger is better, all the time."
Fact: Although larger ships have more armor, equipment slots and turrets than smaller ones, they are also slower and less maneuverable. In fact, it's not the size of your vessels that matters most, but what you do with them. Even a small capital ship (scouts and corvettes) can carry at least one heavy weapon (such as the Nova Cannon), with the exception of Calatian destroyers and cruisers. Moreover, skillful use of advanced equipment (especially the Plasma Coil Cloaker, which prevents hostile ships from tracking the ship on which it is installed as long as it is active - at the expense of rendering all onboard weapons unusable) can tip the balance even further in your favor.
This also applies to weapons. While a big, bulky and powerful long-range weapon such as the Nova Cannon will be at its most effective against larger, slower-moving capital ships, its slow fire rate (a drawback shared with other heavy weapons) limits its effectiveness against smaller, faster fighters. Moreover, its low muzzle velocity can also be countered by using fast-moving ships. Finally, the Nova Cannon has no homing capabilities, whereas the Cobalt Torpedo Tube and Multi-Missile Launcher both do; however, the former can only be acquired by capturing the Damocles, while the latter also has a minimum effective range, within which it cannot lock on to a target. As such, it is a good idea to equip capital ships with a weapons loadout comprised of at least one long-range weapon (for use against capital ships) and at least one hitscan or projectile weapon (for destroying hostile fighters).
Myth: "In some random maps, it's impossible to find anything that can trigger a quest."
Fact: You are always guaranteed to find items and/or flotillas that will trigger a particular quest when you visit the system in which it is located. While this was only implemented in later builds in an attempt to make the game more difficult, it also has the inevitable side-effect of boosting your combat score (which contributes to your total earnings at the end of the game) should you destroy the enemy flotilla(s) spawned as part of the quest.
Myth: "None of the quests can be avoided by any means."
Fact: Except for the Yellow Kawangi and Primordius quests, it is possible to end any quest before it can even be started. The Ravian invasion can be prevented by destroying the system containing the Brood Towers with a Limited Vacuum Collapser before you visit it - but the towers are a natural feature in that system and cannot by removed by a supernova blast wave. If the Kestrel is destroyed before you have attempted to board it (e.g. via supernova), the three pirate fleets (all of which are programmed to converge on the Glory system) will not appear at all. Finally, if the Urluquai Station is destroyed by any means prior to being boarded, you will no longer be able to deliver the Sardions to their destination (which grants you a Sardion Maximizer), nor will the Urluquai invasion force appear; hence, it will no longer be possible to even start the Urluquai Crusade quest if this occurs.
On the other hand, the Primordius and Yellow Kawangi quests cannot be avoided at all, but for completely different reasons - for the former, Primordius appears right after you start the game; for the latter, if you choose to explore every star system on the map, you are absolutely guaranteed at some point to discover a Limited Vacuum Collapser hidden in a random unclaimed system and draw the attention of the Kawangi in the process.
Myth: "Outside of user-generated scenarios, the Nova Cannon, Graviton Disintegrator and Cobalt Torpedo Tube are all considered unobtainium - the player cannot acquire these weapons in any way."
Fact: Although the Nova Cannon and Graviton Disintegrator are used exclusively by the Yellow Kawangi (as far as AI-controlled factions are concerned), it is possible to acquire either (but not both) of them in regular gameplay by using the Timeless Bauble - although they will become unobtainable permanently if you create anything else with the bauble. However, in maps which do not contain this device, both of these weapons are totally unobtainable. This is also true of the Cobalt Torpedo Tube, except that in maps where Primordius is present, the capital ship Damocles will also appear in orbit around a gas giant (which in turn orbits an orange star) - and it carries two of these weapons by default, although you cannot use them unless you manage to capture the ship. Hence, in maps which have the Bauble and Damocles, it is possible to end up with a fleet equipped with either Kawangi weapon (but not both) and a pair of torpedo tubes.
Myth: "The Yellow Kawangi cannot be encountered more than once."
Fact: Due to a bug, if the system where the Limited Vacuum was spawned is revisited after the quest to defeat the Kawangi is completed, another Kawangi Dreadnought will appear, following the same route as the previous one (unless the Dreadnought's first destination was removed from the map, in which case the ship will follow a different route. Of course, if you have a ship with lots of long-range weapons (or a Nova Cannon), heavy shielding, an advanced targeting computer (and a cloaking device, if you have one, although this particular item is not an absolute necessity), you can actually exploit this bug, but you'll still need excellent tactics to have any chance of success. Powerful thrusters are also recommended, but not required. If you succeed, you will gain lots of extra Terran credits for spending on upgrades later.
Myth: "There are always 4 allies you can recruit on every random map."
Fact: Although it is very likely for this to occur, it's not a certainty. Occasionally, you'll find yourself playing on a map where you can only recruit three allies instead of four, and this can be further reduced to two if one of them is destroyed before being recruited. Even so, it is still possible to fully complete the game under these circumstances; it just takes a little more care.
Myth: "There is no point in using the Chromium Gong or Melodium Conograph."
Fact: The Chromium Gong, if it ever appears on the map, is actually quite useful if you must complete a quest (especially the one in which you have to destroy a Kawangi Dreadnought before it annihilates the Terran home system of Glory) but have very little time to do so. Sure, you'll risk breaking the gong and reducing its value, but it's a lot better than letting Glory get blown up! Even so, if you've upgraded your fleet enough, the Gong can become redundant, in which case it may be better to just sell it without having ever used it at all - if you haven't done so already.
As for the Melodium Conograph, all it does is transport your entire fleet one year into the future - but unlike the hyperdrive, it won't take you to another star system or add the Vortex Beast to your cargo hold (if it isn't full). However, you will earn the hidden achievement "Dulcet Tones" the first time you activate it. Other than that, its only purpose is as trade fodder; selling it in Glory will yield 650 credits - 30% more than an intact Chromium Gong.
Myth: "The Hyperdrive is no longer of any use in this game."
Fact: Nothing could be farther from the truth. Although the Hyperdrive has now been nerfed so that using it always takes your flotilla one year (or 365 days) into the future, there are situations where traveling directly to a particular system takes longer without using it, or is outright impossible due to the combination of the presence of a black hole on your intended route and the absence of an Anti-Graviton Shunt in any of your capital ships' equipment slots. In addition, unless your cargo hold is full, using the Hyperdrive for the very first time will add a Vortex Beast to your cargo hold; this strange creature can then be sold at Glory for 600 credits, or at Gamma Station (if it exists on the map) for a whopping 1800 credits - three times its normal price.
Myth: "The Temporal Flux Shield is always the best shield to use."
Fact: Not always true because the Temporal Flux Shield cannot regenerate during combat, unlike lesser shields. Moreover, if it is fully depleted, it will only replenish a small amount of energy shortly afterward. Thus, in situations where you would rather want your ship' shields to fully regenerate, lighter shield systems, such as the Meson Lattice Shield, will be more useful than the Temporal Flux Shield. Even so, a Temporal Flux Shield can withstand much more punishment than any other shield type before being fully eroded away, and can even resist the blast wave of a supernova. That might explain why the Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought and Prince Arcturus' flagship, the Damocles, are equipped with it by default, and in fact are the only ships in the whole game outfitted as such. However, I have managed to successfully destroy Yellow Kawangi Dreadnoughts in normal gameplay even without it - it just takes more caution than if I had installed that particular shield on any of my capital ships.
There are other myths and misconceptions hidden in the Sea of Stars, but the ones I have explained above are some of the best-known among players. I'll see you on the deck of your imaginary flagship very soon.
