Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 111: Into the Unknown

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 111: Into the Unknown

After recently trying out version 4.2 of Automation in its most recent state (open alpha LCV4.12), I can glad to tell you that I am most definitely impressed. Yes, there are still plenty of mods from earlier builds that have not been carried over yet, and some annoying bugs are still present (as I have already explained in the previous post in this series), but this latest build is generally an improvement over earlier ones. For one, there are now advanced trim settings for wheels, tires, suspension and engine placement, although these are purely aesthetic and will not affect a vehicle's stats in any way. The actual engine and trim configuration options, however, are far more comprehensive and realistic.

With the release of the 4.27 build, there are now many advanced aesthetic trim settings to choose from.

In particular, there are now many more options available when designing an engine. Balance shafts and harmonic dampers are now a selectable item, and are virtually mandatory for high-revving engines due to the durability bonus they provide when they are fitted. More significantly, turbochargers are now much more realistically depicted, with options to select wastegates, boost control and even smart boost depending on the year. In addition to this, thermal stress (which is shown in the turbo graph tab) has been factored in, and excessive thermal stress can even render an engine unusable.

Turbo tuning is more detailed than ever before, as this screenshot of the turbo setup graph shows.

One of the more useful trim settings is the weight balancer, which allows you to skew a vehicle's weight distribution to the front or rear - a handy tool for counteracting excessive oversteer or understeer. There's also a weight optimization slider which you can use to add or subtract weight depending on how much (or little) of it your vehicle needs. On top of that, you can select in-car entertainment systems and grades independently, with the availability of each variant being dependent on the era.

More significantly, though, there are plenty of new car bodies and exterior fixtures that have been introduced in this build, either by default or through mods. To go along with this, some of the existing bodies have been revised, with different measurements and unlock years compared to previous builds - and each body now has a list of compatible seating configurations displayed when you move your mouse over them. This makes it easier to find out if the body you wish to use is the right one for your needs.

One of the most significant changes in version 4.27 is the unlock year for a whole set of sedan bodies being changed to 2006, compared to 2009 in prior releases.

In terms of aesthetics, the range of options in the engine and trim tabs is now much wider than before. There are now far more areas in both tabs that can have their materials and/or colors changed, especially with the new material mods introduced in the opt-in open alpha. This is especially important for anyone seeking a period-accurate appearance for their build.

There are now far more engine components that can have their colors and materials changed - and this is also true of the car as a whole.

All in all, after a period of initial skepticism, I am pleased to tell you that the most recent open alpha build of Automation has finally delivered on its promises. It is still a long way from being as stable as the previous version (4.24), however, even with the latest 4.13 patch, but the gap has noticeably narrowed. In fact, it's now more complete than it's ever been - and it will get better over time.

Dual Vacuum Collapse: Is it Possible?

Dual Vacuum Collapse: Is it Possible?

By far the most dangerous item in the Infinite Space universe is the Limited Vacuum Collapser, a doomsday device that causes a five-lightyear-wide area of space to instantly collapse into a lower energy state, thereby destroying all ships, items and star systems (including your fleet, if it is within the blast radius at the time of detonation) in that part of the map. Normally, this can happen only once per game, but in Sea of Stars, the player can do this twice if the following conditions are met:

• The map contains not only a Limited Vacuum Collapser, but also a Timeless Bauble (which can be used to create a second LVC even if one is already present on the map).
• The player creates an LVC from the Timeless Bauble (which can only be used once).
• When the first vacuum collapse occurs, the Glory system (where the Terran home world, Hope, is located), the player's fleet, and the second LVC (or unconverted Timeless Bauble) are all outside the blast radius - the game will end if either of the former two are engulfed in a vacuum collapse.

This is a rare occurrence, but I've made it happen a few times in the past. In fact, there may be legitimate reasons to do so. For example, you could use the first LVC to eliminate a major threat to Glory (Kawangi dreadnought, Primordius, Urluquai crusaders, Ravian invasion fleets, pirate reinforcements), and detonate the second LVC to remove an ally and/or alien home world(s) you don't particularly like. Here's a recent example.

This screenshot was taken during a game in which I detonated two Limited Vacuum Collapsers on two separate occasions. This is what part of the map looks like after the first vacuum collapse: up until then, the Garthan and Urluquai home systems were present, but now, they are no more, and at least three other star systems were also engulfed.

Recently, I found myself in a situation in which I could cause two localized vacuum collapses in one game: one from a Limited Vacuum Collapser, and one from a Timeless Bauble that I could convert into a second LVC. I detonated the first LVC in a part of the map where it would engulf two alien home worlds (which in this case belonged to the Garthans and Urluquai), making sure to do all the necessary trading between them before the vacuum collapse. After buying the items I wanted, I set the timer, retreated to a safe distance and watched the fireworks. In the aftermath of the "explosion", where there was once a star cluster, there was now a featureless void - but I realized that, with an Anti-Graviton Shunt already fitted to one of my capital ships, I no longer needed to recover the abandoned capital ship Damocles to destroy Primordius, and decided to remove that ship from the map through a second vacuum collapse.

This is what the map looks like in the aftermath of the second vacuum collapse - three more star systems have simply vanished. Among them are the Tchorak home system and the red-orange star system where Damocles spawned.

After the second vacuum collapse, Damocles and the Tchorak were completely gone from the map. Normally this would have made it impossible to get to Primordius, but with one of my capital ships already fitted with an Anti-Graviton Shunt, I was able to reach it anyhow, and converted my flagship (a Terran corvette) into a missile boat armed with two Multi-Missile Launchers - exactly what was needed to blow Primordius to bits. With careful use of a cloaking device, I had no trouble reducing Primordius to an unrecognizable mass of debris.

There was another way I could have dealt with Primordius under these circumstances, however. I could have detonated the second LVC in the Theta system, which was close enough not only to the black hole Chernobog (where Primordius was located), but also the Calatian home system - and considering that I could not make peace with the Calatians this time around, it would have made perfect sense. Had I chosen this course of action, the Tchorak homeworld would have been spared, along with Damocles, and I could have used the latter in combat - but with the Urluquai home world gone by then, I would not have been able to buy another cloaking device to install on Damocles. Nevertheless, I was pleased at how well this particular game turned out.

So why is it now possible to cause two localized vacuum collapses in Sea of Stars? Well, for one, the Limited Vacuum Collapser is no longer a unique item, as was the case in Weird Worlds - as such, there can now be up to two of them present at once on the map at any one time. This may also apply to the original Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, but not in Weird Worlds - unless the LVC is detonated first, and a second LVC is created in its place using a Timeless Bauble - and even then, I have never tried this specific method in that game, so I don't yet know for certain.

In short, causing two localized vacuum collapses in one playthrough of Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars is actually quite wasteful - there is rarely, if ever, any justification to do so - but it definitely looks spectacular, and can even be cathartic if you need to dispose of large numbers of hostile ships at a time without engaging them in direct combat, especially now that there is a limit to how many times you can use a Chromium Gong before it disintegrates. Just make sure your fleet and your home system are at a safe distance at the times of detonation.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 110: A New Dawn

 Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 110: A New Dawn

A new build of Automation has been in the opt-in open alpha phase for the past few months, and in that time, the developers have done a lot to improve its stability, so here it is in a nutshell.

Version 4.2 of Automation not only brings with it reworked turbocharger setups, but also adds a whole host of additional engine and trim settings for a greater variety of options when building a car and its engine. In addition, many new bodies (in various sizes) have been added, along with advanced trim settings to adjust the visual size and shape of key components. Some of those bodies had previously been exclusive to beta testers, but they are now much more widely available for the general player base to use.

So why have I held off on switching to this build so far? For starters, it was notoriously buggy at launch, but thankfully most of these bugs have since been fixed. In fact, the current open alpha build (LCV 4.2.12) is the best it's ever been, but I would prefer to play it safe and wait for the next patch or two after that. Moreover, many mods from previous game builds have not yet been remade for the open alpha, although this situation is slowly improving. Finally, although there are now plenty of challenges running on the latest open alpha, I am not quite as eager to enter them as I once was, although this could change in the future, either due to a game update, the introduction of a new challenge with a particularly attractive rule set, or both.

On the other hand, LCV 4.2 will inevitably enter an open beta phase, by which time it will have been more fleshed out. By then, I will most likely have chosen to finally take the plunge and opt in to the new build, thereby providing myself with a clean slate. I could use this as an opportunity to revisit and rewrite the lore of whatever companies I have made in Automation, and remake some of my favorite designs in the process. Before any of that can happen, however, I'll examine all the new content so that I can understand it better, in the hopes of unlocking its full potential.