Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 134: Revisiting and Expanding the CEL Challenge Remix

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 134: Revisiting the CEL Challenge Remix

With another round of the original CEL Challenge having recently been announced, I decided to give my own version of it (the CEL Challenge Remix) a once-over. For starters, unless any tech pool-related modifiers are in effect, the default tech pool values (+5 for all areas) are now the absolute maximum allowed - in other words, a total of 80 points (30 for the engine and 50 for the trim), with a maximum of 5 per area. In addition, in place of a generic 2v/cylinder Unlucky modifier, there is now a Cast Headers Only modifier, and the Cross-ply tires Unlucky modifier now requires the use of medium compound tires or less, while on the other hand, the Semi-slick Tires Lucky modifier requires the use of radial tires. This makes the latter two modifiers completely incompatible with each other.

The changes above make a lot more sense now, given that the 2v/cylinder modifier turned out to be redundant, and on top of that, I should have been more specific regarding the two tire type modifiers. After all, semi-slick cross-ply tires were, and still are, highly unrealistic. In addition, I now have the option to enforce the following rules regarding historical accuracy, assuming the use of default tech pool values:

• 2-way catalytic converters are only legal in the 1960s and 1970s; they are not legal in any other era.
• Cross-ply tires of any kind are illegal in any and every era from the 1970s onward; conversely, semi-slick radial tires are only legal from the 1950s.
• AWD is only legal in the 1970s or later.
• 1x Single Barrel Eco Carb is illegal in any and every era from the 2000s onward.
• If the class generated requires a respin for a specific class, and the same is true of the next Class spin, continue spinning until it generates a Class that does not require a respin.
• Std. Automatic (max. 3 speeds) is only available from the 1950s through to the 1980s.
• Drum Brakes Only (front and rear) is no longer available from the 2000s onward.

If any of these rules are in place, and at least one of them is violated, then the entire CEL combination is invalid, and a new one must be generated. In addition to this, if the era generated is Oil Crisis (1973-75), then unleaded fuel (with a maximum octane rating of 91 RON) must be used.

In addition to the above changes, I am also considering adding two additional (but optional) wheels: a Trim Year spinner, for determining the specific trim/variant year from the generated Era (with 10 options: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, each of which denotes the last digit of the trim year), and another (called Free Year Choice) to determine whether or not to take into account the effect of the Trim Year Spinner (with two options: Yes and No, the former of which allows free choice of any trim year within the generated Era, thereby ignoring the effect of the Trim Year spinner). If I ever do so, I would need to introduce additional options for the Lucky wheel that are related to the new spinner wheels, such as "Change Year", which involves spinning the Trim Year wheel one more time, unless the Free Year Choice spinner landed on Yes.

Other suggestions for Lucky modifiers include "Race Parts Allowed" (allow for the use of race parts of any kind on the engine - a huge boon if the Class generated is Race/Rally Car) and "Change CEL" (respin the Class, Era and Location wheels together, instead of only one of them). Note that the effects of the Trim Year and Ignore Trim Year wheels (and all modifiers related to them) are automatically ignored if the generated Era is Oil Crisis (1973-1975), which limits the trim years to a range from 1973 to 1975 inclusive. Finally, I could introduce a "Change Luck" modifier for the Lucky wheel, which allows for one respin of the Luck wheel (something that is not otherwise possible); however, no matter where it lands, no further respins of the Lucky or Unlucky wheels will be allowed.

It should be noted that the changes listed in the two paragraphs above are merely suggestions, and I do not feel obligated to implement any (let alone all) of them, given that the newly revised CEL Challenge Remix is already good enough as it is in its latest form. Moreover, if I still want to implement a system for determining a specific trim year, I could rely on the exact location the Era spinner lands on. For any option other than Oil Crisis (1973-1975), the closer to the trailing edge of the slice the spinner lands on, the earlier the year; the closer to the leading edge of the slice the spinner lands on, the later the year. Again, however, this is entirely optional.

So, after much deliberation, I have finally decided to add the Change CEL, Change Luck and Race Parts Allowed modifiers to the Lucky spinner wheel in the CEL Challenge Remix set, along with a fourth new option: Unlimited Quality and Tech Pool, which allows the use of as many tech pool and quality points as you like across any and all areas. The CEL Challenge Remix now looks like this:

The revised and updated CEL Challenge Remix spinner wheel set, with some existing options renamed or described in more detail, and a few new ones added to the Lucky wheel (bottom right).

That concludes our description of the updated CEL Challenge Remix. In the next post in this series, I'll describe my entry in the latest round of the original CEL Challenge.

Update (February 3rd 2023): The Change Luck option has been removed after I realized that I didn't need it as much as I thought. The Race Parts Allowed modifier has been shifted around to take its place, and its original slot is now occupied by a new option: Race Parts + Semi-Slick Tires; if the spinner lands here, both the Race Parts Allowed and Semi-Slick Tires modifiers are in effect. The changes are reflected in the screenshot below.

The Can Openers of Infinite Space: High-Risk, High-DPS Single-Shot Weapons

The Can Openers of Infinite Space: High-Risk, High-DPS Single-Shot Weapons

Having previously discussed critseeking in Infinite Space and how to accomplish (or counter) it, as well as the weapons best suited for such a strategy, I will now move on to a class of weapon that causes a large amount of damage with every direct hit. These weapons are generally called can-openers - a term borrowed from BattleTech used to describe any weapons with this capability. They fire a single large projectile at a time, instead of a continuous beam or multiple smaller projectiles at once. In addition, they tend to be of the direct-fire variety, so you'll need to lead the target to improve your chances of a direct hit (although targeting computers make this easier to accomplish). Moreover, they generally have a low muzzle velocity compared to other weapons, and are therefore best suited for use against capital ships; conversely, they are less effective against fighters, and to reflect this, some can-opener weapons cannot automatically lock on to fighters or other small craft.

One of the most common can-opener weapons in Infinite Space is the Gauss Cannon. According to its description, it fires a large metal projectile through a set of magnetic coils at high velocity. It is a staple weapon of the Terrans, Zorg, Tan Ru and Muktians, and the Urluquai and Calatians offer it for sale on their respective home systems. While it is far from the most powerful weapon, it delivers a high amount of damage for its (relatively low) price, with a decent fire rate and good range, making it ideal for low-to-mid-budget builds. In particular, the Zorg Frigate goes one step further by carrying two of these weapons by default - in fact, it the only ship in the game with such a setup for its stock loadout.

The Gauss Cannon - a favorite of many space-faring civilizations throughout Sector Prime.

The Plasma Cannon is another good example of a can-opener weapon. Like its smaller counterpart, the Plasma Blaster, it fires a ball of plasma, but in the form of a larger, slower-moving projectile that causes more damage on impact. Unlike the Gauss Cannon, it is a much rarer (but equally versatile) weapon; apart from Arch Fenster's Swamp Pirates, the Calatians are the only known users of this weapon, and even then, its size precludes its use on any Calatian vessel smaller than a Dreadnought. Nevertheless, it fires fast enough to be useful in most combat situations, especially against capital ships.

The Plasma Cannon is a worthwhile alternative to the Gauss Cannon, fielded (almost) solely by Calatian forces.

Some missile weapons also fall into the can-opener category. The Fission Missile Rack is a good example: it cannot target fighters automatically, but in return it delivers more damage per shot than the Impaler Missile Rack, and is longer-ranged to boot. However, only two factions (Terrans and Muktians) use it, and it is vulnerable to ECM systems and point-defense weapons. Even so, it remains useful (especially for lower budgets) due to the fact that, unlike Gauss and Plasma Cannons, they fire homing missiles, making them effective indirect-fire weapons. Many Terran and Muktian capital ships have at least one by default; the Muktian Destroyer's stock loadout has two, providing a more potent long-range punch compared to other Muktian ships. However, both factions will replace them with deadlier Multi-Missile Launchers at higher tech levels.

A staple of Terran and Muktian capital ships, the Fission Missile Rack often the go-to anti-capital ship weapon for medium- to long-range combat at intermediate tech levels.

The ultimate can-opener weapons, however, are unobtainable by normal means, if at all. One of them, the Cobalt Torpedo Tube, is only available as part of a quest (Primordius); the other (the Nova Cannon) is the most overpowered weapon in the whole game, and will be used against you in another quest (Yellow Kawangi invasion). The Cobalt Torpedo Tube is basically a high-speed, high-yield cruise missile launcher that, by default, does not lock on to fighters. However, each individual torpedo causes more damage than an entire salvo from a Multi-Missile Launcher. Damocles (which only spawns as part of the quest to destroy Primordius) is the only ship to carry this weapon by default; in fact, comes equipped with two of them as standard, and a direct hit from two of these weapons at once is almost as devastating as being hit by a Nova Cannon.

Normally exclusive to the Damocles, the Cobalt Torpedo Tube is one of the best weapons in the game, especially when fired in pairs.

Speaking of which, the Nova Cannon isn't just the best can-opener, it's unquestionably the best weapon in the game. The only way to acquire it in a normal game is to acquire a Timeless Bauble, activate it, and type "Nova Cannon" when prompted to enter the name of the item you want. This will give you a Nova Cannon, a weapon normally exclusive to the Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought. Once you use the Nova Cannon, you'll quickly find out why it is so effective: it delivers more damage per shot than any other weapon in the game. In fact, the best way to counter a Nova Cannon is with another Nova Cannon, especially when fitted to a ship that has a Plasma Coil Cloaker.

Apart from rarity and price, however, these two weapons share one major weakness: a slow rate of fire. This can be mitigated by fitting a targeting computer to the ship armed with these weapons. Moreover, the Nova Cannon's ability to automatically lock on to fighters, while beneficial in some situations, is generally a hindrance when attacking a mixed fleet of fighters and capital ships (or a space station) - a common workaround involves selecting the ship carrying the Nova Cannon, and targeting the capital ship (or space station) you want to attack. Finally, a Nova Cannon shell or Cobalt Torpedo missile can be intercepted using point-defense weapons, although this is very rare due to the fact that neither of these projectiles is actually treated as a missile in-game. 

The final weapon in this category is the Lava Bomb. Unlike the other weapons shown here, it is built into the structure of certain Tchorak ships (Lava Pod, Crust Buster and Vent Mother) and cannot be used by any other vessel. It fires a slow-moving stone pod that causes heavy damage on impact (though not as much as a Nova Cannon) and will disintegrate into a devastating cloud of fragments if it is destroyed in mid-flight. The best way to counter it is therefore with an ECM system (especially if said system is the more advanced Signature Projector); it's not foolproof, but when it works, the pod will spiral out of control harmlessly away from your fleet. Also, its fire rate is even slower than that of a Nova Cannon, and cannot be increased further with targeting computers, since Tchorak ships lack equipment slots.

Unique to some Tchorak ships, the Lava Bomb's homing capabilities, high-yield warhead, and ability to release fragments if destroyed mid-flight make it a formidable weapon that rivals the Cobalt Torpedo Tube and Nova Cannon.

To put it another way, if the Cobalt Torpedo Tube is reminiscent of an Arrow IV Artillery missile launcher (and in fact, both of those items became lost technology for a time, before later being rediscovered), then the Nova Cannon is more like a Clan ER PPC (Extended Range Particle Projection Cannon), especially one with a PPC Capacitor fitted. However, a Nova Cannon cannot be destroyed altogether, only disabled temporarily until it is repaired outside of combat. The Lava Bomb, meanwhile, combines elements of the Nova Cannon and Cobalt Torpedo Tube, but at the expense of being unobtainable in normal gameplay (mainly for balancing reasons). As for the other can-openers shown here, they're nowhere near as potent, but the fact that they're far more easily available makes them viable at all levels, especially the lower ones.

In short, can-opener weapons are generally more challenging to use than others, but more rewarding when you use them correctly due to their greater damage per shot, which compensates for their relatively low fire rate. However, they are generally more effective when combined with other weapon types (especially faster-firing ones), except in the rare use case of when they are fitted to a scout as its sole armament, and even more so if said scout is fitted with a cloaking device. Other weapons are more practical in many situations, but nothing beats a can-opener - especially the infamous Nova Cannon - for sheer shock and awe.

A Comparison between Infinite Space Ship Sizes and BattleTech BattleMech Classes

A Comparison between Infinite Space Ship Sizes and BattleTech BattleMech Classes

After spending hundreds of hours playing various games in the Infinite Space trilogy of sci-fi spaceflight roguelikes, I came to the realization that the series' capital ship size structure reminded me of a similar unit mass system used in BattleTech, a tabletop game set in the distant future (spanning a period of time from the late 20th century to the mid-32nd century as of this writing) and themed mostly about giant mechanized walkers (known as BattleMechs) with masses of under 10 tons to well over 100 tons (although rules for other vehicles, such as tanks, aircraft, spacecraft and boats also exist). Infinite Space, however, only allows players to control small spacecraft (all of which are fighters), capital ships (anything that isn't a fighter or a space station), and space stations (large, immobile structures that launch several fighters at a time). This also applies to its tabletop game spin-off, Eat Electric Death!

Much like BattleTech, Infinite Space has four main categories for the type of vehicle most prominently featured (BattleMechs in the former, capital ships in the latter). In BattleTech, they are referred to as Light (20-35 tons), Medium (40-55 tons), Heavy (60-75 tons), and Assault (80-100 tons); in Infinite Space, they are referred to as Scout (small), Corvette (medium), Frigate (large), and Destroyer (huge). In both games, larger and heavier units are generally slower and less maneuverable than smaller ones in exchange for having more space for weapons, armor, and other equipment. So here's a brief summary of each size class from both games.

Small and Light

Scout ships in the Infinite Space trilogy are the smallest, lightest, fastest and nimblest class of capital ship in the series, but have less capacity for weapons, cargo, armor and equipment. Therefore, they generally fulfill a role similar to light 'mechs in BattleTech: their speed, affordability, maneuverability and small size makes them ideal for scouting and reconnaisance. All scout ships, however, can either be configured for direct combat roles, although some, such as the Calatian Destroyer (which is classified as a scout in-game due to being the same size as one), are built that way from the outset.

Happy Mediums

In the Infinite Space franchise, a corvette is a type of capital ship larger than a scout, but smaller than a frigate or destroyer. They generally fall in between the two in terms of speed, firepower, armor, and maneuverability. This makes them the equivalent of medium 'Mechs in BattleTech: their balanced stats gives them a high degree of versatility. Faster units in these classes are often used for leading smaller ones into battle. The Calatian Cruiser is a special case: it's classed as a corvette, and sized appropriately, but the Calatians call it a cruiser simply because it's larger than their destroyers, while also being smaller than their two other capital ships (Dreadnought and Superdreadnought).

Heavy Hitters

Frigates in Infinite Space are the second largest class of ship; they are larger than corvettes and scouts but smaller than destroyers. Compared to smaller capital ships, they tend to sacrifice cargo space, speed and maneuverability for superior firepower and armor, as well as generally having more equipment slots. Although the extra size generally makes them more expensive than smaller capital ships, it also makes them well-suited to a wide variety of frontline combat roles, which makes them somewhat reminiscent of heavy 'Mechs in BattleTech in terms of strategic value, in that they can either be generalists or specialists, with the latter trading overall versatility for improved combat performance in a specific area. Note that Calatian Dreadnoughts are classified as frigates in-game due to being larger than every other Calatian vessel other than the Superdreadnought.

Assault Destroyers

Destroyers (and other similarly sized ships such as carriers, including those fielded by the Urluquai) are the largest and heaviest playable ships in Infinite Space. They are the slowest and least maneuverable ships available, but have more capacity for weapons and armor than smaller ships, and they also have good cargo space. Their lack of speed and agility means they are often escorted by smaller allied ships. Destroyers commonly serve as command units on the battlefield. However, they are expensive to build and purchase, and are therefore rare. In general, the role and abilities of destroyers in Infinite Space brings to mind that of assault 'Mechs in BattleTech: big, slow, but heavily armed and armored units often seen leading a frontal attack or guarding a vital defensive position, for which they are best suited. It is worth noting that due to their immense firepower and heavy armor, both the Yellow Kawangi dreadnought and the Calatian Superdreadnought are classified as destroyers, despite being larger and smaller, respectively, than most other ships in that category.

Other Classes

Fighters are to Infinite Space as battle armor (including Elementals) is to BattleTech: small units that have much less capacity for weapons than larger ones. However, whereas BattleTech's battle armor is always slower than a BattleMech, Infinite Space's fighters are far more maneuverable than capital ships, and much faster to boot. They cannot be assigned the role of flagship, and rarely have their own superluminal (i.e. faster-than-light) drive, but they are commonly used for hit-and-run attacks on capital ships, as well as dogfighting against hostile fighters. Space stations in Infinite Space serve as bases for fighters, and have built-in turrets for defense, but they have no direct equivalent in BattleTech (although some adaptations feature turrets as stand-alone defensive structures).

Conclusion

Both Infinite Space and BattleTech rely on a tiered system of unit classification, not just to distinguish them based on their size, firepower, speed, and mass, but also for their general combat roles. In both games, although it is possible for a formation to consist solely of units from one size category, this results in a specialized set of units that performs better in some roles than others, although there are exceptions. On the other hand, a formation comprised of units of varying sizes tends to be more versatile, although it is quite rare for such formations to have units from three or more different size classes. But no matter which of these two games you are playing, your choice of units (and how you configure them) is only part of what constitutes a successful strategy; tactics and positioning are also important, and combining all of these elements into a cohesive whole is essential for victory.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 133: Design First or Engineering First - Which One is Best?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 133: Design First or Engineering First - Which One is Best?

Having played Automation for several years now, I have seen countless builds, not just from myself but also other players, that demonstrate the fact that cars built in-game tend to fall into two categories depending on their development philosophies: design-led and engineering-led. Some of them even incorporate elements of both. However, regardless of how you develop a car, one thing is clear: you must get both the design and engineering right if you want to have any chance of winning a forum or Discord challenge. So without further ado, let me explain the two philosophies and how they differ.

In Automation, a design-led philosophy for developing a car requires focusing on the exterior (and if desired, interior) design above all else, to the point where it is generally the first aspect to be prioritized, after which other priorities (such as engineering) can be given attention. An engineering-led development philosophy, on the other hand, prioritizes focusing on the engineering side first, before working on the aesthetic aspect. But which of these is most suited for you? The answer depends on how heavily biased your Automation skill set is towards design or engineering - in other words, whether you are more of an artist than an engineer, or vice versa.

The Artist

Automationeers who fall into the Artist camp tend to develop the exterior design (and, in many cases, the interior design) of their builds first, before selecting and adjusting the trim options. While the end result is often aesthetically pleasing, it requires more time to get right, and will generally overshadow the engineering aspect of the build, no matter how well-executed it was. Thus, it is inadvisable to neglect engineering, which brings us to the opposite philosophy - the Engineer.

The Engineer

The Engineer philosophy, on the other hand, focuses on sorting out the engine and trim options first, before working on the exterior aesthetics (and in some cases, the interior as well). This is a reversal of order from the Artist philosophy shown above, and is a less time-consuming approach.. However, some builds developed in this way give relatively little thought to exterior design -  a trap best avoided.

The Third Option: Best of Both Worlds

Considering that Automation is a game that's as much about designing cars as engineering them, the best players learned many years ago that true mastery only comes from having sizable experience (and skill) in both design and engineering, effectively combining the best bits of the Artist and Engineer philosophies. This is the ideal balance that all Automationeers should strive for. It is worth noting that before its relaunch using Unreal Engine 4, Automation ran on the Kee engine, and these early builds provided less scope for developing your skills as a virtual car designer or engineer. Now, however, the latest UE4 version has much more content and many more features even when compared to previous UE4-based game builds, allowing for much more creative freedom than before, which brings with it more opportunities to improve your skills in both aspects.

In short, to be a truly great Automationeer, a comprehensive understanding of the design and engineering aspects is vital. The skills required to become an expert in either of them take months or years of learning just to approach mastery, especially due to the sheer number of updates that have fundamentally changed how the game works. My own experience in Automation reflects this: I started playing during the Kee Era, when the choice of bodies and fixtures was relatively limited, and I was generally more intrigued by the engineering aspect. Over time, this steered my Automation design skillset towards the Engineer philosophy; however, over the past three years, I began studying some of the more advanced exterior and interior design techniques the game had to offer, thanks to some useful  posts on the Discourse forums. As such, I have managed to improve my car design skills, although I am still better at engineering than designing.

So for anyone confused as to whether Automation is a game about engineering or designing cars, remember this: It's both at the same time. And if you want to learn more about either, you can rely not only on the in-game tool tips and tutorials, but also on assorted advice on the forums and Discord (as long as it's up-to-date, of course) - just don't forget to ask if you feel unsure about something.