Hotshot Tales, Part 14: The Case for a Custom GP

Hotshot Tales, Part 14: The Case for a Custom GP

Hotshot Racing shipped with just four series of races in Grand Prix mode (The Tour, Pro Circuit, Racing Elite, and Hotshot!), with a fifth (Boss Level) being added in the Big Boss DLC update. Each one is available in all three speed classes (Normal, Hard, and Expert), so in reality there are 15 variants in total. However, if you want to complete the game fully, you'll need to win at least one GP with all 32 vehicles, and doing so unlocks additional customization items. There are also achievements/trophies for winning a Grand Prix overall with a specific character - and there are eight of them (one per character). So there's a lot of replay value in Grand Prix mode.

But what happens when you've done all of that, and also unlocked and purchased every single customization option? You could enter some online or local multiplayer races, and try some custom single-player events on Expert over 7 laps (the maximum possible race distance) to really challenge yourself, but even then, your options are still limited. So I'm proposing an additional game mode: Custom GP. This variation of the regular GP mode is not something you find in most racing games, but feels perfectly appropriate here.

You'll need to unlock it by winning every GP in every speed class, but when you do, you finally have a chance to create your own series of races. And unlike the races in the standard GP series, which are always three laps long (except for the Boss Level GP races, which last four laps instead), you can change the location, speed class, and number of laps for each race individually. In addition, you can select how long the GP will be, from 3 to 10 races. Finally, it should be possible to use the same track more than once in the same custom GP, and change cars between races (while also using the same character for the entire GP).

The advantages of introducing such a mode are obvious. In addition to adding some welcome extra variety to the game, it forces you to change your strategy much more often if you're using different cars from the same character over the course of the season. There's also potential for the Custom GP mode (along with the regular GP) to be carried over to multiplayer - but that functionality should be available from the outset for multiplayer as well. In any case, you'll have even more reason to revisit Hotshot Racing with this mode.

In short, a Custom GP mode for Hotshot Racing (at least in the way I'm proposing it) wouldn't just increase the game's already great replay value even more, but give the player a chance to try out different vehicles from the same team and find out which one works best for each race, thus yielding a more adaptable approach during the season.

Infinite Space Insights: One Pair is Enough?

Infinite Space Insights: One Pair is Enough?

A recent playthrough of Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars ended in one of the weirdest ways possible, when a supernova shock wave engulfed the capital ship Kestrel (which would cause Pirate fleets to spawn at three different systems had I boarded it) before I could add it to my flotilla. However, I decided the risk associated with capturing the Kestrel would not be worth it this time around: if the Kestrel spawns at the start of a regular game, and it is destroyed before the player attempts to board it (by deploying any of their ships onto the battlefield), the Swamp Pirate Rebellion quest will not begin. 

Above: I didn't get the capital ship Kestrel (which would've triggered the Swamp Pirate Rebellion quest) in this playthrough - I deliberately ignored it (and in fact, didn't even attempt to board it) in favor of letting the supernova shock wave engulf it - but I was fine with that, considering that it made this particular playthrough attempt easier.

This saved me some time, hassle, and credits (the latter of which I would've otherwise spent on upgrading and rearming the Kestrel), but there was another capital ship in this playthrough that I could've added to my fleet, but didn't. That vessel, a Garthan Scout, was just as useful in combat as the Kestrel, but once again, I decided to save more credits by destroying it instead of adding it to my flotilla, and in fact I did so (with a well-placed Limited Vacuum Collapser detonation) before the Kestrel was wiped off the map in a supernova explosion.

Above, from top: A well-placed Limited Vacuum Collapser detonation overwrote the system in which I found a Garthan capital ship - but since I deliberately chose not to add it to my fleet before then, I missed out on the chance to do so. I didn't miss it all that much, however, considering that my existing capital ships could more than hold their own in combat.

That left me with just two capital ships in my flotilla: my starting ship (a Terran corvette) and a Zorg capital ship (which I'd upgraded, and later traded in for a Zorg corvette for more firepower). And that was it: aside from a pair of escorts (a Garthan fighter piloted by a mercenary, and a Muktian fighter flown by a noble pilot), I did not have any other ships in my flotilla by the end of the game. Even though I was attempting the playthrough on the lowest difficulty setting (minimal NPC fleet strength and nebular mass), I knew that having only two capital ships available for combat may not be enough unless I had acquired enough upgrades - fortunately, I had acquired a Multi-Missile Launcher to install on one of those vessels, and had I allowed the in-game clock to progress further, I could've purchased at least one more from the Muktian and Terran home systems, but I'd explored the entirety of the map before then, so I chose to end the game right away.

It could've been worse, though. As described in an earlier post, I managed to complete the game with just one capital ship in an earlier playthrough, though this is even rarer still. Then again, in most of my playthroughs, I'm content to fill all four capital ship slots in my fleet, which goes some way to maximizing your score with the chosen difficulty settings - and isn't that what you should be doing? Even so, completing a regular game after adding fewer than three capital ships to your fleet is quite an achievement, because it forces you to manage your fleet more carefully with fewer capital ships in it, especially on higher difficulties.

Hotshot Tales, Part 13: Sea View Slugfest

Hotshot Tales, Part 13: Sea View Slugfest

Remember when I scored six kills in a single Barrel Barrage race in Hotshot Racing, on the Downtown variant of the Desert map? Well, I did it again, but on the Sea View variant of the Coast map. This time, though, I came very close to scoring a seventh kill right at the very end, and in fact would've done so if the last opponent hadn't taken themselves out by driving straight into a barrel I hadn't placed.

The recipe for this rampage was simple: take the fastest car (Marcus' Carbon) on the longest race (7 laps), in the fastest speed class (Expert), and wreak as much havoc as possible until you get eliminated or finish the race (whichever comes first). Also be sure to avoid running out of time, and prioritize survival over speed where possible if you're the last player standing. And so, the challenge was on.

Right from the start, I jumped out to an early lead from the back, thanks to a perfect launch (which occurs when you keep the RPM in the yellow zone on the tachometer when the starting countdown ends). Just before the last turn of the second sector, I got my first hit (against Aston's Shadow), even though it meant hitting the outer wall. I quickly recovered to catch back up to the leaders, and on the next lap, hit Xing (in a Blaze) twice to eliminate him - my first kill of the match. And shortly before completing the second lap, I managed to get a double hit against Aston and Keiko at the same time (the latter of whom was driving an Eight Rock). 

Above, from top: It didn't take me very long to get my first kill in this match - and I even scored a rare double hit for good measure.

I scored no eliminations on the third lap, but got two of them a few seconds apart on the next one: Toshiro's Wild Line and Mike's Eagle. Both of them got taken out when each of them hit a barrel I'd placed earlier, to serve as a trap. And then Keiko bit the dust when she slammed into another barrel I'd left behind after completing the first sector. It was mostly quiet from then on, until Aston succumbed to the pressure and fell into yet another barrel trap I'd placed before the S-curve in the second sector - right before I commenced the seventh and last lap.

Above, from top: Three kills within just a few seconds on the fourth lap is quite impressive, especially since there was only one opponent challenging me for the lead by then - the other two kills were against rivals who had fallen very far behind.

The last lap left me with a crucial decision: Should I go for at least one kill, or simply cruise to an uncontested victory instead? Feeling brave, I went for the former, and quickly caught up to Viktor's Rennen - I took it out with one hit, after realizing that it had already been critically damaged from multiple previous barrel collisions. I then set my sights on Alexa's Mirage, only for it to disappear when it, too, drove right into a barrel before it could start its last lap of this race. So it wasn't the total wipeout I'd been expecting, but 6 kills in a single Barrel Barrage is still an amazing showing by any standard.

Above, from top: I missed out on a seventh kill by a whisker, but I still got two more kills in the closing laps to bring my total to six - which is still an impressive result.

Any Barrel Barrage in which the same player scores six kills is rare, but this one is noteworthy for how much closer I came to getting seven compared to the previous one. Thankfully, there is no achievement for such a feat, because it's extremely difficult to pull off.

Above: Some of the highlights from this chaotic Barrel Barrage on Sea View in which I scored six kills - and came within a whisker of claiming a seventh.

In short, I didn't expect to do so well in this Barrel Barrage, but I'm lucky and grateful that I did - although I could've done better, but not by much.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 211: A Two-Door Bruiser for Keen Drivers

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 211: A Two-Door Bruiser for Keen Drivers

With the four-door HPG HL6 already completed, I began wondering if a high-performance two-door coupe version would be even better still - and so it was. To make that a reality, however, I had to make a lot of mechanical changes - aesthetic differentiation wouldn't be enough. So I chose to take the resulting build slightly further upmarket, into the more prestigious grand touring segment.

The first step was to give it a sleeker two-door bodyshell, using the same body set and wheelbase, but in notchback (rather than fastback) coupe configuration. That alone was insufficient to give the desired proportions, however, so I angled the windshield rake as far back as possible. Enlarging the wheel diameter by 17 inches also helped. The result was an even more athletic stance, one that was more obvious inside and out than in the donor car.

To back up the racier styling, I gave the mechanicals a once-over, and decided that it needed at least 40 more horsepower to be competitive - but I exceeded that target by 5 horsepower. Combined with 10 lb-ft of extra torque, it was enough to take it into sports car territory... in a straight line. But even with a 6-speed manual gearbox (with different ratios) and helical limited-slip differential to harness the extra power, it was clear that getting all that power to the ground safely needed a lot more work.

Keeping all of this in mind, I retained the lower ride height of the Sport package, but went one step further with stiffer spring/damper rates. However, I didn't go too far and compromise ride comfort in the process. In addition to this, uprated brakes helped cut fade to zero, while lower-profile high-performance tires and a functional aero kit yielded substantial improvements in grip - a necessity for something with more overt sporting intentions.

As for interior aesthetics, I only needed to make minor modifications, such as rescaling and moving some fixtures (a few of which were replaced by different variants within the same set). The deep purple interior accents remained, but the background interior color was mainly tan or cream instead of gray. In addition, most of the chrome-finished exterior brightwork was replaced with plastic trim. Finally, I fitted a pair of tailpipes on each side at the rear instead of the single items I used previously.

Above, from top: The HPG HL6 was already attractive enough to stand out from the crowd in its original four-door form - and this is even more true of the two-door version, especially in Sport trim.

Regarding standard equipment, very few changes had to be made, except for having adjustable adaptive dampers by default. This trades a small amount of reliability for extra sportiness and comfort - a boon in the GT market the HL6 Coupe would've competed in.

Above, from top: The interior of the HPG HL6 Coupe is marginally less practical, with one fewer seat, but has a more intimate feel - and perhaps fittingly, a sportier one in the Sport trim level.

In short, the HPG HL6 Coupe delivers a surprising amount of grace and pace for a large two-door coupe, without sacrificing too much space. To be fair, however, it wasn't my first attempt at making a grand tourer or personal luxury coupe in Automation using any of the two largest sizes of the '89 Ice Cream body set, but after looking back on it, I can proudly say that it was the best by far. The Discourse post showcasing this car can be found here if you want to find out more about it.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 210: Another Four-Door Cruiser for Keen Drivers

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 210: Another Four-Door Cruiser for Keen Drivers

The AAA Centurion 6.0 SS wasn't the only fully detailed four-door build I recently made with a Discourse challenge in mind. A few weeks before that, I started work on a more luxury-focused design, the 1992 HPG HL6 4.0 Sport, which you can find more about here - and unlike the AMS Ventnor I made a few years ago, I chose the '89 Ice Cream body set as the starting point. My choice was justified: the Ventnor, being built on the '88 Indicator body set, was too small and light for the brief, and the only other alternative, the '87 Boat body set, wasn't available in the size I wanted to use. With the base body set locked in, I commenced design and engineering work, making sure to work within the limits of the challenge, the rules of which can be found in this post.

Built on a unitary AHS steel chassis with treated steel bodywork (for better rust protection), the HL6 is an outlier among luxury sedans, thanks to its curvaceous, forward-thinking design (at a time when some real-life equivalents were far more angular by comparison) and lighter build (under 1.7 tons in some trims). The Sport package leverages this even further with slightly lower, stiffer suspension (which still retains most of the comfort found in the standard setup) and a viscous limited-slip differential. Powered by a 275-bhp 4.0-liter naturally aspirated 32-valve quad-cam V8, driving the rear wheels via a five-speed advanced automatic gearbox, the HL6 has the thrust to match its looks - and with A-arm front suspension and a multi-link rear end, it delivers a supple ride/handling balance on any road surface.

Above, from top: With its sleek, sporty ambiance, the 1992 HPG HL6 was a breath of fresh air in a segment whose offerings generally had a more stoic look and feel by comparison.

Higher-end trims came with optional air suspension (and even satellite navigation in later years), but even without them, the HL6 was an alluring alternative to the more conservative choices found in the segment. To justify this, it had a luxurious, high-quality interior and CD/cassette stereo sound system, with advanced safety features such as ABS-assisted vented disc brakes at each corner, along with traction control and variable-assist power steering.

Above: The interior of the HPG HL6 was packed with lots of standard equipment, as befitting a full-size luxury car - and offered in a wide range of color/material combinations on customer request, just like the exterior.

In short, the HL6 4.0 Sport is best described as a surprise package within its class: unexpectedly sporty to look at and drive (but in a good way), while still retaining top-tier levels of luxury, safety, technology, and convenience with minimal compromise, even in its most basic form.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 209: Centurion Reborn

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 209: Centurion Reborn

As part of yet another recent Automation Discourse challenge, I embarked on another fully detailed build, this time reusing the name of something I'd made earlier during the Kee era, almost a decade ago. This time, however, I'd only be making a specific trim for the purposes of the challenge I wanted to enter, although others may follow later.

The trim in question - the 2006 AAA Centurion 6.0 SS - is a good example of what I call a "muscle sedan", in which a four-door car has an unusually large and powerful engine slotted into it. Developing a steady 400 horsepower, its 6000cc all-alloy overhead-valve V8 also has enough mid-range torque to make overtaking a breeze, even in the lower gears. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission and helical LSD, the Centurion is quick enough off the mark (0-60 mph in <5 seconds) to keep up with (and even beat) actual sports cars on a winding road or at a permanent circuit, thanks to fully independent suspension (dual-wishbone front/multilink rear) and large vented disc brakes (345mm front discs w/4-piston calipers and 315mm rear discs w/2-piston calipers) at each corner, all set up to provide a sporty driving experience while also maintaining enough comfort for daily use.

Above, from top: The 2006 AAA Centurion 6.0 SS is the high-performance flagship of the Centurion line, and flaunts its sporty image with such cosmetic elements as a raised hood bulge (incorporating a scoop), functional fender vents, and an aerodynamics kit that incorporates real front and rear spoilers.

Built on a high-strength steel chassis with treated steel bodywork, the Centurion 6.0 SS is no stripped-out track special - with a high-quality premium interior and CD stereo sound system, complete with satellite navigation, all five occupants enjoy a surprising level of comfort for a car of this kind. Variable-ratio hydraulic power steering, combined with a full suite of driving aids (ABS plus traction/stability control, the latter of which can be toggled on or off with a button press each), and driver/passenger side airbags (front, side, rear side, knee, and curtain) make it as safe as it is wieldy in traffic. And with 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance tires, the Centurion has the grip to match its grunt.

In building the Centurion, I invested a lot of quality points into several critical areas (especially the bottom end, fuel system, drivetrain, interior, body/trim, and suspension) to improve some of its more vital scores (such as sportiness, drivability, and comfort, all of which are crucial for a high-performance daily driver capable of seating four or even five adults). My techpool distribution (within the maximum combined cost of $50 million AMU, split between engine and trim as desired) was mostly similar to the default allocation of +5 in every area, except for +7 each for the bottom end, fuel system, interior, chassis, and gearbox, +6 for safety, and +0 for forced induction (a necessary reduction for anything with a naturally aspirated engine, since any techpool cost that would otherwise be invested there could be reallocated elsewhere).

Above: While the Centurion 6.0 is ostensibly a performance car, it doesn't skimp on safety or creature comforts inside, so you'd have no qualms about using it as a daily driver.

In short, the Centurion may have the heart and soul of a sports car under its hood, but it's still a grown-up premium offering as well, with enough usability to complement its performance - and the looks to back it up.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 208: Revitalization

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 208: Revitalization

While I wait for the Al-Rilma open alpha branch of Automation to be sufficiently stable for my liking, I've been at work reworking some of my existing builds once again, to suit my needs. I gave my favorite UE4-era design, the 1995 LVC LS60, this treatment as preparation for submission in a recent Discourse challenge. The Coupe and Spyder (both of which I've made earlier) have been revised, still sharing the same engine, but now developing 500 horsepower, in a car weighing exactly one metric ton (in coupe form - the Spyder was 10 kilograms heavier) - a formidable power-to-weight ratio by any measure. This time, though, a CS (Club Sport) variant was added, sacrificing some creature comforts to save 60kg, and adding 20 horsepower through a freer-flowing exhaust. Combined with specialized track-focused (but still street-legal) tires, it made an already hardcore hypercar even harder-edged.

Above, from left to right: The entire 1995 LVC LS60 range: Coupe, Spyder and CS.

The LS60 production run numbered just 100 (60 coupes, 30 Spyders and 10 CS models), with production spanning a 24-month period from 1995 to 1997. In that time, it had redefined what was possible when a supercar/hypercar manufacturer took the lightweight approach - razor-sharp throttle response, a stratospheric redline (10,000 rpm!) and near-instantaneous ability to change direction (all while staying under control even in extremis) combined to provide a highly visceral experience unlike anything that came before.

Aesthetically, the LS60 was also noteworthy for drawing heavily on various sports prototypes of the 1960s for inspiration, with sinuous, flowing lines and, on the coupe, a bubble-like glasshouse incorporating a wraparound rear window. However, due to its extreme exclusivity, LVC also produced another mid-engined car below it in their hierarchy - the LS35 - to serve as a replacement for the LS32 that debuted in 1990. Built on an all-aluminum platform, its exterior styling essentially condensed some of the LS60's influences into a smaller, more attainable form, but with a double-bubble roof to further differentiate it from its siblings.

To better fit into its manufacturer's canon, the LS35 had a 3.2-liter engine, in place of the LS32's 3.0-liter unit. But whereas the LS32 (itself the successor to the LS30 of 1979-89) was built on a steel spaceframe clad in wedge-shaped aluminum alloy bodywork, the LS35 had a revolutionary bonded aluminum monocoque chassis underneath its curvaceous outer shell. And while both of them had aerodynamically sculpted undertrays, the LS35 had variable-ratio hydraulic power steering as standard in place of its predecessor's unassisted setup. In addition, the LS35 sends its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, whereas both the LS30 and LS32 had five-speed gearboxes instead.

Above and below: The 1990 LVC LS32 (medium red) and its restomodded Revo counterpart (bright red). The former packs 300 horsepower from its 3.0L flat-crank V8, in a 1185kg wedge with an aerodynamically sculpted undertray; the latter is a heavily modernized trim with a rebuilt billet-block version of the original engine, but with 50% more horsepower (for a total of 450) and 40kg less weight to exploit it, plus other enhancements such as a six-speed gearbox, larger-diameter wheels, and more aggressive aerodynamics as part of the Revo program.

I also made a restomodded Revo trim of the original LS32 - and could do so for the LS35 if I feel like it. But for now, I'm happily content with the lore regarding the revitalization of LVC's lore during the 1990s - a gap in its history that has thankfully been filled.

Above and below: The LVC LS35 replaced the LS32 for the 1995 model year and ditched its predecessor's wedge profile and steel spaceframe chassis for flowing, organic curves over a glued aluminum monocoque - a company first, and a necessity to minimize weight gain over successive model lines as time went on.

In short, I had a lot of fun (re)designing all three model lines, and with the base model of the LS35 now essentially complete, I feel like giving it the same treatment as the LS60 that sits above it - by adding an open-topped Spyder and a hardcore CS coupe to complement the original.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 207: Wedged In

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 207: Wedged In

After finishing the LVC LS35 earlier this year, I chose to revise its distant ancestor - the 1979 LVC LS30 - for use in a recent Discourse challenge, having chosen not to enter it in a different one which took place more than a year ago. To be fair, I had to clone the entire car, engine and all, and backdate them from 1982 to 1979 for eligibility purposes, and adjust the tech pool distributions accordingly. However, the basic ethos of the design - a small, light sports car which would've qualified for genuine supercar status in its day - remained unaffected. The only aesthetic changes I made were some minor aesthetic revisions and the fitment of a fully detailed interior.

Above, from top: The 1979 LVC LS30 leveraged its light weight and small size to maximize the potency of the 220 horsepower from its 3.0-liter V8 engine.

The 1984 facelift introduced larger brakes and wheels to more easily harness the 30 extra horsepower from its fuel-injected engine, now with four valves per cylinder (instead of two), dual throttle bodies and electronic multipoint injection.

Above, from top: The 1984 QV (Quad-Valve) facelift introduced four-valve heads and multi-point electronic fuel injection for 250 horsepower (up from 220 in the original) and enlarged wheels and brakes.

In many ways, this was the last old-school LVC - it was the last one not to have any electronic driving aids at all, nor did it even have fuel injection at launch. However, it laid the foundations for a dynasty of mid-engined offerings that upheld the brand's reputation for automotive excellence to this day. And its immediate successor - the subject of the next post in this series - is no exception.

Infinite Space Insights: The Price of War

Infinite Space Insights: The Price of War

My most recent playthrough of Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars was just the latest one of many in which I was able to cause two localized vacuum collapses in the same game. I did this by activating a Limited Vacuum Collapser (which I had discovered early on in this playthrough) in one part of the map (which contained the Tchorak and Garthan home systems, as well as a large chunk of nebular mass), before acquiring a Timeless Bauble later on, which I subsequently converted into a second Limited Vacuum Collapser - and this one was detonated closer to Glory (the Terran home system), but not close enough to actually overwrite it (which would've caused this playthrough to end in defeat regardless of what had happened before).

What made this one special was that the second detonation overwrote the system in which, at an earlier point in this playthrough, I discovered the first Limited Vacuum Collapser, and because this map did not meet any of the criteria for the other quests, I triggered the quest to destroy a Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought before it could annihilate the Glory system. It arrived in the Tan Ru home system, and I arrived there before the Dreadnought reduced it to a neutron star (although had that happened, it would've left me without any hostile fleets to encounter and potentially destroy later on); when I finally got there, I chose to activate the Chromium Gong I had in my possession after the Dreadnought had destroyed the Tan Ru fleet defending that system. Although the resulting Gong hit rendered that particular device unusable, it also took out the Dreadnought with just one direct hit, and I was able to salvage the equipment stored there with impunity.

Above, from top: A chronology of events that occurred during a recent playthrough of Infinite Space III: Sea Of Stars in which I activated a Limited Vacuum Collapser on two different occasions, affecting two different areas of the map and removing a combined total of 10 star systems (including 4 alien homeworlds) from play.

All told, I'd overwritten 10 of the 32 star systems I visited during this playthrough (four with the first LVC and a further six with the second), leaving only 22 systems intact. And even though one of those lost systems was the Klakar home system, I felt it was a small price to pay after considering the fact that, in addition to the malevolent and thoroughly evil Urluquai being purged, the system in which I found the first Limited Vacuum Collapser was also removed from the map, taking the possibility of the Kawangi duplication bug with it. 

Also, given that the Garthans and Tchorak had exhibited hostility towards my fleet, my initial use of a Limited Vacuum Collapser to overwrite their respective home systems was also a worthwhile preventative measure. Finally, there is one more interesting fact: in addition to obliterating large amounts of the nebulas that had been present at the start of the game, the dual vacuum collapses would've removed the home systems of every hostile faction had the Klakar and Tan Ru home systems swapped places with each other, thus leaving me without a hostile flotilla to attack for the rest of the game.

As it was, however, the Klakar lost their original home system, although even after the dual vacuum collapses ravaged the sector, it would not be unreasonable to assume that they would've establish a new home elsewhere in one of the surviving systems with similar habitability (at the very least). But at least I was able to permanently safeguard Sector Prime (or what was left of it) from further Yellow Kawangi, Urluquai, or Garthan invasions.

That's the problem with intergalactic warfare in the 46th century AD: sometimes you have to make difficult decisions to avoid a costly defeat. And on this occasion, there was no third option in which the Klakar home system was saved while the Urluquai were wiped off the map. Even so, by the end of the game, I'd earned enough money to upgrade my four capital ships (two Terran frigates, a Garthan frigate, and a Calatian cruiser) and two fighters (a Terran fighter and a Garthan fighter) to my heart's content. So my strategy of causing two localized vacuum collapses at different points in the game, affecting two different parts of the map, turned out very well in the end, but you should be aware that you may not always be as fortunate as I was if you find yourself in a similar situation.