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.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 206: Two Approaches to Restomodding

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 206: Two Approaches to Restomodding

In the Automationverse, there are two ways to restomod a car: either by cloning the base model and engine family (and by extension, their respective trim and variant) simultaneously, or by merely cloning the trim of the original base model. In general, the donor car should be at least 20-30 years old compared to the restomodded trim. So here's a brief rundown of both methods, and how they should be compared.

Above: By clicking on the Clone All button (second row, first from right) in the Car Designer after selecting a specific trim, and then setting the new car's base model year 20-30 years further forward, you can create a remanufactured restomod from your donor car.

The first (and most comprehensive) approach is called remanufacturing, in which you clone the entire car's base model and engine family, thereby creating a new car trim and engine variant in the process - there's a dedicated button for it in the car designer (second row, first from the right). Using the donor car for ARM34 (which I'd hosted) as an example, I remanufactured it with new materials for the chassis and engine, enlarging the latter in the process while also fitting a more extrovert aero kit (along with modernized light clusters) to suit the updated aesthetic. Inside, the interior was upgraded with lighter, higher-quality materials and a modern infotainment system, while uprated brakes, suspension, and tires help it harness its increased output more easily.

Above: The original '92 Morrison Kestrel (left) compared to its remanufactured restomodded version, the Kestrel RM (right), created by clicking on the Clone All button in the car designer and setting the car model/engine variant years 20-30 years later than those of the donor car. In-game, the two are different base models from different model years.

Refurbishment is another option, but compared to remanufacturing, it's not quite as extreme. You simply clone a trim of the donor car, then set that trim's year to 20-30 years after the model year. You do, however, have the option of replacing the original engine with a new one whose family year matches that of the new trim year.

Above: A sneak preview of a refurbished (rather than remanufactured) restomod which I am planning to submit for a different forum challenge. Both trims share the same base model year and use the same body/chassis materials, suspension types, and engine placement. However, the restomod utilizes a completely new engine instead of a new trim of the original engine. Please note that neither the restomod nor the donor car are 100% visually representative of the finished product.

The resulting restomod retains the same chassis materials, engine placement, and suspension types as the base model, but can still be retrofitted with more advanced technology (infotainment, suspension components, safety equipment, driving aids, etc.) much like a fully remanufactured restomod.

Above: Another way to create a restomod is to clone the selected trim, set the new trim's year 20-30 years further forward, and install more advanced technology (including a new engine whose family year matches the new trim year) as you see fit.

In short, both restomodding methods have their merits; while refurbishment preserves and retains the chassis and bodywork configuration of the donor car (thus maintaining some semblance of originality), remanufacturing, though more expensive, allows for free reign as to which body/chassis materials, engine placement/orientation, and suspension types can be used for the restomod. But whatever approach you pick, no expense should be spared, and to that end, a heavy investment in positive quality points across various areas is generally recommended.