Completed this game over 6 years ago and replayed it now. I don't mind the controls - you get used to them. I do like the leveling system. However, I agree with Perillus: it's rather annoying that the game gives you all the best upgrad _when you are already finished_. I want another 5 or ten levels to play with my new Odin, Loki, Excalibur and Exca toys! Or maybe a survival mode...
A little tip for newbies: don't Excavate just because you can; excavate when you need to. Due to sharply increasing excavation cost, you'll curse yourself for digging too greedily and too deep when you need a ton of Faction coins after Abdicating and can't afford the expedition. That's what's happening to me. I'm considering a Hard Reset.
Meh. Some better explanation of the idle conditions wouldn't hurt. Just was offline for 8 hours, but apparently I did something wrong when leaving the game -- I got absolutely nothing, not a single coin while the computer was in sleep mode. And I have no idea what I did wrong, and the game sure ain't tellin' me.
Correction: final level is actually super easy, even on Hard. Strategy: Send _all_ units to Jumpgate. Once captured, jump to Green Station. Once captured, move units to Gate and jump to Red or Orange base. Rinse and repeat until you have all four bases. Build up your forces until you are at full strength. Gather at both Jumpgates. By this time, the other colours will probably still hold most of their planets. Jump in to central Singularity. Congratulations, you win. The whole gig should only take a few minutes.
How to win the Shadow levels on Hard: set speed to SLOW, capture as many Orbital Stations and Laser Stars as possible - use Stargates forthis - and as soon as the Shadows arrive, bundle all your ships! Don't let the Shadow capture your turrets or stations. Chase them - or let them chase you - through your turret fire, back and forth, until they are decimated. So you turn the "smart AI" behaviour of fleeing from hopeless battles against itself. Stay out of enemy turret fire! Once you have a temporary edge in numbers, take back Black planets or at least make them neutral. Essentially it's a war of attrition, you must outproduce them. As long as standard enemies are still in play, use Divide and Conquer strategies -- decimate each enemy at an equal pace, and hope that they will attack each other.
I'll also chime in and say kudos to you for making this game. It's really lovely. Only some of the training missions are annoying, but that may be just my clumsiness speaking. However, there are so many things RIGHT with this game, especially the really noticeable progress and meaningful upgrades. A wholehearted 5/5.
Aw. come. ON! Maxed out my ship at 6,5% dstance (40th planet), then simply skipped the next 5 planets because I had everything I needed... and after _hours_ of deep space flight the game tells me I can't land on Kepler until I complete all the "mission". Stupid, tedious grind. I am adjusting my rating down to 1 star.
Phew. 90% Acc was actually the hardest achievement for me. Everything else went pretty smooth. Nice game, nice music. Btw, another cool song for this game would be Eisenfunk - Pong. =)
Quick Guide:
First, buy new ships as soon as you can, and pursue the RIGHT upgrade path. (Right is warships, left is freighters.) Buy all upgrades that improve your combat power. Ignore cargo.
In battle: first, shoot at the SAILS of each enemy once, then go for the CREW. Manage your AP by mixing aimed shots and quick shots.
DUTCHMAN: Make sure you have Ships of the Line and full upgrades. Load Dynamite and aim for the hull. Should roll over like a kitten.
I found the Cargo missions were the most difficult (especially the last one), but eventually I figured out how to do it: equip Big Radar and Booster Refueller, and then just fly by Radar and pick up Fuel tanks. Rest should be a breeze.
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I think Kongregate was having some trouble with ads pre-loading causing lag. It doesn't seem to be the game.