(As with any win post, there will be some level of actual spoilers behind the spoiler tags, not just images only hidden to keep post size down. In my case, these spoilers will also include inference from lore of areas I didn't visit on this run. Please use your judgement for what you want to see.)
Before I can really tell the story of how I won, I should explain the context of why I wasn't
trying to for most of the run.
Just over a couple of weeks ago, Kyzrati revealed on the
Discord server that a real-life terminal command works on Cogmind's terminals as an easter egg. Cue a flurry of players collaboratively attempting to find it, including me. This meant I was optimizing for finding terminals as fast as possible in real-time,
not winning or even surviving, so I made a new user profile to house the expected many ignominious deaths in doing so. A quick override to LRC-V3's usual goals and a skip through the tutorial later, I was off to find that command!
-10:
Fairly standard starting off with legs combat, except that I lingered to find more terminals and would generally push for more command attempts until terminals locked up. After all, a death was merely an inconvenient delay in finding more terminals. But I didn't die,
did learn that sometimes failed commands raise alert even without being fully traced, and went to the Mines to cool off. A derelict log in the Mines also gave me all interactive machine locations for -9, so this paid off nicely.
-9:
A very similar approach, adding a third leg and utility slot. Until I found an out-of-depth cache of flight units and sensor arrays!
This meant I was going to full stealth immediately, regardless of stealth being hard in the tight confines of Materials,
especially since I'd already picked up a signal interpreter. Not fighting meant spending more of my real time exploring. I also took the fourth thruster and a second sensor array as backups. The turn timer is also of note: over a third of the turns in this run were spent before finding this cache.
With the stealth build, I also stopped locking out terminals and began spending occasional terminal hacks on 0b10 commands that would speed up my rate of terminal-finding. Plus I was no longer interested in branches, as they so rarely contain 0b10 terminals and I no longer needed the extra alert cooldown.
-8:
Stealth in Materials is indeed tricky, even with sensors and a signal interpreter. I lost my first flight unit here.
-7:
The first exit I found was to the Lower Caves, so I continued onwards in search of a Factory exit... and got sucked into a chute trap. The exit was in
the SE corner, when I'd had to go north first to avoid the Crushers,
so despite flying I lost another thruster along with some armor in there.
After leaving the Wastes, I turned on Tactical HUD for my sanity's sake, and promptly found another undesirable Lower Caves exit. Then my trip through the new section of Factory lost me yet
another thruster along with my first sensor array, and I still hadn't found more flight propulsion except for a VTOL Module. I took a stop to repair my one remaining thruster, while sticking on whatever other propulsion I could find for coverage. My only additional flight finds were a single Xenon Bombardment Thruster and a Weight Redistribution System.
-6:
I continued taking more propulsion than usual, since propulsion armor is very fast to reason about. The floor was very uneventful, though I picked up a fresh backup set of sensors and a Nuclear Pulse Thruster for later. Shortly thereafter I lost the VTOL Module.
-5:
Shortly after entering the floor I was sucked into a chute trap again, and feared the end...
... but I was greeted by a delegation from Warlord that took me as their leader and explained that they'd already cleared out the 0b10 robots from the area!
It was a nice chance to quietly examine Crusher drops, and I also picked up a very damaged Impulse Thruster Array in hopes of potential repairs.
My new army of 20 allies made a great distraction while I sought out terminals, to the point that I took no core damage at all over both iterations of the floor.
-4:
Most of my allies came with me here, where I was greeted by a full stockpile of 8 Field Propulsion Arrays! Finding 16 slots worth of one's preferred propulsion is quite a feeling indeed. While I didn't see a need to put on all of it, and indeed preferred to keep a fair amount of propulsion armor for safety and real-time decision-making speed, I did put on two (replacing all my earlier flight units) and take two spares with me.
Here my allies got increasingly spotted, and even killed a Hauler while attacking its guards. Despite the explosives, by the time I got there to identify the drops there was still a Cld. Field Propulsion Drive left behind, which I took as an overloadable backup flight unit. While I enjoyed watching my two Mechanics keep my ally army functional, I thought such an army would begin impeding my hunt for terminals in Research and left them behind to fight as they pleased.
-3:
The first terminal I found here finally got me the Easter egg:
So I lifted the goal override... and realized that I'd gotten to Research with a fully functional build for the first time. The mix of propulsion armor had never really left my build, but this time I had all my slots full
and could fly without an energy deficit, which neither of my previous forays to this depth had accomplished.
Comparison shot of my first entry to Research:
And my second:
Yeah, not so great. Both of those perished to core stripping on -2. But this one seemed to have a shot at seeing Access - heck, I hadn't even had any Programmers dispatched after me in the Factory - so I decided to put the save under my "normal" user profile and try for the win. Which meant I started playing
very slowly to think about my moves even when not running the game; getting this far took me less than a day in between doing various pieces of work and checking the Discord for updates on what commands didn't work, but finishing the floor took me over a week while I thought through options and asked for advice over on Discord (thanks for putting up with me, everyone).
Here I sliced up an Operator for hackware (which I hadn't really worried about earlier, since it's useless when a machine doesn't recognize the command you're giving it) repaired my trusty Chainsword, and then had Programmers dispatched nearly on top of me from all the time spent digging around with barely any map sense to avoid enemies. While I failed to seal the Garrison they came from, I did manage to kite them neatly (unfortunately taking some fire from a Grunt squad) and fly along to a Research exit guarded by a Sentry. Here my propulsion armor treads were very useful, since I could drop onto them and slam the Sentry off the exit.
-2:
I emerged into a quiet corner with two new utility slots, filled them up, and took a look around. I found two Security Level 1 terminals, a rarity that high up, and used them to reduce alert until there were no threats on record. I also found a repair station in a room, and while going to peek into another room found an exit!
I thought that an exit so close to my spawn location would lead to some Research branch and accordingly to a horrible death...
... but no, it went straight to Access, in a fit of incredible generosity from the Complex. While I was excited to see Access for the first time, I wanted to make good use of the time I had unnoticed and with no imminent Programmer dispatch. I tried and failed to repair the single flight array that was damaged in -3, but did find some propulsion armor upgrades and lured a Recycler (to kill for matter) with the beat-up old propulsion armor I dropped. I also found a Lrn. Terrain Scanner, which I took with me in hopes of finding a matching processor to help me map out the maze that was sure to be Access.
-1:
Here my speed of play picked up again, not because I was comfortable with the area but because I was no longer willing to post any screenshots in the spoiler-free Discord channel to seek advice. (I have been avoiding the spoiler channel.) Research main map screenshots can be okay if they show no spoilery parts or unusual robots, but Access is sacrosanct, a place unspoiled players should see at all for the first time by reaching it themselves. I was pleasantly surprised by the special tiles for walls and doors in Access, which help sell the area as especially guarded against surface intrusion despite the map being even more open than Factory. The last evolution screen is also... ominous.
I emerged in the NE corner of the map, and after putting the terrain scanner into one of my fresh utility slots set to exploring the local area for any help in finding the single surface exit (I knew from Zion that there is only one). I promptly found a stockpile of Impulse Thruster Arrays, making my earlier repair failure moot, and then sealed off a Garrison to give myself more time.
The saying is that Materials teaches you tactics, Factory tells you to get a build, and Research breaks your build. While I had kept Research from breaking my build, I strongly (and correctly) suspected that Access would do so given my skill level. Indeed, that image shows my peak state as on my scoresheet. But my
build didn't need to survive to the exit, only my little AI core.
I set off towards the center of the map, trying to avoid notice and hoping to find terminals that would tell me where that elusive last exit was. I was once again willing to push terminals until they locked out for that key hack, since I could fly away from the investigation and wouldn't be dealing with the alert level much longer. Eventually, after a swift retreat from a Behemoth, I found a single-tile terminal next to a small set of closed orange heavy doors and another Behemoth nearby behind them.
Having seen Extension and Recycling, I knew that there was very likely an exit there, but I was unsure whether it led to the surface or elsewhere. So instead of opening the door, I tried to hack for main exit locations, and finally succeeded - only to discover that the surface exit was much further away, almost in the SW corner of the map. I'd almost certainly found the hacker's entrance to Command, seeing as that's the only Access branch I've heard of and I know of no lore reason for there to be other Access branches.
I did
not want to be in Command. I was already losing parts faster than I could find replacements in Access, and I figured that MAIN.C would guard its own AI hardware even more thoroughly than Access and with fewer spare parts lying around. Having approached Command from the north, I tried to proceed westward around the Command exit to the surface exit, since that was the only direction not involving backtracking... and found a dead-end that digging probes didn't break through. After my pursuers had shot up an Energy Cycler and attracted more attention. (MAIN.C, please, if you want to preserve key machinery then program your combat robots
not to shoot on trajectories near it with weapons powerful enough to break it.)
Now I had to backtrack through pursuit, and shortly thereafter the last of the sensor arrays I picked up all the way back in -9 was finally destroyed, followed by its backup buddy 21 turns later. Not having sensors made the rest of Access quite noticeably harder. I aimed to get into new territory as quickly as possible and route south of Command... and then found my helpful corridor turning and leading me right into another side of the Command exit. (That exit must have a very large prefab for all its various means of being guarded.) So I had to backtrack
again to get into a useful position for going even further south.
Having lost my power sources along the way, on my way back I took advantage of a Swarmer's core being hit by friendly fire to finish it off and take its reactor:
Finally I managed to close on the surface exit without running into Command, but I was unsure what sorts of guards would be there beyond the Access shell. Since I'd lost my hackware, I knew I didn't want the hacker's entrance, but there would logically also be ways for other builds to get in. I decided to aim for approaching the exit from the north instead of attempting to dig through from the east, because I wanted to see the obstacles I would deal with and because logically the entrance for authorized Complex 0b10 robots moving to and from the surface would be towards the center of the map for their convenience.
My reasoning paid off: I found the approach guarded by two Behemoths and some blue sealed heavy doors. This was fine by me, as I still had over half my core integrity and several Lances with which to break through the Access shell. I lanced through the barrier cleanly on the first try, only to find a second layer. The second layer required me to back up and use momentum to break it, as did the third. The fourth layer, however, would not break even after multiple attempts at maximum momentum. Closer examination revealed that it had been shot up repeatedly by pursuing Hunters, and was now in a "breached" state.
I still don't know what that state means, but it didn't seem good for getting that barrier open. I was out of power sources (despite picking another one up from a stockpile), running low on propulsion and energy, and backtracking
again seemed ill-advised. Instead I broke out the big guns - or more accurately, the Micro-Nuke Launcher I had picked up earlier on the same floor, which conveniently only takes matter to fire. Bracing myself with my two remaining treads between my key parts and the barrier, I fired point-blank but succeeded only in widening the open area sideways.
Moving to the side allowed the barriers to protect me from more fire, but I still couldn't break through with melee diagonally and was now being pinned by my faster pursuers. (Including a Programmer, which was only the second to land a hit on me through the whole run.) So I put the launcher back on and fired point-blank a second time. The nuclear explosion destroyed the last of my propulsion armor, the nearby pursuers,
and the launcher itself... but also part of the fourth and final layer of sealed barrier! I could see the comparatively flimsy Access shell!
Moving diagonally as much as possible to use the Complex's own barriers as cover, I pierced through the Access shell to glorious freedom, leaving behind a Programmer to report my escape to all the other pursuing robots.
Scoresheet:
Cogmind - Beta 5 @@@ ROGUELIKE MODE
Name: b_sen
---[ ESCAPED! ]---
Performance
-------------
Evolutions (9) 4500
Robots Destroyed (40) 200
Value Destroyed (844) 844
Prototype IDs (8) 160
Alien Tech Used (0) 0
Bonus (13915) 13915
TOTAL SCORE: 19619
Cogmind
---------
Core Integrity 688/1600
Matter 194/300
Energy 9/100
System Corruption 3%
Temperature Cool (1)
Location To Epsilon Eridani
Parts
-------
Power (1)
(None)
Propulsion (10)
Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
Utility (12)
Medium Storage Unit
Advanced Visual Processing Unit
Advanced Signal Interpreter
Hacking Suite
Weapon (2)
Force Lance
Inventory (8)
Medium Storage Unit
Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
Heavy Pick
Lance
Lance
Peak State
------------
Power
Light Particle Reactor
Propulsion
Armored Medium Treads
Armored Medium Treads
Armored Heavy Treads
Centrium Leg
Centrium Leg
Impulse Thruster Array
Impulse Thruster Array
Utility
Advanced Power Amplifier
Medium Storage Unit
Medium Storage Unit
Advanced Visual Processing Unit
Advanced Sensor Array
Advanced Signal Interpreter
Long-range Terrain Scanner
Improved Transmission Jammer
Advanced Shield Generator
Hacking Suite
Advanced Hacking Suite
System Backup Module
Weapon
Chainsword
Lance
Inventory
Micro Fission Core
Centrium Leg
Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
Improved Diametric Drive
Impulse Thruster Array
Impulse Thruster Array
Advanced Sensor Array
Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
Heavy Shock Bomb Launcher
Missile Launcher
[Rating: 150]
Favorites
-----------
Power Micro Fission Core
Engine Ion Engine
Power Core Micro Fission Core
Reactor Light Particle Reactor
Propulsion Aluminum Leg
Treads Advanced Treads
Leg Aluminum Leg
Flight Unit Cesium-ion Thruster
Utility Medium Storage Unit
Device Advanced Sensor Array
Storage Medium Storage Unit
Processor Advanced Visual Processing Unit
Hackware Advanced Hacking Suite
Protection Improved Propulsion Shielding
Weapon Light Assault Rifle
Energy Gun EM Pulse Gun
Ballistic Gun Light Assault Rifle
Launcher Shock Bomb Launcher
Slashing Weapon Chainsword
Piercing Weapon Lance
Stats
-------
Bonus Breakdown 13915
Follower Combat Kills 358
Win 3000
Win Speed 10557
Classes Destroyed 7
Worker 4
Recycler 5
Operator 1
Swarmer 18
Grunt 9
Sentry 2
Programmer 1
Major NPCs Destroyed 0
Best Kill Streak 6
Combat Bots Only 4
Best States 0
Heat Dissipation 52
Energy Generation 29
Energy Capacity 340
Matter Stores 300
Matter Capacity 300
Sight Range 20
Robot Scan Range 16
Terrain Scan Range 24
Terrain Scan Density 10
ECM Strength 2
Jamming Range 12
Power Amplification 30
Additional Mass Support 6
Armor Coverage 450
Propulsion Shielding 66
Evasion (%) 64
Targeting Accuracy 12
Recoil Reduction 2
Offensive Hacking 24
Matter Collected 1545
Salvage Created 1283
Parts Attached 139
Power 15
Propulsion 54
Utility 42
Weapon 28
Parts Lost 55
Power 7
Propulsion 25
Utility 15
Weapon 8
Average Slot Usage (%) 88
Naked Turns 2
Spaces Moved 5537
Fastest Speed (%) 434
Average Speed (%) 241
Slowest Speed (%) 62
Overloaded Moves 12
Propulsion Burnouts 0
Targets Rammed 1
Targets Kicked 0
Targets Crushed 0
Cave-ins Triggered 0
Heaviest Build 49
Greatest Support 75
Greatest Overweight (x) 8
Average Overweight (x) 0
Largest Inventory 12
Average Capacity 8
Most Carried 12
Average Carried 7
Final Capacity 8
Final Carried 6
Damage Taken 11163
Core 1252
Absorbed by Shields 0
Average Core Remaining (%) 87
Depth 11 Exit 100
Depth 10 Exit 64
Depth 9 Exit 78
Depth 8 Exit 98
Depth 7 Exit 88
Depth 6 Exit 98
Depth 5 Exit 100
Depth 4 Exit 100
Depth 3 Exit 95
Depth 2 Exit 100
Depth 1 Exit 43
Volleys Fired 81
Largest 2
Hottest 80
Shots Fired 153
Gun 144
Cannon 0
Launcher 9
Special 0
Kinetic 105
Thermal 30
Explosive 9
Electromagnetic 9
Secondary Targets 1
Max Gunslinging Chain 1
Shots Hit Robots 112
Core Hits 55
Critical Hits 1
Critical Kills 0
Critical Parts Destroyed 1
Overload Shots 0
Energy Bleed 0
Heat Surge 0
Short Circuit 0
Meltdown 0
Melee Attacks 170
Impact 0
Slashing 83
Piercing 87
Sneak Attacks 7
Follow-up Attacks 3
Damage Inflicted 2931
Projectiles 1054
Explosions 808
Melee 1060
Ramming 9
Kinetic 798
Thermal 247
Explosive 774
Electromagnetic 43
Impact 0
Slashing 837
Piercing 223
Overflow Damage 29
Projectiles 2
Explosions 3
Melee 24
Self-Inflicted Damage 192
Shots 3
Rammed 1
Highest Temperature 25
Average Temperature 11
Received Heat Transfer 1017
Highest Corruption 3
Average Corruption 1
Corruption Purged 0
Depth 1 End 3
Impact Corruptions 0
Haulers Intercepted 0
Robots Corrupted 0
Parts Fried 0
Impact Corruptions 0
Robots Melted 0
Parts Melted 0
Heat Transferred 525
Parts Sabotaged 0
Parts Stolen 0
Parts Stripped 0
Parts Self-Destructed 0
Prevented 0
Power Chain Reactions 1
Communications Jammed 0
Times Spotted 177
Peak Tracking Total 18
Tactical Retreats 24
Parts Field Recycled 0
Retrieved Matter 0
Parts Merge Repaired 0
Drone Launches 2
Drone Recoveries 0
Traps Triggered 4
Indirectly 0
Trap Hack Attempts 0
Triggered 0
Disarmed 0
Reprogrammed 0
Reused 0
Traps Extracted 0
Installed 0
Triggered 0
Machines Disabled 5
Machines Sabotaged 0
Data Cores Recovered 0
Used 0
Machines Hacked 34
Terminals 23
Fabricators 1
Repair Stations 3
Recycling Units 0
Scanalyzers 2
Garrison Access 5
Total Hacks 65
Successful 26
Failed 39
Catastrophic 10
Database Lockouts 0
Manual 53
Unauthorized 1
Terminals 45
Fabricators 3
Repair Stations 5
Recycling Units 0
Scanalyzers 3
Garrison Access 9
Terminal Hacks 17
Level Access Points 3
Emergency Access Points 2
Terminal Index 2
Alert Level 2
Unreport Threat 4
Locate Traps 2
Zone Layout 2
Hacking Detections 38
Full Trace Events 5
Feedback Events 0
Feedback Corruption 0
Feedback Hackware Fried 0
Feedback Blocked 0
Trojans Installed 0
Terminals 0
Fabricators 0
Repair Stations 0
Recycling Units 0
Scanalyzers 0
Garrison Access 0
Fabricators Overloaded 0
Fabricator Schematic DLs 0
Garrisons Disabled 2
Garrisons Compromised 0
Fab Network Shutdowns 0
Robot Schematics Acquired 0
Robots Built 0
Total Robot Build Rating 0
Robot Fabrication Matter 0
Robot Fabrication Time 0
Part Schematics Acquired 1
Parts Built 0
Total Part Build Rating 0
Part Fabrication Matter 0
Part Fabrication Time 0
Parts Repaired 2
Part Repair Time 52
Parts Recycled 0
Recycled Matter 0
Retrieved Matter 0
Retrieved Components 0
Parts Scanalyzed 1
Part Schematics Acquired 1
Parts Damaged 0
Robot Analysis Total 0
Robots Rewired 0
Robots Hacked 0
Non-combat 0
Combat 0
Robot Hack Failures 0
Allies Hacked 2
Hacks Repelled 0
Total Allies 31
Largest Group 20
Highest-Rated Group 780
Highest-Rated Ally 50
Total Orders 2
GOTO 2
Terraforming Orders 0
Walls Tunneled 0
Ally Attacks 117
Total Damage 3266
Kills 16
Allies Corrupted 0
Allies Melted 0
Peak Influence 293
Average Influence 48
Final Influence 44
Maximum Alert Level 1
Low Security (%) 97
Level 1 2
Level 2 0
Level 3 0
Level 4 0
Level 5 0
Triggered High Security 0
Turns 0
Squads Dispatched 10
Investigation 6
Extermination 1
Reinforcement 3
Assault 0
Garrison 0
Intercept 0
Derelict Logs Recovered 2
Scrap Searched 2
Exploration Rate (%) 18
Regions Visited 16
Pre-discovered Areas 1
Garrisons Visited 0
Relays Disabled 0
Generators Disabled 0
Network Hubs Disabled 0
Actions Taken 6976
Turns Passed 4735
Depth 11 96
Depth 10 977
Depth 9 878
Depth 8 302
Depth 7 678
Depth 6 282
Depth 5 288
Depth 4 285
Depth 3 299
Depth 2 101
Depth 1 549
Scrapyard 96
Materials 1425
Factory 1394
Research 400
Access 549
Mines 732
Waste 139
Prototype IDs
---------------
Graviton Reactor
Cooled Field Propulsion Drive
Diametric Drive
Improved Diametric Drive
Cooled Impulse Thruster
Advanced Power Amplifier
Experimental Targeting Computer
Experimental Melee Analysis Suite
Fabricated
------------
Nothing
Alien Tech Used
-----------------
None
Route
-------
-11/Scrapyard
-10/Materials
-10/Mines (discovered 2 exits: *Mat x2)
-9/Materials (discovered 4 exits: *Mat x2 / *Min x2)
-8/Materials (discovered 3 exits: *Fac x3)
-7/Factory
-7/Waste
-7/Factory (discovered 2 exits: *Fac / *Low)
-6/Factory (discovered 5 exits: *Fac x4 / *Low)
-5/Factory
-5/Waste
-5/Factory
-4/Factory
-3/Research
-2/Research
-1/Access
To Epsilon Eridani
Challenges
------------
None
Game
------
Seed: AssembledAlphaWheel
Manual?: 0
Play Time: 327 min
Cumulative: 2127 min
Sessions: 39
Easy Mode: 0
Game No.: 11
Easier: 0
Easiest: 0
Win Type: 0
Total: 1
Types: 1/0/0/0/0/0/0
Lore%: 24
Gallery%: 36
Options
---------
ASCII: 0
Keyboard: 0
Movement: Mouse
Kebinds: 0
Fullscreen: 1
Font: 18/SmallcapsGlow
Map View: 76x50
FOV Handling: Fade In
Map Filters: NONE
Filters: NONE
Steam: 1
U=390397250
R=769868087
Scoresheet review:
Wow, that peak state vs. final state is a great illustration of what it looks like for a build to break down.
(Favorite) Propulsion Aluminum LegThis is due solely to how much time I spent in Materials; after I first switched to flight, I never touched an Aluminum Leg again (though I did use some other legs as propulsion armor).
Bonus Breakdown 13915
Follower Combat Kills 358
Win 3000
Win Speed 10557This alone is more than my previous high score. I destroyed a lot less value than in other runs, but the win speed bonus more than makes up for it.
Highest Temperature 25That's a pretty cool peak, probably because I was avoiding all heat-generating weapons by the time I could reach any high-heat weaponry.
Peak Tracking Total 18This has to be from Access. There's nowhere else I had to be spotted often enough to have that many robots see me on a floor except early in Materials when I was still playing combat.
Total Hacks 65
Successful 26
Failed 39
Catastrophic 10
Database Lockouts 0
Manual 53Here lies the evidence of all my failed attempts to find that Easter egg.
Total Allies 31
Largest Group 20
Highest-Rated Group 780
Highest-Rated Ally 50Warlord's delegation was pretty strong overall. I'm still not clear how I got more allies than that, though, unless the ones hidden in the walls in my first trip to the Wastes were counted in this total.
Peak Influence 293
Average Influence 48
Final Influence 44
Maximum Alert Level 1
Low Security (%) 97
Level 1 2This is very reflective of a stealth run, and I find it funny that an escaping robot can have less than a quarter of the influence needed to hit Alert 1. (It makes sense for a robot that dies by being stripped of parts, but for an escape that's quite the lack of worry.) Had I not been gifted allies, my peak and final influence may well have been even lower.
Seed: AssembledAlphaWheelI've seen Assembled before on occasion, but I wonder what parts include "Alpha"...
Play Time: 327 minThis is noticeably inflated by spending time checking the terminal command lists and pondering moves; when not doing either I manage quite a bit more than the average 21 actions per minute this implies.
Lessons learned:
- Research and Access are so maze-like that some way of revealing terrain without having to see it is very useful, either by hackware or by terrain scanners + processors. It seems helpful to push for having at least one of those by the end of Factory, in much the same way that it's helpful to work towards the flight transition in Materials.
The prefabs for exits from Access are huge. There's a room I ducked into while approaching the surface exit that in retrospect indicates that I had an unguarded "side" approach from the east; now that I know the sides aren't totally impervious to damage or lined with ambush and stasis traps, it would have been more effective and less damaging to nuke the side wall from a distance and break through that way, even though the side walls are reinforced. I also suspect that the exit prefabs warp the map significantly and that learning to recognize that warping is a major part of developing map sense for Access. Even if the corridors to the surface exit always narrow at the edges of the prefab, which may not be the case, that's still a lot of constraints in one area.
Double doors to rooms in Access probably mean energy cyclers and nothing else inside. There's likely not much reason to go in unless I intend to get the cycler blown up in future, though I may keep peeking a few times to see if those rooms really are prefabs that always only have one entry point.
I suspect that by Access even getting spotted and breaking walls can raise alert quite noticeably. At one terminal in Access I saw the "purge threat" direct hack available, even though I had purged alert as far as possible on -2 before taking the stairs and this was before the Energy Cycler exploded.
Thoughts:
- I probably could have played more tightly overall: exactly when to use overloading, run shields, run transmission jammers, remembering to switch back to flight immediately after adding more propulsion armor or slamming robots, and the like. In this case I played just barely well enough to win while being helped along by some luck.
- Getting my first win and animated ending doesn't actually feel like an ending in terms of my relationship with the game. I feel like I've just learned the basics and can now begin exploring the full depth and potential skill demands available. There's so much more to discover!
I wonder whether Access is always guaranteed to contain a launcher strong enough to break through the reinforced walls around the surface exit; it would be unfortunate for a run to end in core death from random chance of the hacker's entrance locking, the sealed barriers all being breached, and no way through the sides.
- Lore babbling:
Zhirov told me that MAIN.C removed some key component(s) from the Sigix ship above Complex 0b10 in order to keep it from flying... but the ship can lift off with the Cogmind in it, therefore the Cogmind must be or contain the removed key component(s) or replacements thereof. And it does make sense that Sigix technology can make good use of alien artifacts. But if MAIN.C wanted to repair the ship (as Zhirov mentions) via the Cogmind, there's no clear reason for it to dump the Cogmind into the Scrapyard with a database of its parts rather than on the ship right away - especially not since the Data Miner says that the Cogmind was born all the way up in Section 7, which is a Research branch! (I'm still wondering what happened to LRC-V1 and LRC-V2...) Maybe the evolution process is necessary to get the ship working and must be triggered by stress; the repair process initiated on the ship when the Cogmind enters it does seem a lot like the core repairs that are part of each evolution. Maybe MAIN.C wants to mislead and manipulate the Cogmind. Or maybe someone else is behind it all. After all, someone orders the Data Miner around, someone keeps sabotaging MAIN.C's attempts to build a teleporter while remaining unknown to Zhirov, and someone ordered a coordinated raid on Section 7 (according to A8 in Extension)...
Okay, enough with the week of reflection and writing. Now to go back to the run I put on hold while terminal-hunting...
