I should have died on Research -2. By a stroke of luck I found the stairs with less than 30 core life and an army hot on my heels. I had finally done it - I got a pure combat build to level -1, known as 'Access'. From the get-go, it was a never-ending stream of Programmers and Hunters, and yet somehow I managed to keep myself together and parts in most of my slots. (Related note: Plating is not common enough on that floor considering how frequent fights are. Or maybe it's just not strong enough - it never lasted more than a single fight.) After fighting 2 H-88 Terminators paired with 2 B-99 Colossi in a unique area, I found my reward: broken stairs. Armed with only a Multirail and Lgt. Ion Engines because those bastard Recyclers are omnipresent, I scraped myself back into shape again, defeating yet another wave of Programmers. Corruption is rising. My map is hopeless. I'm not stupid and I know when I've been somewhere already, but it makes analyzing what you have explored to try to deduce the right direction impossible. I ambled for another twenty minutes before getting in my last fateful fight - two Terminators accompanied by three Sages. That was it for me. Even three Adv. Targeting Computers aren't enough to help get a bead on Terminators - and it doesn't help they have tons of core life. Quickly stripped of everything I owned, I ran. I ran for another five minutes before finally succumbing, confused and cold and alone against seven traveling Plagues. At least I took half the bastards out before I dropped.
I spent 50 minutes on that bloody floor, 50 minutes of utter hopelessness. It took me an hour and a half to get to -1, and another hour just to die. My game lasted 8000~ turns, and 45% of them were on that accursed floor. When I spawned into Access, there were two directions I could have gone - north and south. I went south. I guess I should have gone north.
In every area, Materials, Factory, Research, Access, I had my items all wiped time and time again. I must've been burnt to naked over ten times only to claw my way back, saving my best parts in my inventory and trying again on the next floor, only to lose it all again, and again, and again. I wanted to quit so badly so many times but it just feels wrong to give in and hold 5, even though I know trying harder just makes losing more painful. As a matter of fact, I think I ascended naked more times than I did competent. Maybe it's not so surprising Arseface can get to -1 just running naked. Why am I even fighting when running is so much stronger? Oh yeah, that's right - score.
I think the real icing on the cake, though, is that I still didn't even set a new high score, let alone a personal high score. Did you know you don't get any points for that final ascension? My best is 10,910 and I didn't even make it past Factory on that run, but this time I was 10 points short of a new personal record. Kyzrati said that someone else has reached 14,000. I almost wonder if they exploited some strange mechanics. Score increases mostly from value destroyed - did they just nuke every stockpile they came across? Did they get a decent set-up somewhere on Factory and just camp the stairs, obliterating anything that came by for as long as possible? I have no idea.
Sorry for moping guys, this is just my way of coping. It was a good run. Here are some interesting items I found, because I owe something to anyone that read that lol
Exp. Anti-Grav SystemExp. Cooling SystemInertial Stasis MachineSpectral AnalyzerFull album here
