#108b: the convoy, the mission, and the ambush

metaheavens commented

2026-08-23 17:25:01 +00:00

Owner

Subticket of #108, depends on #108a.

"a big fleet composed of many cargo and some attack vessels" - the prologue
fleet is larger than any the player can field yet, and mostly haulers.
"you receive a message about your mission: goes to the world ship why your
shipment" - the objective is stated, and the world ship is somewhere to
actually fly to.
"at some point an easy enough enemy fleet appears, an alert from the guide
comes. the player is meant to kil it, so it should be easy enough" - a small
ambush the escorts can beat, announced before it lands.
Then the run continues toward the world ship.

The fleet size here is a special case: max_fleet_size() is 3 in a new game and
this is a convoy, so it must not be silently clamped to the player's ordinary
ceiling.

Subticket of #108, depends on #108a. - "a big fleet composed of many cargo and some attack vessels" - the prologue fleet is larger than any the player can field yet, and mostly haulers. - "you receive a message about your mission: goes to the world ship why your shipment" - the objective is stated, and the world ship is somewhere to actually fly to. - "at some point an easy enough enemy fleet appears, an alert from the guide comes. the player is meant to kil it, so it should be easy enough" - a small ambush the escorts can beat, announced before it lands. - Then the run continues toward the world ship. The fleet size here is a special case: max_fleet_size() is 3 in a new game and this is a convoy, so it must not be silently clamped to the player's ordinary ceiling.

metaheavens referenced this issue

2026-08-23 17:25:13 +00:00

Introduction scene #108

metaheavens commented

2026-08-23 18:59:36 +00:00

Author

Owner

The convoy is ten hulls - six holds, four escorts - where a new game's fleet is one. That needs an explicit fleet-size override: a plain number rather than a fake doctrine, because nothing about your own progression should be bent to fit a cutscene.

It is carriers rather than transporters. Transporters belong to hubs and are not fleet-eligible at all, so a convoy of them would have been silently filtered down to its escorts - which is exactly what happened on the first run.

The ambush is chasers and only chasers. "Easy enough" is the requirement, and a sniper or an artillery piece against a convoy you cannot yet fight properly is neither easy nor a good first impression. Clearing them ends the beat; ignoring them lets it time out rather than stranding you.

Done in 2091692, landed together with the other two - the frame is useless without a script and the script has nowhere to run without the frame.

Suite: 136/136 green.

The convoy is ten hulls - six holds, four escorts - where a new game's fleet is one. That needs an explicit fleet-size override: a plain number rather than a fake doctrine, because nothing about your own progression should be bent to fit a cutscene. It is carriers rather than transporters. Transporters belong to hubs and are not fleet-eligible at all, so a convoy of them would have been silently filtered down to its escorts - which is exactly what happened on the first run. The ambush is chasers and only chasers. "Easy enough" is the requirement, and a sniper or an artillery piece against a convoy you cannot yet fight properly is neither easy nor a good first impression. Clearing them ends the beat; ignoring them lets it time out rather than stranding you. Done in 2091692, landed together with the other two - the frame is useless without a script and the script has nowhere to run without the frame. Suite: 136/136 green.

metaheavens closed this issue

2026-08-23 18:59:36 +00:00

metaheavens referenced this issue

2026-08-23 18:59:37 +00:00

Introduction scene #108

metaheavens referenced this issue from a commit

2026-08-29 13:22:02 +00:00

#108: the prologue - the convoy, the ambush, and the breach

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#108b: the convoy, the mission, and the ambush #123