Pre-Warp Tutorial

[tgb]

Since I never got the last expansion I decided to fire up the per-warp tutorial, just to see what it was like. I never even got my first base built because pirates kept canceling the protection agreement and blowing it up before it was finished.

It was a little annoying, but not a big deal since this isn't my first rodeo, but if I were a new player and this was my first experience with the game, I'd be discouraged and pissed off.

I guess players can't turn piracy off in the tutorial since it's pre-set, but you may want to patch the pirates out.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi tgb,

Odd, I haven't seen it happen that way when I tested the new tutorials pre-release. I can understand that being frustrating so I'll double check that and we'll adjust in the first update if we need to. The pre-warp tutorial does involve dealing with the pirates, so they are part of it, but they should allow you to complete the tutorial!

Regards,

- Erik

[OzoneGrif_slith]

I've had that happen once because I was playing with the protection agreements.

Pirates easily get pissed off when you cancel the agreements, and you can definitely break your game, making it almost impossible to go spacefaring, if you have the pirates turn against you. Note that an agreement will cancel itself automatically if you can't pay for it! So be careful with your budget.

[tgb]

I didn't cancel the agreement, the pirates did.

Erik, I fired up another game and this time while the pirates showed up and threatened, they never actually attacked. I suspect it's just a matter of adjusting an RNG or something.

[GrumpyM]

I am also getting my butt kicked in this tutorial. My advisors recommended I cancel a protection treaty, so I did - and those pirates immediately showed up and annihilated me. They seem to have tractor beams which pull in all my military ships for instant destruction (a green beam pulls them in and then they just explode from full health). If I even get a shot or two off, I can't even get 20% through their shields. I've been clicking everywhere trying to figure out what it is they have on those ships that pulls my guys into instant-death (and what to do about it!), but can't figure it out. I'm not sure what to do - it feels like I'm trying to defend my base with metaphorical bows and arrows when my enemies are showing up with laser cannons. This is pretty much right at the start of the game - I have researched 1-2 technologies and that's it. I am kind of stagnating because aside from my main starport (which seems to have a lot of firepower and is immune to the death tractor beams) I can't defend any mining stations anywhere. I've devoted everything to building additional military ships but despite my 30+ ship losses I have only 2 kills when they attacked my starport. Without the starport, 1 enemy seems to be able to take out 5-6 of my destroyers, and an infinite number of frigates/escorts.

I will probably start again and see if I can get a little further (is there RNG pirate generation in the tutorials?) - or maybe just move onto the next tutorial. Maybe one of them will teach me how to deal with the tractor-beam suck-machines of death.

Any tips from vets would be greatly appreciated!

[Bingeling]

I am not usually one to deal with pirates, but you can initiate the "protection deal" talk yourself.

1: When a pirate with hostile status arrives, pause to give yourself time. Notice the name of the pirate clan, but this should be straight forward at the very start as you only know of one.

2: Open the diplomacy view. Flag-like button at the top.

3: Select the correct pirate bunch, talk to them, suggest protection deal. Hope that it is not way too expensive. Once they leave you can cancel it, but I am not sure if they will catch on to your trick if you repeat it or not.

The early ships lack some key components like armor and shields. Without shields you can not do much of fighting, and the initial build size is tiny. If manual research select shields, energy collection, shipyards first in energy. AI research should work, but don't bother to build anything but explorers until you got at least shields.

If you got his shield 20% down, less than five times as many ships would have chased him away...

Also, if you got a powerful spaceport that shrugs them off, and some troops defending your colony. They can't touch you unless you build something for them to kill.

If not doing fancy things, build an energy research station (to speed up energy research). Build it underneath or extremely close to your spaceport. If you right click (or control right click?) with the colony selected and zoomed in, you can build stuff, and it will be built where you did click.

[GrumpyM]

These are good tips. I'll definitely work on those research suggestions - it sounds like it will help a lot. Once I cancelled the initial treaty they were "angry" at me and the price for a new protection treaty got pretty ridiculous. The hint about an energy research is also a good trick. I'm going to restart and see what happens next time. Having a great time, despite getting so badly beaten.

Thanks for the response!

[FireLion1983]

ORIGINAL: GrumpyM

These are good tips. I'll definitely work on those research suggestions - it sounds like it will help a lot. Once I cancelled the initial treaty they were "angry" at me and the price for a new protection treaty got pretty ridiculous. The hint about an energy research is also a good trick. I'm going to restart and see what happens next time. Having a great time, despite getting so badly beaten.

Thanks for the response!

If you piss off the pirates, they will stop you from getting into space and attempt to take over your planet and squeeze every last drop of money out of you in "protection" - it's not exactly noob friendly, but exactly what I'd expect real pirates in space to do!

[Werewolf13]

ORIGINAL: tgb

Since I never got the last expansion I decided to fire up the per-warp tutorial, just to see what it was like. I never even got my first base built because pirates kept canceling the protection agreement and blowing it up before it was finished.

It was a little annoying, but not a big deal since this isn't my first rodeo, but if I were a new player and this was my first experience with the game, I'd be discouraged and pissed off.

I guess players can't turn piracy off in the tutorial since it's pre-set, but you may want to patch the pirates out.

100% total newbie at DW. Waited for universe based on recommendations in this forum.

And NOW!

Discouraged and pissed off is an understatement. I posted about this exact issue before seeing the quoted post. I tried at least 10 times to get a space port built in multiple plays of the pre-warp tutorial without success because the pirates keep blowing the station up even before it is finished being built.

Pissed off and discouraged doesn't even come close to describing how I feel right now.

[Osito]

Werewolf, speaking from the perspective of an experienced player, I just tried the tutorial myself, and I was visited by one set of pirates before my space station was complete. I paid them off and they went away without attacking. Now I'm not saying your experience wasn't valid, and I see your point that what you experienced would have been off-putting. I really hate games where I can't even finish the tutorial.

Anyway, in terms of practical suggestions, I would say:

1. Take a look at Bingeling's suggestions above.
2. Make sure you pay protection to any pirates you meet. You can't fight them at this stage of the game.
3. Build a small space port to begin with - they build much faster.
4. Check out some of the let's plays by Das24680 and Larry Monte - they really will help you to get a grip on how to play the game.
5. Also, if you start on a 'proper' game, turn down the pirate numbers in the settings.
5. Finally, don't give up, because if you do, you'll be missing out on a really fine game. When I bought Distant Worlds, I didn't actually play it for about 8 months because I couldn't get into it for various reasons. But when I eventually gave it a proper try, I realised what a great game it is. However, it is one of those games that rewards some effort and persistence - not the best way to get noobies playing, I agree.

Osito

[Tcby]

For what it's worth it my time playing the game I've never had my home spaceport destroyed. Rest assured, once you get a feel for the game this won't be happening.

Don't follow advice of your advisors to cancel protection during the tutorial. They are fools! If the pirates are cancelling it themselves, as other people have suggested there must be a bug somewhere. Hopfeully it will get patched soon. In the meantime, might I suggest using the other tutorials and starting an easy custom game in the classic era? Shadows is somewhat difficult compared to classic, anyway.

I hope that helps.

[Bingeling]

One thing to add, is: Don't even consider allowing pirates to kill your spaceport as it is being built. If they arrive after it is operational and before it got shields, you may are to see what happens, but be prepared to pay them off if things look bad.

In general what you want in a shadows era (proper) start, is to get research up and running. For this you need labs into space, in the way of research stations. To make them survive without fancy measures, build them under the spaceport that keeps pirates away. A hot tip: Until warping out of the system with a proper hyperdrive, energy research got all the critical bits (shields, energy collection, construction yards, hyperdrive tech). By building one or two energy research stations, you make sure that your empire research to its early potential, and that the output is mostly energy research. Energy output is proportional with your research lab distribution, and energy stations got only energy ones.

You also want to explore the home system, or you will never get out. And you need the spaceport to build the explorers.

The shadows era start is a bit odd. It ought to be simple because you have fewer things going on, but it is more difficult since you are thrown into conflict with more powerful pirates. When it comes to the difficulty it is worth mentioning that the AI empires struggle too...

[Werewolf13]

The problem was I blew off the pirates and told 'em to pack sand. A couple of times I paid 'em but when my cash flow went negative soon there after I canceled the protection money and I suppose that raised their ire enough to come on in guns a blazin.

Those are things only an experienced DW player would know to do. I got thru the pre-warp tutorial but I stand by my position that it is no tutorial. Tutorials teach the what and the how and if things can happen that prevent the doing those things should be turned off or the tutorial should explain what may happen and how to get around it.

At $49 there are going to be a lot of brand new DW players. Sure would be a shame to - annoy - them right out of the gate.

[Tcby]

I agree. I used Das and Larry Monte's (starlab) lets plays as reference, for what its worth. If you give the game some time you won't regret it

[OzoneGrif_slith]

Werewolf, you are right here. It can be annoying when you don't know the game to get your bases destroyed without the ability to answer.

Golden rule in Distant Worlds : Pay the pirates until you have a real strike force (and I mean a really strong one!)
The game is unforgiving if you "tease" the pirates. Just don't do it.

[Bingeling]

I would suggest to pretend the Pre-Warp tutorial is the last one before the pirate play one. There are other tutorials that should be more useful to get a general overview of the game, this one is only useful for explaining the particular challenges in a pre-warp game.

[Tcby]

Good point. I finished downloadin universe with just enough time to install it and check the prewarp tutorial before leaving for work. It really should be made clearer that it isn't a tutorial for learning the game as much as it is meant to give you an idea of what your priorities should be. If nobody has explained this on the steam forums by the time I finish work (8 hours away...) I will clarify it there. Could save new players a lot of trouble.