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[USEC_OFFICER]

Here you go (XLSX format; has some fancy (conditional) formatting within, but with somewhat practical purpose, so it uses the never Excel 2007 stuff). It's based on my current progress, however, so some parts are somewhat incomplete; seeing as it is from a cold-start, and certain events and such haven't been done yet (I am updating this alongside my gameplay notepad++). But I did discover something rather spoileriffic; pretty much, all of it (and with a bit of lateral thinking too).

You can't see me right now, but I'm doing the antsy-pants dance. While everything in that file does sound useful... I'm trying to avoid spoilers, and I know that I probably won't have the willpower to resist reading them. So... sorry about that. I'll make my own or something.

A note on the maps: The spoiler-free version is the starmap from the first SC2 release. The manual lists it as the last known spheres of influence when the Vela expedition left. May not be entirely accurate. (The spoilerific map straight up ruins the plot just by opening it.) Your plan is good. I'm pointedly not mentioning adventure, you'll find it soon enough. Also, some of the earliest tech you can get in the game is upgrades to make your landers resistant to weather and lifeforms, so don't worry too much about auric worlds with firestorms. I wasted a lot of crew and landers for no reason that way.

I also used to dump/skip large amounts of the 1-point common metals after I left the immediate Sol area. It just wastes time hauling that crap back, after a while. The rough guide for planet value was Very Young Orangutans Might Grow Bananas, Perhaps Rather Well (violet, yellow, orange, magenta, green, blue, purple, red, white, most to least valuable) while star systems *tend* to have better minerals accessible around hotter (blue/white) and larger (supergiant) stars. Really though once you get a few tech upgrades and some plot going, mining is something you can just do when you see a mineral rich world and drop off whenever. I don't recall it being that tedious.

Excellent. I'm 1~2 more expeditions away from turning my starship into something more useful, but adventure may not wait that long to find me. I barely dodged a hyperspace blip returning to Sol, and Commander Hayes was blathering on about something in the Rigel Star System, so we'll have to check that out eventually.

[Ultimuh]

Posting to watch.
I myself havent been playing this game as young,
not until somewhere between 2000-2003 that I ever heard about it.
But am I interested in it? You bet I am.

[Itnetlolor]

^^ That's... quite the spoiler list

Here you go (XLSX format; has some fancy (conditional) formatting within, but with somewhat practical purpose, so it uses the never Excel 2007 stuff). It's based on my current progress, however, so some parts are somewhat incomplete; seeing as it is from a cold-start, and certain events and such haven't been done yet (I am updating this alongside my gameplay notepad++). But I did discover something rather spoileriffic; pretty much, all of it (and with a bit of lateral thinking too).

You can't see me right now, but I'm doing the antsy-pants dance. While everything in that file does sound useful... I'm trying to avoid spoilers, and I know that I probably won't have the willpower to resist reading them. So... sorry about that. I'll make my own or something.

I realized that a bit late. So before you open the file up and/or dive into the spoilers, I'm going to re-upload it as spoiler-free as I can make it, and jot down your progress while at it if I have the time.

EDIT:
Okay, done. File's updated to be much more spoiler-free, and doubly updated with the latest video's current stats.
Updated File

To keep some parts working properly, I suggest you update the PREV (variable)s before tossing in the new information. Makes fuel costs, along with mineral hauls, easier to keep in mind as well; especially later on when you're squeezing every ounce of fuel out of your ship, and want an empty tank upon arrival to the base, while also carrying more than enough minerals to make a fortress protected numerous times over.

I kept the QS-part intact, because that thing was tedious as hell to chart down, nearest to farthest from origin (QS-only), but nonetheless, it's there when it's eventually available. At least it isn't labeled with any important details besides where they lead to (x:y coords). And only the most useful one that you'll probably be using the most is highlighted. You'll understand why, eventually.

[Darkmere]

Yeah, the QS map is invaluable, definitely don't delete it. Interestingly enough, the starmap that came with the StarCon Collection also had a QS map, but (I have no idea where my copy is now) the locations weren't labeled. Odd design decision, since everything else was laid out, including every important star system and sphere of influence.

I don't remember ever being that strapped for fuel though, but I may have been... zealous... about harvesting RU's from defeated ships.

Note for veterans, according to the TVTropes page it's "possible" to finish the entire game without ever visiting the starbase. Sanity optional.

[Itnetlolor]

Note for veterans, according to the TVTropes page it's "possible" to finish the entire game without ever visiting the starbase. Sanity optional.

Oh, so this QS-chart would come in incredibly handy for that challenge. I think I even watched a TAS run of this game before, doing this. It was pretty insane.

The most useful parts of my spreadsheet (which I neutralized in the spoiler-free version), however, is paramount in pulling it off.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Alright, I think I know how the basics of how the spreadsheet works, so to celebrate I've uploaded the next two videos, a brief mining intermission, and we finally get to fight some aliens after an hour and a bit. Exciting! Also, if some of the future videos stutter in a couple places, that's probably me pausing the recording to consult the spreadsheet.

Since I promised that I would be sharing the music have a gander of Commander Hayes's theme, AKA rave mode. I think that It's one of the better songs in the game, though frankly they're all excellent. I've also put it in the second opening post, along with some of what we know about the humans. I figure that this thread is a good place as any to anything important in the game. I think that I'll post some of the backstory to the game next, unless we meet somebody interesting.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think that I'll get some living quarters before going to see what the Pkunk are up to, maybe stop by Rigel on the way back. We'll see how things go.

EDIT: Oh boy. Things do not go as planned. Not at all. At least everyone make it out alive (after a couple tries).

[Itnetlolor]

A tip for collecting BIO: when you have fast or tough moving creatures on a world (usually worth the most BIO), move to the upper or lower edge of the map, and cut off their mobility by half. Stay along the edge, and they'll have mostly linear movements, making them that much easier to outrun and/or shoot.

After you get better tech for your lander, this method makes them trivial to deal with.

Oh yeah, and you missed out on some really shiny worlds (some of the best in the game) in Alpha Centauri, definitely worthy of losing a few crew to immolation and boiling, and would be a massive boon to your resources. Definitely a reward proportional to the risk.

EDIT:
Oh, and a tip on mining/hunting: the meters cap off at 50 points of ores/BIO. Keep that in mind, and there's no rollover either. Even if you have 5-10 space left, I suggest if there's even a small handful of ores/BIO leftover on the field, it's more profitable to jump out, and then return for the rest. Especially for anything more valuable than BASE ores and a cluster of BIO canisters that had creatures that yield a crap-ton of BIO. There are creatures that give up to 10, 15, and even 20 BIO individually. Don't let them go to waste. Same applies to some really hot worlds, even though the ores appear timny, some can yield between 15-25 units, although they don't appear to do so (most commonly found in COMmon elements, or PREcious elements where there are many of the (Auric, metal, and treasure worlds, and the rare shattered world).

Oh yeah, and this early in the game, I suggest you build up your mining skills (learn to shoot and dodge with a lander, since you'll be doing this a whole lot), and load up with tons of storage units, and a supply of at least 4 landers. For a good month or two (more like 3-4 months, really) of having up to 8 storage units, 2 fuel tanks (100 fuel) and 2 crew pods (100 crew, for mining and defense meatshields for escaping battles), I managed to build my ship into one hell of a mining craft, draining our quadrant of the galaxy of resources in that time. Hayes was shocked with the catch I brought in regularly.

I think, one time, I had 12 storage (6000 ores), and the rest were fuel and crew, and just spent a few months nomming up every pellet of ore like Pac-Man (a majority of them being BASE (3000+ BASE ores), and a significant amount of RARE, 500+ PREcious, a rad amount of RADs (300+), and at least a hundred or so EXOs). Hayes nearly shat a brick at the RU profit that was made. Calculating it all, I think I made upwards to 27,500+ RU in a single trip, all profit.

Needless to say, the caterpillar was full, and was then slowly metamorphosing into a pretty kickass battleship.

[Girlinhat]

Fwiffo is incredible...

[USEC_OFFICER]

Fwiffo is incredible...

He also happens to take a level of badass in the next set of videos. I'll try to get them up as soon as possible.

[Girlinhat]

THE ULTIMATE EVIL is my favorite.  Its existence just beyond sensor range is proof of its nefarious plot!

[Darkmere]

Fwiffo took all the levels.

You are spot on w/regards to the orbit colors. Orange are incinerated planets, green is "life zone", blue is cold and dead. I also chuckled at the satisfied ohhhh yeahhhh reaction from mineral rich planets. Been there.

Fun Fact: There is nowhere near enough biodata to get the 12M credits for the bridge color information. And if you hack the game to get that much, Greenish still won't tell you anything. Sadface.

[Aklyon]

THE ULTIMATE EVIL!

Am I the only one who thinks he says it like that?

[USEC_OFFICER]

So we finally go looking for the Pkunk. However things do not go completely to plan.

Luckily we've managed to make it back in one piece, and with 3000~ RUs to boot! I'm probably going to spend on another fuel tank, because we need the extra range, and an extra cargo bay won't be very helpful if we don't have enough fuel to land on any planets. I would like a dynamo for extra power, but that's not terribly important right now. Maybe once I add another weapon.

EDIT:
Have a gander at the Pkunk's theme music. It's much more pleasant that those annoying aliens. Also, have some background about the Umgah, so that you know why I suspect them so much.

Spoiler: Does this count as specist profiling? (click to show/hide)

^{Praise Armok it's in black and white. It's worse in colour.}

Umgah: The Umgah are blobbish creatures consisting of four main attributes; eyes, mouths, tentacles and a strong sense of humor. The Umgah make use of biological forms in their technology and must often rely on biomechanical hybridization.

The Umgah prefer warm, moist subterranean dwellings, sheathing the interior of their ships with a thick, wet skin, and suffer from agoraphobia – the fear of open spaces.

Before they were enslaved by the Ur-Quan, the Umgah culture was relatively peaceful, content to expand slowly through the surrounding Orionis constellation. The most serious conflicts caused by the Umgah are the result of their incessant practical jokes, such as clogging a fleet of Spathi Eluders’ life-support systems with fast-growing foul-smelling goo.

[Erkki]

This is definitely the best adventure game I've played... Over and over again. 

[Itnetlolor]

A thought came to mind. Besides my usual joke of Urea Worlds being piss-poor planets, I wonder if when one collides with an Alkali World, would it form a mustard gas giant?