I go through all those hassle and randomness just to get 1,800 Engine Power? This doesn’t look worthy at all, even it gave me some stat but it is too low to make it worth. If the Serpentine got 2,500 Engine Power then it would be better.
The Serpentine is best suited for smaller ships - they don’t benefit so much from Engine Power, and the Fuel Efficiency bonus frees up room in their smaller holds. Larger ships will want to aim for the Fulgent Impeller instead.
Not that the Fulgent Impeller is a catch-all solution either. I keep a weaker engine in my hold for the smaller distances, because sitting in port waiting for SAY is not my idea of fun.
Ship weight doesn’t seem to affect the engine power from my experience. I can’t tell, it is like they are moving at the same speed. Game doesn’t explain much about those either.
Ship weight doesn’t affect engine power. Ship weight and engine power both affect speed. The text on the Iron & Misery shop is imprecise, but accurate.
A run from london to the lighthouse directly east with the starting engine and CLAY took 32s. With the serpentine and clay, it took 30s. And ate about twice as much fuel.
I think a better plan is to just skip SAY in half the ports and go for the ones where SAY is guaranteed profit, and try to just tag as many ports as you can for the port reports.
I mean, if you’re going for profit, I guess. But I feel that most ports have something for me.
I don’t know about this. [edit: As you already stated,] smaller ships don’t seem to care much about more power. It really only matters when you start piling on Weight. [10% fuel efficiency isn’t enough to counter the additional (more than double) fuel consumption, especially if he’s also using Clay Stokers.]
I’m not completely clear on where this is, did you mean the lightship? If so, that’s a very short distance, and you’re less lightly to see a noticeable effect due to acceleration and human error. It’s also possible that cargo is factored in, though this hasn’t been confirmed by anything other than e.g. "wow this feels lighter" after selling 80 mirrorcatch boxes.
edited by Olorin on 2/14/2015
That’s exactly where I meant. I don’t think weight affects speed (based on other threads discussing this). And yes, it’s a short distance, but shows that more than doubling the engine power has perhaps a 10% uplift in speed, but a terrifying downshift in fuel efficiency. I timed it using a frame counter timer in Sony Movie Studio recording at 30fps, matching the start and end frames, after 2s of travel from London, presuming that would account for any acceleration difference.
I guess the point I’m making is that when it comes to upgrades, do ship before engine. Bigger engine on the starter tub has negligible benefits, especially given the increased cost in fuel, and effective loss in cargo space (you’ll need 20 fuel or more for any kind of long trip).
Weight definitively affects speed. Especially on weaker engines, though it still has an effect even on e.g. the Impeller.
Unless you meant cargo weight in which case eh. I don’t have enough data.
edited by Olorin on 2/14/2015
Ship and engine at the same time, really. If you’re trying to power a frigate (or, worse, dreadnought) with an Elderly Steeple-Engine… it’s painful.
That said, yeah, the Serpentine isn’t particularly special when it comes to power or efficiency (though other engines in the same power range certainly aren’t noticeably better). But it and the Impeller are the only engines with stat bonuses, and given how much effort you have to put into officer stories to get SMALLER stat boni? Extremely worth it.
Yes, sorry, that’s what I meant.
[quote=Impish Axile]Ship and engine at the same time, really. If you’re trying to power a frigate (or, worse, dreadnought) with an Elderly Steeple-Engine… it’s painful.
That said, yeah, the Serpentine isn’t particularly special when it comes to power or efficiency (though other engines in the same power range certainly aren’t noticeably better). But it and the Impeller are the only engines with stat bonuses, and given how much effort you have to put into officer stories to get SMALLER stat boni? Extremely worth it.[/quote]
Impeller is ok on it own. 5,000 Power with 50% Efficiency is worthwhile compare to the quest that we need to do to make it. It require Tireless Engineer and Irresponsible Cannoneer to make it. Imo, the darn Magician quest for Serpentine is much harder to complete due to randomness. If you are going to play with no manual save, it is like you has only 5% chance to get it. Either make the quest much more easily to do or buff the Serpentine.
edited by FreedomFighter on 2/15/2015
Eh, I upgraded to the Frigate and haven’t upgraded the engine yet, and it’s not too bad. I do want to pick up the magician and try for the Serpentine though. Possibly I should have kept him when I took my last captain north instead of Maybe’s Rival, but I have this weird fondness for Maybe’s Daughter/Rival that I can’t really explain. I just think she’s sassy. :P
I have similar feelings about Maybe’s Daughter, though I never pass on an Officer.
Now if only Nobody’s Daughter were implemented…
[quote=FreedomFighter]Imo, the darn Magician quest for Serpentine is much harder to complete due to randomness. If you are going to play with no manual save, it is like you has only 5% chance to get it. Either make the quest much more easily to do or buff the Serpentine.
edited by FreedomFighter on 2/15/2015[/quote]
There’s only one random event in the magicians storyline and that has a 70% success chance. (the serpent image can be got in irem in exchange for coffee if you don’t get it one of the random ways)
How do you mean? I thought she was!
If she is, I’ve no idea how to obtain her.
I was under the impression that she was the result of successfully dissuading her from passing through the Wicket. Is that not the case?