A game of survival, trade and exploration in the universe of Fallen London
Dining Room Table Challenge
delta_angelfire
Posts: 19
2/15/2015
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"Possibly there's a reason you might want to set to zee in a boat the size of a dining-room table. Possibly."
So I'm thinking of trying a challenge by using only the Stymphalos-class Steam Launch for the entire game on a brand new captain with no past. The question is what can I actually complete and what should my end goal be?
Things in my favor:
Trading down to the Launch actually sets your echoes to exactly 1000 for some reason, so I have a good amount of money actually.
Having 1 Crew means getting to 100 terror doesn't trigger a mutiny, it just triggers a swimming with drownies event that you can actually ignore. Lets me travel with the lights out. I can get all the way to the east edge easily on something like 2 barrels.
Having 1 Crew also mean hunger doesn't go up so I don't need to take any supplies in my cargo hold.
Things I can't do (mainly because of no cargo space):
*Can't complete the Memento Mori (first step requires 10 fuel)
*Can't go to the Surface (requires 22 fuel, so no sunlight runs!)
*Can't write Zong of the Zee (requires 7 Strange Catch)
*C̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶ ̶L̶o̶r̶n̶ ̶F̶l̶u̶k̶e̶
Things that are tougher:
*Merchant's Desires - I think he always offers you a choice of 7 somethings that don't take cargo
*The Khanate - I think Coffee is out because I don't think it can spawn within 99% of a fuel barrel from a place I can buy coffee. Drowning Pearls can be obtained slowly though from random events, but not from Fathomking's Hold.
*Empire of Hands - Pretty sure I can build the Zepplin using the alternate methods, or if it spawns close enough to Nativity I can actually at least do 5x supply runs.
*The Curator - I think I can get this one, but the only Apocyan piece I can think of depends on me stealing it from Pigmote Isle.
What do you guys think? Any other hiccups in the road You can find? I was thinking of taking the boat north and using my beginner's luck on Avid Horizon, netting me a Sunlight Box from Aestival and two parts of the Neathbow which gets me 2 captivating treasures. That's about ~3500 echoes to start. Also traveling the islands let's me pick up a bunch of officers for free as well at their homeports.
edited by delta_angelfire on 2/16/2015
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NiteBrite
Posts: 1019
2/16/2015
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Just tested this, using my nomad save since it was right next to polythreme, and I can confirm you totally die if you equip clay stokers on a steam launch.
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I AM currently accepting calling cards.
Stats loss counter: reset, irrigo equivalent: none
[00:34] <@ortab> NiteBrite's laugh is that of a condemned soul gazing into the abyss.
Merciless Modiste avatar by Paul Arendt (based on an original image by Joe England)
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/TheBriteModiste
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delta_angelfire
Posts: 19
2/15/2015
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well I'll be damned, put that on the list then! Didn't know anyone else had been doing this :-)
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NiteBrite
Posts: 1019
2/16/2015
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GerbilSchooler wrote:
He did indeed. But he also had about 100 thousand Echoes to fund his journey too 
It's true, this is actually a key difference and important to note. I was goofing around on a well established map with a well off captain. Starting completely fresh is a different matter entirely.
The thing about the steam launch is that you have to have cash to refuel every so many islands, so you can't be completely broke. However, you get decent echos right away if you actually buy/downgrade to the steam launch instead of get it by way of being salvaged (as I did for fun as a joke). Those echos can last a good while on the starter engine with no light.
I did a test run on a completely fresh captain the other day and was able to clear the top two rows of the map (find the ports) no problem. So it seems possible. But you would need to get cash flow set up pretty quick or you'll go broke real fast. I can think of a few profitable trades and quests that'd be good, but I didn't care to play it much longer as I felt like moving on to other challenges after my proof of concept run proved promising. Shelved it as a neat idea I'd like to revisit someday (but it makes me really happy that other want to try it too).
Biggest challenge I saw was that on a new map islands and obstacles are obscured in darkness (hard to see) until you shine your light on them at least once. Nearly running into invisible rocks I hadn't lit up yet (or the encountering the sea of lilies for the first time while it has fog) almost got me a few times. That is a problem that will go away in time though.
In any case, I totally recommend giving a steam launch run a go if you haven't already. It really makes things exciting never knowing if you are going to survive to the next port or not. Every time you dock could be your last time, and you just don't get that same experience in the bigger ships. Would recommend.
I wish you luck on your journey brave adventurer and look forward to seeing how you establish your foot hold as a totally fresh captain. It sounds fun. 
Edit: Also I intentionally used the biggest gas guzzling engine possible, the compulsion, just to make the fuel/hold situation as dire as possible. Tried the impeller, but it was too efficient to create good drama. The compulsion will eat 5 fuel over three vertical tiles vs the impeller would only eat three over the same distance. The starting engine is really even more efficient than that for this tiny ship, so you may want to try a stronger engine to ramp up the difficulty to taste.
edited by NiteBrite on 2/16/2015
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I AM currently accepting calling cards.
Stats loss counter: reset, irrigo equivalent: none
[00:34] <@ortab> NiteBrite's laugh is that of a condemned soul gazing into the abyss.
Merciless Modiste avatar by Paul Arendt (based on an original image by Joe England)
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/TheBriteModiste
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
2/16/2015
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It's basically a large motorboat - the kind that a ship might carry to ferry crew to shore, or that you might take for a pleasure cruise or fishing trip on a river or in a bay. It's entirely 100% inappropriate for ocean travel, which is why trying to complete the game in one is completely hilarious. Do an image search for "steam launch" and you'll get the picture (pun unintentional.)
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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