Of Devices and Cubes....

[Wraithwynd]

Barrels and Roms one can use even if you don't need them (like the autopilot Rom) and then you know what you have.

I have installed 'devices' like the Asgard Systems one and it never, ever tells me what it is. Cubes I need a CPU and then when I have the CPU there are cubes that tell me nothing when used or attempted to use.

The Laser Collimator (spelling?) you plug it an and you know what you have, the auto missile turret also tells you, the rest it seems you need to have the right combination of stuff in order to get information.

Since ships only have a few device places and cargo space is so limited, carrying this stuff around to 'figure it out' later down the road is impractical.

So what is the secret to figuring out what you have and what goes where when it comes to cubes and devices so I do not have to store them in a blasted out station and come back time and time again with new cubes?

[Xephyr]

What, you don't enjoy challenges?

Well, you can make a mod for it, like the old "Rowena's Weapons and Armour" ROMs that identified weapon and armour attributes.

[digdug]

well, the idea is to have the consumables and the devices to behave like in nethack, more or less.

Prophet made a nice guide to identify devices on the wiki:
http://wiki.neurohack.com/transcendence ... isc_device

[hex]

I have installed 'devices' like the Asgard Systems one and it never, ever tells me what it is. Cubes I need a CPU and then when I have the CPU there are cubes that tell me nothing when used or attempted to use.

Hmm, which cubes, as far as I can see from the xml they all produce reasonable output messages and they always get identified when you use them (iff you've got a CPU).

The Laser Collimator (spelling?) you plug it an and you know what you have, the auto missile turret also tells you, the rest it seems you need to have the right combination of stuff in order to get information.

I am almost certain that the Laser Collimator starts unidentified you just happen to have a laser weapon.

Since ships only have a few device places and cargo space is so limited, carrying this stuff around to 'figure it out' later down the road is impractical.

That I would describe as a game mechanic (although I am in favour of a scroll of identify analogue) after all you can increase you cargo space if your willing to part with a device slot or look after a mule.

So what is the secret to figuring out what you have and what goes where when it comes to cubes and devices so I do not have to store them in a blasted out station and come back time and time again with new cubes?

Experience and the process of elimination; for the 'Asgard Systems' if it's tech level 2 then you know it's got to be the canon accelerator (given that you've discovered the Laser Col and only those two are level two devices). There aren't that many devices also if for example the Bushido Dealer is selling an unid'ed device you know it's got to be the Bushido Enhancer .

[Wraithwynd]

Hmm.

Alrighty then.

One could make a mod, or one could look on the wiki - I was wondering how one would practically figure these out in the game without mods, wiki or external resources.

I guess its plug and experiment.

[Prophet]

Cubes, roms, barrels and crystals cannot be identified in the vanilla game any other way then using them. I find it is best to hoard them until you are ready to upgrade your equipment and test the items on your old equipment while sitting safely beside the station you plan on upgrading at.

Roms will affect weapons, shields, reactor and weapon.
Barrels affect armor.
Cubes and crystals affect shields.

If the enhancement is bad, it will normally remove any positive enhancement that is present. Some positive enhancements will eliminate some negative enhancements so you can't count but some cannot be removed.

There are many mods that allow identification of items and devices on xelerus but there's no way to logically deduce what something is.

[Wraithwynd]

Cubes, roms, barrels and crystals cannot be identified in the vanilla game any other way then using them. I find it is best to hoard them until you are ready to upgrade your equipment and test the items on your old equipment while sitting safely beside the station you plan on upgrading at.

Roms will affect weapons, shields, reactor and weapon.
Barrels affect armor.
Cubes and crystals affect shields.

If the enhancement is bad, it will normally remove any positive enhancement that is present. Some positive enhancements will eliminate some negative enhancements so you can't count but some cannot be removed.

There are many mods that allow identification of items and devices on xelerus but there's no way to logically deduce what something is.

LOL I discovered the cube that strips ones shield enhancement.

As a *new* player I have been disappointed at discovering that sitting at one of the stations and using a barrel of *Not for human consumption* was actually a barrel of radioactive waste. Unfortunately for me I did not have decon barrels, nor was the station I was at able to decontaminate my vessel. In fact no station in that system could... I died.

Hording only seems to work well if you have the Mod that gives you the Alien Mule that appears to use Tartis Technology (Dr. Who) . Storing stuff at blasted out stations has lead to my forgetting where that station is, or I 'discover' that there is a Salvager in that system that helps its-self to my loot.

There should be a hint for the new player what these things do, as you said:

Roms will affect weapons, shields, reactor and weapon.
Barrels affect armor.
Cubes and crystals affect shields.

It took me about 3 game attempts to figure that much out.

[digdug]

Hording only seems to work well if you have the Mod that gives you the Alien Mule that appears to use Tartis Technology (Dr. Who) .

nah, you just have to buy 6-7 mules

[schilcote]

Plus, if you have the mule wingman mod or whatever, you can arm your mules stacked with loot with some of that loot, so they don't get blown to pieces every time you try to rescue Sung slaves.

And if you put really good weapons and shields on them, you can just t-q-t everything in the system to death, then go around and loot it.

[digdug]

Plus, if you have the mule wingman mod or whatever, you can arm your mules stacked with loot with some of that loot, so they don't get blown to pieces every time you try to rescue Sung slaves.

yeah, nothing is better than installing a cargo expansion and a jumpdrive on a mule
With Bobby's mod it can automatically jump to reach you.

Also take a Battle Auton, put a Plasma shield, iocrym armor, fearian plasma cannon, now you have a helpful auton

[EDIT] Ops, sorry I went a little out of topic.
So I'll add a couple of suggestions:
- Always test unknown roms, cubes, barrels before upgrading and next to a station that can decon your ship and install the new devices; in this way you don't get bad surprises.
- When you have some cash left after an upgrade, buy all the unkown barrels available, install an armor layer that you don't care about, apply all the barrels to it, it doesn't matter if it works or not, the important thing is to make the other similar barrels you have known.
Now you have a nice stock of barrels. Buy armors. Install and apply barrels to all of them, sell. Tada! you're rich.

[Wraithwynd]

Hording only seems to work well if you have the Mod that gives you the Alien Mule that appears to use Tartis Technology (Dr. Who) .

nah, you just have to buy 6-7 mules

Yes several systems beyond St. K the Autoton Sales person/station appears.

I have yet to have a game that gives/sells more than 2-3 mules. I have had a game give/sell dozens of the lowest auton, and only 1-2 defender M1.

I guess its the luck of the draw.