While a basic station gets the job done, your stations can also be retrofitted with starbases for a small amount of defense, scanning improvements to see further out, subspace projectors to speed fleet movement, and even some more specialized upgrades. In my experience, using a cluster of nebula and ion storms as a naturally occurring chokepoint is another sound strategy as they can really hinder enemy forces and prevent a quick surprise strike. Since enemy fleets are reluctant to move through your claimed zones, taking over as many as possible early on is not a bad tactic at all. It’s important to begin doing so quickly as your borders will continue to expand on their own as nearby sectors are naturally absorbed due to the influence of your stations.
Obviously creating as large an empire as possible provides many benefits, so constructing stations is a vital part of this DLC’s experience. It is also possible for multiple empires to exert influence on a neutral, unoccupied sector, with the one producing the most influence claiming it for themselves. This is not possible however if an empire has a supply station or colonized planets in the sector. This is because every station you’ve built exerts influence on nearby sectors, and given enough time, you can actually absorb nearby sectors into your empire automatically. Although your supply stations can be indeed be upgraded to starbases for that purpose, what I really mean is that a rival empire can’t simply absorb the sector anymore. When I say “fortified”, I don’t necessarily mean it’s offering any sort of tangible defense against attack. When completed, the sector becomes a “fortified” part of your empire.
Construction ships can build supply stations in any unoccupied sector that does not contain a star system, nebula, or ion storm. To expand your empire, you can either colonize new systems or build construction ships that can claim new territory for you. There are also many new special resource locations, places like ordnance depots, black holes, and debris fields, and these can benefit not only your nearby colonies but sometimes your entire empire once take under your control. Hazards like nebulas and ion storms create natural barriers out of some sectors, and while not impassable, they demand careful consideration due to the negative effects they can have on movement speed, shielding, weaponry, and ship hulls. Some sectors are simply empty, while many others feature new locations unique to this DLC. Every star system is now contained within a sector, but not every sector contains a star system. The galaxy map has been drastically changed due to a total conversion to equally sized hexagon shaped sectors. Is it enough to make Sector Zero a great game rather than just a good one? Lets find out!Įxpanding your empire is a completely new experience with this DLC installed. There are some new technologies to discover, new events to find, and even a new galactic threat to encounter. If your the type who just wants more of everything in your DLC, you’re in luck as Sector Zero adds in a bit of that as well. In addition, it also addresses what I and many others had concerns about, the controversial tactical ground combat system, by redesigning ground combat almost entirely. One of my primary concerns was certainly a lack of victory conditions, and Sector Zero brings with it three new options to explore. This is far from just an aesthetic change as this new system has been integrated into many of the existing gameplay systems including combat, technology, and even victory conditions.ĭid I say victory conditions? Yes, indeed I did! While StarDrive 2 was a good game, and one which refined and did justice to the Master of Orion II formula, it certainly wasn’t without its share of flaws. A brand new hex based sector system has been introduced that has changed your empire’s boundaries from blobs to bold outlines. Well, I hope you weren’t too attached as it’s time to say goodbye to them, and hello to hexes. If you’re at all familiar with the base game, you’ve certainly seen the oddly blob shaped influence bubbles that define your empire. While some DLCs take a subtle approach and add small things here and there, Sector Zero boldly places its primary changes right in front of you from the get-go. Nearly a year after the release of StarDrive 2, its first DLC, Sector Zero, has now arrived.