Chapter 2 of Crying Suns. * Not having a good time with random encounters this run. In just the first sector, I've encountered 3 systems where there was an option to risk a few commandos for...something. Never found out what it was; in all 3 encounters I ended up losing my commandos for no gain. After the 3rd such encounter, the first system in Sector 2 had some of my remaining commandos say they wanted to leave the ship. I mean, can you blame them? * On the other hand, ground expeditions went swimmingly. Maximus Akai has just the right mix of skills to hit all the right targets. Lost almost no commandos here, found plenty of scrap. * 'Flash' modifier on a squadron lets you jump to any hex on the battlefield. I got one on a random drone and it instantly altered my battle strategy. Let your opponent's squadrons make it all the way over and then teleport right next to their Hull hex for plenty of free hits. Who cares if it gets wrecked? It doesn't need to be in tip top shape, just last long enough for one good jump! * Sector 2 went even worse for my commandos. First they investigate a humanitarian mission only to fall into a trap, then I lose 6 more to some child suicide bombers. * Spoilers: apparently the player character Adm. Ellys Idaho is a war criminal. * Since there's so much dialogue, I've been assigning the characters voices. Kaliban, I've decided, sounds like Zenyatta from Overwatch. Vond, the drunk Neo-N thief with plot, sounds like he would have been voiced by Mako. Like Aku from Samurai Jack, only more slurred. Pope Zenon of the Church of Singularity, for some reason, gets an Italian accent. (I mean, he *is* a pope.) * The other thing that seems to have gone right, is that I was never short on Neo-N. I think I reached the end of the sector with 15 units, despite exploring every planet in every system I passed through.

Thoughts on Crying Suns: * Palette selection relies heavily on what I've come to call "Sci-Fi Cyan". You usually see it in ship controls and such. Doom 3's in-setting computer UI elements, Dead Space's suit-mounted health meter and nav assist, etc. there's probably enough examples to start a TVTropes page. * The ad copy led me to believe the tactical combat would be a lot more prominent, but the main gameplay loop reminds me of the explore-the-galaxy portions of Mass Effect, though with the added complication of previous paths being cut off behind you. Similar to another Humble Monthly title I played, Holy Potatoes, We're In Space?! but that game had a much lighter tone. * Speaking of tone, lots of text and worldbuilding. Most of it provided by Kaliban, an AI housed in what looks like a robot Hydralisk. * As for the tactical combat, it took me until the last battle of the first chapter to realize that "use your deployed fighters/frigates/drones to defend against opposing ships and let your shipboard weapons do the real work" is a viable strategy. I still like the parts of the game that aren't combat more though. * Only made it to the end of the first chapter so far. At this point, Kaliban seems to be implying that, for in-universe reasons, there's supposed to be a reset of some kind? I'll find out the extent of that next time.

Starting Crying Suns. The art style looks interesting. I have no expectations for the gameplay beyond all the ad copy describing it as a 'strategy game'.