Out There Ω Edition: The Alliance

#1

Anybody played Mi-Clos’ newest iteration of this classic? It showed up on iOS a week or so ago (free update if you already owned the old version), and I’ve been playing the heck out of it since then. It’s pretty much the same old game — fly from star to star, try desperately not to run out of fuel, oxygen, or hull strength — but there’s a number of new things going on.

Alien hitchhikers, for instance.

And I’ve got no idea what’s up with that empty Star Iron Station in the middle of the game.

If you liked this in the past, it’s worth a re-visit.

3 Likes
#2

It’s one of my favorite games ever, on any platform.

I just saw the new ending and it was glorious (but gold probably remains my favorite).
The game never left my devices in last 6 years, and probably never will.
Or maybe till Out There: Ocean of Time…which I’m stupidly hyped about.

#3

Any tips for any of us who were always terrible at the game and never reached any ending? I’m sure I could find info by Googling it, but I’d rather just ask here.

1 Like
#4

This version is easier than previous ones, because you can permanently unlock better starting ships meeting certain criteria. That is your first goal.
Be sure to check the cemetery gates option, let you find in actual run your previous abandoned ships (in previous run).
Don’t be shy to use easy mode to get you acquainted with the mechanics (as far as I know it consumes less fuel).

Move in short distances, never leave a system without fuel and Fe.
Try to get Th (from rocky planets) as soon as you can (it’s needed for T stasis, usually the first tech you will learn).
Always drill and probe at 10 even if they break.
Go to red first (the first on map target) then after you encounter the Monolith, go to green…it’s the easiest ending.
For this, you don’t need specific elements, so don’t lose time drilling other elements.
Never, ever try your luck with events unless you know the outcome or you have your engines upgraded…you could end in a distant system far from everywhere without any possibility to reach any destination.

Those are first tips on top of my head…other endings are more difficult and require specific techs, but you will learn that along the way.

All endings are great imho, and worthy of your time.
Ask you have any other question!!!

4 Likes
#5

Pitta’s tips are good. Some other thoughts (I’m not going to blur these, but some are sort of spoilers):

  • The hardest part is surviving till you can find a better ship; the poor ol’ Nomad is too weak and has too few cargo holds to get far. (I think that the option in the new game to start with some other ship is a complete cheat, therefore.)

  • Throughout the game you should be thinking “Firefly” not “Star Trek”: you’re just trying to keep flying to the next system, not explore every planet. But that’s particularly the case in the Nomad. Get enough fuel and Fe to carry on, and then move on. You have enough room to carry a little bit of other materials, but not a lot. Once you find a bigger ship, you can think a bit more about acquiring materials and building gear. For my money, the best ships are the ones with the most cargo holds.

  • An exception to the “don’t hit every planet” rule is that you should try to land on every garden planet and encounter the locals (there always are some). This will help you acquire Omega, which is unbelievably important. (Do not make the mistake of encountering the locals without a cargo hold that is empty or is part-full of Omega. Otherwise your gain, if any, just disappears.)

  • Take notes about the galactic language — the random word assignments are different in every game, but the vocabulary doesn’t change, and what the locals will say to you follows a few fairly standardized patterns. With practice, and a list of guessed or confirmed words-for-this-run, you can greatly increase your chances of successful interactions even in the very early stages where you don’t know many words.

  • Pitta mentioned Tau Stasis which is a really useful tech. In the later stages of the game (towards “galactic south”, I guess) the stars are further apart and you need some propulsion power-up to cross the distances. Tau Stasis is about the best of those, though there are other options if you haven’t got that yet. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to head south until you have some power-up or other. The other tech that I find to be make-or-break is the Interferometer; build that as soon as you learn how.

  • FWIW, I disagree with Pitta’s tip to avoid engaging in optional encounters (the on-first-entry-to-a-new-system vignettes). There are some that are bad, but a fair number will give you new words and/or new tech. Anyway, where’s the fun in running away from the unknown?

5 Likes
#6

Maybe I expressed myself wrong, but initially I advice to avoid just the events that warp you around, because chances are you will warp in a portion of space where you can’t go anywhere else.
That’s what I meant…events are the best part of the game!
Generally (since Omega) you get Tau stasis at the monolith if you didn’t get it before. Other mandatory tech for advanced endings are solar sails and everything else that power up your engine (both warp engine and in system engine).
These techs require elements that you can find in garden planets.
Another useful tech is shields, possibly before encountering a certain alien race and when you use ultraprobe.

I would just concentrate on green ending at first if you never came close to ending a game…after that you will be hooked forever :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
#7

Oh, I was hooked for a very long time and came close to reaching an ending a couple of times when I played the game the first time around. But hopefully I’ll get over the hump this time around and actually get there. Out There staying on my iPad all these years despite never beating it is a testament to how good the game is, IMO. It’s right next to FTL in the “maybe I’ll beat this someday” folder.

#8

The screenshot file size is too big so I can’t post the pic, but I can see the star that’ll get me the green ending … and it’s just out of range. I’m talking barely outside the edge of the range I can travel.

Doing whatever I can to not throw my iPad right now.

1 Like
#9

This was my problem with out there. It wasn’t that mission I think, but I was one turn or one resource short off of finishing a difficult ending. I put the game down and didn’t pick it up again. I reloaded after the patch, and the overwhelming sense of frustration caused me to close it again immediately. Such a shame

3 Likes
#10

You need a range-increasing tech … do you realize you can use more than one?

#11

I do realize that, and I spent a bunch of time searching for one, but I keep screwing up my encounters on the garden planets that might teach me technology and not giving the aliens what they want. I’ve got Tau Stasis installed; can’t get a second one. I think I’m probably gonna run out of resources soon.

#12

Yeah, you’re going to die a lot until you get the hang of the alien encounters (and sometimes, bad luck in those will get you even when you’ve had practice). See my advice upthread to take notes and learn the patterns of what the aliens say.

#13

I absolutely did take notes, but I haven’t learned the words for most elements and almost always give the aliens the wrong thing. I answer the “approve/disapprove” part correctly and screw up the second part.

#14

Hm, well, almost always the first thing they ask for is iron, the second hydrogen. After that are usually tungsten and thorium in some order, and then you gotta start guessing …

#15

Tried one of those last two elements several times and it didn’t work, but hey …

The run had a happy ending tonight—made it all the way to the last star and then managed to work my way back to the green system, getting that ending. Might even try the game again at some point!

1 Like
#16

Ok, this thread is making me want to play less and less. I don’t think taking notes, deciphering languages, etc. is my cup of tea…

5 Likes
#17

Nice!
No go for the serious endings…blue, red, gold and white (the new one, it’s not difficult).

:stuck_out_tongue:

#18

That was kind of my experience when I gave it quite a number of runs on several different occasions. To me, it felt like a series of random events, that just take memory or notes plus high RNG to nail down a run.

I love FTL to bits, but OT was just nothing even close to it. I know we shouldn’t compare and complain that one game isn’t the other, but let’s face it, OT is often compared to FTL, for good reason that imo, FTL just highlights the mundane memory recollection and RNG process that is Out There.

If I’m honest, some of the comments in this thread make me want to try it again for like the 5th install, but then again, if anything each time Out There is THE game that has made me realise maybe people have severely different taste to mine on this one.

3 Likes
#19

Yeah, I don’t like my games to be work. I already work.

My interest in trying OT again is basically nil.

1 Like
#20

Yeah, no doubt about it, there is a lot of randomness in this game, and it doesn’t take too many bad outcomes to kill you. I find it similar to, say, Elder Sign: Omens in that regard, which is another game that some people like and some don’t. I believe in both cases that good strategy (acquired through practice) improves your ability to cope with bad luck. But of course if your initial impression of the game is just that you’re butting your head into a wall, you won’t play it long enough to get the necessary experience.

I notice that this latest release has added a difficulty adjustment. I’m not sure just what that does, but it might be something to dial down if you’re too frustrated.