The Quasi-Complete Star Control 3 Strategy Guide Painstakingly brought to you by MydKnight {the driver extraordinare} and Aurorahe {backseat tech and transcriber} Soooo....how do I accomplish this...and more importantly.....just exactly how much of the Mycons and VUX conversation do I have to listen to? Basic tips for all around play: EXPLORE...don't be afraid to talk to ICOM...save as often as you can, because a LOT is done through CAREFUL conversation...this is a game of diplomacy, not war-mongering. Your colonies will do better producing resources than ships. In fact, we found it to be unnecessary to build new colonies relying solely upon homeworlds and Crux-made colonies. The spacial anomalies are events. Certain things only happen after these systems vanish. Picus is first. When Eltanin disappears, be sure to have a strong fleet (We recommend: Ur-Quan Dreadnoughts, Chmmr Avatars, Mycon Podships and Utwig Juggers. Be sure to use the Precursor Artifacts to upgrade these ships) as when you appear in the now-collasped Eltanin system, the Crux will warp in to greet you. They accuse you of causing the anomaly with your 'technography' and a large battle ensues. The third anomaly is Tyche. DISCUSSION OF EACH RACE Spathi: These guys are hilarious, so you will want to actually listen to them. Their ships are not the best, so we don't build them. They are cowardly little critters, so they will defect to the Crux after mild threats. They will complain a bit at first, but they join the Crux soon after. You may get into combat if the Spathi have any ships, so to avoid all combat when they defect, don't let them build any. Since the Spathi are easy to take out, it really doesn't matter. You can say anything to them without fear. This conversation is actually funny, and the best part is that the Spathi are a wealth of information. They even have the Marble Flange for you. In truth, the Spathi leaving is a really good thing. (Besides, they return later.) Mycon: We REALLY dread talking to these guys. They are so dusty and dry...so we talk only when we MUST...(and they are musty). They are constantly being harrassed by the VUX, so their colony is almost no use to you. They will complain incessantly about the VUX, and you will need to confront the VUX when you learn of the raidings. If you catch the VUX in the act three times, this should end the raidings. BE WARNED...the VUX combats usually start to their advantage, so be ready to move out of range. After your tech-team tells you of the possible evolution of the Mycon, you will need to ask them about their Deep Children. NOTE: You can get as many Deep Children as you like by repeating this conversation with the Mycon, and repeatedly asking them for a Deep Child. It takes a while for them to arrive, but you really need only talk to the first one. Isn't this a great way to get more Green Mycons? We thought so. DO NOT bring their ships with you when you talk to the Red Mycons, or they will defect on the spot. Later, the guild will ask you to do something about the slavery tactics of the Mycons, and they leave anyway. Let the Crux listen to them....we don't need them...we now have the Green Mycons. When you talk to the Precursors, you will have another option concerning the Mycon. Ur-Quan: We really liked the Ur-Quans...don't miss the oppurtunity to listen to their history...it's worth it. Obviously, the Ur-Quan really do it for us. Their ships are really all you need...well, they aren't shabby and they really kick the snot out of the Daks with no effort. They later fragment into two races (again!) but they are still both Green Ur-Quan (but you can't tell them that...you can't tell them much of anything, actually...they are intent on 'cleansing' the galaxy of filth. Filth = anything NOT Kohr- Ah.) Just know that you may lose half your Ur-Quan colonies because of this. We avoided the civil war ENTIRELY by not colonizing. Some of your communication choices suggest crushing opposition...we don't recommend using any of these. Humans and League Captains need to set an example of sorts...etc.etc. Syreen: What can we say about the Syreen...one gas station in space is as good as any other. We don't like their new blue faces (didn't they come from the same genetic stock as us?) but they are necessary for certain storylines. The Orz really hate them, and it may seem that you can't trust the Syreen either. The Syreen are sneaky, but loyal...and you will desperately need them to continue the game...so DON'T kick them out of the League. (Think about it...a League Captain shouldn't act on second-hand information anyway) Besides, if you kick them out, then who will revive the Chenjesu and mind-wipe your tech team...hmm? Utwig: These guys are the same as always. Their ships are pretty good, so take them. They lose their Ultron and their production drops to 70%, so you can't rely on their colonies for very long. The truth is that the VUX steal the Ultron, so you must confront the VUX about that. The Arilou will tell you that the Pkunk can locate this. You will not get the proper communication choice without the Arilou, so wait for them to tell you about this. Repairing the Ultron requires the Marble Flange, the Crystal Plate and the Ivory Sheath. Have patience with this...you will need to fix it and refix it. (You will soon be asking yourself why you bother.) Chmmr: You can say anything you want to these guys. They have a remarkable talent for stating the obvious..but it's worth it for their ships....oh boy! These guys are later bifurcated by the Daks. They believe that the Chmmr are an Eternal One summoning device. You are offered the bifurcation device...DON'T take it..you are supposed to protect the life of all sentients, ESPECIALLY those that are not violent towards you and in your LEAGUE. Don't do it. The Daks will do it for you, splitting them into comatose Chenjesu and broken Mmrnmhrn. You can ask the Syreens to revive the Chenjesu, but you need the Mother Ark to restore the Mmrnmhrn. To find the Mother Ark, you will need to search the rainbow worlds. This will involve saving the Harika/Yorn and visiting the Owa homeworld. You also need the Anti-Matter Container to hold this stuff, which the Doog possess. Needless, to say, this restoration occurs near the end of the game. You also need another Sun Device...and this is in the possession of the LK. After reviving the Chmmr, they feed you the coordinates of the HighPoint System. Pkunk: The Pkunk are really helpful with the information, but their "Death Blossom" is a bit over-rated. They are absolute necessities in the VUX/Ultron issue, but they go a bit off kilter because of a computer on the Exquivan Homeworld. To get the Pkunk back on track, you must consult the Arilou (always showing up when you need them) and they tell you how to talk to the Exquivans. If you have not encountered them before, they will test your ship's mettle (in combat) and your mettle (in conversation) which will have you tearing your hair out. You will need the Syreens to mind-wipe your tech-team (may not be available until ICOM tells you to do so) and you will need to get the Exquivans to agree not to attack you and allow you to access their homeworld's surface. You should have the data-pack...DO NOT RUN THIS IN YOUR SHIP. After this, the Pkunk are their normal, chipper selves once again. Orz: They are a bit hard to understand. In fact, we don't really know WHAT the Orz are talking about...and that makes us *frumple*. We do know that we like listening to the Orz in general and that their ships are no laughing matter. The Orz do not like the Arilou or the Syreen and they may have finished off the Supox ship, but we are not sure. We do know that the Ebon Hinge stays in our custody and they do threaten us over it. It's safe to ignore this threat because 1) it is diplomatic, and 2) are you really sure that it was a threat? The Orz show up at the third (and last) collapsed system anomaly. They also leave near the end of the game and you will have to fight them. This communication will leave you saying "HUH, what, oh...you wanna fight, hmmm?". VUX: What is there to say about a race of monocular, slimy, squid-faced, back-stabbing betrayers with Mickey Mouse shaped pupils? They are so pitiful that the computer has to give them a start-up advantage so that they might have a chance. They wreck havoc in your League and they are really bad liars. They raid the Mycon, divulge League secrets to the Crux and steal the Ultron. Kick them out of the League after you find the stolen Ultron and let the Crux have them. Good riddance. Actually, they do not stay gone, as after time, you will discover their DNA coding and that of the Vyro-Ingo. The LK can tell you how to reassemble the strands and VOILA! a new race for the League. (There is no trigger for these discoveries, they seem to be time related events.) NOTE: The new race will give you the last piece of the Ultron. Arilou: They remain largely neutral throughout the game. Call them Deus ex Machina...okay...they move the game along by "popping" in when you need them most for answers. We say popping because their heads look like they are making Jiffy Pop...or something is ready to break free. Then they conveniently tell us that we couldn't understand the answers. We would like a straight answer from them just once and to hear these answers to know for ourselves that it's beyond us. That's the way the game goes though. They do not like the Orz, and the Syreen do not trust them. Can you blame them? It's really hard to trust someone with a head that percolates. Xchaggers: They are a microscopic race that can't wait to join your league. What they lack in stature, they make up in heart. You learn about them after you learn of the Harika plague, talk to the Spathi about it and confront the K'tang. The K'tang tell you where they found the disease and you can now fly to Zosma to find the pod for yourself. This communication is funny, so it's worth the effort to listen. After hearing their history, you know that you cannot kill the Harika plague. Your tech team finds a serum that will kill the Xchagger, but you cannot use it. Save your game here, as it is tricky. One wrong sentence will definitely cost you the Harika and the Xchagger. You must ask the Harika if they will join the League if you cure them, and still refuse because it will kill billions of sentients. This choice should allow you to get to the harika bodies that you need. Talking to the Xchaggers will give you the ship hives, so you do not need to colonize with them. Restoring the Lost Dynasties will give you a couple of ships. You can't get their home ship to join your fleet...it's their homeworld...you can't drag around their homeworld...(We know it's just a ship and logically it should join...we figure that it's a prime directive thing that prevents us from moving it.) You will also need their help in repairing the microscopic damage to the Mother Ark. Owa: The guardians of the Rainbow Worlds. Up till now, the rainbow worlds are of no use to you....at least you can see the goodies, but you can't retrieve them...this will come later, when you cure the Harika and liberate the Doogs. Don't worry about killing the Owa. Before you obliterate them, however, you should get them to speak of their homeworld and you should tell them that you will convey a message to their world for them. Telling the Owa that their guards died in battle will get you where you need to be, although it doesn't seem like the correct response. Go figure. These guys really understand nobility. They give you an anti-matter scoop. If you already have the anti- matter container from the Doogs, don't get discouraged. Quite obviously you need more. You must also get them to promise not to retaliate against the Harika, who told you the location of the homeworld. After the Chmmr are bifurcated, the Owa will offer you the highly experimental Anti-Matter vessel that also you to go to the worlds to scoop and contain the Anti-Matter. You must clean all rainbow worlds to fill the container, and you must clean Calypso 1 to retrieve the Mother Ark. LK: They talk like snakes, look like leeches...but they are saporilic spores (read: Mushrooms). They appear only after your tech team finds Precursor records in a Quasi-Space portal. They will attack on sight, accusing you of being the Crux. After that, they will admit that they were lying and no battles occur. These guys are as deceitful as snakes are reputed to be, but they do have the Sun Device that you need....(and you want those Avatars up and running). They want the Red Spiral Rail, currently in the possession of the Daks and it didn't take much to convince us to blow the Daks back to the Stone Age. (Wasn't really hard, what with our jacked-up Dreadnaught). They will give us the Sun Device first, on the condition that we give them an Eternal One Signal Deflector...(yeah, right, as if we wouldn't renegotiate THAT deal. You don't have to honor the deal anyway. We did, you don't need it and we kinda LIKE an alien race that greets us with the honor we deserve....make your own decision.) They won't talk to you unless you forfeit the Red Spiral Rail, and although it hurts to let it go...what else you gonna do with it. Give it to them. They will also give you the technology that allows you to combine the DNA of the Vyro-Ingo and the VUX. Vyro-Ingo: A very confused race. It's easy to get into combat with them. They take everything you say as an insult. As you teach them a few manners, remember that these creatures will combine with the VUX, and feel very, very sorry for them. You won't be able to have them join the league until the Arilou tell you of THE insult. After they join, you can say what you want to them, including the parts about their deficient gene pool and they will leave, but you can apologize and bring them back. When you combine their DNA with the VUX DNA, they will want to see the VUX. What you need to do is grab a few of their ships and send them to Salacia 2. Nature will take its course from there. Exquivans: They resemble Ewoks, don't they? They talk like a crazed Pat Morita (you know...Mr. Miyagi?) They are the Exquivans, and they will attack you to test you. Once you beat them, the Arilou will tell you to reason with them. Try to avoid the argumentative choices and eventually you will get them to agree not to attack you. Take your mind- wiped tech team to the surface and examine the Precursor ship. They have insights regarding the shame of the Clairconctlar but only after they have tested your mettle. After you talk to the Precursors, talk to the Exquivans again and they will join you. Green Mycon: What is there to say...they are the just like the Red ones..only not as slow, sluggish or demented. Talk to them and have them join the League. DON'T bring them home to Janus 8. Leave them in friendly places. (You can gather the ships again, later, as needed). There is a big decision you need to make regarding them in your discussion with the Precursors. We don't think that there is a right or wrong response, so we will not give advice regarding the decision to keep the Red or Green Mycons. Daktaklakpak: These guys are not as smart as they think, and they are not as easy to rile as the K'Tang. Basically, you can pretty much say whatever you like, so long as you do not call them "Daks". That tends to anger them. They tend to guard planets with anomalies, so you can count on a battle to get each artifact, but sometimes they guard planets of no interest too. They will attack you on sight until you can speak their language (your tech team equips you with a translator) and will always attack if you come near a planet with an anomaly. They will 'allow' you to live if you can convince them that you will be gathering Precursor information for them. Of course, you can get them to fill you in, and reply that you have no new information for them. It is a bit dishonest, but this is the Earthling way, the greater good, the needs of the many. You get the datapack from the surface of the Exquivan homeworld. Guess what that contains. The Dak are slavering to get this from you...and you can ask anything you want in return...but you can only get one item or answer per Dak. I enjoyed this, myself. Be sure you trade them for the Variance Key and the K'Tang Missile. Ploxis: They appear to be the brains of the Crux...and will eventually try to persuade you to ally with them. If you listen to them, the only allies they really have are themselves. They manipulate and use their allies. However, they have loads of information and we have yet to provoke them to battle. In the first meeting with them (their homeworld remains inaccessible). However, if they are the brains of the Crux, you have nothing to worry about. By the time we ran into them, the Doog and the Harika were in the League, and the Crux were stuck with the VUX, Mycon and the Spathi. Ploxis had yet to find out about this, so we were laughing up our sleeves during the whole conversation. They are in possession of a bomb that is in fact an Eternal One Summoner. You will later receive coordinates for the Rebel Ploxis. Your tech team discovers a QuasiSpace Portal. They are in Cryogenic Sleep and cannot be restored until you get their ships on Pauguk 4. Once in their ships, they wake and speak. The Ploxis Plutocrat is waiting for you at Highpoint. He is really easy to beat, but get his attention with a punch in the ol' snotlocker with a fist full of anti- matter. (Jettison the antimatter near him.) K'Tang: These guys are so funny. You can really lead them into insulting themselves. Ask them about the Crux races, they will list all but themselves. Start at the top and lead them into the choice calling them 'dolts'. Gets 'em every time. The K'Tang are mean, nasty and stupid. Anything you say that calls the K'Tang stupid or idiots will get you into combat. It doesn't matter if you are repeating what another person says..all they hear is you calling them stupid. Not like it's a problem, you can take these guys easily. They give you information regarding the location of the Xchaggers. If you traded the Daks for the Missile...then you are in luck, buddy. Launch that baby at the K'Tang headquarters on Argus 5. You can bully them all you desire. They give you most useful info on the Daks and the empty Ploxis ships they have on Pauguk 4. Harika/Yorn: They are suffering the Xchagger Plague. They will ally with you if you can cure them. To do this you must talk to the Harika, the Spathi, the K'tang and the Daks. Talk to the Harika about all you found out. Go to Zosma and get the Xchagger to join you. Your tech team will give you a serum that will kill the Xchagger Lost Dynasties. However, they will tell you that they need to study comatose Harika to try and extract the Xchaggers. SAVE YOUR GAME...one wrong sentence and you lose both Harika and Xchagger. The key is to ask them to join the league, and still refuse to help them. This path will give you the choices that you need to get the bodies. Study of this will produce the Extractor and with the Ship Hives, you may begin to save the Harika. You must go to both planets, Tychon and Gierah to get the Harika to join. They are a wealth of information, including the location of the Owa homeworld. Clairconctlar: These guys are slow talkers, but their ships are something to consider. To better understand them, you need to talk to the Exquivans. Travel to the Enkidu system. There your tech team will inform you of the signals from Enkidu 4C. Their queen is there, but their station is only 3 planets away. Sound silly? No, the Clairconctlar are creatures of honor. Unfortunately, they were dealing with some pretty shifty characters (Ploxis, who else) that tricked them into serving the Crux. Go to the Queen and pick up a Conc rock. You can give this to the Clairconctlar, but be sure to take one to the LK. They will explain the importance of the rock to you. Take this rock to the Clairconctlar and do what you must to get them to follow you to the Queen. They have lots of information, so don't hesitate to ask. Doogs: By far the easiest members of the Crux to recruit. They are always workin' workin' workin'. Simply talk to the Spathi to learn of their plight and talk to a Doog colony. They should tell you that it costs them 5 RUs to speak. Get them to tell you of their debt and buy the colony. Each colony will cost about 10,000 RUs. We think that the Doog for the Spathi is more than a fair trade. The Doog also have the Anti-Matter Containment Field, but not many Crux secrets, because the Crux doesn't confide in the Doog. A final note, the Doog Constructor is a tough ship to beat BEFORE the upgrade, afterwards it is doggone near invincible (okay, you could bounce between a planet and asteroid, or you could be watching t.v, getting a drink, whatever and find yourself killed..you get the idea. One ship took out the entire Orz fleet and the Heralds, no sweat) Precursors: Believe it or not, you finally meet these mythological beings. You will need the Variance Key from the Daks (traded for the name of the Eternal1s...a rather fair trade, in our opinions) and an Ortog from the Xchaggers, (your tech team will tell you when this is an option). Use the Key and the Ortog on Begregren 2 to get the Celestial UnDevolver. This summons the Precursor. Feel free to ask it any question you want. It tells you to prioritize your questions, but that is done for you....ask away. This encounter grants you the Sentience Notation Device. THE END: What you were waiting for....after the huge battle at HighPoint, question your attackers. They will give you lots of information AND the Sentience Thresher. Your tech team tells you how and what to combine...it's fool proof. Now, journey to the homeworlds of 13 different species...(don't count, ICOM does this for you). Return to HighPoint and it's in the bag. BEST homeworlds.....you MUST visit the VUX, the Spathi, the Ur-Quan, and the Xchaggers, not in any particular order, and for no other reason than your amusement. After you finish, return to HighPoint. List of Homeworlds --->The League of Sentient Races Earthling (That's you) Helios 3 Spathi Goshen 4 (They defect) Syreen Astarte 1 Utwig Fomalhaut 5 Pkunk Arcadia 6 Mycon Janus 8 (They defect) VUX Salacia 2 (You kick them out) Ur-Quan Velpunia 6 (They divide in Civil War) Orz QSM/Nyx/Muhlifain 7 (They leave) Chmmr Hypnus 2 (They get incapacitated and bifurcated) --->Neutral/New Races Green Mycon (recruitable) Janus 8 (after Plasma Regroover is used) Vyro Ingo (recruitable) Izanagi 5 Xchaggers (recruitable) Zosma 6 (well, sorta) Exquivans (recruitable) Anshar 3 Owa Mnemosyne 1 (after curing Harika) LK QSG/Azazel (after Tech-team mentions Precursor records) Arilou These guys just pop in and give you information --->Hedgemonic Crux Daktaklakpak No Homeworld Ploxis No Homeworld K'Tang Argus 5 Harika/Yorn (recruitable) Typhon 3, Gienah 1 Clairconctlar (recruitable) Enkidu 7 Doogs (recruitable) Cerberus 2, Izanami 2, Proserpina 1, Adapa 1, Chloris 1, Melpomene 4 Locations of all Artifacts Spathi Upgrade Helios 4 Orz Upgrade Salacia 7 Pkunk Upgrade Janos 6 Mycon Upgrade Hypnus 3 Ur-Quan Upgrade Arcadia 5 Syreen Upgrade Fomalhaut 9 Chmmr Upgrade Nyx 2 Clairconctlar Upgrade Benten 5 Doog Upgrade Barona 6 Human Upgrade Horus 7 Xchagger Upgrade Zaniah 3 Owa Upgrade Morpheus 4 Vyro-Ingo Upgrade Vesta 1 Utwig Upgrade Mahakala 5 VUX Upgrade Tractorus 3 Exquivan Upgrade Ceres 5 Harika/Yorn Upgrade Ettenrub 2 Marble Flange Spathi give this to you Ebon Hinge Muhlifain Crystal Plate Nebusta 1 Daktaklakpak Datapak Alula 1 (Rainbow World) Mother Ark Calypso 1 (Rainbow World) Listing of Systems with Rainbow Worlds Alula Calypso Euterpe Genesha Indra Kentaurus Moirai Penates Rudra This faqsheet is may be shared, printed or distrubuted on condition that the Creators' names are NOT stripped from it. Thank you and the wrath of the Tall Man and the Eternal1s be on you if you do so. May God be with you because no one else will.... You can E-mail MydKnight at MydKnight@aol.com and Aurorahe at Aurorahe@aol.com. Only write with questions and support. Any complaints or criticisms will NOT be duly noted and flushed from our respective systems at our first convenience...Thank you.