EV Override: Second Contact
by Lemonius Funk

EV Override is a conquerable game. Many alien races are out there. But can you find them? I've been fliying through space for many years now. I'm no Captain Scumdog, but I've seen my share of the universe.

Besides, Override is not Scumdog's universe.

Anyway, let me tell you how I made second contact with an alien race. It's more significant than first contact (with the Voinians), because these guys are friendly. They've got some nice weapons, too. I wonder when they intend to use them?

Like many budding young pilots, I started off in the Shuttlecraft Grazer with my 10,000 credits. I flew around, blasted a few asteroids, and generally amused myself. But I really disliked that ship. I knew that if I was going to be somebody in this life, I would need a better ship. So I landed and headed for the Spaceport Bar.

Inside the bar, I met a nice man who offered to give me work with a freight carrier. I knew that these jobs sometimes paid more than cargo runs, and that a shuttlecraft is a perfect ship for these kinds of missions. I quickly signed up, and recieved my first mission.

A few missions later, I had scraped together enough dough to buy many tons of Saalian Brandy, but I opted to purchase a scoutship instead. That investment paid off! Suddenly, I had many more tons of cargo space, and a long-range spacecraft. I liked the monikker "Grazer", so I kept it. I knew that this was my time.

The galactic West was not an option for me. I knew that my small ship with weak armaments stood no chance against our enemies, the Voinians. The Renegade activity in the Southeast was also a problem. So, I thought I'd go North and do a little bit of exploring. My life changed when I decided that.

I spent some time in uninhabited space for a while. I wondered if I was going to run out of fuel there, and be stranded forever. But the long range of my new Scoutship saved my hide, and a few jumps later I had encountered a new Alien Race: The Miranu.

 

My finger was on the trigger as I prepared to open fire. My other hand was on the afterburner. My mind was everywhere. I was sweating bullets. Surprisingly, nobody attacked me. I opted not to start another war.

After much flying around, I discovered that their home planet was Mira, in the Mirava system. I thought I would go there to explore. After some searching (without interference from any kind of renegades at all), I found the planet and landed.

That was the day I became a star.

The Miranu offered me a nice collection of cuisine and beverages; I introduced them to Saalian Brandy. And after much hoopla, I was given a message to take to the nice people at Sol.

I think I am a good Ambassador. The entire experience was groovalicious for everyone.

Want to know how you can have a groovalicious experience, too? Check out this map that I made. It's taken from my navigation computer. 

Sol is the homeworld of the humans; it's in the Galactic Southwest. To their west is the Voinians, and just north of the Voinians are a small race called the Emalgha. Moving clockwise from there, the Miranu are in the Galactic Northwest, while the Strands (an interesting race with multiple governments) are in much of the Galactic East. There are other small groups, but I guess you'll just have to find them yourself.

And, before I take off, here are some tips I have compiled from my great experiences in space:

     • Two fuel scoops are better than one. This is especially true if you're using a weapon that eats up your fuel. 
     • Using autopilot to point your fore section at your enemy helps a lot for close-range combat. 
     • Don't worry if you speak North American English (like me) - Ever since British MultiCorp took over the   

       allied space program in 2081, the official language of space commerce is The Queen's English. Just deal   

with it. 
     • Don't land in a hostile area. Don't land on uninhabited planets. Don't run out of fuel. The idea is to stay    
       alive --   unnecessary risks can get you killed. And I have seen a lot of pilots take unnecessary risks in my   
       day. 
     • Turrets are great weapons, but I don't recommend going up against the Voinians without some heavy     
       weaponry.
     • But if you're going after some wimpy renegades, turrets are your best friend. 
     • Don't abort a mission unless you have to. You might just annoy the people who gave you the mission. 
     • Big capital ships are slow to accelerate, and they turn like cows. When going against one, you should have  
       a ship that can outmaneuver a cow, and stay out of range of the cow's turrets. Or, if you have a cow of 
       equal or greater value, try to have better weapons. You know who will win - The one who takes less 
       damage than the other. See if you can't turn those cows into Synthburgers. 
     • Read the art of war, by Sun Tzu. It says that the real leader is the one who wins wars without fighting. 
     • You got to know when to walk away, and know when to run. Afterburners will help you run faster. 
     • Don't try to dominate the universe - it is just not fun. Plus, we all know what happened the last time 
       someone tried that with the computer industry in the late 1990s. That was the beginning of the American 
       downfall. 
     • Be aware of how your missiles (and countermeasures) operate in places with different kinds of disturbance 
       - asteroids, sensor interference, and the like. You'll be that much better of a player. 
     •  Don't waste your money on gambling - even if the ships on the slot machines look cool. 

Well, That's all for today - I've got to make another cargo run. Keep your nose forward and your afterburner on your tail!