Escape Velocity: Override Guide
(okay, so you didn't get a super-cool looking title using ASCII art. Too bad)
This FAQ was written by me, Lord Seth. You can contact me at lseths@yahoo.com.
I. The Intro
II. The Version History
III. The FAQ
IV. The Beginning
V. The Governments
VI. The Missions (a.k.a. The Walkthrough)
VII. The Ships
VIII. The Extras
IX. The Weapons
X. The Plug-ins
XI. The Credits and the Copyrights
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: You can't take credit for this. I wrote it. You didn't.
Only gamefaqs.com and neoseeker.com have permission to show this. None of this
can be printed anywhere else without my permission.
I. The Intro
Welcome! So you want to play the wonder that is Escape Velocity: Override, eh?
Well, you've come to the wrong place. You're not going to be able to play it
just by going here. You'll have to go to ambrosiasw.com and download it (it's
Shareware--download it and try it out, if you like it, register it by paying).
What's that you say? You already have EV Override? (I'm going to be referring
to it as EV Override or EVO throughout this guide...don't expect me to write
Escape Velocity: Override much) And you need help? Well, THEN you came to the
right place!
Anyway, in my opinion, at least, EV Override is the best game ever made. So
let's get cracking!
II. The Version History
NOTE: The dates of the updates are the dates I SUBMITTED them, not necessarily
the dates they were actually posted.
Version 1.17: Added some more FAQ questions. Moved a few things around and
added neoseeker.com to the approved sites. Updated December 11, 2004.
Version 1.16: I think all of the strange symbols have been removed, but if I
missed any, tell me (they basically were displayed instead of an apostrophe or
quotation mark). Updated some of the ships descriptions. Added a new section on
how to start the game. Added information on what governments fly the various
ships in the "The Ships" section. Fixed a few miscellaneous grammar problems.
Corrected the names of a few ships whose names I got slightly wrong. Updated
May 29, 2004.
Version 1.15: I managed to fix MOST of the weird symbols that were appearing.
The problem is not completely solved yet. However, I felt I should update so
people could view this with a little more eased. Also fixed a few grammar
mistakes. Also added a little more information on plug-ins and added another
FAQ question (wait, doesn't that mean "Frequently Asked Questions question"?
Hmmm. That doesn't make sense. Oh well, people DO say 'the HIV virus' which
translates to "the Human Immunodeficiency Virus virus"). Ended up wasting all
your time with that comment about FAQ/HIV. Updated May 16, 2004.
Version 1.14: Extremely minor update. I just added a notice of the weird
symbols. Updated April 30, 2004.
Version 1.13: Because a bunch of things in the FAQ pertain directly to some of
the other parts, I removed some of the questions and moved their information to
the pertaining parts. If you have a question about a part of the game that part
of this guide is referring to, you'll be able to find your answer quicker this
way, hopefully. Fixed a spelling error where I said 'lothe' was "Lothe". I
hopefully fixed the margin problem that caused Version 1.12 to not be posted.
This was updated April 27, 2004.
Version 1.12: Sorry for the same-day update, but for some reason some of the
symbols (namely the apostrophes) didn't display right in version 1.11, so I'm
trying to upload it again to see if I can fix it. Updated on April 25, 2004.
(this update was not added due to margin problems)
Version 1.11: Set the dates for all previous updates. Added one more FAQ
question. Slightly changed the intro. Fixed the Missions/Walkthrough section
to make it more of a "walkthrough" (because for some reason this guide wasn't
changed to an FAQ/Walkthrough before). Hopefully it'll update it right this
time. Updated on April 25, 2004.
Version 1.1: Added a lot more information about the Missions. Changed this
from just an FAQ to an FAQ/Walkthrough. Put an additional return space between
the different sections to help differentiate them. Moved some of the FAQs in
the FAQ around to try to put the more important ones near the top. Changed a
few of the FAQs and added some. Changed "The Escorts" section to "The Extras"
to contain information about conquering planets. Added "Escorts" and
"Fighters" to the list of alignments. Added more information about the
weapons. Added some more plug-ins to the plug-ins list and removed one. Fixed
a few grammar mistakes. Decided to start giving dates of updates. Updated on
April 24, 2004.
Version 1.01: Updated the Governments section to include where you'll find
them. Added some more missions in the missions section. Unfortunately, my
computer didn't save some of the last changes I made before submitting version
1.0, so there may be a few things missing. Moved the FAQ to the top of this
guide. Made a few other small changes. Updated on April 22, 2004.
Version 1.0: Initial Release. Submitted on April 17, 2004.
III. The FAQ
Q: I have Windows. How can I play this game?
A: You can't! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Okay, so you can. To do so, get Escape Velocity: Nova (the sequel to this
game, but not as good, at least in my opinion). On Ambrosia Software's
website, in the "add-on files" section of EV Nova, there's a plug-in that lets
you play EV Override through this game (there's also one that lets you play the
original Escape Velocity through this game). So get those and follow the
instructions. Unfortunately, from what I understand, it is not possible to use
plug-ins from Escape Velocity or Escape Velocity: Override while running them
through Escape Veocity: Nova. Still, better than nothing.
Q: What is the "Monty Python Maneuver"?
A: It's a useful maneuver. You may be using it yourself already. Basically,
the idea is to move away from the enemy ship(s) and wait for it to come
towards you. The AI won't begin firing immediately once you're in its range,
so open fire on them. This is very useful when lots of fighters are coming at
you (or when you're fighting a super-powerful ship). Just move away from them,
then face them (while moving away) and take them down one by one. With stronger
ships, you'll have to try to keep a distance far enough from them to hit them
but for them not to hit you. Pretty much the only way to defeat the Voinian
Dreadnought, unless you have a super-strong ship. It got its name from "Monty
Python and the Holy Grail" (my favorite movie ever) because the characters
would often flee from danger.
Q: I have a question about escorts.
A: Look in "The Extras" section.
Q: I have a question about conquering planets.
A: See above.
Q: Can I get the Voinian Dreadnought?
A: Yes! It's tricky, but you can! First, make sure you have a ship with a
large number of crew members--it increases your capture odds (the UE Carrier
is probably best). Once you have the "Destroy Voinian Dreadnought" mission, go
to the system where the Dreadnought is. Disable it and then abort the mission.
THEN board it and choose "Capture Ship". You probably have a low chance,
however. If you captured it, good job (I personally would suggest using it as
an escort--I don't like its slow speed). If you didn't, DO NOT LAND ANYWHERE!
Aborting this mission will get the UE really mad at you. Instead, re-open your
pilot file and try again. Once you get it, though, it practically dominates any
system you go into.
NOTE: If you do capture it, you'll still have aborted the mission. To clear
your records, go to a Renegade planet and purchase the "Fake ID". Once you get
your legal status up to "Good Egg" in a UE system, you can try the Voinian
Dreadnought mission again (which will be a lot easier, now that you have your
own Dreadnought!).
Q: I don't know what button to press to <insert command here>!
A: You know, that's not exactly a question...but anyway, go to "Set Prefs" on
the main screen. It'll show you what buttons do what. You can configure it to
meet your own standards, however, I thought it was fine the way it was and
never changed any of the keys.
Q: Who should I side with in the Strand War?
A: This is an excellent question! Too bad I don't have a satisfactory answer.
It's my opinion that ANY of them are good. You get neat ships and upgrades
either way. Just to summarize...
The Zidagar offer you the Phased Beam (a cool beam you shoot in front of
you--it can wipe out fighters quickly, but does use up fuel) and the Zidara.
The Azdagari offer you the Azdara and the Shield Regenerator, which increases
your shield regeneration rate.
The Igazdra offer you the mighty Igazra and the Plasma Siphon, a Phased
Beam-like weapon.
So it's all up to you. They all offer you good weapons. My favorite is
probably the Azdagari, though. Then again, the Igazdra are cool. And so are
the Zidagar.
Q: HOW do I join the Igazdra, Zidagar, or Azdagari?
A: Look up "Retrieve Cargo", "Deliver Classified Cargo to Igazdra", and
"Defend Pozdag-3" in The Missions section.
Q: What's with that "Strange Asteroid" mission? I don't get it.
A: The problem with it is a problem with the sprites. On Ambrosia Software's
website, under the add-on files for EVO, there's a plug-in that fixes it so
you can see it as it should've been. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's
pretty funny.
Q: What's the "Council"?
A: The "Council" is the government of a system in the middle of the Igazdra,
Azdagari, and Zidagar. You'll very rarely see ships with the government
Council, but I have seen one or two.
Anyay, the "Council" is very mysterious. You really don't find out anything
about them. However, if you ever take sides in the Strand War, your legal
status in that system automatically changes to "Galactic Scourge".
I believe that the "Council" was added as a mystery and an invite to plug-in
developers. And some plug-in developers have risen to the challenge and
created some storylines that involve the "Council".
Interesting note: Move around the letters of the system the "Council" is in
and see what you find.
Q: Should I join the Voinians or the UE?
A: I'd personally prefer the UE because you get better stuff, in my opinion.
Plus if you want to join the Azdagari/Zidagar/Igazdra you need to join them.
Besides, don't you want to play on the side of good? Of course, if you want to
play the "complete" game, yeah, join the Voinians if you want. But I prefer the
UE.
NOTE: Joining the Voinians does NOT let you buy the Dreadnought. At the end of
the Voinian missions a Voinian mentions a project that could destroy United
Earth once and for all, which I assume is the Deadnought. But the missions
don't continue after that point.
Q: What's important about legal statuses?
A: Well, obviously lower legal statuses make them more likely to attack you. I
guess the only important thing is that to get some missions you need high
enough legal statuses in a system (however, to start the Human Renegade story
off, you have to have a legal status of Offender or lower in lothe Prime)
Q: I screwed up! I failed a mission that I can't do again. How do I fix this?
A: The game saves the instant you take off of a planet. So don't land on a
planet if you screwed it up. Instead, head back to the main screen, choose
"open pilot" and choose your pilot file. It'll go back to whatever planet you
last landed on and you can try the mission over.
Q: The EVO board here at GameFAQs is almost dead. Where can I get some help?
A: Well, if your question isn't found here, try going to Ambrosia Software's
website. They have a much more active EVO board than here on GameFAQs.
Q: Help! Cap'n Hector keeps stealing my money!
A: Just freaking REGISTER the darn game. Ambrosia Software went to all the
trouble of making it. If you like it, be sure to return the favor by giving
them some money. It's not much--just $25 (even less if you've previously
registered Escape Velocity). And hey, if you want Ambrosia Software to keep
making good games, you'll have to supply them with funds! So just register
this game and your Cap'n Hector problems will go away!
Q: How do I start the storylines?
A: If you want to know how to start the Strand missions, they're earlier in
this FAQ. To start the missions with the Voinians, do "Aid the Voinians!" and
to start the missions with the UE, do "UE Shipping: Recruitment" (though you
have to go through "Rescue Voinian Defector" to *really* start it off). But
remember, to get the "cool" missions you have to go to the Spaceport Bars.
Q: I'm on a mission and need to get to a system, but I don't know where it is.
A: Most of the time there will be a little red arrow pointing to the system(s)
you need to go to (a common exception is the "find a certain ship"
missions...you're on your own there). The arrow actually appears even if you
haven't found the system, but it'll just point to apparently nothing. But you
know where it is, so you can try going in that direction.
Q: It's boring waiting for my fuel tanks to fill up using the Fuel Scoop! And
I can't land because there aren't any inhabited planets here!
A: Try pressing "Caps Lock". It makes the game go twice as quick, and should
fill up your fuel tanks faster. Or, alternatively, you could just pay another
ship in the system to give you fuel. Or, you could just disable them and take
your fuel (but this might make you some enemies)
Q: Why did you start every section's name with the word "The"?
A: I just felt it might be funny.
Q: I think I found a mistake in your guide, or I think you should add
something, or I need help on something that isn't in here. What do I do?
A: E-mail me, of course! I WANT feedback on this. I want to know if people
think it's good, and if they don't, I want to know why and how to fix it. I
especially want information on any errors I might have made. Anyway, the
contact information is at the beginning of this guide.
IV. The Beginning
So you're just starting out and need some help, eh? Well, you may have come to
the right place.
You start out in a Shuttle. You can try to upgrade the ship some if you want,
however, I wouldn't do much other than add two Blaze Cannons (to give you a
slight combat advantage when necessary) and get some Fuel Scoops or Fuel Tanks.
Anyway, at the beginning, land on Earth and go to the Spaceport Bar. You'll be
offered an intro mission that lets you start the UE storyline (if this is your
first time going through, I highly reccomend doing the UE storyline). Haul
cargo around some. Since you'll have difficulty taking on enemy ships, I
highly suggest you avoid going too far south (where Renegades will attack you)
or too far west (where there are the Voinians--but they're slow. The Renegades
pose a bigger threat at the beginning, mostly because of the Kraits).
Anyway, you can start the storyline itself after you destroy one ship. Any
ship will do. Unfortunately, most of the easy ships to defeat will cause
normally friendly ships (like the UE) to attack you, which causes problems.
Probably the best thing to do is to destroy a Krait. You should be able to
take one on, even in your Shuttle, especially if you upgrade it a little. Once
you've destroyed that, go to a bar and if your legal status is high enough
you'll be able to start the storyline with "Rescue Voinian Defector", which
will also give you a fair amount of money. Once you have maybe 200,000 credits
(you probably won't need that much, depending on what upgrades you've put on
your ship, this is just to be safe--you don't want to go into
Renegade-infested space to buy a ship only to find out you can't buy it) go to
lothe Prime and buy a Helian. Excellent upgrade. You probably want to sell the
Needle Launcher and the Needles and get some more things for it.
By this time you should be ready to play the game yourself. Hey, this is just
a walkthrough for the very beginning! Honestly...
V. The Governments
There are a lot of governments in EV Override. You can increase your legal
status in their systems by destroying ships of their enemies. Of course, if
you destroy their own ships, your legal status will decrease. Anyway, let's
find out about them.
United Earth: This is (guess what) the humans. Their enemies are the Voinians
and Renegades. You start out in their space. Kinda in the middle of the whole
map.
UE Frontier: Basically exactly the same as United Earth, except these are to
the west, closer to the Voinians.
Renegades: You might as well call these guys "Pirates". Their enemies are
basically anyone who isn't a Renegade. Destroying these improves your legal
status in ANY system--except, of course, for the Renegades'. Human Renegades
are just to the south of the UE, and Alien Renegades are to the far south and
the far north.
Voinians: The main "bad guys" of the game. You can actually join forces with
them. They despise United Earth and the Emalgha. To the west of the UE.
Emalgha: A weak race struggling to hold off the Voinians. They fight the
Voinians, and really no one else. North of the Voinians.
Zidagar/Azdagari/Igazdra: Each of these fights the other. They'll also destroy
Renegades. They're to the east of the UE. The Zidagar are mostly concentrated
to the north, the Igazdra to the south, and the Azdagari to the east.
Miranu: A peaceful trading race, they don't look usually for a fight. But they
will fight back if a Renegade attacks them. North of the UE.
Independent: These basically will take on Renegades and no one else. In fact,
most Independent systems have trouble with Renegades. They're south of the UE,
but north of the Renegades.
Strandless: Basically the same as Independent systems. They usually only fight
off Renegades, but they tend to not like you if you take sides in the Strand
War. They're scattered throughout the Crescent, but are found mostly to the
far south.
Council: These guys never like you and if you take sides in the Strand War,
they'll start to hate you. Fortunately, there's only one Council system, and
you'll very rarely see their ships. The only council system is in the middle
of the Azdagari/Zidagar/Igazdra space. You will on occasion (but not often)
see a "Council" ship floating around. Unfortunately, you see them so
infrequently I have not been able to determine who they will attack. Odds are
the only Council ships you'll see are if you demand tribute from Council
Station.
Hinwar: This may be a spoiler (so if you don't want a possible spoiler, stop
reading! Now! Just skip this part), but these guys behave pretty much like the
Emalgha...they'll fight Voinians. You only see them near the end of the game,
though. To the southwest of UE space.
Now, that's the governments of SYSTEMS. But, when targeting a ship, sometimes
their 'government' won't be a government of an actual system. It's probably
better to think of it as an 'alignment'. Anyway, if you see one with an
alignment of what I've stated above, you'll know who they like/dislike. But
some ships have different alignments. Here they go.
Hunter: A Bounty Hunter. You don't see these very much. They basically destroy
Renegades. If you dominate a system, however, a Bounty Hunter in a Crescent
Warship will often come after you.
Militia: Basically the ships of an Independent or Strandless system. They take
on Renegades.
Zachit: A group funded by the Miranu to ward off enemies. Surprise, surprise,
they fight the Renegades.
Trader: What do you expect? Like the Miranu, they never go looking for a
fight. They basically transport cargo, and, if attacked by Renegades (though
Voinians will sometimes attack traders in human ships) will either try to run
or fight back.
St. Corp: These guys aren't saints, I'll tell you that! They belong to Stellar
Corp, a trading company.
Frontier Express: Like Stellar Corp, they're a trading company. They basically
go to UE Frontier systems to deliver supplies.
Huron: You only see these during a specific mission string. They're basically
your enemies, but only for part of it. I won't spoil it for you.
Ambrosia: This is one of the more humorous alignments. If you look at the
ships' name, you'll notice it's one of the people who worked on the game. Most
of them will just destroy Renegades, but one, "John Cook", will attack
basically everyone. If you can disable him and board him, you can get a lot of
credits.
Escort: These are your escorts. See "The Extras" section for more information
about them.
Fighter: If you have an escort that shoots fighters out, their alignment is
"Fighter".
VI. The Missions (a.k.a. The Walkthrough)
There are various "mission strings" in EVO.
An EXCELLENT detailing on how to get various missions is available on Ambrosia
Software's website under the "add-on files" in the EVO section. It's called
"EVO Mission Workbook". However, this doesn't specify how to do the missions.
Anyway, the missions you get depend on who you align yourself with. If you're
stuck on a mission, look here. Since a lot of them are pretty
self-explanatory, there's no reason to detail them. These missions are
arranged in about the same order as in the "EVO Mission Workbook". However,
you by no means have to do them in this exact order.
NOTE: Almost all of these missions are accessible only at the Spaceport Bars.
If you land on a planet, go to the Spaceport Bar and see if you have a new
mission.
FURTHER NOTE: The missions whose names are capitalized are missions that start
you off in a certain mission string.
YET ANOTHER NOTE: This was previously in the FAQ section, but I decided I
should move this here. If you can't get one of the missions, there are four
possible reasons.
1) Your legal rating isn't high enough.
2) Your combat rating isn't high enough.
3) You haven't completed the required missions beforehand (or have completed a
mission that doesn't allow you to get the mission you want)
4) You're just not lucky at that moment. Some missions are randomly assigned.
For example, there's only a 20% chance of getting "Rescue Voinian Defector" if
you have the necessary qualifications. If you don't get it, try taking off and
landing again.
UE SHIPPING: RECRUITMENT: This is a simple cargo run. It starts you off with
the UE. Available on all UE worlds at the very beginning of the game.
RESCUE VOINIAN DEFECTOR: This is the mission that basically starts the entire
United Earth storyline. Since you probably won't have a very strong ship at
this time, the best strategy to use (once you get to the station) is to use
the "Monty Python Maneuver" to take down the Voinian Heavy Fighters. Head away
from the station a bit to make the Voinian ships go to you, then head back
quickly and land while they're far enough away. Then get out of the system
ASAP. Note that when you complete this mission you will be unable to join the
Voinians. To get this mission, you must have destroyed at least one ship and
have a fairly good legal rating.
RESCUE SCOUTSHIP CREW: Same strategy as above, though you might be able to put
up more of a fight against the Voinians this time. This mission is notable
because it prevents you from ever joining the Human Renegades. This is a bit
harder to get than the Rescue Voinian Defector, because you need a higher
legal rating and a moderately high combat rating.
Delivery to Paarent Station/Cargo for Paaren Station: After rescuing the
Voinian defector, you'll have a few cargo missions where you transport things
to Paaren station. You get these at the Mission Computer, not Spaceport Bar.
Rescue Voinian Defector (second): What do you know? Same strategy as in the
first mission, except this time you're dealing with a shuttle. DO NOT ALLOW
THE SHUTTLE TO BE DESTROYED. The Voinians tend to go after you instead of it,
however. Like before, lead them away and take out their fighters. Once they're
far enough away, double back and board the ship. (IMPORTANT: If you fail this
mission, you can't do it again. So re-open your pilot file to restart it).
This mission is important because it allows you to buy some Voinian-only
weapons. Like the Neutron Cannon and Dospect Armor. To get this, you must have
completed the first Rescue Voinian Defector (obviously) and have delivered the
necessary cargo to Paaren Station.
RESCUE UE AGENT: This starts out the 'Attack Renegades' mission set. Available
at Knox if you have a high combat rating and a decent enough legal status. It's
a pretty self-explanatory mission. Go to Omm, then bring the guy back.
Locate Raiding Party: You get this right after Rescue UE Agent. The Renegades
are in, surprise, surprise, the Hatuli system. There will be quite a few
Turncoats, however, and that equals a lot of Kraits. You might want to use the
Monty Python Maneuver to take them out.
Destroy Renegade Raiders: Pretty much the same as above, except in a different
system.
Attack Renegade Base: This is where you attack Pariah. You'll probably have to
use the Monty Python Maneuver here. Head away from the Turncoats and wait for
the Kraits to come at you, then take them out one by one. This concludes the
"Attack Renegades" mission string.
Observe Voinian Base: This is a cinch. Just go into the system, target the
Dreadnought Prototype (TARGET, not destroy), then leave. You don't need to do
a single other thing. In fact, you might not even need to target it. I haven't
been able to verify what you have to do yet, but at least try targetting it.
Destroy Voinian Dreadnought: Oh boy is this a doozy. The Dreadnought is the
single strongest ship in the game. Try using the Monty Python Maneuver to beat
it.
NOTE: It is possible to capture it. See the FAQ section for information on
that.
INVESTIGATE ABDUCTION: This is a pretty long mission set (actually, it's just
one mission, but it has various different parts), so I'll go over the basics.
After starting at New Taranto (and getting the mission) you should go to
Freeport. The rest is self-explanatory. By this time, you should know how to
deal with lots of fighters, so I won't bother explaining the big battle at the
end.
IMPORTANT: When fighting The Nadir, do NOT destroy it immediately! Disable it,
board it, THEN destroy it. Otherwise you'll get a Mission Failed and will be
unable to ever get the UE Cruiser. And, unlike many missions, if you Fail it
(you know you will if it says "Mission Failed" at the bottom of the screen),
you can't ever do it again.
DESTROY RENEGADE FLEET: This starts you off the Huron mission string. As you
might not be surprised to find out, it's found on Huron. Anyway, go into the
Troub system as instructed. A lot of Renegades will jump in, but...what's
this? A lot of Militia ships will jump in also and destroy the Renegade fleet.
You barely have to do any fighting in this one, except for maybe taking out
some of the Kraits that go after you.
Meet with Freedom Fighters: The "Free Huron" ships will probably attack you
the moment you go into the Troub system. Since destroying them will probably
give you a bad legal rating in Huron once it's independent, I suggest ignoring
all those ships and heading straight for the planet. Do the same while leaving
the system.
Destroy Renegade Fleet (second): Not too tough. Just use the usual
method--Monty Python Maneuver for the fighters, then dispatch of the Turncoats
and Helians.
IMPORTANT: You MUST destroy every Renegade ship. If some escape from the
mission and you land on the planet to try to complete it, it won't. If you
don't complete it then, just take off and destroy the Renegades again. This
ends the Huron mission string and makes Huron independent.
DEFEND EMALGHIA: Available on, guess, what, Emalghia! You could try to destroy
all the Voinian ships, but there's an easier way--just get away from the
fighting and wait for it to be resolved. The Voinians will PROBABLY win by
destroying all the Emalgha ships. If so, they'll hopefully leave the system
without attacking you. Afterward, just land on the planet to complete this
mission. However, if they attack you, you'll have to destroy their ships. This
mission begins contact between the UE and Emalgha and is required to start some
of the later Emalgha missions (note you need an Ultimate combat rating to
progress through it).
Relay Message to UE Government: After completing the Defend Emalghia mission,
if you have a legal rating of Upstanding Citizen or higher and a combat rating
of Noteworthy or above, you'll get this mission on Gurado. Someone could argue
that this one is the one that "really" starts the Emalgha missions.
MAKE CONTACT WITH HINWAR: After you've conquered Ekiup Station in an Emalgha
mission, go to the Spaceport Bar there and you'll meet a Hinwar. This begins
the 'Free the Hinwar" mission string.
Capture Gualon Station: The next in the Hinwar string. Go to Outpost Gamma to
get some marines, then destroy all ships in the Gualon system, then land on
Gualon Station.
Defend Krotun: The final mission in the Hinwar/UE/Emalgha story. After this,
the Hinwar become free and the Voinians lose a chunk of their territory. There
are no further storyline missions against the Voinians after this. I would
highly suggest you check out the "Reign of the UE" plug-in so that you can
continue the game (note that this is an unofficial continuation, Ambrosia
Software themselves didn't make it)
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: Allows you to begin the Miranu and the other various
Crescent mission strings. Available at New Mira (in the Mirava system), it
establishes contact between the Miranu and UE. A simple delivery mission.
TAKE MESSAGE TO <ANY UE PLANET>: Available at Kirrim Prime after completing
Diplomatic Relations, this starts you off on the "ski resort" mission string.
FERRY PASSENGER TO F-2795: Available at Station Pybin after doing a few Miranu
delivery missions (they start at Blaga). This starts the "Nebula Penetration"
mission string, which is one of EV Override's central objectives.
Intercept Renegade Fleet: This is one of the "Nebula Penetration" missions.
It's a really annoying one because of the Crescent Fighters. You'll need a
heavy-armed or quick ship and probably want to use the Monty Python Maneuver.
I found the Igazdra to be of great use here. The Plasma Siphon coupled with
the Phase Cannon takes out those Crescent Fighters easily. Escorts can be of
help here, also.
RETRIVE CARGO: If you want to join the Azdagari, do this mission. It's located
at South Tip Station and gives you access to buy Azdaras, not to mention
starting the Azdagari missions. South Tip Station is, guess what, to the far
south.
Stop Zidagar Photographer: This is in the middle of the Azdagari mission. The
thing is, you MUST FAIL this mission in order to continue the storyline.
That's the reason I'm mentioning this--you may get "stuck" if you don't know
this.
DELIVER CLASSIFIED CARGO TO IGAZDRA: Available on Kitrak, this starts the
Igazdra missions. Kitrak is near the north.
DEFEND POZDAG-3: Available on, guess what, Pozdag-3. This lets you join the
Zidagar.
AID THE VOINIANS!: Pretty simple and straight-forward. It starts you on the
Voinian side. You get it on Pax.
ESCORT RENEGADE WARSHIPS TO NORTH TIP STATION: Available at Hizdriar if you
have a legal rating of Offender or lower, and a high combat rating. This has
you go through the (fairly short) Alien Renegade missions.
NOTE: If you want to join the Human Renegades (not the best choice, but if you
want to beat all of the different storylines, you can do this. You do get 5
million credits for finishing it) get a high enough combat rating and be an
Offender or worse in lothe. Land on lothe Prime and you'll be contacted by a
renegade.
VII. The Ships
Here's some information on the ships!
First, a star indicates a ship you must complete one or more missions to gain
access to, in other words, ones not immediately available.
Also, when saying who pilots the ships, I'm just going to list who usually
does. For example, I'm not going to bother saying which ships the "Free Huron"
people pilot, because you only see them briefly anyway. Likewise with people
like Elizabeth Rieb and Matt Burch. So don't complain to me if you see a
Voinian defense fleet that employs Shuttles and Freight-Couriers (actually,
there is a Voinian base that sends those out at you--ridiculously easy to
conquer). If I forgot to say that a certain government pilots a ship, be sure
to tell me!
Shuttle
You start out in this. However, it's weak, doesn't have much cargo space, and
has very little room for expansion. Get out of it as soon as you can. The only
ship this can probably take on (other than another Shuttle) is a Krait, and
even then it'll probably be heavily damaged. Piloted by Traders, United Earth,
and Stellar Corp.
Scoutship
This is a little better than the Shuttle, but still not the greatest. Not too
bad of an upgrade, but I'd rather save up and get a Helian. Piloted by Traders.
Cargo Transporter
This lets you have a little more room to move cargo around, but by the time
you buy this you'll probably be past the "cargo-hauling" stage anyway and will
have gotten to the more exciting missions. They're piloted by Traders, United
Earth, and Stellar Corp.
Freight-Courier
This is actually a pretty good ship. Has cargo room, is pretty strong...not a
bad choice. You'll see them often on the frontier between the UE and Voinians.
Piloted by Traders and Frontier Express.
Freighter
Uh...no? This comes with no weapons. It has a large cargo bay, but that's
practically it. It's also EXTREMELY slow. Don't bother with it unless you're
obsessed about only being a trader. These are piloted by Traders, United
Earth, and Stellar Corp.
UE Fighter*
These are always a bit cool. However, they have so little room for cargo
they're not really worth it. But it's fun to fly around in, and is one of the
coolest-looking ships in the game (at least in my opinion). Used only by
United Earth.
UE Destroyer*
Now this is a good ship. It's pretty maneuverable and has some good weapons.
It's able to take on a lot of ships, including Voinian Frigates. Used only by
United Earth.
UE Carrier*
While stronger than a UE Destroyer, these are pretty slow. But the UE Fighter
Bay can make up for it. They can usually take down Voinian Cruisers. Used only
by United Earth.
UE Cruiser*
This is one of the strongest ships in the game. The only disadvantage is its
low speed. Used only by...well, you know. United Earth.
Krait
DO NOT BUY THESE! Even a Shuttle can take one of them on. They have no cargo
room, little room for expansion, bad shields, bad shield regeneration, and not
a great amount of hyperspace jumps. The only time they EVER pose a real threat
is in groups, and even then most ships can take them. The only thing this ship
is good for is giving you an EXTREME challenge in the game (try destroying the
Voinian Dreadnought in THESE). Piloted by Renegades and Militia.
Helian
This is a good choice for your second ship (though the Scoutship isn't bad
either). It's not too slow, it's strong enough to take on some strong ships,
and can hold cargo so you can bring stuff around. It's a good upgrade.
Unfortunately, to buy it you'll have to head into systems that probably will
have some Renegades coming after you. This ship is piloted by Renegades and
Traders. Piloted by Traders, Renegades, and Militia.
Turncoat
This is the strongest ship human Renegades ever pilot (in fact, it's almost
exclusively a Renegade ship). While these can cause you a lot of trouble early
in the game (mostly because of their Krait bay), it's really not worth buying.
Even two of these can't take on a UE Destroyer. This is really only flown by
Renegades, but you might on rare occasions see it as a Militia ship.
Voinian Supply Ship*
This is basically the Voinian equivalent of the Cargo Transporter. It has a
large cargo bay, but is fairly weak. If you're low on fuel in Voinian
territory, they're great to disable and steal fuel from, because they pose so
little a threat. Piloted by the Voinians and also the Hinwar.
Voinian Heavy Fighter*
They're slow for a fighter, but they're pretty strong. They're not as fast (or
as good, in my opinion) as a UE Fighter, so if you DO join the Voinians, I
wouldn't really suggest getting this ship. Piloted by Voinians and the Hinwar.
Voinian Frigate*
This is probably the best ship the Voinians offer you. It's fairly
well-rounded, at least for a Voinian ship. However, the UE Destroyer is
probably better (in almost every single AI Frigate vs. Destroyer battle I've
ever seen, the Destroyer wins). Piloted by Voinians and Hinwar.
Voinian Cruiser*
This is to the Voinian Frigate as the UE Carrier is to the UE Destroyer. A lot
slower and less maneuverable, but a bit stronger and with a Fighter Bay. I'd
still take a Frigate over this. This is piloted by the Voinians, but I'm not
sure if I've ever seen the Hinwar fly this. But they probably do.
Voinian Dreadnought
There's only one of these in the entire game, and if you're on the UE side,
it's your mission to destroy it. It's impossible to EVER buy this, even if you
do join the Voinians. Used ONLY by the Voinians.
Voinian Interceptor*
This is, at least in my opinion, more annoying than the Heavy Fighter. It may
not be quite as strong, but its increased speed makes it really annoying to
deal with. Used by the Voinian and Hinwar.
Miranu Courier
I haven't really tried this ship out much, so it's a bit hard to give a
comment. I should mention, however, that it has the most fuel of any ship
offered in the game. Piloted by the Miranu.
Miranu Freighter
It may have a large cargo bay, but it's still not that useful. If all you want
to do is move cargo around, there are more heavily armed ships out there with
large cargo bays. Piloted by the Miranu and Traders.
Miranu Heavy Freighter
This has more shield and armor than the normal Freighter, but it's slower and
has less room for beams/turrets. I really wouldn't reccomend either of them.
Plus, like the normal Freighter, the cost is too great and when you have that
kind of money you'd probably prefer a better ship. Piloted by the Miranu.
Miranu Gunship*
Like the Miranu Courier, I haven't tried these out myself. But I don't think
it's too useful. It may give the Miranu more of an edge against the Renegades,
but you're better off with something else. Piloted by the Miranu.
Crescent Fighter
A fast ship, but not too much in the terms of durability. Of course, as with
all fighters, there's little cargo bay area. It's not one of the best ships to
buy. Of course, that's true of most fighters. Piloted by Renegade, Council,
Militia, and Miranu (a variant of this ship is flown by the Zachit).
Arada
This is possibly the most well-rounded ship in the game. There are 6 different
configurations of it (Zachit Arada, Renegade Arada, Merchant Arada, Zidagar
Arada, and Igazdra Arada, and the normal Arada). Only the normal Arada can be
bought, however. With plenty of weapon space, a moderately large cargo bay,
and a fair degree of weapons/defense on its own, this ship has plenty of room
for expansion. An excellent ship for experimentation on before you choose your
favorite ship. Piloted by Traders, Renegades, Zachit, Azdagari, and Igazdra
(note that the design is a little different depending on who flies it).
Lazira
While this may be kind of strong, it's too slow. Not really that great in my
opinion. Piloted by Renegades and Traders.
Crescent Warship
These are pretty good. They carry 3 Crescent Fighters, which, while not the
most durable fighters in the game, are probably the most well-rounded. This
can be converted to an Azdagari Warship if you change some weaponry around
(namely adding a Shield Regenerator and ditching the Crescent Bay in favor of
an Azdara Bay) then you'll have an Azdagari Warship. These (the Crescent
Warship, not the Azdagari Warship) are piloted by Renegades, Traders, and
Council (the Azdagari Warship is piloted by, guess what, the Azdagari).
Zidara*
This is a pretty good ship. The Phased Beam is nice, and it comes with two
Zidagar Fighters, which also have Phased Beams. The only problem is that it's
a bit slow, but it's faster than a Crescent Warship. Piloted exclusively by
the Zidagar.
Azdara*
Best. Fighter. Ever. It's super-fast and has great shield regeneration
(actually, THE best shield regeneration). Put Dospect Armor on this and you
have a near-invincible ship. Too bad it can't deal too much damage on its
own...these are EXTREMELY annoying to defeat, because they usually come in
groups of 6 (being launched from Azdagari Warships). Piloted exclusively by
the Azdagari.
Igazra*
This is probably the strongest ship in the game (not counting the Voinian
Dreadnought). I decided not to buy it at first, thinking that it was so slow I
could be overwhelmed by fighters in certain missions. Boy, was I wrong. This
ship can handle squadrons of fighters, especially with the Plasma Siphon
you're given. Its only real competition is the UE Cruiser, and I'd probably
rather take this ship. But that's just an opinion. Piloted exclusively by the
Igazdra.
Emalgha Fighter
This is possibly the worst fighter in the game (no wait...THAT honor belongs
to the Krait). They're fairly weak and not too fast. Their main redeeming
feature is their guns--they can deliver killer damage to armor. Piloted by the
Emalgha.
Emalgha Freighter
These actually aren't too bad. They've got plenty of cargo space. But that's
mostly all they're good for. You can turn them into an Emalgha Warship with
the Freighter Upgrade and some new weapons, but that ship isn't too great
either. If you want the Emalgha Cannon, buy that seperately. Used by the
Emalgha.
VIII. The Extras
Just a brief section about some miscellaneous things. First, escorts.
HIRED or CAPTURED escorts (except for non-combat escorts, i.e. Shuttles) will
only attack enemies if they're hostile, in other words, trying to kill you.
This unfortunately causes them to occasionally attack things that are actually
allies but are attacking you for some reason. If you don't want them to attack,
command them to hold position.
FIGHTER escorts, on the other hand (you know, ones you can send out of your
ship) will follow your commands. They won't attack anything unless you command
them to.
NOTE: If you have an escort, they'll actually go quicker than they usually
will. They'll match your speed. So even though UE Cruisers are slow, if you
have one as an escort (the best way to get one is to buy one, capture another
ship, use the UE Cruiser as your escort, then buy whatever ship you want)
it'll go as fast as you do when it's travelling with you. Cool, eh?
A few other things about escorts...
They automatically refuel when you land on a planet, any planet. So if you
have a Crescent Warship as an escort and its Crescent Fighters were zapped,
it'll have them back when you take off.
If you're using fighters as escorts, if you have them dock back into your
ship, when you shoot them out again their shields will have been completely
replenished, not to mention they'll have their ammo replenished.
Another thing to know: If one of your fighters is disabled, board it! It'll
add it back to your fighter bay.
If you have hired escorts and don't need them anymore, and they're charging
you a lot of money, there are two ways to get rid of them.
1) Bring the ships into a dangerous system and get them killed.
or, the better, easier, and less morally devestating option:
2) Press option and tab at the same time. Unlike just pressing tab normally,
this will let you select escorts. Once they're targeted, just hail them (press
"Y") and choose "Release from Servitude" to let them go.
Now for some information about conquering planets!
First, you need a fairly high combat rating. Otherwise they won't pay
attention to you.
What you need to do is hail the planet, then choose "Demand Tribute". The
planet will then send out a bunch of ships to defeat you. Unfortunately, once
you defeat one ship another ship will come out of the planet. Since some
systems have hundreds of ships in their "defense fleet", conquering planets
can be difficult to do. Anyway, after defeating their "defense fleet" (defense
fleets can never be disabled, only destroyed), hail the planet again and it'll
pay you tribute. In other words, you can land there whenever you want and they
give you 1,000 credits each day. Your legal status will also change to
"Overlord" ("Usurper" if you only have conquered some of the planets in a
multi-planet system).
One excellent place to try to conquer is Outpost Topel in the DSN-1156. The
only things they send at you are captured UE ships, all of which are weak
(Shuttles, Cargo Transporters, and UE Freighters) and pretty much the only
ships in the system are Heavy Feighters, Interceptors, and Supply Ships. Just
be sure you don't get overconfident because the ships are weak...they're weak,
but together they can inflict some heavy damage. In case you have trouble
finding it, it's in the northwest part of Voinian space.
Last thing I should mention: Defense fleets only go after you, so escorts can
attack them without fear of being attacked themselves.
WARNING: If you conquer a planet, an annoying bounty hunter in a Crescent
Warship will come after you.
IX. The Weapons
Like the missions, I am NOT going to list all of these. Just the main ones.
Let's start on the cannons/turrets. There are 4 types: Blaze, Neutron, Phase,
and Emalgha. I will be referring to them as 'cannons', although they're all
also sold as turrets.
Blaze Cannon: This is the weapon of choice for the UE. It isn't the strongest,
but it is pretty well rounded (it's fairly equal against armor and shields). It
also fires very rapidly. Unfortunately, it does have a tendency to spread
around and not go in a straight line. Of course, when dealing with multiple
enemies, this could be useful.
Neutron Cannon: The Voinians' weapon of choice! It's stronger than the Blaze
Cannon but doesn't fire too rapidly. It's not quite as 'random' as the Blaze
Cannon, but it does come from the right and left of Voinian ships. It's a bit
difficult to determine which is better of the two.
Phase Cannon: This cannon (or turret) will shoot in only one direction. Unlike
the others, it doesn't spread out. This can be good on some occasions, but bad
in others.
The notable thing about this is that while it's effective against shields,
it's weak against armor. It's not the best weapon to go against the Voinians
with. But it's widely used in the Crescent, which makes sense, as those ships
concentrate a lot more on shielding than armor.
Emalgha Cannon: This has the shortest range of all of them, and is also a bit
'spread out'. However, it is EXTREMELY effective against armor. Unfortunately,
it's a bit weak against shields.
So there you have it. A not-so-useful summary of the four cannon types. I
usually use mostly Phase Cannons and an Emalgha Cannon (well, I do use Turrets
also, but that's not the point). Now for some other things...
Dospect Armor: Unless you're playing with the Voinians, the only way to get
this upgrade is to complete the Paaren Station missions. This is extremely
useful because it ups the amount of armor you have by a lot. A good buy.
Shield Enhancers: These increase shields, but not really by much. I'd rather
take Dospect Armor--it defends against Phase Weapons better. Buy these if you
have extra weapon space, but otherwise I wouldn't suggest getting them.
Mass Expansion: Very useful. Lots of ships come with more cargo space than you
need, so you can use this to convert it to weapon space.
Thrust/Engine/RCS Upgrade: EXCELLENT upgrades! These will significantly
increase your ship's speed, turning, and acceleration. Except for
already-very-fast ships, these are a must-have.
Cargo Expansion: Basically the opposite of Mass Expansion. I find it to be
quite useless.
Fuel Tank: Try to get some of these. It's good to have more hyperspace jumps.
Fuel Scoop: Possibly better than Fuel Tanks, these regenerate your fuel. The
only problem is that it's pretty boring waiting for it to be regenerated.
Sensor Upgrade: Hey, this thing takes up no space and lets your ship's sensors
work better. Why not use it?
Density Scanner/IFF Decoder: Both very useful. Lets your sensors distinguish
between friendly/hostile ships and big/small ships. The IFF Decoder also makes
the sensor screen a little more colorful. Neither takes up any weapon space.
Escape Pod: This is useless if you're not using Strict Play, but a necessity
if you are.
Plasma Siphon: Very useful. You get it automatically if you go through the
Igazdra mission strings.
Phased Beam: It's a bit more concentrated than the Plasma Siphon, but uses up
fuel quicker. You get it if you join the Zidara.
I personally never really liked using the weapons that have "ammo" (like
Rockets, for example). It's annoying to have to continually restock them. But
that's just me.
You should be able to figure out the rest yourself. A lot of it is
self-explanatory.
X. The Plug-ins
What's a plug-in, you might ask? Well, it's a little file (or not so little,
in some cases) that you take and put in your EVO Plug-ins folder. Plug-ins
generally do one of 4 things:
1) Add ships or weapons to the game. This is the most common.
2) Continue the storyline. The game doesn't end with things especially
resolved, so there are some that will offer further adventures.
3) "Total conversion" plug-ins. That means plug-ins that change the whole
game. Obviously the format itself is unchanged, but it takes you to a
completely new universe. Obviously, few of these are ever attempted, and
they're usually very large files.
4) Cheats. These things will do things like give you 100 million credits or
make your ship invincible. Frowned on by some players.
The best place to find these is on Ambrosia Software's website. To find them,
go to the EVO section, then choose "Add-on files". You'll find a list of
various files.
Note that not all are plug-ins. Some are things that help you out in the game.
Very useful ones are "EVO Ships" and "EVO Mission Workbook", which are very
useful.
Now, here are a few plug-ins I find I enjoyed.
1) Reign of the UE: One of the best plug-ins ever made. Extends the game from
the end of the UE string to the complete and utter destruction of the Voinian
Empire. Continues it more or less (probably a little less) like Ambrosia
would've continued it. IMPORTANT: After downloading this, be sure to download
"InvinciNought Fix" for it. There's a part where you fight the "InvinciNought"
(stronger form of a Dreadnought) but an error makes it very hard to kill
because it drifts at infinite speed when disabled. So be sure to get the other
plug-in to fix it!
2) Money: This is a cheat plug-in that gives you an easy 100 million credits.
Since it takes a while to save up credits, these can get you good ships fast.
I wouldn't really do this on my first time through the game (too cheap) but if
you try again and want to start out quick, use it.
3) Armor Display: At long last, displays the percentage of armor the Voinians
have! Now you actually know how much damage you're dealing to them.
4) UEGovt Fixer: Ever had that problem where you want to fight an enemy ship
but an allied ship is fighting it and you don't want to hit the allied ship by
mistake because it'll attack you? These things fix it so that doesn't happen!
Also, you can actually CHOOSE which govenments that it affects.
5) Lightning Jump EVO: Get tired of that slow hyperjump? This fixes it to you
don't have to wait through the dramatics.
6) Emalgha Heavy Ships: The Emalgha don't have very good ships. They have
trouble taking out even a Voinian Frigate. This plug-in gives them some
stronger ships so they have an easier time against the Voinians.
7) CloakKeep: Lets you keep the Cloaking device. If you don't have it, it lets
you buy it again (but for a fairly high price--hey, they want to be fair!)
8) Stupid Hunters: This gets that annoying Bounty Hunter off your tail (you
know, the one that comes after you after you conquer a planet?)
9) Galaxy Map: Lets you see the entire EVO galaxy. Excellent if you want to go
somewhere but don't know where it is.
NOTE: When looking at these, choose the highest version of the plug-ins that
you can. It is not uncommon for a plug-in maker to find problems with their
plug-in later on and release a newer version.
ANOTHER NOTE: For a plug-in to take effect, you must put it in your plug-in
folder and THEN open EV Override. Putting it in your plug-in folder while
playing EV Override will have no effect.
If you use multiple plug-ins, there may be contradictions. Some plug-ins don't
work with each other. It's definitely possible to have multiple plug-ins and
have them all work perfectly together, but sometimes they'll conflict. Simple
ones like "Armor Display" or "Lightning Jump EVO" very rarely if ever
contradict other plug-ins.
Plug-ins that add ships or items contradict each other sometimes. There's a
limited number of ships that can be added through plug-ins, so plug-in makers
choose which ID numbers they are (apparently there are different numbers for
the ships, and plug-ins that add new ships using the same numbers will
conflict).
Plug-ins that radically change the game will often contradict with other ones,
so try to only use small plug-ins, if any, with them (like the Lightning Jump
EVO--there are very few plug-ins that has a problem with)
If you're having a problem with an expansion or total conversion plug-in (not
being able to get past a mission, figure out how to progress, etc.) I'm not
the person to ask. The best people to ask are either the plug-in designers
themselves (but do this as a last resort--they're probably tired of getting
requests for help from people) or go to the EV Override board on Ambrosia
Software's website and ask about them.
XI. The Credits and the Copyrights
Thanks to both "Hellfire McQueen" (for the EVO Ship guide) and Luke Napodano
(for the EVO Mission Workbook), both of which are available on Ambrosia
Software's website. If you want to contact them, their e-mail addresses are
available when you get their documents.
Thanks to GameFAQs (and wherever else this is posted) for showing this guide.
Thanks to Ambrosia Software for making this great game.
Thanks to me for writing this guide.
Legal Stuff:
Copyright 2004 Lord Seth.
