Is a bigger engine worth it?

[Lord R]

To pretty much quote the game, "Bigger engines are more powerful, but they use more fuel." I bought the 1500 engine, assuming it would make my ship go faster, but all it really seemed to do was eat fuel like a fat man at a buffet. It actually got me killed, when I ran out of fuel when almost at london harbor (no supplies, even the gods weren't interested, had to lifeboat). Do bigger engines really make that much of a difference, or should I not even bother?

[YetiChow]

Larger engines become useful with larger ships, where you need that raw pushing power to get the hull moving. On smaller ships, they're only good if you want to conserve supplies and pay extra fuel as a trade-off (so if you have a very cheap source of fuel and supplies are expensive, go for it... but it's usually much easier to get cheap or free supplies than it is to get cheap fuel)

Another option, if your ship has an aft slot, is to use the Avid Suppressor -- that way you can use the Full Power boost to get up to speed quickly, you'll still burn a lot of fuel but it will have the same overall efficiency (i.e. you'll go the same distance, just faster) so you'll save on supplies. As an added bonus, it makes running the gauntlet of Zee beasts a little easier.

Exception to note: there are some engines you can get through other means (i.e. not bought at London shops) which are definitely worth looking into.

[Elitewrecker PT]

^^There are two engines, one might be useful as an upgrade to the starter before you can get the other, also best, engine in the game.

[Skinny Pete]

Before you get one of the two storyline-related engines, it might be worth it to upgrade slightly, but I wouldn't spend more than the Manticore, and only then if you have Echoes to blow. It's better to save enough to get a ship with an Aft slot, put the Avid Suppressor in it, and spam even the starting engine with F.

If you want to spend a little for a minor increase in speed (and a minor decrease in frustration and slightly better ability to escape stuff) the Boadicea is fine and should hold you over until you get one of the storyline engines.

The first of the storyline engines is good enough to get you anywhere (and fuel efficient) and the second is the best engine in the game (and also fuel efficient). Frustratingly, though, you don't always get access to what you need for the first storyline engine until after you already have the best one.

Note: the Caminus Yards Compulsion is a horrible waste of Echoes, so if you have too many Echoes, put this thing on the Dreadnought, spam the Avid Suppressor with it, and watch your money burn at an astonishing rate. Then drop it in the zee because you can't even sell it back. (After you get another engine of course.)

[76561188078797539]

Another thing I would add - fuel consumption aside, with an overly FAST engine you end up without SAY actions on most "grand tour" trips. Which may force you to drift outside the port until SAY dings in anyway.

I'm currently chug-chugging along with the Illyrian on the starter Steamer with WE ARE CLAY equipped (plus the Engineer for additional fuel efficiency), and even now I sometimes have to wait for a SAY. Of course it depends on your map layout, but I find my current setup rather satisfactory. I am easily capable of visiting in one trip more ports than I need to fuel up upon return to London, without having to overly worry about Terror (especially if I happen to have some coffee on me to add Irem to the rest stops at Frostbite and Mangrove).

Granted, I don't do "dedicated" runs much and rely mostly on set small-quantity trades (and freebie pickups such as Scintillac or passengers from Mangrove) coupled with Admiralty fees, but it's not a bad way to keep echos coming in.

It IS possible that a very fast ship focusing solely on the most lucrative runs could do it faster, but at the same time I'm also steadily increasing all those "no-cargo-space-required" items by hitting the appropriate SAY actions in corresponding ports, something that you would sacrifice with a speed run.

[Lord R]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Another thing I would add - fuel consumption aside, with an overly FAST engine you end up without SAY actions on most "grand tour" trips. Which may force you to drift outside the port until SAY dings in anyway.

I'm currently chug-chugging along with the Illyrian on the starter Steamer with WE ARE CLAY equipped (plus the Engineer for additional fuel efficiency), and even now I sometimes have to wait for a SAY. Of course it depends on your map layout, but I find my current setup rather satisfactory. I am easily capable of visiting in one trip more ports than I need to fuel up upon return to London, without having to overly worry about Terror (especially if I happen to have some coffee on me to add Irem to the rest stops at Frostbite and Mangrove).

Granted, I don't do "dedicated" runs much and rely mostly on set small-quantity trades (and freebie pickups such as Scintillac or passengers from Mangrove) coupled with Admiralty fees, but it's not a bad way to keep echos coming in.

It IS possible that a very fast ship focusing solely on the most lucrative runs could do it faster, but at the same time I'm also steadily increasing all those "no-cargo-space-required" items by hitting the appropriate SAY actions in corresponding ports, something that you would sacrifice with a speed run.

What's SAY?

[Elitewrecker PT]

Something Awaits You (at port)

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by Lord Ragnaros:

What's SAY?

As Wrecker mentioned, SAY is shorter for "Something Awaits You". When you dock in a port with that lantern sign in the upper-right corner of your captain's log (the window in bottom-left), it often unlocks actions otherwise inaccessible (you can only select one of them at a time, though).

There are quite a few of them that are highly beneficial. For instance, The View from Above event (rare, but does happen), accessible from exploring either Gaider's Mourn or Mt. Palmerston, gives you a a whooping +5 to a stat depending on your choice of past, or +2 and +2 to two stats with the choice nobody is likely to pick anyway :)

SAY actions are very powerful, so personally I'm trying to maximize triggering the beneficial ones.

[Dreaded88]

I find this annoying. I saved up for the merchant ship but it's so horifically slow that I reloaded and bought the biggest engine instead. But it's fuel efficiency is absolute crap. What's even the point? You can't win with this game.

[Skinny Pete]

Originally posted by hennet86:

I find this annoying. I saved up for the merchant ship but it's so horifically slow that I reloaded and bought the biggest engine instead. But it's fuel efficiency is absolute crap. What's even the point? You can't win with this game.

Buying that particular engine is the worst decision you can make in this game that doesn't have Don't do this next to it in bold text.

[Wlerin]

On the bright side they'll take it off your hands for free.

[ZeroKelvin]

Fulgent.
Impeller.

That is all.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by Zero "Efficiency" Kelvin:

Fulgent.
Impeller.

That is all.

Not so easy to get at the stages we are discussing, though.

[Luprical]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Originally posted by Zero "Efficiency" Kelvin:

Fulgent.
Impeller.

That is all.

Not so easy to get at the stages we are discussing, though.

Honesty i would recommend to just use your starter one. i dont know how to do black spoiler box so early warning."spoiler"Get momento mori. die and leave it to yourself. Get it again and work on getting fulgment impeler. Starter engine is fine economically. just farm lorn fluks if your in need of cash. Easy early cash use your lucky day up at irem for a searing enigma which you can sell for 1kecho"spoiler"

[Skinny Pete]

Fulgent Impeller is definitely tough to get at this level of play.

But seriously, pursue the storyline your bud the Magician presents. The end of it is an engine that is good enough to get you through anything in the game.

(And don't actually spend Echoes on anything more than the Manticore and really even the nonsensically bad Illyrian is probably enough for most ships.)

[76561188078797539]

I guess that's one of the things you really need the Merchant Cruiser for. Either that or the far, far more expensive Frigate, but since you need a GOOD engine either way, Merchant is really the only viable option without a lot of grinding (which probably works better with the Merchant as well).

Originally posted by Amygdala Luprical:

Get momento mori. die and leave it to yourself.

I'm playing very conservatively.. in fact, just hit one year at zee with the first captain in my current playthrough, so not in a rush to off him to game the system. Besides, I assume the stat gain (and the heirlooms) will substantially help reduce the grind for his already-at-zee scion :)