A Playthrough of the FreeSpace 2 Modification Dusk Wars Act 1 released by BTA in 2012, reimagined in 2013 and upgraded in 2014 on Insane Difficulty by Novachen.
You can download the current version of Dusk Wars here:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=88129.0
After the Asteroid field is secured. It is time for our counteroffensive on Soci IV. Before we can recapture the planet, we have to break through the orbital blockade. For this task, we have to attack a Demon class destroyer that control the Gravity Well around the planet, that makes it impossible for our capital ships to jump in.
As part of a strike force, we have to escort bombers in their mission to destroy the Engines to shut down the Gravity Well. After that we have to assist and to protect our attack fleet in the destruction of the Demon and its fleet.
Hints:
This is BY FAR the hardest mission in this campaign. In my opinion it is one of the worst balanced and designed missions i have seen in many years. Unfortunately there was no improvement in it since the initial 2013 release. If you hoped, that the rerelease have a more balanced version of this mission... you will be disappointed.
Actually there is no strategy that guarantees a successful finish of this mission, because it depends mainly on luck.
Because i am not told this earlier, in Dusk Wars support ships are able to repair your hull. But in every mission it changes how much hull will be repaired.
I have tried this mission unnumberable times, the actual footage is the strategy i used to have the highest chances of success.
At the beginning, order your wingmates to break the formation and to attack all enemies, immediately followed by commands to ignore the Lilith and Demon.
Now intercept the incoming Chimera wing, because you are not alone, this should be a very easy task without any damage or casualties. Now there are one other Chimera wing that tries to intercept you and especially your bomber wings together with some Scorpions. Try to intercept the Chimeras because, these are the real danger for the Bombers, so try to keep close to the bombers until the initial Chimera wing is down, now you are free to attack the Scorpions, but keep your distance to the Demon destroyer, because its beams are very deadly. Do not worry about the second wings of Chimeras and Scorpions, if you get all of your bombers through the first waves, they will not able to prevent the shut down of the Engines.
Because your bombers will jump out directly afterwards, the fighters will start to attack you instead. Try to keep away from the Demon, but help your wingmates in the killing of the remaining Chimeras and Scorpions if needed, because you need so much wingmates as possible for the following battle. During the battles around the Demon, an Anshari corvette will jump in, order to ignore it right away, to keep your wingmates away from its deadly beams.
Now the real hard part of this mission starts. Your incoming attack force consists of the BD Golgi and two supporting smaller ships as well a single wing of assault fighters. The Demon will start a lots of fighters and bombers to destroy this threat. Now you can only hope, that your wingmates are able to survive long enough to keep the deadly fighters away from you. Because your task is to hunt down the bomber wings that are on the course to the Golgi. If your wingmates goes down too fast, you will have to handle also fighters that want to kill you, also the Golgi is not able to survive very long.
So try to intercept whole wings of bombers and their bombs for yourself alone before your last wingmates gets destroyed.
Now you have time, so try to kill the Ifrit's as fast as possible, because these are very deadly ships, use the Golgi or one of its escort ships for cover and to force them into crossfire.
If you are not fast enough in the battle against the Ifrits, new bombers are again in firing range, because the Golgi goes down very fast, you have to intercept these ships, regardless if the Ifrits are still around and behind you.
To survive this, depends also on luck, if the escort fighters of the Golgi are still in place, they are maybe capable to occupy the fighters long enough until you were able to stop the bombers. If you were successful with it, you are finally already through.
The Demon can not withstand the beams very long, maybe the Demon is already down by the time you destroy the last bomber.
Now use the Golgi again for cover to kill the remaining fighters, if there are any left, to finish this mission.
Your last task is like a salvation... jump out to end this mission!
Played and recorded by:
Jenna "Novachen" Trassa
Questions and Feedback in German and English would be appreciated, but is also possible in French, Spanish and Chinese, because my sister is able to read and understand it. But do not expect an answer in the same language.
If you want direct contact, please e-mail to novachen@web.de.
