[nihilix]

Fearless Tester here...

Are you mission goals actually important or do they just affect the way items are priced? i.e. If its a science mission and I have a gun worth 3 gold and a alien worth 3 gold is the alien worth more at the end of the game?

Depends. They're both given numeric values and the coins are rounding.

You can get some idea by looking at the coin breaks in other settings - like you say in your next question. For instance, the frigate says lots of guns are worth three points - but if you have the science ship, you see that the plasma blaster, the micrometorite gun, and the fusion rocket launcher are worth two instead of one. So those three are better to keep.

(The pirate has 'natural' values, so that's a good one to cross-check with.)

Are two 2 gold items always worth the same or can some items be secretly 2.1 and others 2.4 but get rounded. i.e. If weapon X and weapon Y are worth 2 gold to a pirate but X is 2 for military and Y is 3 for military, is weapon Y worth more points for a pirate?

Yes, Virginia, there is rounding. And yes, you're right.

Assuming I eventually come back to this aliens home and make peace, is it worth more points to destroy their fleet in combat and then make peace or just make peace right away?

Well, you get points for hull damage, and you get points for making peace. When I'm being a point-monster, I try to destroy all but one fighter (if possible) from the race, and THEN make peace with them.

I assume if you go hostile again, you lose the 'at peace' bonus.

Is this answer different for a fleet away from their home world?

Not as far as I know.

If I use the mirror to forcefully conquer a home world is this the same points as a violent victory?

The Mirror/Homeworld text is a bug. It's not worth points at all, as far as I know - just the killin', ma'am.

I assume you get points for visiting a star before it nova's and then more points for visiting the destroyed remains? or are the original points lost when the star is destroyed?

Yes on one, no on two.

Is finding a new black hole worth points or only if you directly visit it? Are any of these answers different if not on a science mission?

Finding is worth some, exploring MUCH more. And science mission even more so.

Are surplus gold at golry worth points? i.e. should I sell them extra stuff of value I dont have room in my hold for?

As far as I know, coins 'deposited' at any of the 'banks' get nationalized when you retire - ie, you get squat.

Make sure that every slot is full. And know that two two-coin things are worth a LOT less than one four-coin thingy.

Are there any bonus points for returning early?

Nope!

I finally figured out where all those tiny little -bonus points were coming from, are there any positive bonuses besides the 2 'special fights'?

Capturing Esmerelda, I think.

Would the following plan get you maximum points for all missions (if you could pull it off in time):
Get all extra ships on the map

Not only all, but which ones! Capital ships are worth more than fighters.

Have the most expensive ship components available installed in these ships

Always a good idea.

Destroy all ships in the entire galaxy besides the Trader guys (Klax'ons or whatever)

Except for those three fighters and one little space potato (Tchorak) you made peace with.

Make peace with all races that can be pacified

Yep.

Have your cargo hold filled with the most expensive items in pure gold coin value

Yep.

Have every ambassador (and that other person ) in your ship

All four of them. Kinda crowded in the shower in the morning. Make the Muktian shower LAST.


Discover every black hole and have every location on you map the green visited color

Yep. This can be hard if one of them is off any spacelane.

Get all the bonus points you can (you don't have to reveal these of course)

Yep.

return on any day before your deadline

Any day before will do.