Ultimate Universe help file 3.b

ADVANCED GAME NOTES

                             Taakian empire artifacts

Detection of Taakian empire planets

        As in all planets found in Ultimate Universe, Taakian planets are
hidden from view by cloaking energy.  This amount of energy that needs to be
overcome before being able to visualize the planet, is dependent on the actual
game age of the Ultimate Universe playing environment.  The older the game,
the more anti-cloaking energy is needed.  A good amount of anti-cloak to
start at is about 200,000 with at least 1 anti-cloaking enhancer.  Device 370
works well and can be Paan'd.

        Also turns out that in order to obtain an artifact from any of the
Taakian planets, one must have in possession, the Taakian Coordinator which
can be purchased from the Procurator for 150,000,000 credits.

        Landing on a Taakian planet without the Coordinator on board, the
planet's device bay will be empty.

        With the Coordinator on board, landing on the planet, the artifact
if present will request to be picked up.  I've done this twice, found the
Meanderer landed without the Coordinator and found nothing.  Then I went to
the Procurator to buy the Coordinator to see who had it, and found that it
told me that it was still on the planet.  Went back and lo and behold, the
device requested to be picked up.

      Taakian planet                  Taakian Artifact
        Meanderer                       the Activator
        Watcher                         the Librarian
        Destroyer                       the Augmentor
        Procurator                      the Taakian Coordinator

        In some games, the Practice mode is activated.  (Sys-op configurable.)
Be aware that being resurrected will result in player not being allowed to
become LOC (Lord of Creation), and that the planets, Watcher and Destroyer
will not allow player to land unopposed (although I think that these two
planets will always oppose a landing until someone has successfully invaded
and toggled the oppose landing to off).

        The Watcher and Destroyer if they oppose your landing will have to
be taken.  Make sure you have the firepower necessary to take the planet.
Spend a few days building up drones, you need millions of them to survive a
forced landing on the Taakian planets.  Just thought I'd mention it so players
could be aware of possible problems.

        Once all the devices are locked on-line on board your ship, the
countdown commences.  Countdown begins from 4.  I don't know what determines
when it increments down, have tried waiting in the game and monitoring the
countdown, nothing.  Think it has to do with calender days.  Also tried moving
from Taakian planet to planet (between the two planets I had found the
locations of), again nothing.