10 Tips & Tricks for IXION

Congratulations, you've been selected to be the administrator of the Tiqqun and take humanity into its next stage of existence. You walk in the light and will lead all in the dark down the same path, but first, how about we look at some tips and tricks that every DOLOS administrator should know?

#1 — Learn, then Try Again

Taking control of the Tiqqun is a bit of an overwhelming task, and you'll need to make sure you learn everything in the tutorial before you proceed. Admittedly, if you're anything like me, you'll make mistakes on your first playthrough due to a lack of knowledge, expertise, or just the sheer amount of things thrown your way.

I highly recommend starting over after you've learned more of the game in order to be able to better organise your sectors. My first one was an absolute mess because I didn't know what sort of buildings I was going to need and how scarce or common these would be. You'll have a smoother ride entering the second chapter by having a good start.

#2 — Get the Second Sector Soon

Early in the game, you'll start with one of six sectors available in the Tiqqun. Each new sector has good and bad things associated with it, so you'll need to weigh the risk vs reward of undertaking these, but generally speaking, you'll need the second sector soon.

Opening a sector is always terrifying, but it's never a bad idea to have a bit more space; just be wary of the hull cost of opening one of these, as it'll cost you an extra eight degrade speed per sector you open. Generally, you'll get more worth from doing so, but never forget to save right before doing one, unless you want to make mistakes that might lead to restarting the chapter.

#3 — Dedicated Sectors

Aboard the Tiqqun, it's really easy to just want to make your first sector the main one — industrial buildings, food stations, workers aplenty... but that's generally a bad idea. Instead, try to focus your resources in your first sector to get a good amount of food and resources to open the second one. That way, once you open the second sector, you can start exporting food and using it to import alloy necessary for buildings.

Each sector should have a "speciality", and this isn't only because of personal tidiness — the game itself encourages you to focus on one specific type of building per sector to get bonuses. I went with a Food then Factory setup throughout my playthrough, though my third sector was an "emergency" sector for whatever I might need.

#4 — Factories ASAP

Once you've unlocked your second sector, it's time to make sure you get factories into the mix as soon as possible. Alloy will deplete soon, and you'll need to find a way to ensure you can get it through iron as soon as you can.

Likewise, it's never a bad idea to stock up on polymer and electronics — solar panels, some factories, and even important buildings will need these; having an early stock means less jumping through hoops to actually get it running. Just don't forget: each new factory has an egregious cost from both workers and energy alike, leading us to our next three tips.

#5 — You're Gonna Need Workers, But Not Too Many

Workers are scarce in post-apocalyptic outer space (are they ever not scarce in outer space?), so you'll need to ensure that you have a lot of popsicles (that's my personal name for cryo pods) to thaw them out for whenever you need them. But, much like everything in IXION, doing something too much is detrimental.

Stockpiling a lot of Captain Americas (my second name for cryo pods) will lead to a stability debuff. If you have over 250 unopened human ice cubes, the crew will receive a -1 debuff to stability; this can become very deadly very soon. Even if you do intend to thaw them out eventually, your word doesn't seem to soothe them. Free too many cryonics (I'm starting to run out of funny names to give them), and then you'll have hunger to face against. Make sure you carry just enough cryo pods for emergencies but not enough to upset the crew — two small stockpiles should do the trick.

#6 — Solar Panels & Energy Aplenty

Energy is a foe you'll have to face sooner rather than later. If you want to avoid the penalty of causing an accidental blackout because you did the maths wrong and went over by one unit (totally not based on a real example that occurred to me numerous times), you'll want to have a lot of solar panels. These cost polymer and electronics, so it isn't necessarily the cheapest thing in the world, but it can be a lifesaver.

It's important to note that you can build solar panels on two different tabs whilst looking at the Tiqqun — each tab has several solar panels you can make, each with its own individual cost. With each new solar panel you craft, the price goes up incrementally, but by crafting in both tabs, you can get ahead of the curb.

#7 — Strategically Enable & Disable Everything

IXION has resource costs everywhere, and it isn't easy to manage. Whilst the hull continuously depletes your alloy costs, the crew gets depressed with the passing months the longer you remain on a solar system, and having to manage feeding everyone all the while trying to finish the main quest, you're going to have your hands full. Usually, this is where I'd tell you "sit back; relax", but that would be catastrophic (and something for a future tip).

Instead, make sure you are actively managing every aspect of your ship and disabling everything when you don't need it. Are you short on workers in a specific sector? Disabling the energy in a factory will free them up, allowing them to work easier. Is your hull fully repaired? Disable hull repairs for a couple of cycles — it drains alloy needlessly if you don't. Are your food stocks full? Okay, that one you need to keep running almost 24/7, so maybe consider getting another stockpile... but you get the idea!

#8 — Work Smart, And Hard... And Fast.

Unlike most tips & tricks articles (where I try to find an excuse to use the "Work Smart, Not Hard" tip every time), IXION wants you to work smart, hard, and fast at every turn of the corner. Don't dawdle and sit idly by waiting for things to happen, as you're always supposed to be working towards something. If you think you're done, and everything is planned, it's very likely you just forgot something, and you should check again.

This isn't to scare you off — it isn't really as difficult as it sounds, but your main goal should be working towards something always. The timer shouldn't be unpaused whenever you're decision-making, and certainly not at triple speed for several cycles because you forgot to pause it for a potty break. Try to have one, two, or five goals going at the same time, and you'll at least succeed in one — aim for the moon, that sort of thing.

#9 — Check Tech Lab Upgrades

This isn't an urgent tip but rather something you should keep in mind for later on in the game. Once you've gotten more accustomed to your Tiqqun and the buildings, and more specifically, once you know what you're short on (because you're always going to be short on something), make sure you check out the Tech Lab upgrades for that particular building — chances are, it'll help a ton.

Personally, I avoided the Tech Lab for a little too long because I was a bit overwhelmed, and I kept trying to unlock all buildings, but once I took a second to unlock some valuable upgrades, I saw my performance improve drastically. Most notably, check Crew Quarters, Insect Farms, and all of your ships (Cargo, Mining, and Science) for essential upgrades!

#10 — Keep In Mind Your Game Over And Victory Conditions

This is a rather simple tip, but you're going to want to keep in mind what your game over and victory conditions are. If you're running low on alloy, then you want to focus heavily on getting iron and keeping your factories running. If your trust is falling, fix any issues you might be having (homelessness and hunger) before you move on. 

Likewise, always know your primary goal and work towards it. Even if you reach the final mission, it doesn't mean you have to leave the solar system, so finishing your main quest first is never a bad idea; once Dead Earth Sickness starts piling up, your likelihood of a Game Over drastically increases. You really don't want to start over from the beginning of the chapter.

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There you go, Administrator! You're ready to board the Tiqqun. Don't let these tips & tricks deter you from enjoying your time with IXION, as it is quite a fantastic title! If you haven't already, why not check out our review?