[Spoiler] How to handle Mirror Sphere Mystery

[julupu]

Hi.

So, I'm not sure whether I'm totally missing something or I'm definitely doomed. Or both. Either way, I have over 80 starving and little hope.

I got the Mirror Sphere Mystery and what follows will have spoilers so I suggest you stop reading if you haven't done it yet.

Spoiler: Mirror Sphere

The Mirror Sphere started it's cold wave during Sol 171, it's Sol 205 now. Everything is broken. Many dead, and those who are not will be in a moment.

What I have done:
- "Sphere Protection" and "Purpose of the Spheres" research before the coldwave started (at 5k research each)
- "Xeno-Terraforming" for 20k research, not long ago.

But I don't think I got any event or message or notification for those research. Is that normal?
What do I do now?
The "Xeno-Terraforming" research says that a Mirror Sphere in captivity could be broken down. How do I get one in captivity?

Please send help, my mission sponsor Paradox is not very supportive.

 

[Louella]

The mirror sphere mystery is extremely variable in outcome, I think.

Spoiler: Totally Screwed

So, I got this mystery, and I ended up totally screwed, with the population going into a death spiral, everything being frozen and so on. There were 8 of those spheres floating around.

To capture the spheres and stop them moving around ruining everything, you need to build a "power decoy" thingus which is I think under infrastructure. Once captured, an you have the xeno-terraform research, you can break them down into 50 rare metals, metals or polymers.
The power decoy things take a fair bit of power and resources.

I could not see any way out of the problem I was in, I had no food, no air, no water, because everything was frozen, and the subsoil heaters would freeze solid whenever a cable broke.

So, I reloaded an earlier game, set up a network of heaters and had them all powered up and running before the spheres started going crazy. Built the power decoys as early as possible, with the result there were only 4 spheres, rather than the 8.

If you started your game in an area which had cold weather, you'd be a lot more prepared. I started in a warm area, so hadn't seen the need for subsoil heating, until it was too late.

 

[Simon7718]

Just how do you breakdown a trapped mirror sphere?

I have xeno-terraforming which told me I can breakdown trapped spheres but the salvage tool does nothing to a sphere and no new buildings are available.

 

[Louella]

Just how do you breakdown a trapped mirror sphere?

I have xeno-terraforming which told me I cannot breakdown trapped spheres but the salvage tool does nothing to a sphere and no new buildings are available.

the power decoy building, once it has trapped a sphere, can break them down, if you select it.

 

[Simon7718]

the power decoy building, once it has trapped a sphere, can break them down, if you select it.

Brilliant. Thanks. That has worked a treat.

 

[Promethian]

Does the eternal cold snap end when you break enough of or all the spheres?

 

[Louella]

Does the eternal cold snap end when you break enough of or all the spheres?

It does when the last one is gone, yes.

 

[NADster]

Spoiler: Game Over more or less

4-8 Spheres and Sol 170 cold wave start?
I have 16 (!) spheres and the coldwave started around Sol 91. Cracked the first one of my four captured, only to result in a split back to 16. So I need 12 additional cages, that's 60 electronics alone.

You two were lucky, I really hate this mystery disaster!

 

[Holce]

I got lucky. Most of my anomalies was on a highground at the opposite of my started position. As a result, I got nearly no eyes and breakthrough until late in the game. But the Sphere has started late too. I started the research for trapping spheres at 75% of the event cooldown. I didn't see the research at first. I ended with 16 spheres but captured 14 of them before the start of the cold wave. The 14 decoys in the cold wave have burned all my power freeing all the sphere. I had to restart with an older save and stop them at 12. I also build 10-12 more turbines. It worked pretty well.

The trick is to not build anythink to close the first sphere. So you can start the event when ready. I didn't know what to expect from that event. I waited to be in a good spot to start the event.

 

[Mauer]

I liked this mystery, it was really hard because I didn't know what to expect and dismissed the localized cold waves as minor inconveniences, now my colony has been on shut down almost entirely for years, and 90% of my population died. Automated extractors really helped keep the economy going.

 

[DocGratis]

I survived this mystery, *just* barely....

one thing that needs to be fixed is sub surface heaters should not freeze... having to juggle power means that sometimes they go offline and then they freeze, and then you need to build a second heater to unfreeze the first heater...

that is a bit dense...
if you want them to be punishing, make them cycle up so if they go off it takes time to reactivate them

Spoiler

I wondered if there was something else that could be gained by allowing one sphere to be free and dividing, the message that plays when you finish the mystery implies there is some reticent to processing the last sphere... but I needed that cold wave to be over...