Career advice: trader & cargo delivery

[Matti]

I consider career as trader and cargo trucking. I already have my Cobra with extended cargo bay and over 2000 credits to fill it up. But I want bigger ship and cargo delivery missions. Which ones have optimum cargo hold versus speed to make delivery runs in time and can also defend themselves? Are there OXPs or anything for hiring NPC escort ships? Can I get 100 tons fuel to cargo bay and use that to refill jump drive? What else can you tell me?

[Smivs]

Hi Matti,
Your best bet if you are staying with the 'core' ships is the Boa 2 (Class Cruiser), or it's variant the Boa II Clipper class (OXP). Fast, maneovreable and with a huge hold compared to the other ships, they can also be fully Iron-Assed.
These ships are not cheap (as you'd expect), but are a good investment. I've run a Clipper for ages and would not consider changing it for anything else available. It just excels at everything.
I think there was talk of an OXP where you can hire escorts, but a good commander with a ship like this will probably find them an annoyance and un-necessary.
No ship can hold more than 7LY fuel, but there is a Fueltank OXP, and if you are looking at long-haul cargo contracts, fuel scoops and heat-shieding for sunskimming are the way to go.

EDIT:- Hired Guns is the 'escorts' OXP. It's by Thargoid so it should be quite good! but I've never tried it, because as I stated earlier I don't think I need any help!

[Switeck]

The standard game Boa 2 is probably the best combination of large cargo bay (175TC vs Cobra 3's 35TC), speed, firepower, survivability, and maneuverability.

Starting off, the Python is much cheaper than a Boa 2...but the Python is SLOW and weaker energy capacity/regeneration. However a Python's 115TC (after large cargo bay extension) is still ample room for cargo contracts or just standard trading to get enough credits to afford a Boa 2. Just stick to predominately safer systems while you do.

Hired Guns OXP are escorts for you, but only "last" till your next station dock at the cost of 750-1500 credits. The cost to me is about as great as any trading profits I can make with a Cobra 3.

You are limited to 7 LY total fuel capacity no matter what the ship.
Get Fuel Tank OXP, these are "bombs" that hold 3 LY extra fuel each for 70 credits cost...and take up 1 missile slot. But if you currently have ~6 LY fuel and you use one, the 2 "excess" LY of fuel is wasted.

Look all around the Galaxy Chart for trading pairs: a Rich Industrial system (to buy Computers, Luxuries, and Machinery) and a Poor Agricultural system (to buy Furs, Liquors/Wines, Radioactives, Food, Textiles) near each other. This maximizes your profits PER system. Also consider their overall tech level and government type if you want extra safety. Isinor and Ensoreus is among the closest to Lave that I know about.

You could try asteroid mining using Ore Processor OXP, a mining laser (best mount it on the side or rear so it doesn't replace your combat laser/s), and a fuel scoop.

[Dragonfire]

Get the Hired Guns OXP for escorts, but you'll want to also outfit your own weapons and equipment. Get the following as soon as possible, in the following order. They aren't optional investments if you want to live.

>Beam or Military Lasers
>Witch Fuel Injectors
>ECM system
>Shield Boosters
>Advanced Space Compass
>Police IFF Scanner Upgrade
>Extra Energy Unit
>Fuel Scoops
>Military Shield Enhancement
>Iron Hide

It also would be a good idea to fill your pylon mounts up with missiles (especially ECM-hardened ones - they're expensive, but more useful than standard), in case of an absolute emergency. However, don't use them unless you MUST, and try and avoid battles until you're more experienced in combat (and have even more money).

By the by, a good ship to consider would be a Boa Class Cruiser, with its 175 ton cargo bay. That lets you get cargo contracts. The Cobra doesn't have much of a cargo bay in comparison.

Hope that helps!

[Mauiby de Fug]

I can't help you much with ship recommendations - it's not an career path I've ever looked into. I'm sure that someone with more knowledge of this market will be along, although I believe that the Boa II Clipper is a popular choice for this sort of thing.

There is an oxp for hiring escorts, unsurpisingly called Hired Guns, but I've never played it and don't know how effective it is.

Your ship can only hold 7 light years of fuel at a time. But there are a couple of pylons based alternatives about. The Fuel tank oxp tops up your tank by 3 light years worth of fuel. I often carry at least one with me on my pylons. Docking at various stations such as the con-stores can save time, or you can go for the cheap alternative and try sunskimming. There also exists Fuel stations. And there is my own WIP Wormhole drones, although I haven't any done work on it for months and it is somewhat unbalanced at the moment. Hope that helps!

Edit: Wow, ninja'd by umpteen people! Finding links takes more time than one realises!

[Wildeblood]

There is an oxp for hiring escorts, unsurpisingly called Hired Guns, but I've never played it and don't know how effective it is.

Re Hired Guns, if you are offered an escort for hire the type (and price) will vary and can be Sidewinders, Cobras or Vipers. If they're Sidewinders save your money, they mostly fly around in circles banging into each other.

[Thargoid]

What you get offered depends on the tech level of the station you are in when the offer is made.

The ships all fly under the same AI, although their specs match the normal versions of the ships (well, mostly).

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Get a Kirin. It's not very fast, and it's friggin' huge. BUT, it's cargo capacity is vast, spacious enough for any long-haul contract with room to spare. And it's tough, especially after upgrades. The XM variant is also very well defended, packing a lot of flak turrets - pirates would have to be stupid to get too close to one.

[Matti]

Now I have Cobra Mk III with following:
Large Cargo Bay
ECM System
Extra Energy Unit
Fuel Injectors
Scanner Targeting Enhancement
Advanced Space Compass
Beam Lasers fore & aft

OXPs:
Cabal Common Library
Fuel station
Griff's shipset all-in-1
Rock hermit locator
Snoopers

Anything else to improve Cobra as space truck? (more like: van )

[Smivs]

Anything else to improve Cobra as space truck? (more like: van )

Shield boosters and eventually Military shield enhancers when you can afford them.

[Thargoid]

Anything else to improve Cobra as space truck? (more like: van )

HyperCargo.

[mandoman]

A few days ago I started a new game, so I could try from scratch again with a Cobra Mark III, using a formula I picked up from someone on this board (though now I can't remember who it was). I travel back and forth between Diso, and Leesti, buying and selling furs, computers, machinery and other items when they are cheap enough to buy, and that guy was right. I can't believe how much money I've made in a relatively short amount of time, and I now have an ECM, and am working toward fuel injectors. I couldn't do that when I first started Oolite, and got pretty discouraged, which drove me to bounty hunting, due to an unhealthy hatred for pirates/fugitives/offenders. This is cool, though, as I'm actually making a steady profit, keeping track of the prices of items between the two systems, and buying wisely. After a week, I still have zero kills, and have only been waylayed three times by pirates, once while lining up on the Station at Leesti. If you try this, I recommend that you avoid Lave, as it has a whole lot more offenders than either Leesti, or Diso. Build up your defenses first, and then start getting better weapons, that is, if you are more interested in trading than killing pirates.

[Wildeblood]

Be careful, Mandoman. Leesti is plagued by deadly ASTEROID STORMS, and Diso is rumoured to harbour a PIRATE COVE.

[Dragonfire]

I hate flying through Leesti...

[mandoman]

Be careful, Mandoman. Leesti is plagued by deadly ASTEROID STORMS, and Diso is rumoured to harbour a PIRATE COVE.

Huh, that's interesting. I didn't know that, and I really haven't seen much pirate activity. Maybe I've just been lucky. Since I posted last, I have been able to install fuel injectors and enhanced shields. I'm going to shoot for a military laser next (no pun intended).