Career advice: trader & cargo delivery

[Matti]

Back to topic: I have enough money to swap my iron assed Cobra3 to not so iron assed Python. Maybe with couple more Navy contracted missions against Thargoids I could make enough credits to equip Python with MilLasers, ECM, sniper sight and shield & energy boosters... Then what? Cargo bay extension of course... How much does it extend? Anything else of importance? Or would it be better just to stick with Cobra after all and make money with escort & navy contracts for Boa Cruiser?

[Smivs]

I went from Mk1 Cobra to Python to Boa Cruiser (then Clipper), and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Python. It was fully Iron-Assed (as much as a Python can be) by the time I moved on, and it was great!

[Matti]

Why did you swap Cobra Mark III to Mark I?

[Disembodied]

Back to topic: I have enough money to swap my iron assed Cobra3 to not so iron assed Python. Maybe with couple more Navy contracted missions against Thargoids I could make enough credits to equip Python with MilLasers, ECM, sniper sight and shield & energy boosters... Then what? Cargo bay extension of course... How much does it extend? Anything else of importance? Or would it be better just to stick with Cobra after all and make money with escort & navy contracts for Boa Cruiser?

If it's just about the money, you can make serious moolah on the F8-F8 bulk haulage contracts. The only requirement is a big enough cargo bay, so a Python might be worth the investment. The first few contracts you do don't pay so well, but once you build a reputation the money will come rolling in (as long as you keep making your deliveries on time!).

[Smivs]

Why did you swap Cobra Mark III to Mark I?

I came to Oolite a couple of years ago after playing Elite way back in the '80s, so knew the game quite well, but was very rusty. My solution was to down-size the ship but up the equipment. By selling the Mk III, I could afford a Mk I with docking computer and mil lasers plus a couple of other things. It meant I could 'get started' a bit quicker, and by honing my skills in a 'lesser' ship I got up to speed much faster.

[Bugbear]

And in order to make serious money with Cobra3, thargoid busting seems to be way to go. Gotta try Q-mines and energy bomb... Do I get bounties with those?

Funny you should mention it. I've been doing GalNavy reserve missions - assisting in combat against Thargoid incursions. (the first mission freaked me out, coming up against a wall of about 30 - 40 Thargoid warships).

I've got a technique now that seems to work for these missions, but for fun I tried the Q-mine against them last night.

I formed up with the GalNavy fleet and waited until I could see the twinkle of the Thargoids in the distance - they were probably 30 - 40 km away, off scanner but dead ahead. Then I hit the injectors and charged them, aiming for the dead centre of the enemy fleet.

My shields got a few licks of laser fire from them, but I pushed on regardless. Once I reached the centre of the Thargoid fleet, I deployed the Q-bomb, switched to rear view and watched the show (still hammering the injectors at this point - I didn't know how large the explosion would be).

Suffice to say, the explosion was big, but I was able to keep a safe distance (I'm in a iron-assed Boa, normal max speed is something like 0.24LM)

Got lots of kills but my flight log (F5-F5-F6) didn't register them. I'll have to do another mission to see if it does award kills to my Elite rating...

[Matti]

Got lots of kills but my flight log (F5-F5-F6) didn't register them. I'll have to do another mission to see if it does award kills to my Elite rating...

Did you get any bounties from that carnage?

[Switeck]

It seems to only give kills + bounties for NPC ships that die directly from the Q-bomb's explosion, not from the chain reactions.
Also if you move out of range and come back, kills+bounties quit increasing.

[Bugbear]

It seems to only give kills + bounties for NPC ships that die directly from the Q-bomb's explosion, not from the chain reactions.
Also if you move out of range and come back, kills+bounties quit increasing.

Sitting here with my 'uber' hat on - it would be a shame if you're right - that would make the Q-bomb financially unviable. 2500Cr for a big chain reaction is a high price to pay.

Now switching to my 'balance' hat - the mechanics you've suggested would make sense in game - any explosion as a result of a chain reaction would theoretically belong to a ship that no longer exists, so the Elite rating agency would have no-one to assign these subsequent kills.

It will be a while before I can test this out again - I'm in the middle of transporting some Thargoid plans in chart 3 and I've got the bugs on my arse every time I witch in. They are persistent, I'll give them that.

[Matti]

It will be a while before I can test this out again - I'm in the middle of transporting some Thargoid plans in chart 3 and I've got the bugs on my arse every time I witch in. They are persistent, I'll give them that.

Proper response is rear mounted military laser with sniper scope.