Legal rating removal, combat and survival

[Jamlev]

Used to play Elite a lot as a kid so was delighted to discover Oolite and have now got back into it over the past day or so.

A couple of noob questions though:

1) I've read that in order to reduce your legal rating you need to do a few jumps, however there is a problem with this. Wherever I jump to I get attacked by everything in the system as I'm currently rated as fugitive (sorry, I couldn't resist 35 tons of narcs and 1.2 creds per ton - its hard to make coin when you first start out!). In order to defend myself I need to shoot down the odd cop, so consequently can't shake the rating.

2) Is there an OXP that enables you to see hull and shield percentage percentage of your target?

Thx.

[Disembodied]

Hi Jamlev, welcome to the friendliest forum this side of Riedquat!

1) I've read that in order to reduce your legal rating you need to do a few jumps, however there is a problem with this. Wherever I jump to I get attacked by everything in the system as I'm currently rated as fugitive (sorry, I couldn't resist 35 tons of narcs and 1.2 creds per ton - its hard to make coin when you first start out!). In order to defend myself I need to shoot down the odd cop, so consequently can't shake the rating.

You'll need to stay away from the police, which means avoiding all the more stable systems: if you restrict your jumping to Anarchies, Feudal and Multi-Government, you'll be less likely to meet any cops. You can also avoid the spacelane between the witchpoint and the station, and – if you've got a fuel scoop and ideally a heat-shield too – you can refuel by sunskimming instead of going in to the main station. Or you could try installing the [wiki]Anarchies OXP[/wiki] – this makes it take much longer to shake a criminal rating by jumping, but it does add in places where you can go to get your rating "adjusted" ... of course, you have to find those places first!

2) Is there an OXP that enables you to see hull and shield percentage percentage of your target?

Technically, NPCs don't have shields ... you can give them shields, via the [wiki]NPC-shields OXP[/wiki], but this isn't really what you're asking for. There was some talk about making an OXP that displays remaining energy status but as far as I remember most people were opposed, as it provided too much information. That doesn't mean it can't (or hasn't already) been done, though.

[Smivs]

And you do get a visual indication of sorts...a ship that's nearly dead will be throwing sparks.

[cim]

In addition to Disembodied's hints, if you can find a rock hermit then they'll let you refuel your ship for a price, and don't tend to care too much about legal rating. That'll give you the fuel you need to make another jump (two jumps without doing anything else illegal should be enough to get you back down to Offender, so long as you've sold off those Narcotics)

You can get some idea of how damaged ships are by watching their engine flare - if it's flickering, or rapidly changing colour, then they've taken significant damage, and it'll flicker more as they take more damage. (and, of course, there are the sparks being thrown out on severely damaged ships)

[aegidian]

1) I've read that in order to reduce your legal rating you need to do a few jumps, however there is a problem with this. Wherever I jump to I get attacked by everything in the system as I'm currently rated as fugitive (sorry, I couldn't resist 35 tons of narcs and 1.2 creds per ton - its hard to make coin when you first start out!). In order to defend myself I need to shoot down the odd cop, so consequently can't shake the rating.

Two quick hints.

1. Stay away from the spacelanes and scoop your fuel from the sun and you need not go near another copper until your legal rating recovers. If you can find two systems less than a LY apart you can just shuttle between the two (jump and then on arrival, immediately jump back - #but it's the p e l v i c t h r u s t that really drives you insayayayayayne!# - ahem.. excuse me.)

2. Jumping between two galaxies will also restore your legal rating, at the cost of a Gal Drive.

[Jamlev]

Cheers for the replies, managed to get it down finally - trying to avoid anarchies as I just get pummeled by groups of ships, a couple I can handle but my combat kungfu isnt strong enough yet for a simultaneous onslaught of 5 Mark II Asps! Any survival tips?

Is there a way in the shipyard to view the status of your own ship in terms of hull damage and repairs? I notice it appears in the list when you need a service (after a few manual docks!), is that the only notification?

What would you guys recommend as the best/first 5 OXPs to install as a beginner? (I already have Hawksound, Sell Equipment and the Griff Shipset (which isn't working yet)).

The more I play this the more I remember fragments of Elite and Frontier from many moons ago!

[Commander McLane]

Cheers for the replies, managed to get it down finally - trying to avoid anarchies as I just get pummeled by groups of ships, a couple I can handle but my combat kungfu isnt strong enough yet for a simultaneous onslaught of 5 Mark II Asps! Any survival tips?

As the others said: avoid the space lane (= straight line between witchpoint and planet). All traffic is concentrated in the straight line, so by leaving this narrow "corridor" you can circumvent pirates and police alike. Other than that, the only way to hold your own against multiple opponents is to max out your ship in every aspect, which of course costs a lot of money.

Is there a way in the shipyard to view the status of your own ship in terms of hull damage and repairs? I notice it appears in the list when you need a service (after a few manual docks!), is that the only notification?

No, not for the hull itself. Damaged equipment will show orange on your status screen (F5) until you repair it in the equipment section (F3). But the ever declining state of your hull does not show until you're offered a maintenance overhaul in the equipment section (F3). There is a way of getting some indirect information about your ship's status, though: if you visit the shipyard (F3-F3) in a station, the current resell value of your whole ship is displayed. This decreases over time, reflecting the wear-and-tear of your hull. There are however other factors as well influencing the resell value, so you only get a rough idea about the decline, not an exact measure.

[cim]

Cheers for the replies, managed to get it down finally - trying to avoid anarchies as I just get pummeled by groups of ships, a couple I can handle but my combat kungfu isnt strong enough yet for a simultaneous onslaught of 5 Mark II Asps! Any survival tips?

Stick to the safe systems until you can afford forward and rear beam lasers, injectors, ECM and maybe an extra energy unit.
Practice hitting things with the rear beam laser when you're reasonably safe. Start with asteroids...
If you find a big trader flying in with escorts, stick close to it but a little way - maybe 5-10km - behind it. The pirates will go for it first, and then you can join in the fight at much better odds.
If you're attacked by a group of pirates, pick one of the weaker ones (Cobra I or smaller) and focus your fire at it as the pirate group closes in. You stand a very good chance of either destroying it or forcing it to flee, which improves your odds against the rest. Save Pythons for last, as they're really resilient but can be outflown if necessary.
Your Cobra III is fast enough to outrun almost everything. Turning around and flying away - taking shots with the rear laser if you can - will often improve your odds.
Anything you really want dead probably has ECM - but a missile will still distract it for a few seconds.

Is there a way in the shipyard to view the status of your own ship in terms of hull damage and repairs? I notice it appears in the list when you need a service (after a few manual docks!), is that the only notification?

For services, yes - it'll show up when you need one and not otherwise. Everything else is on the F5 screen, of course. Services are needed approximately every 30 days, and it helps to have them done at the highest-tech system you can easily reach.

What would you guys recommend as the best/first 5 OXPs to install as a beginner? (I already have Hawksound, Sell Equipment and the Griff Shipset (which isn't working yet)).

[wiki]BGS[/wiki] gives some excellent backgrounds to the ships. If you have Hawksound you won't need the audio bits, but it's worth it for the rest.

Povray Planets will make the planets look amazing, though it's a big download. System Redux / System Demux are still pretty good, and smaller downloads. Famous Planets has great artwork and some more interesting planet descriptions, and since it only covers bits of G1 and G2 you might as well install it while you're still there!

[wiki]MilSpec_HUD_OXP[/wiki] is in my opinion the best combat HUD out there. Lots of nice little features to make surviving easier.

[wiki]Snoopers[/wiki] adds a bit of flavour to your trips, and is also used by other OXPs so you may need it eventually.

[wiki]Explorers'_Club_OXP[/wiki] gives you a goal of visiting all 2048 systems. You should install it now before you visit too many...

They're all flavour/graphics OXPs, since I don't know what sort of pilot you want to be, but if you want some relatively easy missions, the [wiki]Escort Contracts OXP[/wiki] is good fun and doesn't usually involve too much combat if you stick to the safer (lower paying) runs.

[Smivs]

What would you guys recommend as the best/first 5 OXPs to install as a beginner?

Eye-candy first, so ships, other bits and bobs like stations and missiles etc, and planets. As you are presumably still in G1, check out the Tionisla Orbital Graveyard and the Tianve Pulsar. There are plenty of HUDs to choose from and some equipment OXPs can be useful, but add these slowly and one at a time to get used to them

The OXP list is a useful resource, and to start, check out Ambience, Re-textures and Equipment.

[maik]

What would you guys recommend as the best/first 5 OXPs to install as a beginner? (I already have Hawksound, Sell Equipment and the Griff Shipset (which isn't working yet)).

Hi Jamlev and welcome!

I recommend BGS, it brings lots of nice visual and audio enhancements to the game.

What is it that does not work with Griff's Shipset? Edit: Just saw you asked the question in the appropriate thread so better continue there.

[Disembodied]

Any survival tips?

I'm repeating a lot of what's already been said, but *definitely* fit, and learn to shoot with, a rear laser (military for preference). Vary your speed: when you get masslocked, slow down – right down, if necessary, and take a second or two to weigh the situation. Keep hostiles at a distance for as long as possible: there's no sense in getting swarmed. If there are multiple enemies, pick your targets first and, like Cim says, try to snipe the weakest at long range. A Mamba can be killed outright with a short burst; a Python will take a pounding. Both, however, can dish out the same amounts of damage, so it makes sense to kill off the small fry first.

Vary your speed when you're in a dogfight, too: your turning circle is much tighter at low speeds. Slow down, turn, speed up; slow down, turn, speed up: if you make the changes quickly this can be useful in evading missiles, too. Speaking of which, if you have a hardhead on you, keep hitting the ECM anyway: they're ECM-resistant, but not 100% ECM-proof.

If you find yourself up against multiple tough nuts, like Asps, turn around and move in an expeditious fashion at best speed in the direction of away, and use your rear laser to – at the very least – make them think again about pursuing you. Injectors can be hugely useful here too. There is no shame in running: there are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots ...

[cim]

Keep hostiles at a distance for as long as possible: there's no sense in getting swarmed.

I'll add to this that there are basically four combat ranges:
15-30km: Extreme range. Only military lasers can even hit. If you have one, start firing. If you don't have one, at least use the time to line up your gunsight properly on your first target. If they have one, either run away, ducking and weaving as you go, or close in as fast as possible, also ducking and weaving, because you're dead if you let them get concentrated firepower on to you.
10-15km: Long range. Beam and pulse lasers can hit. You can hit them, but the narrow forward profile of your Cobra III means that most them probably won't hit you much unless you get unlucky and one of them knows how to fly. Give them a shot on your top or bottom profile, though, and you're in trouble.
3-10km: Medium range. You can hit them, and they can probably all hit you. Do not let them keep this range for very long, or you'll lose most of your shields. Evading them is probably more important than shooting at them as they close up.
0-3km: Short range. Dogfight to the best of your ability. Try to get behind them, since virtually no pirate has aft lasers (none at all, if you don't install OXPs). If someone gets behind you, use your aft laser. You're safer here than at medium range, because slowing down to do a tight turn won't make you a sitting duck. If you've got pirates at both short and medium range, prioritise dodging the medium range ones over slowing down to blast a short range one, unless they're almost gone and your shields are reasonably well charged.

Oh, and be careful with jousting style tactics - you can probably do far more laser damage to them than they can do to you, but they can drop a missile on you head on at point-blank range, which is usually fatal.

[SandJ]

Any survival tips?

Don't expect to be able to trade in illegal goods and defend yourself in a bottom-of-the-range ship! Keep clean, runaway,keep trading, upgrade your ship, learn to dogfight.

What would you guys recommend as the best/first 5 OXPs to install as a beginner?

Install the Explorer's Club OXP now. If you decide it would be interesting thee months from now, you'll kick yourself.

[Cody]

Injectors can be hugely useful here too.

Once you have fuel injectors fitted, your best friend is quirium fuel. Dirt cheap or free, it's priceless in combat!

[Jamlev]

Nice, plenty to go thru there - I've got 30 odd kills under my belt now so am on that ladder ...

Plenty of eye candy installed and the graphics have been transformed, also fired up a couple of the other recommended OXPs.

I guess now its a case of doing milk runs to build up enough coin to buy a better ship, then go and kick some @ss without getting battered so quickly!

Thanks again for all the responses, this truly is the friendliest forum east of Riedquat!

Edit: where do I find this Quirium fuel and can I carry more than one trips worth?