Elusive big contracts

[Arch Stanton]

Hi folks, I've been playing a while now, in a decent ship and am the most renowned cargo contractor in the galaxy or somesuch...but having real trouble figuring the reasoning behind the gem/gold/platinum contracts.

I've done a couple of them for muuuuuch gain, but they seem very sporadic. Reading around the forum some people seem to see them reliably but I'm only seeing them rarely, how often do they come up? Trying to garner the pennies for a meatier ship!

Thanks in advance, I've seen a few threads on searching about this but couldn't find an explanation that sunk into my thick skull!

[JeX]

As I understand this, these big contracts only pop up as your reputation as a cargo freighter increases due to succesful contracts. Your reputation however, will also decrease between each jump much akin to your wanted rating. This may explain why you find them only to pop up sporadically. Do you take a lot of contracts across the galaxy involving many jumps but only contract at a time? If so I assume that your reputation will decrease more rapidly than say, taking on several smaller and shorter cargo contracts.

I have just gotten to these lucrative contracts myself (although I severely lack the money to buy into the really expensive ones) in my Serpent Class Cruiser but I will go to the main station to sell regular cargo and take on short cargo contracts that are on the way as well to hinder my rep to decrease too much.

Btw: where do you see how high your reputation is?

[Disembodied]

Btw: where do you see how high your reputation is?

You need the [wiki]Display reputation OXP[/wiki].

[Cody]

Btw: where do you see how high your reputation is?

You need the [wiki]Display reputation OXP[/wiki].

Or if you need to know your darkside reputation,  Bounty Display is cool.

[Switeck]

How often elusive big contracts come up also depends on which Oolite version you're running. A major change was done in v1.77 that may make them slightly more likely but far more costly to start.

[JeX]

Btw: where do you see how high your reputation is?

You need the [wiki]Display reputation OXP[/wiki].

Ah great, thanks! I somehow overlooked this and had only the bounty rep installed

[Bogatyr]

How often elusive big contracts come up also depends on which Oolite version you're running. A major change was done in v1.77 that may make them slightly more likely but far more costly to start.

Just slogged my way to top cargo rating in a python (so sloooow), and....still don't see any of the big money hauls yet. Guess I'll keep on checking, but those long hauls are pointless since you lose more rep than you gain with the one contract. A python just can't hold enough to do multiple contracts most of the time. Sigh. Many more hauls left before I can get back my beloved and iron assed Cobra MkIII and keep on bounty hunting.

[Switeck]

Almost required reading:
https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.ph ... 63#p161763 Cargo Contract Cruelty

[Bogatyr]

How often elusive big contracts come up also depends on which Oolite version you're running. A major change was done in v1.77 that may make them slightly more likely but far more costly to start.

Just slogged my way to top cargo rating in a python (so sloooow), and....still don't see any of the big money hauls yet. Guess I'll keep on checking, but those long hauls are pointless since you lose more rep than you gain with the one contract. A python just can't hold enough to do multiple contracts most of the time. Sigh. Many more hauls left before I can get back my beloved and iron assed Cobra MkIII and keep on bounty hunting.

Never mind I see them now. Yep, looky at all those kewl high end contracts .... which I can't afford! Ya need money to make money....

[Bogatyr]

Never mind I see them now. Yep, looky at all those kewl high end contracts .... which I can't afford! Ya need money to make money....

Well I decided to stick with the Python and just multi-task doing other RL things (except when pirates attack ) with schlepping stuff around in order to get / keep the big money deals, And I finally got overlapping deals along the same route so I can keep the reputation at max, and got precious metals/gems deals going. If I can keep this up I'll switch back to the Cobra MkIII and mix in bounty hunting with the cargo schlepping.

I also now have totally dropped all unnecessary jumps. These big money deals, some of them, give very generous time limits so you can keep several going at the same time. Saving time is not nearly as important as preserving reputation, and minimizing total # of jumps seems to be the key there.

CmdrLuke (Bogatyr)

[Bogatyr]

Never mind I see them now. Yep, looky at all those kewl high end contracts .... which I can't afford! Ya need money to make money....

Well I decided to stick with the Python and just multi-task doing other RL things (except when pirates attack ) with schlepping stuff around in order to get / keep the big money deals, And I finally got overlapping deals along the same route so I can keep the reputation at max, and got precious metals/gems deals going. If I can keep this up I'll switch back to the Cobra MkIII and mix in bounty hunting with the cargo schlepping.

I also now have totally dropped all unnecessary jumps. These big money deals, some of them, give very generous time limits so you can keep several going at the same time. Saving time is not nearly as important as preserving reputation, and minimizing total # of jumps seems to be the key there.

CmdrLuke (Bogatyr)

I finally had achieved the perfect cargo racket -- got to top cargo reputation with the python, generated enough cash to switch back to a fully loaded Cobra, and switched back to the Cobra at a station where there was a gold/gems contract available. I kept multiple gem/metals contracts going with the comfort and speed (and fighting ability) of the Cobra. Then I did something stupid. I was lacking only the Military Shield Enhancement. I had two contracts going with LOTS of time on them, 10-15 days of time left. But the stupid slow mechanics ate up all my time and I ended up failing the contracts. Ah well think I'll stick to bounty hunting and missions for a while, until I can afford a faster, better hauling vessel than the Python

[Smivs]

The more expensive a piece of kit, the longer it takes to fit, and repair.

[Diziet Sma]

I finally had achieved the perfect cargo racket -- got to top cargo reputation with the python, generated enough cash to switch back to a fully loaded Cobra, and switched back to the Cobra at a station where there was a gold/gems contract available. I kept multiple gem/metals contracts going with the comfort and speed (and fighting ability) of the Cobra. Then I did something stupid. I was lacking only the Military Shield Enhancement. I had two contracts going with LOTS of time on them, 10-15 days of time left. But the stupid slow mechanics ate up all my time and I ended up failing the contracts. Ah well think I'll stick to bounty hunting and missions for a while, until I can afford a faster, better hauling vessel than the Python

Top cargo reputation is not hard to attain in a Cobra MkIII.. I've done it several times. It just takes a little more effort to find contracts that will fit in a 35TC hold.

[Mad Dan Eccles]

until I can afford a faster, better hauling vessel than the Python

The Boa Class Cruiser is one hell of a hauling vessel.

[Ranthe]

until I can afford a faster, better hauling vessel than the Python

The Boa Class Cruiser is one hell of a hauling vessel.

So is the Anaconda... though to some it's probably a "hell of a hauling vessel" in a rather different sense