New player, Elite Veteran

[Lanatir]

So, i installed Oolite today to give it a try.
About me: 43 years old, Elite Veteran on C64, ZX Spectrum and Amiga 500. Elite on all 3 of those.
Had no problem to take down Thargoids with a Standard Pulse laser on a stock Cobra back then

Naturally, i expected to be able to play right away, this is Elite after all, right?

Well...the basics...yes. After some messing around I got into the controls rather good. Felt a lot like the original. Packed some food in the market, wanted to do my standard beginning (Diso - Leesti back and forth, you guys know the drill).

Jumped into Hyperspace, arriving at Leesti. Targetted planet, pressed j...locked. Ah. Some random NPC around. Well, ok, flying away from him until i was able to jump drive. Did so, and 3 seconds later got pulled out of jumpdrive by 6 to 8 pirates, all flying jacked up Cobras or better.

Come on now, really? On the first trip??? I couldnt even accelerate away from them, thats how quick i died.

Havent touched the game since then.

[Disembodied]

Hi Lanatir, welcome to the boards! The devs are in the process of rebalancing combat: you might find this thread interesting, and indeed it could be useful for all concerned if you gave the Combat Simulator (linked in Cim's first post there) a go.

[Cody]

Welcome aboard!

Havent touched the game since then.

A true Elite veteran wouldn't have given-up so easily - get back out there, Commander!

[streb2001]

Read this. Slightly rewritten from another post to help my Dad (75!) get started:

I've recently started a new Commander in a basic Cobra III, to see how Oolite 1.80 treats the fresh and vulnerable. Being also a creature of old habit, I didn't take the sensible option of jumping from Lave to Leesti, and milking the relatively safe run from Leesti to Diso; no, I went for the bright lights and better prices of Zaonce, and then to the profitable and reasonably safe Isinor-Ensoreus route. So far, I've managed to survive (i.e. no "Press Space Commander") without much difficulty. My tips for first trips include:

Before leaving Lave, sell your missiles. All of them. If you need them in Zaonce (or Leesti, for that matter) then you're probably dead anyway. And for the cash you get, you can buy up another few TCs of something that will earn you a profit. Buy them back later, when you can afford to, sure, but extra cargo is a better defence, because:

As soon as you can afford to, stick 5TC of the cheapest junk aside in your hold to pay any pirate "toll". If you get rolled watch the comms: pirates would rather get a few canisters off you without a fight, than have to spend the time and effort of blowing you up, only to get a few canisters anyway. Take care how and where you drop them: you don't want to fling the cargo out at top speed along your route to the station. So far, I've only had to do this once, on a trip into Isinor. 2TC, it cost me. A bargain, frankly - especially since it was from a 5TC stash of Food bought previously on Isinor, and carried for the express purpose of buying off any brigand I couldn't outrun. Other pirates have demanded cargo from me, but 1) spotting suspicious groups at a distance has given me an edge in running from them, and 2) a sufficiency of good luck, where I've managed to flee into the sensor range of a Viper patrol, have meant that I've kept my cargo to myself. Still, though, I call that a pro tip. Don't forget, each time out, to cycle your cargo (shift-R) so it's the junk that's lined up for immediate jettison (shift D).

Don't follow the main space lane. This is between the witchpoint entry and the space station much closer to the planet. As soon as you leave witchspace turn away from the planet so that the planet marker in the space compass is at the edge of the compass then, if there are no powered ships on your scanner, engage the Torus drive (key J). You will now be travelling at right angles to the lane. After ten seconds or so turn back to head for the planet. In busy trading systems the space lane may be chocked with traders plying the route. Even though they are usually not aggressive, they will mass lock your Torus drive. Pirate bands will also be waiting to ambush traders too.

I made my first kill on my first trip into Isinor (although, to be honest, the derelict Boa I'd found wasn't fighting back …) But I didn't even try to fight anything moving until I had bought the following:

Cargo Bay Expansion. Not my usual first purchase, but it just panned out this way: I'd arrived in Isinor, made a healthy profit, and had enough to buy the Expansion and - crucially - fill the extra space with cheap Furs. Not counting, of course, my 5TC of pirate kibble. And anyway, Isinor doesn't sell what would normally be my first purchase, to wit:

Injectors. The Isinor-Ensoreus run is a long one, and it doesn't leave you with much fuel to burn, but even so, these things can and do make all the difference.

ECM. Don't start a shooting match without one.


Front Beam laser. Remember, folks, it's not as expensive as it looks: you get to sell the Pulse laser it's replacing. First trip out with my new gun, I met Gecko, a Mamba and a Sidewinder, who were duffing up a Cobra I. On previous trips, I'd have shed a pious tear and headed in the opposite direction, full pelt; this time, emboldened by the presence of an actual weapon on my ship, and not some glorified signal light, I intervened, successfully. My count went from 1 to 4.

Now I've got an Extra Energy unit, and another Beam laser on my tail, and 12 kills to my name, and a Fuel Scoop in case of Escape Pods. I'm still carrying 5TC of Freebooter Friskies, but so far, I've not needed to use them. Long may that continue!

[Fatleaf]

Also it might be a good idea to install Reduced Laser Damage oxp to balance things out a bit. See the thread HERE to download.

[ralph_hh]

It was around 1986, when I bought my C64 and soon thereafter began playing ELITE for endless nights. So, I’d say, I’m no beginner…

I discovered and installed OOlite just yesterday, but already, I think about quitting.

Earning money is still easy, enemy interference can be avoided. The ships handling with modern analog joysticks is far more easy than in old times, where manual docking was a real thrill. But, here we go. This is no trade game but a fight game, isn't it? Really?
I own a docking computer now, 2 beam lasers, extra energy cells, ECM. The extra shields or military laser are not yet an option I could afford, but I have a configuration that was survivable in the old days. I fail. Every time I encounter more than one ship, they tear me apart. They destroy me before I can even score a single shot. (By the way, it's true, that you don't hear by the sound of the laser, if you've hit anymore, unline in Elite?)

I'm prepared to change my tactics from frontal interception to run away and snipe out of the rear window, I will be a bit more patient to purchase all the needed extra stuff, but I doubt, it will be that much fun anymore.

In the C64 times, I flew through anarchy systems, more or less harvesting pirates, groups of 6, 8 no problem. Now, 2 are too much.
Two major differences: In Elite, you hear when you hit, so you know when you should re-aim or not. In Elite, the NPC hit you every 10th shot or so with limited damage, in Oolite they seem to score 5 out of 10 with remarkeable total damage.

One more question: what's the default starting ship? Cobra MKIII, no? Not the most harmless after all...

[Smivs]

Hi ralph_hh, and welcome.

It was around 1986, when I bought my C64 and soon thereafter began playing ELITE for endless nights. So, I’d say, I’m no beginner…

I discovered and installed OOlite just yesterday, but already, I think about quitting.

Hold on...give it a chance

...Every time I encounter more than one ship, they tear me apart. They destroy me before I can even score a single shot...
In the C64 times, I flew through anarchy systems, more or less harvesting pirates, groups of 6, 8 no problem. Now, 2 are too much.
Two major differences: In Elite, you hear when you hit, so you know when you should re-aim or not. In Elite, the NPC hit you every 10th shot or so with limited damage, in Oolite they seem to score 5 out of 10 with remarkeable total damage.

Firstly, the 'Hit' laser sound is different, but not as obviously so as in Elite. Sounds can easily be changed (as can most aspects of the game) so this could be a nice easy way to get under the hood and start tinkering if you want to.
The current version (1.80) is recognised as being a bit harsh on new players (and probably veterans who might be a bit rusty ), and this is being dealt with. Having said that the combat aspect of the game was thought by many to be far too undemanding before. Think about it - one or two ships similar to yours with similarly skilled pilots should be a real problem. Six should be a no-win situation. This ain't a Turkey Shoot!
So yes, some relief for newbies is desirable, but for a skilled pilot, dealing with multiple adversaries should be a skin-of-the-teeth affair.
Also, Oolite is not Elite, just based on it. The NPC AIs are far more advanced, and the big difference is that it is not player-centric. In Elite the game generated a few (dumb) pirates in your path as you flew towards the planet. In Oolite an entire ecosystem is generated every time you enter a new system. Life is going on all around you all the time - you just don't see much of it.
The trading side of the game has also been given the same attention as the combat balance and it works quite well, with many more trading and money-making options than Elite ever had.
So please be patient, and in time you will find that Oolite has all the charm and appeal that Elite had back in the day, but is a much more thought-through, complex, demanding and rewarding game in all respects.

One more question: what's the default starting ship? Cobra MKIII, no? Not the most harmless after all...

Ha, many of us think the Cobby III is too good to be a starter ship. It is a legacy from Elite when you were stuck with the ship you started with, so it had to be pretty good. Today of course you can buy almost any ship, and kit it out as much as you want to. It's worth noting that even a fairly basic Cobby III is still much better than most of the NPCs you'll encounter.
One last thought, have you installied any ship Expansions? Some of these (especially older ones not specifically updated for v1.80) can add some really lethal vessels often in the Pirate role.

[Cody]

In the C64 times, I flew through anarchy systems, more or less harvesting pirates, groups of 6, 8 no problem.

Yeah... easy, wasn't it? Far too easy, if you think about it! Oh yeah... welcome aboard!

[ralph_hh]

Thank you all for the warm welcome

Yes, Elite was in fact far too easy, but hey, the perfect relief for a troubled 15 year old teenager I was back then. I always imagined being the high tech elite special trouper and it would be natural that poorly equipped pirates stand no chance.

I'll check the sound modification options. Well, after a day, it's too early to know, what I can do, what I can't. On C64 / Amiga500 / Win95, you could open a hex-editor and manipulate some bites. That's history...

Ship expansions? No, nothing alike. Just the basic game so far. Can't even say, which version, I'll have to check back home. The latest, so I guess it's 1.80.

[Cody]

On C64 / Amiga500 / Win95, you could open a hex-editor and manipulate some bites.

<grins> I think you can do that in Oolite, as it happens - but I ain't a boffin.

[ralph_hh]

The last atempts to do this with any savegame resulted in Windows preventing me from doing so due to concerns all data could be destroyed or s.th. like that. Wind95 was the last system I did this.
I like the idea of giving me some extra storage room beyond the 35t.

[Cody]

That's easy, in a decent text editor such as Notepad++ - Oolite is almost infinitely tweakable!

[ClymAngus]

There is a cornucopia of ways to adjust your game.

We are the lego of the gaming world. If it fits then wear it if not then see if another block will fit the space you have.

[Fatleaf]

Have a look through THIS list for some expansions and also extra ships.

[Diziet Sma]

G'day ralph, and welcome aboard!

For what it's worth, I've always felt the default laser-hit sound needed changing, too..

For an easy way to fix this, there are a number of alternate sound-packs in the OXP list that Fatleaf linked to. You might find one more to your liking amongst them.