Is it just me?

[Imaginos]

I have the ASC and the ANA but I've foolishly been trying to jump the furthest distance possible each time.

[Venator Dha]

An easy mistake to make.
Now that you know what to do, give it another go.
I find it one of the most fun things to do in Oolite.

[ralph_hh]

If you look at the short range star chart (F6), and move the cursor around, you will see both, distance of the targeted planet and the time to travel. You'll be suprised!

Usually contracts are designed to be deliverable by the direct long jumps route with minimum number of jumps. If you are short on time because you are doing some contracts parallel, it is essential to safe time by doing short jumps.

[ffutures]

The weird one is sometimes you get a target system say 6.8LY away that's say a 40 hour journey, but there's a nearby system that's say 0.4LY off to one side and looks nearly as far from the ultimate destination; but if you go there first it's suddenly a 30 hour journey. Sometimes the improvement from an apparently tiny additional jump is even better. I think the idea is that Oolite space is not 2D.

Since I've started running cargo I've made a point of taking minimum-time routes everywhere, on a long trip that really adds up so that by the end you have several days to reach multiple destinations that may only be a few hours apart.

Having said that, you sometimes find that the minimum time route is a ridiculous number of jumps and needs several refuelling stops for a relatively small time improvement. It's a good idea to think it through and decide if the time saving is worth the extra hassle and danger.

[Diziet Sma]

The weird one is sometimes you get a target system say 6.8LY away that's say a 40 hour journey, but there's a nearby system that's say 0.4LY off to one side and looks nearly as far from the ultimate destination; but if you go there first it's suddenly a 30 hour journey. Sometimes the improvement from an apparently tiny additional jump is even better. I think the idea is that Oolite space is not 2D.

That's because the time required for a jump increases with the square of the distance..

[Alex]

Yup I still carry cargo as a side line. I am The Assassin. As with cargo I take 3 contracts at a time and plan jumps. To do this you need good maps.
These I have found invaluable
http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Oolite_planet_list.
Plan, Kill and get on with the next. is painted on my hull.