carrier market suggestions (or maybe ships?)

[punkbohemian]

After playing for a while, I noticed that I never do anything with the carrier market since either a) it would be more profitable to do a milk run, or, more importantly b) I don't qualify for the mission because I don't have a crew berth or enough cargo space. Of course, I haven't been playing long (probably a couple weeks now), so maybe some of this stuff changes when I get to other galaxies (but based on some of what I've read on the board, I doubt it.)

1) Passenger runs that are worth it.

Plenty of people have already submitted suggestions here about this, so there's no point in rehashing it. I just wanted to mention that I also support this idea.

2) Smaller cargo runs.

Most cargo runs require a cargo hold of a tonnage in the hundreds. I've even seen some for which only an Anaconda could qualify. Meanwhile, I've only ever seen one that my Cobra Mk III with an extended cargo hold could take. As a result, most ships cannot access this feature of the game. However, if there were also smaller cargo runs (like in the 10-20t range), more ships would be able to do runs.

3) 5t min cargo capacity on all ships (except maybe a couple of light fighters).

Because, once passenger runs are worth it, the pilots who opt for a the faster and sleeker fighter can convert that space to a passenger berth and start hiring themselves out as escorts.

4) Adding (more) shorter runs.

It seems like almost all runs range from about two weeks to a month, and require at least a half a dozen jumps. I have seen a few passenger runs that were shorter, but almost never any cargo runs. As a result, it's actually more profitable just doing milk runs. Then again, I might not know what I'm talking about here, because I've only sporadically done hired runs and therefore haven't built up the rep to get the more "lucrative" ones. Even if I did, milk runs are still faster than the monotony of jumping from system to system, refueling via sun. Anyway, expanding on shorter runs would make doing runs a possibility for newer pilots, as well as provide work for people who don't feel like trekking half-way across the galaxy.

5) Making runs dangerous.

Especially passenger runs. Maybe this could be the rationale for making them more lucrative. I've done some passenger runs, and have never run into any trouble (at least none that made me suspect it was from carrying a passenger). This could also be the rationale for smaller cargo runs (i.e. emergency supplies for a planet being ravaged by pirates).

6) Pricing for runs.

Actually, I can't figure out how this works. I get the impression it's based on tonnage and distance isn't really a factor. As a result, I've seen some weird cargo runs. 13 jumps for ~500 creds? I think that's a little backwards. I mean, if you have the cargo space, you have it, and it doesn't matter much to the pilot if it's 20 or 200 tons. However, 13 jumps is a lot more time consuming than 3, and as a player, runs that I take are going to pay the most for the least amount of time/bother.

[Screet]

The profit of the contracts should increase with a better reputation. Concerning the passenger contracts, the formula for the profit was reworked some time ago, but I think it's only available with the trunk version.

I also do believe that the cargo contracts require too big ships. Flying a Caduceus Omega with 50T capacity, I can practically NEVER find a contract. It's something like one per month or so - and most ships have a much smaller capacity, similar to the CM3.

Screet

[Diziet Sma]

milk runs are still faster than the monotony of jumping from system to system, refueling via sun.

Fuel Stations.OXP will eliminate 95% of those monotonous sun-skimming runs...

[punkbohemian]

I also do believe that the cargo contracts require too big ships. Flying a Caduceus Omega with 50T capacity, I can practically NEVER find a contract. It's something like one per month or so - and most ships have a much smaller capacity, similar to the CM3.

Exactly my point. In order to get your rep up enough to turn a profit on missions, you need to buy a ship that can regularly take those runs. However, cargo ships are only superior in that they can carry more cargo, their speed (obviously), shields, handling, and weapons are all inferior to other ships. Therefore, in order to do cargo missions, you have to do enough milk runs to save up the scratch to buy a cargo ship, and then slowly chug along making millions, hoping you don't run into any trouble because any pirate ship with afterburners can take you out (even if you have afterburners). E v e n t u a l l y, you'll make a couple million creds. It'll be more than enough to get whatever tricked out ship you wanted to begin with. Still, the 200-400k creds you spent on the cargo ship is a major step back to the 1.5mil (tops) you need to be set for life.

But then you've got to think about what your tricked out ship is going to be? If you're playing standard, not much of anything is better than the CM3. Maybe the Asp mk. 2 for speed, or the Boa Cruiser for a tank. Both in the same price range as the cargo ships. If you're going with the oxp ships, I've heard people talk about the Imperial Courier (I don't really know about it, though). And there's also the Terrapin and Tiger mk. 1. However, the Terrapin is only 200k, cheaper than any cargo ship. So, you could go through a cargo ship phase to rack up the cash for a Tiger, which is only slightly superior to the Terrapin. Or just get the Terrapin and rack up bounties/salvage/milk runs until you can afford the Tiger, the latter probably being faster.

I mean, when you think about it, the carrier market seems rather vestigial.

milk runs are still faster than the monotony of jumping from system to system, refueling via sun.

Fuel Stations.OXP will eliminate 95% of those monotonous sun-skimming runs...

I just got it. Now, I have one less reason to take on missions (which I can't get anyway because my cargo hold is too small).

[Diziet Sma]

milk runs are still faster than the monotony of jumping from system to system, refueling via sun.

Fuel Stations.OXP will eliminate 95% of those monotonous sun-skimming runs...

I just got it. Now, I have one less reason to take on missions (which I can't get anyway because my cargo hold is too small).

Heck, they make cargo missions a snap.. witch in, top up the tanks, reset jump coordinates for the next system, witch out.. I can do several runs per (RL) hour..

[punkbohemian]

Heck, they make cargo missions a snap.

Yeah, but I can't bring myself to drop the cash on a tugboat when I can get a Terrapin for less and do bounty runs. Granted, most bounties don't even cover the cost of missiles, but it's a lot more fun than playing intergalactic trucker.

[Nemoricus]

Salvaging's the really lucrative bit. Fit a Fuel Scoop and collect any pods that your enemies may drop. 100% profit that way.

[punkbohemian]

That's what I've been doing now, but the creds are rather slow. I don't mind though, as it's more exciting.

[lfnfan]

I traded in my CM3 for a Hamadryad so I could do some trade runs. No offence, but Lordy what an awful combat ship. Still, I survived 8 or 9 freight trips, by which time my courier rep was outstanding. And then the credits came a'rolling in.

As soon as I had a comfortable bank balance and enough spare cash for my intermediate level ship - fully spec'ed Cobra Courier, which I'm still in - I junked the Hama.

Without wanting to sound melodramatic, I really do aspire to living the 'poor bounty hunter' dream - Deadly rating, patching up my battle-scarred and barely air-tight tub when funds allow, ekeing out a living at the sights of an overheating military laser, and scooping up my next meal one floating cargo canister at a time...

...but in all honesty I think I've turned into a bit of a wage-slave. I can't give up these lucrative contracts. I see credit signs in front of my eyes. Credit signs and the latest, greatest, sleekest, most deadly vessel money can buy. When I've got my paws on that, then I'll quit the rat race and start to focus on my combat rating.

But at the moment I feel nervous if I haven't got 500k in my account and contract or two on the go...

Can somebody please change the economics of the Ooniverse so I can be a rich bounty hunter....

[Sarin]

Why don't you try out Random Hits or Assassins OXPs? These are designed for bounty hunter, you can be making living with that.

[lfnfan]

thanks for the suggestion Sarin. I was aware of Random Hits from chat on the boards, but you prompted me to have a proper look at the Wiki pages. It looks pretty awesome Assassins also looks a lot of fun.

I have a Constrictor to track down after I've finished off a couple of open cargo contracts. I'm hoping it will prove diverting enough to wean me off my GPG habit....

[punkbohemian]

Why don't you try out Random Hits or Assassins OXPs? These are designed for bounty hunter, you can be making living with that.

I have Random Hits installed. I didn't do Assassins, though. Based on what I read about it, the latter seems to be for "evil" commanders, and I don't want to go that route just yet.

However, in order to do Random Hits, I'd like a beefier ship. The CM3 is just too weak for most stuff. It's not even worth beefing it up, as for (sorta) about the same money, I could pretty much buy my next ship (Terrapin) and start doing runs with that. However, it takes 100k creds to get there, and even with milk runs it's going so slow. I'm only up to 36k now, and I've been playing for quite a while (a couple weeks, on and off). Hence the need for a more useful carrier market.

[LittleBear]

A Cobra Mk III should be fine for 'easy' and 'medium' level victims. Easy victims fly ships like adders, mambas and sidewinders, so you should have no diffculty taking out one of them in a Cobra III. Medium victims fly ships like the Cobra III itself, pythons and boas and so on. A Cobra should be enough even for difficult victims, but you will need to have a full iron ass for the really tricky ones.

For an easy victim you'd probabley want an ECM and a Beam Laser, but that should be enough. A Military and perhaps a shield booster and energy unit should ensure your trusty Cobra prevails against a medium victim. A fully equiped Cobra is reckomended though for 'hard' victims. Injectors are always really a neccessity regadless of the level of victim, so you can give chase if they bug out!

Equipment fitted boosts the resale vaule of your ship, so if you beef up a bit to take some medium victims its not a wasted investment when you trade up. You can of course trade your way to the victim's system, so the hit money should be a bonus over and above what you'd have made anyway.

[punkbohemian]

Thanks for the tips, and from the dev himself. I'll have to get started on those.

edit: I'm in Riedquat, and I don't see a space bar in the system. But, I also read the Random Hits description on the Wiki and it seems to say that I need an Elite rating before I can even take on any missions. Is that true? If so, then don't I need thousands of kills before I can even consider these missions?

[Screet]

edit: I'm in Riedquat, and I don't see a space bar in the system. But, I also read the Random Hits description on the Wiki and it seems to say that I need an Elite rating before I can even take on any missions. Is that true? If so, then don't I need thousands of kills before I can even consider these missions?

"Reasonable Elite rating" means that you should have advanced to some point past harmless in that rating system, not that you're required to be Elite.

If you've got an advanced space compass, switch it to "B" for the bar.

Before the invention of the minesweeping satellites it happened quite often that a bar fell victim to a Q-Mine, but that has been changed in the past. I think it's still possible, but with a very, very, very low chance. Even if so, dock, exit oolite, reload and the bar is back

Screet