Oolite Bulletins

It takes indeed 7 successful deliveries, but the problem is that there
is a small chance on every witchspace jump that it decreases.
That makes it quite painful to maintain the maxium reputation.

And with the Cobra Mk. III it's really hard to find any contracts at all if
your reputation isn't currently at max.

Are contracts the only way to get enough money to buy a larger ship?
Because I don't see how else I'm going to get ~500000 Cr for a nice Boa,
or even 200000 Cr for a Python.

Piracy and bounty hunting can earn you good cash in a Cobra III. As anything you scoop is 100% profit, filling your hold with goods you ahem found, can make you over 3,000 C a run in scooped cargo plus what you gain in bounty money. You could also do some Random Hits (500 - 9000C per hit) or jobs for the Navy. If you fit an Ore Processor mining can also make you good money. As you've found though the Cobra IIIs cargo bay is really too small for cargo contracts.

Yes, I've been pirating and bounty hunting a lot too. Still, the 30,000C you
get for a good contract far exceed anything I could earn by pirating in that time.

But I've bought me a Python now (from the 100,000 C I saved, and my Mk.III) and doing as many contracts as possible to keep the reputation up.
So that I'm as fast as possible in a Boa 2 Class Cruiser.

Unfortunately I haven't tried any OXPs yet, this is only my fourth day playing Oolite. But thanks for the suggestions!

100,000 Cr in four days' playing is not bad at all! (Have you slept at all during the last four nights? )

Hmm, I got my 8 hours of sleep or so... most of the 100,000 Cr I got
from the lucrative gem/platinum/gold contracts. Once you get your reputation and a large enough ship to also get it back in times you
don't actually deliver cargo, money doesn't seem to be a big
problem anymore.

And in the first days the Wiki and this Forum helped a lot

I finally earned enough to buy a Python Class Cruiser. I haven't been disappointed, either. It seems to me to be the best mix of large-ish (160t with extension) cargo hold while still being a respectable fighter that can mount all game equipment, and it's much cheaper than the slightly larger haulers. I really sweated this first purchase, the other big contender was the Remorse of Conscience, but while it has some nice specs, it doesn't fit the sort of play I wanted: make serious cargo hauling money fast, while still being able to fight in serious battles (you really need those shield boosters and MSEs when in pitched Naval/Thargoid battles).

With the PCC I've been working my best trade routes at much increased profit per real wold time because of the increase cargo hold, and taking all short cargo and passenger contracts, UPS Courier offers, and long cargo contract offers that are close to a route I was already planning on (e.g., GalacticNavy or RandomHits missions). I think the best possible gameplay is to have many of these open ended missions (GalacticNavy actually has a time limit, but it's reasonable, while RandomHits is totally open ended which makes it really flexible) running simultaneously, that fights the sometimes tedious nature of the pure hauling.

(I have to say though, once you find a particularly sweet trading route, there's nothing boring about watching the credits quickly pile up with a ship that can really hold its cargo).

As a final note I'll say that I would not enjoy trading (or fighting, or just flying around) as much without the YourAdHere OXP. The convenience store makes hauling infinitely more enjoyable and dynamic, and offers yet another way of making a buck. I can't imagine now playing without them.

Very interesting thread.

I had been wondering why couriering seemed so unprofitable.

With my trusty Porcupine, I have made 100000 credits in 2 hours last evening by the tedious process of going between Ensoreus and Isinor with computers/luxury goods and furs/liquor many many times. Thank god for the jumpdrive and time acceleration - I could reduce the time to go from one to the other to less than 2 minutes.

Anyway, a few more hours of this and a Boa II Clipper will be mine, but will I be tempted by the Python Class Cruiser in between I wonder?

mcarans wrote:

Anyway, a few more hours of this and a Boa II Clipper will be mine, but will I be tempted by the Python Class Cruiser in between I wonder?

I did much the same, except I got tempted by a standard Python first, then a PCC, and now a BCC.

Today I discovered that I can do about 42.000 Cr in 40min, using a good old Cobra Mk III with Fuel Injectors and Cargo Bay Expansion.
Route is Xevera (Tech Level 15) to Ladigeso (Tech Level 1) in Galaxy 5, central sector I think...
The cargo is, as one could expect, computer <-> booze & furs.

I would buy a Phyton ET Special, so I can increase my cargo capacity of 3.2 times while retaining good manovrability, shield system and, more important of all, speed.

What do you think?

Go for it!
Or go for the python cruiser.

Similar story here. After a brief flirtation with Mk i and Mk III Cobras, I bought a standard python, which I soon upgraded to one with a Naval Energy Unit. After a good bit of serious trading I eventually bought a Boa Class Cruiser which was excellent...the best of the core ships by far. I had my Cruiser for about two months, and when the Boa II Clipper (OXP) was released in March I bought one. The extra speed more than makes up for the reduced cargo space, and I've kept it ever since.

Arexack_Heretic wrote:

Go for it!
Or go for the python cruiser.

The PCC is a beautiful ship, but she has a problem:
Military shields available. No
And I'm a Navy Reserve Pilot. So I need them.

Dave McRoss wrote:

Arexack_Heretic wrote:

Go for it!
Or go for the python cruiser.

The PCC is a beautiful ship, but she has a problem:
Military shields available. No
And I'm a Navy Reserve Pilot. So I need them.

That's why I bought a Python ET Special. A very sweet ship, and a pretty one; I only wish it had more missile slots and energy. But it serves. Also, any complaints about ubericity can be referred to Giles himself.

Dave McRoss wrote:

The cargo is, as one could expect, computer <-> booze & furs.

Narcotics are pretty good, and if you avoid the main drag the Old Ooze stays settled until nearing the station. Even then, their Vipers aren't too enthusiastic if you're carrying less than 100t, and with increasing laser accuracy they're not a problem at all

Sorry, but I don't deal in illegal goods. I choosed to kept a clean reputation in my career, even if somethimes I becane fugitive for very small accident (like when I fired a E-Bomb in the middle of a Seedy Bar space).
I trade in illegal goods only when i scooped them
Now, however, I followed the topic advices and I installed UPS courier and I'm trying to build-up my rep. so I can take better contracts.


PS: No complain to Giles intended