Adder start: No kidding it's hard!

[mossfoot]

I don't think so... don't have the skilled NPCs or the deep space pirates added in. Made a point of that (figured I would add them in if I ever got a decent ship! ) Anything else that might be affecting it?

[Cody]

I tried convoys, only for pirates to attack and go "I choose YOU, Mossfoot!" ignoring the more valuable cargo ships nearby.

Get in real close to the convoy's mothership and draw the bandits' fire onto her - the escorts will react then.

[mossfoot]

Oh, I did that before. Worked, too... still died (but that was my own fault for joining in)

Is there an actual chance pirates will leave you alone if you dump some cargo for them to scoop up?

[Cody]

Is there an actual chance pirates will leave you alone if you dump some cargo for them to scoop up?

If they demanded it, certainly - and even if they didn't, it may still satisfy/distract them.

[Diziet Sma]

So your solution is to not even leave the system?

Well, I don't have things all my own way.. I have the Risk-Based Economy and Cargo Contracts Mod installed, as well as In-System Market Restore, which means I can't exploit endless streams of gems and precious metals from Rock Hermits.. when I load a game-save, the quantities on-hand are restored from before, as well. Even so, I've made almost 2000Cr in trading profit to date.

I've pretty much cleaned out the Rock Hermits, so only a trickle of newly mined stuff is coming in now.. I'm about to see what bargains I can hunt down at the ConStore, RRS Station and Salvage Gang, after which I'll probably have to jump out of system, if only to re-set things at Zaonce.

And at that point, I'll likely have other things to contend with, as I have Deep Space Pirates and Pirate Coves installed as well..

[mossfoot]

Having a bit more luck this time. If I can get fuel injectors I think most of my problems will be over (yeah right)

[mossfoot]

Very strange... I haven't have a single pirate attack to worry about this time, and had enough time to buy the fuel injectors. But even after that I haven't had any attacks yet. Building myself up in a relatively safe area for now till I get a Beam Laser and an iron ass

I mean, that's standard operating procedure for me, but the difference is that the last ten Broke Adder starts ended in me getting swarmed by at least three pirates on my first or second run and had no way out.

Either the new AI really stands out or I got complacent fighting with military lasers and extra energy units, because I seem to remember doing better against small groups than that

[Diziet Sma]

Well, as you've now realised, "safe" systems are now safer, dangerous systems more dangerous, and the NPCs are often more capable combateers.. not all of them, of course, but there is more of a range of NPC abilities than there used to be. And just like with players, the ones who are good at combat are more likely to have a better ship to go with it. So in a word, the new AI really does stand out, compared to before.

It is also possible to sometimes just have a really long streak of bad luck in Oolite, even in a "safe" system, as has happened to some others who've posted here from time to time. Random numbers do funny things sometimes.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

If you want to go for inter-system trade (is it worth it with 2TC?)

This is interesting. Going through the ship library in 1.8, it says the Adder can pack 5TC, yet the player Adder can only carry 2TC. Methinks the NPCs are getting a bit of an unfair advantage there, otherwise it would be possible to fit a passenger cabin and run a taxi service, or make a fair profit mining.

[mossfoot]

2 tons to start, can be expanded to 5 with an extension like a cobra.

Actually I always thought more of the core ships should allow for varying cargo size upgrades... Would give us more of a reason to take on say a moray starboat or other ships.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

2 tons to start, can be expanded to 5 with an extension like a cobra.

Actually I always thought more of the core ships should allow for varying cargo size upgrades... Would give us more of a reason to take on say a moray starboat or other ships.

Hear hear.

I gave my Ferdy a 10TC expansion. That takes back some of the TC claimed by the APRIL missile rack.
Just as well... The pirates don't leave behind as much containers as they once did. I still try to make them pull the eject handle so I can capture their pods.

[CaptSolo]

The pirates don't leave behind as much containers as they once did.

Noticed that some time ago playing 1.79 development. And now the pods seem to maintain the original carrier's direction and velocity. Quite Newtonian, is that.

[mossfoot]

Part of me had always wanted a bit of a faux-newtonian physics added to Elite's ships as well

[CaptSolo]

I have to correct myself. I think when a ship explodes, whatever cargo pods are spawned travel outward just as one sees debris ejected in a real explosion.

[mossfoot]

Finally got enough to upgrade my adder... To another adder.

Well, not quite. I just got a tweaked Neolite Adder (renamed Hobby) which has no missile slots but an extra energy bank. Just what I needed to not suck... I hope

Geeze...imagine how long it takes to get something good!