Oolite Bulletins

Hi all

I've relatively new to Oolite and generally really enjoy it, but I'm frequently getting knocked by the difficulty in setting up my first trade route as I always seem to get jumped by a gang of pirates.

I'm trying to set up a route between Leesti & Diso, but the majority of times I reach Diso I get attacked by pirates.
I think there must be something wrong with my fundamental understanding of the game as I thought that Diso should be safe being a democracy, is this not correct?

Is anyone else a pirate magnet?

Many thanks
John M

Welcome aboard, Commander! Diso's proximity to Riedquat may have a bearing on the threat level.
I reckon Qutiri/Isinor makes a better first trade route, which is not so far away - try there?

Welcome John!

I've done a lot of testing for the rescaling experiment around Diso and was often jumped by gangs of up to 8 pirates even with just a couple of tonnes on board...
As for why, I think Cody's answer is a likely factor as Riedquat is an Anarchy: usually the most dangerous type of system.

Good luck.

Cody wrote:

I reckon Qutiri/Isinor makes a better first trade route, which is not so far away - try there?

The Tionisla / Isinor route may be even safer though the distance is a bit farther. I've found Qutiri, being a multi-government world, can be rather dangerous for a Jameson. Carry a few canisters of cheap cargo to eject. You may appease the pirates that way until you can afford better armor and weapons.

<nods> It's good to have options.

Thanks all - that Qutiri/Isinor route sounds like a good tip - I'll give that a go

I hadn't realised that the political status of a neighbouring planet could have an impact...that makes a lot of sense.


Many thanks
John M

Astrobe wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 6:25 pm

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:06 am

Thanks all - that Qutiri/Isinor route sounds like a good tip - I'll give that a go

I hadn't realised that the political status of a neighbouring planet could have an impact...that makes a lot of sense.


Many thanks
John M

I don't think it would have helped you in this particular case, but did you play the Tutorial by any chance? We would like some feedback on it. Don't be afraid to be right or wrong, positive or negative, just speak your mind.

Hi - do you mean the initial training mode? if so then yes I did & it was very useful - actually without it the first couple of hours would have been a nightmare

Cheers
John M

Tionisla and Isinor is working well for me at the moment.

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:04 pm

Hi - do you mean the initial training mode? if so then yes I did & it was very useful - actually without it the first couple of hours would have been a nightmare

The tutorial starts with explaining the HUD, then places your ship in the asteroid field and throws rocks at you, and then you fight against a few enemies. There's also docking training and navigation tips.

Astrobe wrote: ↑Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:18 am

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:04 pm

Hi - do you mean the initial training mode? if so then yes I did & it was very useful - actually without it the first couple of hours would have been a nightmare

The tutorial starts with explaining the HUD, then places your ship in the asteroid field and throws rocks at you, and then you fight against a few enemies. There's also docking training and navigation tips.

Yes thats the one - I would say its essential

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:15 pm

Tionisla and Isinor is working well for me at the moment.

Good! No problems getting from Lave to Zaonce, I presume?

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:06 am

Thanks all - that Qutiri/Isinor route sounds like a good tip - I'll give that a go

I hadn't realised that the political status of a neighbouring planet could have an impact...that makes a lot of sense.


Many thanks
John M

That was an upgrade they brought in a release or two back - prior to that the danger level didn't factor in any neighbours, but it makes perfect sense that it should do; it's just border-jumping writ a bit larger than usual.

greyinggeek wrote: ↑Mon Feb 13, 2017 10:21 pm

I'm trying to set up a route between Leesti & Diso, but the majority of times I reach Diso I get attacked by pirates.

As a greying geek, I'm sure you'll take this in the sense it's intended : It's to sort out the intromissive-organ-equipped small furry animals from Alpha Centauri from the small-hands small furry animals from Alpha Centauri.

For what it's worth, in many new Jamesons in many versions of both Elite and Oolite, I've found those first couple of runs into Diso to be a bit of a lottery too. You need to hit the throttle fast when you drop into the system, hit a vector well away from the witchpoint-station "main drag", and if they hit you, run like your tail is on fire (which it may well be).

Which are all good flying strategies. I think Mr Gimlet mentions them, wise little frog that it is.

====
People suggest alternative routes - well, being somewhere else is always an option. Choosing where to be is part of game strategy. Another thing to consider is selling your forward mounted laser very early and replacing it with a rear-mounted laser. You still run, but now you can run and fight at the same time, which gives you a big advantage over a stock Jameson.
Selling your missiles and laser will of course increase your working capital. At considerable risk. Another strategic choice.

I'd wish you good flying, but I suspect that the addiction has bitten deeply enough for that to be irrelevant.

Thanks all - that Qutiri/Isinor route sounds like a good tip

It does indeed sound interesting - and that's MY addiction speaking.

I think the best help would be an info screen at start, exactly as in spara's Start Advice pack:

Norby wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:44 pm

I think the best help would be an info screen at start, exactly as in spara's pack:

Hmmm, quite wordy. I'll need my 1970s Glass Teletype Sunglasses - all that orange, it's like a bad day at the White House.
Wasn't "Mr Gimlet" part of the original game (mine was off a floppy, I'm afraid)? In which case, I'd refer to that. If the book were in the in-ship library, you could read it in game-time?

Do any of the roadmaps include future new Jamesons coming into the Ooniverse at academies other than Lave?

If Lave remains a reliable start, then the comments on agriculture are good, and naming nearby industrials is also safe. I wouldn't try quite so hard to jam the horse's nose into the trough myself, but that's wording. Putting the library module plus the Frog Book (anyone here remember the Pink Shirt Book?) add an additional temptation to the Jameson - turn the library into working capital, or RTFM? I can't remember the prices you can get though. Don't want to put too much cash into the pockets of an impressionable young Jameson on the mean docking deck of Lave! The really brave (or terminally stupid) can get up to 570€ working capital from day one by selling all missiles and lasers. But as long as the library module is not more than a hundred or so credits, you'll not greatly change the gameplay - just changing options that were there previously.