Oolite Bulletins

Hey everybody!

I'm just starting out.. and already I'm having problems.
I can't seem to make a profit by trading.
I'm sitting at Zaonce at the time of typing this and I thought it would be a good idea to head for Tionisla as it's close by (save on fuel..yay!) but after docking at the station I found out the stuff wasn't worth as much and after having to refuel there was quite a loss. So I made a mental note of the prices and reloaded from Zaonce. Bought the stuff which I thought would make a profit only to find out that the prices had changed (ARGH!) so after refueling I didn't even make any profit.
I don't mind the slower nature of the game but there's got to be a better way than having to reload 10 times till you get lucky.
Considering the kit to upgrade the craft is so expensive there's got to be more to trading than just pot luck...right?

Try your hand at some OXPs. There are quite a few that can benefit the early ooliter. Check out the wiki to see the most up to date list. Or just check these forums for anything you fancy.

The best trades are made between Poor Ag. and Rich Industrial. Buy food / liquors and wines / furs at the Ag and take them to an industrial. Sell and bring computers / machines back to the Ag. There is a small random element to prices, but you'll allways make money between a Industrial / Ag trades with these goods. Tionisha and Zaonce are both Average Industrial Systems, so there won't be any real difference in price. Whatever you're hauling it'll be coals to Newcastle.

Hi Welcome fox and welcome to Oolite!

The best way to make a profit is to buy and sell between agricultural and industrial planets. Initially it is best to buy items like food and textiles from an agricultural planet and sell them to an industrial planet, and buy computers from an industrial planet and sell them to an agricultural planet. When you have enough credits it's normally furs and computers that give the greatest profit. Buy a fuel scoop when you can afford it and you will be able to scoop cargo cannisters and escape pods for instant profits, and buy additional cargo space too as soon as you can. Finally when you have enough dosh, buy platinum below 70cr and sell over 75cr, ther are no cargo restrictions on the amount of precious items you can carry, but the most you can sell at one time is 126 kg.

There are some optimal trading routes you can find where the largest profits can be made, these are where a rich industrial is adjacent to a poor agricultural and the economic differences in price are the greatest. the closest pair to Lave in galaxy 1 are Ensoreus and Ararus, so head for those.

There are other options you can try, eg trade in your MkIII cobra for a MkI to get some dosh for trading, or alternatively get a loan from the Bank of the Black Monks, but make sure you pay back on time otherwise they will send the boys round and they are nasty!

To speed up the gameplay, there are a couple of things you can do. Firstly avoid the space lanes ie the corridor that runs from the Witchpoint beacon to the station, the corridor is a busy place and you will get masslocked by other craft in your vicinity and you will also avoid the nasties out there. To achieve this, when you have hyperspaced to a witchpoint fly at a right angle away from it for about 15 seconds and then point yourself back towards the station and hit the jump drive, it will get you there very quickly. Secondly buy a docking computer, that will dock you instantaneously using Ctrl D once you are in range of the station.

Happy hunting and proftable trading

Welcome to the boards - enjoy your time here and enjoy the game - I agree with everything my esteemed ooliters said.

Thanks for the tips!
I knew there must have been more to it than just luck!
I'm currently running between Ensoreus and Ararus swapping from carrying computers and food.. it's working out very well so far. I'm upto about 6000Cr
Plus I've already equipped my Cobra MkIII with additional storage space and a fuel scoop.

I was pondering about getting a docking computer but then I thought docking isn't that big of a deal. I think I'd be better off spending on something else beforehand....such as upgrading that torch that they dare call a laser. haha
It's about time I got those damn pirates back for all the times they've destroyed me.

Speaking of docking, I've already had a very amusing incident with a fellow trader.
As I was attempting to line myself up with the station I noticed that my approach was a little off line.. so I pulled back on the throttle to realign myself to the station. I was about 5 seconds from docking when I heard the sound of a collision. Just as I was wondering what the heck had just happened.. I was overtaken by another trade vessel. Just as I was cursing at him for being such an idiot.. he slammed head first straight into the face of the space station! *boom!* I laughed so hard I very nearly forgot that my thrusters were still on around 40%..I just managed to make it.. although I lost a little of my cargo, it was well worth it.

I like manually docking but bought the docking computer for two reasons.

1) I really really like the Blue Danube - 2001 is a favourite movie of mine.

2) Sometimes you just want to get on with the game and the auto-dock feature is nice once you have the D.Computer.

To each his own though.

Hi, Moonlight Fox, and first of all welcome to the boards and of course to this great game!

I don't really have a lot to add to the wisdom of my fellow commanders, except that the next time you have a question you might want to look at the Oolite-FAQ in the Elite-Wiki. There is also the Instruction Manual, which will tell you basically everything you need to know about the game. And - last but not least - as far as trading is concerned, the friendly dockmaster of Lave station has a word or two of advice. It isn't at all a bad idea to listen to his wisdom and life-long experience.

Basically Trading is a patient game. You can make a lot if you don't mind going between the same two planets for some time. I think there are a couple of hotspots where you can swap between computers and furs and make 35+credits per ton per trip.

Prioritise your equipment. You'll need the extra cargo, (more profit), scoop (free cash), the witchspace injector (earn quicker, run from most threats) and docking computer (ditto). Everything else is tinsel, except the passenger berth which is currently not very profitable (but may change shortly, I believe).

Amen Brick wrote:

Prioritise your equipment. You'll need ... a docking computer (earn quicker).

Two things:
Firstly, whilst auto-docking may make things faster in Real Life™, it does increase the game clock by 20 mins, IIRC.
Secondly, to paraphrase a quip from The Dark Wheel: "If you need a computer to dock, you shouldn't be in space."
I'd buy an ECM before a docking computer, any day.

But chacqu'un a son gout, (as they say in France).

Wiggy wrote:

Amen Brick wrote:

Prioritise your equipment. You'll need ... a docking computer (earn quicker).

Two things:
Firstly, whilst auto-docking may make things faster in Real Life™, it does increase the game clock by 20 mins, IIRC.

While this is true, it should also be mentioned that there is hardly anything in the game for which the game clock matters. So most of the time it can be neglected.

Commander McLane wrote:

...there is hardly anything in the game for which the game clock matters.

Some Oxps are using this sweety clock. :-)

Thank you for the welcome Commander MeLane!
The wiki page is really useful, I've been using it quite a lot.. especially when a flashing green and red blip appeared on my scanner.. I thought to myself "there's no way I'm ready to take them on yet" and hit the injectors till they were long gone!



Amen Brick, thanks for the trading tip. After a few days playing this, I now have a better idea on what the general prices for items are...it makes spotting bargains a lot easier. I now know that when the price of platinum hits 80 that it's a good time to sell!
I agree with the prioritising equipment. The extra cargo was the very first thing I purchased. similarly, the scoop and injectors have had plenty of use. The docking computer I've not bothered with, I'm quite happy to dock myself. I might get one when I some spare cash for the times when I'm not in the mood to bother with docking.The passenger bay seems to take up a heck of a lot of space for just one passenger... I don't think it's worth it.
I think I'd agree with Wiggy that the ECM is more important.. although I've noticed that hostiles tend to only use missiles when you start fighting back.. if you're intending to run from battles ( a good tactic till you upgrade the defensive and offensive capabilities of you craft) then the ECM isn't so important.. as soon as you start looking for combat (as I have just started doing) then the ECM becomes essential! It's saved my tail many times now.

The next step, combat-wise, would probably be a rear-mounted laser... and a reversible brain to help control it. By the way, did you know that you can get up to a 10% discount on equipment in certain types of station, e.g. the Imperial AstroFactory or the Commies' SLAPU or CZGF?

That's a good point, there are some profitable price variations in the OXP added dockable objects, Hoopys pays out better prices on furs and luxuries, precious items etc and astromines sell precious metals and minerals very cheaply it's worth having a look around.