Hitch hikers Guide for Learner Drivers

[Lysander]

As a player just started, a bit of advice for newbees. you will get some fabulous advice from the vets, Thargoid for example is a master teacher and very gentle with you and ever so patient with his replies. However, some of the vets simply don't understand how far down the ladder we are so, and forget we don't even understand the basics. For what it is worth, are a few tips, from the viewpoint of someone just emerging from the cradle:

1 Immediately add the extra cargo bay and a fuel scoop (essential for picking up cargo containers when you win by flying just over them, also for scooping free fuel from the sun's aurora if you are moving rapidly across the galaxy by flying into the suns aurora). Forget passenger carriers (complete waste of time, not profitable) Go for the docking computer ASAP. Don't listen to those who advise against. Yes, I too can now fly in with ease, but in the early days it is incredibly frustrating and you want to play, not toddle about lining it up on every trip. Use the Shift D key to not get driven mad by the music!

2 Get yourself ASAP to two close planets one agricultural, one industrial. start trading computers one way, liquor or furs the other. check the gold, platinum, gems prices in both and trade these too (no cargo space needed)

3 As soon as you can, get a front beam laser, then a military laser, witchdrive injector, scanning target enhancement and harden up your shields.

All of these are essential to get fighting (and winning!) just keep enough funds to trade well at first. Witchdrives are essential to save hours of sitting around whilst other ships disappear.

4 Now you are in business. Progress will be slow at first, start adding OXPs all available on the website, your Ads is great, giving you con stations. As you get to competant, you start to get missions, enjoy them and accept ANY legit contract (don't carry illegal narcotics etc if you don't want Offender status). They get more profitable as you take them on.

5 Now - as your ship gets older it starts to loose value, but you are not rich enough at this point to build up to those fabulous ships. Forget the standard Python, which is only thing you can afford. It plods! instead, when you are up to about 100,000 credits, look at the ships in the OXPs. My advice is trade in for a Griffin II, essentially a beefed up Cobra III with 45 ton cargo. By this stage your score is approaching 'Dangerous' (hopefully) and trades really start to sing, earning 10-15,000 credits a session at last. Profits rapidly start to escalate. pirate if you want, where trading is not profitable, but making sure the cops are not about if you do - my approach was to load up high value computers and to leave spare cargo space on less profitable foodstuff / drink returns, using the latter runs to grab anything I could with the cargo scoop. good tip too 9obvious to the experienced) is to use the zoom (Z key) when picking up cargo, it makes cargo much easier to locate.

I would welcome others findings at this level and - perhaps - tips for the next stage from Stage 2 players!

Have fun, Lysander

[another_commander]

Get an ECM after the Large Cargo Bay. Your chances of survival in combat will increase dramatically.

[govert]

10-15'000 credits per session? with 45 tons of cargo spcace?

Could you please elaborate on the math here

[LittleBear]

Just trading computers / furs between a rich agg / rich industrial, you'd make about 1,500 a trip. With injectors you can wizz through the space lane and dock in about 5 mins. So in an hours play you'd make 10k or so. Best way to start off is just by fitting injectors straight away, then a large cargo bay, then a docking computer and fuel scoops. Only then start arming up, head out and grab some kills. Bouncing between a corperate state and and anarchy with a half full cargo bay is pretty profitable. Injector towards the planet, laser any traders and take their stuff. Force em to eject too to scoop their pods. Ditto pirates. Just make sure there are no cops about.

[Lysander]

Little Bear's commentary makes really good sense. He, like Thargoid, always offers excellent practical advice worth taking; I always follow it up. I would still be interested in his views on the best low cost ship to move up to with more cargo capacity to increase profit, but not breaking the bank for the beginner (i.e. below 250,000 credits). Another Commander (another stalwart adviser) is spot on on the ECM - essential.

Thanks to Govert for your comment. I am finding that quite easy to do now, in an (average) hour's play. As Little Bear points out, look at the prices on the type of state as well as its agri / industrial state. Anarchy / Corporate are good partners. On the return run to the industrial, keep about 20 tons free for cargo grabbing; knock out all offenders of any size and (perhaps immoral) start hunting down lone Pythons and the dumb Boas with escorts, if you pick off escorts first, the Boa is open to parting with its cargo (best as you can learn to pilot fast up the linear stream of containers sucking then in fast) or hoovering then up in the normal way. Always get the escape capsule on your scanner early in the fray (if you are lucky 250/500 credits for the rescue). Check out the con stations if you start immediately near the Witchdrive beacon. Dumping your cargo and /or scoiops there leaving more free space saves time).

What I have not learn't to do is how to buy cargo without taking the lot (for example if 45 tons of liquor is available at a station, how do you select to only load,say, 20 tons?). Anyone who has figured this out, please advise.

Lysander



Lysander

[tomsk]

What I have not learn't to do is how to buy cargo without taking the lot (for example if 45 tons of liquor is available at a station, how do you select to only load,say, 20 tons?). Anyone who has figured this out, please advise.

Use the Left and Right cursor/Arrow keys to decrease/increase load by 1 unit.

[Lysander]

Thanks for the advice Tomsk, its been bugging me for ages

[Captain Sumo]

Excellent advice, but I've got a couple of extra suggestions.


I find there's more profit to be made on furs than on liquor. I would go for that!

And I would make an ECM my very first purchase. Until you've got one, I would avoid all combat situations.

I made my fortune in a Hamadryad. A tad ponderous, but cheap and with enough cargo to take on the contracts. The contracts are worth it. The first ones aren't that profitable, but after 7 or so, you get offered some really good ones.

Dangerous by the time you made 100,000! I was still average. I stayed out of the trading lanes and avoided combat until I had a ship that could handle it!

[Lysander]

Thanks to Captain Sumo for adding to the debate. 'Dangerous' by 100,000 credits can be taken two ways; I reached dangerous at this figure, but it might mean that I am a very poor trader compared to him. I have to admit to enjoying the scraps, to relieve the boredom, but watch it, as your score gets higher, a lot more starts to come at you! scrapping (or taking contracts) will reduce your average scoring rate. so its your choice, either way have fun. I will look at Ctn Sumo's recommendation.

[HueijRevisited]

Another one for the new Jameson...

Taking on lone Pythons (I never did, with or without GalCop presence...) is fine when you have already some offensive/defensive equipment. But before you have the money to get that, it may be wise to stay out of the trade lanes.

When you jump into a new system, point your nose to the planet, turn up 90 degrees, hit J for about 10-15 seconds and turn to the planet again.

This way you will avoid any pirate that lurks in the lane for any new Jameson to take on.

It's not the most exciting way to play but you will get the chance to grab some credits through trading without the "Press space Commander"every other turn.

[Pangloss]

When you jump into a new system, point your nose to the planet, turn up 90 degrees, hit J for about 10-15 seconds and turn to the planet again.

This way you will avoid any pirate that lurks in the lane for any new Jameson to take on.

This was going to be my advice. Not only do you avoid the pirates... you avoid EVERYTHING in the space lane. No more do you have to sit behind some Sunday driver, waiting until they get far enough behind you so you can Jump again.. only to come right up to the next "Jump Drive Inoperative: Powered Ships In Range". Just zoom straight up, then head towards the station from "above".

Here's a good pictoral representation. The space-lane is on a 'plane', so it's like a two dimensional road. But you're in a vehicle that can travel in 3-dimensions. So why stick to the road?



"Where we're going, we don't need roads a space lane."

I think there are certain things that are more expensive in the Con Stores (the Your Ad Here OXP (Oolite eXpansion Pack)) than at the space station proper. Liquors and fur coats coast more in the fancy Con Store, so it might be worth your time manually docking with the Con Store to maximize profits. See the earlier advice about going from a poor agricultural system to a rich industrial system. Furs and wine one way, machinery and computers the other.

[Alex]

The previous posts are very good advice.

The RoC is a very good "level 2" ship. Lots more cargo and fast enough for most stuff.

What you need to find is a Poor agri planet as close as possible to a Rich Industrial to max trading profits

I prefer to get the larger cargo hold first then
ECM
"Tab" bomb... just in case!
fuel scoops
Docking Comps
Injectors
Then save up for military laser. I don't waste money on the beam laser.
Also get ECM hardened missiles, the normals are next to useless. As virtually everyone has an ECM.

Once there almost everything between the stars is fair game. And it's time to get all the lovely extras.

[Lysander]

As a final on this I found an interesting way to increase the cash gain route today exponentially. It is as follows:

Load Oo-Haul OXP and exchange your ship for an L crate Transporter (cheap 150 ton carrier, no way to load weapons), but with reasonable speed.

Buy one with Advance Space Compass, if available (or add, reduces time hugely on space station hunting) and add witchdrive (allows fast escape + reduce time if ships in vicinity of Witchspace station on arrival, or if there is a con station nearby)

Follow advice as above re shipping lanes, flying well out, between two good close trading argicultral indistrial planets, traqding major stocks both ways.

Using this, on a timed hour, I made 40,000 credits. round trips were taking 3 minutes each way on average. I was never attacked and it would have been pointless to stay around anyway (no weapons can be mounted on the L crate transporter!!)

Boring, but on the above basis, 3 - 4 hours trecking should raise capital to get a decent larger ship.

Would welcome any other tips on this from experts, i.e. should you still take maintenance overhauls, is it worth exhange close planets once in a while to get better trading rates etc.

Lysander

[Pangloss]

As a final on this I found an interesting way to increase the cash gain route today exponentially. It is as follows:

Load Oo-Haul OXP and exchange your ship for an L crate Transporter (cheap 150 ton carrier, no way to load weapons), but with reasonable speed.

Buy one with Advance Space Compass, if available (or add, reduces time hugely on space station hunting) and add witchdrive (allows fast escape + reduce time if ships in vicinity of Witchspace station on arrival, or if there is a con station nearby)

Follow advice as above re shipping lanes, flying well out, between two good close trading argicultral indistrial planets, traqding major stocks both ways.

Using this, on a timed hour, I made 40,000 credits. round trips were taking 3 minutes each way on average. I was never attacked and it would have been pointless to stay around anyway (no weapons can be mounted on the L crate transporter!!)

Boring, but on the above basis, 3 - 4 hours trecking should raise capital to get a decent larger ship.

Would welcome any other tips on this from experts, i.e. should you still take maintenance overhauls, is it worth exhange close planets once in a while to get better trading rates etc.

Lysander

Absolutely INCREDIBLE earning potential. And then you can splash out on a Morrigan or a Falcon and REALLY go to town!!

Just make sure those two worlds (the Farmer's system and the Tech system) aren't TOO far apart... you still need plenty of fuel in reserve to outrun any potential hazards. There are worse things than running out of Witchspace Fuel with four pirates on your 'six': running out of Witchspace Fuel with five pirates on your 'six', for example.

[Screet]

There are worse things than running out of Witchspace Fuel with four pirates on your 'six': running out of Witchspace Fuel with five pirates on your 'six', for example.

That's why I began to like fuel tanks...they are more costly than the fuel station oxp, but they won't blow up my Caduceus

Screet