OS Neutral Elite Dangerous Tips

[Huntn]

Well, number one: don't boost. You flare up like a spotlight on their scanners when you do that, even if you switch to silent running afterwards.

You are close to doing it right, though. Line up to the letterbox, turn off every system but thrusters, sensors and maybe life support. Turn on silent running, throttle up to cruise speed (i.e. the usual blue sweet spot) and ease your ship into the station. You can immediately turn off silent running when you in the station and your heat level probably won't even have hit 100% if you don't dally. I have done this countless times already and haven't been scanned once.

Besides the reality of the game (I accept whatever the rules are), any cargo floating around in space should be designated as abandoned or salvaged. It would be better to say if there is an ownership ID attached, you should get a salvage fee, not be labeled a criminal.

I would think that silent running would make you more suspicious, not less suspicious to the authorities. Whatever.

Avoiding system security in space is admittedly a bit more difficult, but when you notice ships at an USS, you normally can turn your back to them, boost away and initiate supercruise as soon as you can, and you usually can avoid getting scanned. When you get interdicted, either try to escape the interdiction, or - when it becomes clear you won't make it - submit and then do the same as above. (When submitting to interdiction, the FSD cooldown time is the same as when dropping regularly out of supercruise.)

Is the process of submitting, just letting them scan you? If they find contraband, is a message broadcast or do you discover you've been found out when you return to a station?

Planetary landings will be the first big expansion for ED. As garnerx already said, its predecessors Frontier and First Encounters both had planetary landings.

Yup, it's 400 billion systems and yes, its supposed to be a original scale recreation of the Milky Way.


Yes, for these transport missions, you get the cargo automatically. When you check your cargo hold (right panel), you'll find the cargo is already loaded.


Yes, you have to disengage supercruise manually, normally by tapping "J" again.

Also, keep an eye on the blue throttle sweetspot: when you set your throttle to this (normally around 75%) during supercruise, you'll never overshoot. The navigation panel to the right of the scanner and the "safe disengage ready" message shows you when you can disengage (around 1 Mm away from your destination and with a speed of less than 1 Mm/s).

Thanks for the info. More practice is warranted. For the computer age, the manual control is overly complex.

For these missions, you have to check a couple of the "unidentified signal sources" in the system. From my experience, you usually won't have to inspect more than three of those to find the stuff you were to look for. (I should note that the cargo you found then will count as contraband and has to be smuggled into the station as I described above.)

Does locating these items involve just tooling around in regular vs super cruise, or upping your sensor range? Do these items have to be picked up visually on the horizon, or are there instruments that will display all contacts?

Someone interdicted you, i.e. pulled you out of supercruise. Pirates and system security do that (or griefers). Whether someone is a player or an AI can be discerned by the "CMDR" prefix of their name ("CMDR" = commander = player) and their scanner blips (player blips are hollow).

I assume that the system security attacked you because you hit one of them with your weapons in the heat of the moment. You immediately become wanted and get a bounty on your head when that happens. Unfortunately, the security is very unforgiving in that regard. That can be avoided when you pay close attention on what is going on in front of you before firing your weapons. Better hold your fire when in doubt.

There was no CMDR attached to the name so I assume this was an AI pirate. The pirate attacked me, I fought back. Do the authorities show up and help you during a time like this? I can't remember the sequence exactly, but at first I thought these guys were helping me. Then after I killed the pirate, they were shooting me. Not sure if I accidentally shot one of them or not.

Yes, the sometimes missing landing pad numbers is a known bug. I had this a few times myself. If that happens, look at your compass: the blue dot always points to your landing pad. (There are also a few landing pads that are easy to miss because they are very close to the front wall of the docking bay and hence not immediately visible.)

Regarding the landing orientation: the tower is always in front of you, the yellow gangway on the right and the image of your ship in the docking hologram must always point away from you.

And yes, the penalties for docking infringements are very harsh.

I all ready figured out in two cases that the approach to the landing pad has to be over the little ramp that angles up and down. In this last case, I don't remember seeing the ramp. But I'll make note of both the blue dot and the hologram orientation for next time.

I also agree that the game has quite a learning curve. Not as bad as EVE, but still. Even I as Elite veteran found myself struggling with some of the new concepts that just aren't getting explained properly. You'll figure most things out with time, but the game could definitely do a better job in helping you doing that.

Yep, agree 100%.

 

[garnerx]

Is the process of submitting, just letting them scan you? If they find contraband, is a message broadcast or do you discover you've been found out when you return to a station?

Two different things. If you're just flying around normal space and you see 'scan detected' then it's already too late. You'll be told how much you've been fined and you'll have 24 hours to pay it off, otherwise you'll have a bounty on your head...

...which leads to the other thing, interdiction, which happens when you're in super cruise. You have to chase a target to escape, or throttle down to submit and fight.

Everything makes a lot more sense, control-wise, if you use a joystick and throttle. The one depicted in all the cockpits (every ship has the same instruments - so lazy) is the Saitek X52.

 

[Janichsan]

Besides the reality of the game (I accept whatever the rules are), any cargo floating around in space should be designated as abandoned or salvaged. It would be better to say if there is an ownership ID attached, you should get a salvage fee, not be labeled a criminal.

The way it is handled in ED is actually true to current day maritime laws: cargo floating at sea and found at the shore still belongs to the original owner. If you claim it without permit of them, it's stolen.

Something like a general salvage license or permit by the original owner to salvage would definitely be a welcome addition to ED, though.

I would think that silent running would make you more suspicious, not less suspicious to the authorities. Whatever.

It's surely suspicious as frell, but what can they do when they don't find you?

Does locating these items involve just tooling around in regular vs super cruise, or upping your sensor range? Do these items have to be picked up visually on the horizon, or are there instruments that will display all contacts?

You just supercruise around the system and sooner or later, you will pick up an unidentified signal source (either you see the navigation marker or it turns up in your list of available destinations on the left-hand panel). Pick it as destination, navigate to is as you would to any other supercruise destination and when you disengage SC, you'll quickly pick up signals on your scanner. Orange ones are ships, white ones are cargo containers - that's what you are looking for.

There was no CMDR attached to the name so I assume this was an AI pirate. The pirate attacked me, I fought back. Do the authorities show up and help you during a time like this? I can't remember the sequence exactly, but at first I thought these guys were helping me. Then after I killed the pirate, they were shooting me. Not sure if I accidentally shot one of them or not.

By default, there is an option enabled to report crimes to the system authorities (it's on the right-hand panel under "Functions"). When you get attacked, your ship automatically sends a signal to the system authority and after a while, their ships turn up to help you. Unless you scratch the paint of one of their ships. Then they become your sworn enemy.

By the way, you should get a notice in bright blue text when you get fined or get a bounty on your head on the right hand side of the instrument panel. Something like "600 cr Bounty issued for assault on system security".

----------

Everything makes a lot more sense, control-wise, if you use a joystick and throttle. The one depicted in all the cockpits (every ship has the same instruments - so lazy) is the Saitek X52.

On a related note: the keyboard on the left is the one of the BBC Micro.

 

[Janichsan]

Turns out Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee likes ED, despite its flaws: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/9991-Elite-Dangerous-Review

 

[garnerx]

On a related note: the keyboard on the left is the one of the BBC Micro

That's a nice touch. I played the original on the Spectrum, complete with cardboard overlay for the keyboard. They should have one of those in one of the ships instead of them all being the same.

I did find one station that doesn't look like all the others. Mars High, I think it was called. It's painted white and has palm trees (same layout though). Haven't seen another like that.

 

[Huntn]

Two different things. If you're just flying around normal space and you see 'scan detected' then it's already too late. You'll be told how much you've been fined and you'll have 24 hours to pay it off, otherwise you'll have a bounty on your head...

...which leads to the other thing, interdiction, which happens when you're in super cruise. You have to chase a target to escape, or throttle down to submit and fight.

Everything makes a lot more sense, control-wise, if you use a joystick and throttle. The one depicted in all the cockpits (every ship has the same instruments - so lazy) is the Saitek X52.

I thought Janichan said to silent run into port when smuggling? Will have to review replies. I've got old Thrustmaster X36, plus CH Combat stick and a Saitek Cyborg 3D. I want a twist stick and although it is USB, I can't find Windows 7 compatible software for the Cyborg, so I ordered the the Logitech Pro stick. It arrives tomorrow.

I've found that a combination of Flight assist off plus up or down thrust depending on the situation increases turn rate. Will be setting up my stick appropriately. I'm thinking ideally one button for up thrust and FA off, and another button with down thrust and FA off. Thought?

The way it is handled in ED is actually true to current day maritime laws: cargo floating at sea and found at the shore still belongs to the original owner. If you claim it without permit of them, it's stolen.

Something like a general salvage license or permit by the original owner to salvage would definitely be a welcome addition to ED, though.

I was thinking of Aliens and deep space salvage. In that case the ship belonged to Weylan-Utani but the salvage crew would have been owed a salvage fee if Ripley had not been alive.

It's surely suspicious as frell, but what can they do when they don't find you?

See my reply to garnerx.

You just supercruise around the system and sooner or later, you will pick up an unidentified signal source (either you see the navigation marker or it turns up in your list of available destinations on the left-hand panel). Pick it as destination, navigate to is as you would to any other supercruise destination and when you disengage SC, you'll quickly pick up signals on your scanner. Orange ones are ships, white ones are cargo containers - that's what you are looking for.


By default, there is an option enabled to report crimes to the system authorities (it's on the right-hand panel under "Functions"). When you get attacked, your ship automatically sends a signal to the system authority and after a while, their ships turn up to help you. Unless you scratch the paint of one of their ships. Then they become your sworn enemy.

By the way, you should get a notice in bright blue text when you get fined or get a bounty on your head on the right hand side of the instrument panel. Something like "600 cr Bounty issued for assault on system security".

----------


On a related note: the keyboard on the left is the one of the BBC Micro.

Image

You can see the keyboard in the cockpit?I'll look around. Thanks for the help! more questions to come.

 

[Janichsan]

I did find one station that doesn't look like all the others. Mars High, I think it was called. It's painted white and has palm trees (same layout though). Haven't seen another like that.

There are a few more like that: M. Gorbachev in Earth orbit for instance. I agree that the interior appearance of the stations could use a bit more variety. The exterior appearances are diverse enough (though variants of the Coriolis are too rare), but the interior looks too much the same.

I thought Janichan said to silent run into port when smuggling?

You will also meet system security in deep space, either at USS or they interdict your from supercruise. It's harder to avoid getting scanned there because you can't hide from them as you could in the inside of a station. You could also engage silent running, but the problem is that it's only good for so long. Especially when you have all modules turned on, your ship will overheat quite quickly and then you become visible for them on the scanners again. You could only prevent that by turning off modules to decrease the heat built-up, but that takes time you won't have in a deep space encounter. That's why I said it's better to run in these cases.

I've found that a combination of Flight assist off plus up or down thrust depending on the situation increases turn rate. Will be setting up my stick appropriately. I'm thinking ideally one button for up thrust and FA off, and another button with down thrust and FA off. Thought?

Could work, but you won't be able to set this up with the in-game configuration, which only allows one function per button. With a third-party program that, should work.

You can see the keyboard in the cockpit?I'll look around.

When you look around with free-look in the cockpit, you'll find it to your left.

 

[garnerx]

I'm thinking ideally one button for up thrust and FA off, and another button with down thrust and FA off. Thought?

I've got an 8-way hat switch permanently set to thrusters. It means I can circle-strafe around objects, keeping them centered in my field of view, by applying opposite thrust to the direction I'm turning.

e.g. left thrust and right rudder to circle something to my left. Up thrust and pitch down to circle vertically. It's possible to do some amazing high-speed acrobatics like that. Definitely my favourite part of the game - I'm hoping they add some use for it other than looking cool while docking (maybe races or obstacle courses).

 

[Janichsan]

I've got an 8-way hat switch permanently set to thrusters. It means I can circle-strafe around objects, keeping them centered in my field of view, by applying opposite thrust to the direction I'm turning.

As mentioned earlier, I have thruster controls on the throttle lever hatswitch, which is directly beneath my left index finger, and I have assigned flight assist as toggle on one of the thumb buttons on the control stick. So I can switch it off in mid-maneuvre without taking my hands of the stick.

 

[Huntn]

Excellent, thanks. I was just trying to get it done as fast as possible - once I'm through the door I can touch down in 10 seconds, assuming the pad is actually lit up. Heavy landing sometimes, which is why I still sacrifice one cargo bay for a shield generator.

Not sure I'll ever go back to smuggling. I just upgraded my drive and powerplant (at a total cost of 2x the price of my ship!) so I can now make my old two-jump 250K trade run in a single jump.

From loading up at one station to delivering the goods, loading up for the return and docking back at the start, takes about nine minutes. Some day that Anaconda will be mine (assuming they don't run out of cheap palladium - still over a million units left).

Smuggling- I want to verify how to turn modules off. What modules are there to turn off? And for Janichan, I want to verify you are advocating silent running following picking up contraband, including when entering a space station with contraband? I remember seeing a silent running button. I assume this turns off all modules, at least the noisy ones?

Is there a map of the universe available online? When looking ove a mission, how do you tell that it requires 2 jumps? Or how do you figure that out? I remember one cargo mission where after I had accepted it, the destination was shown in red in the navigation list and it was labeled with a "excess mass message". Does that mean it was too far away for my ship to make a single jump? Or what does it mean? If it means not enough range on my ship, how would I figure out a good middle point to stop?

And is it possible to run you yourself out of fuel? What then?!

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Janichsan]

Smuggling- I want to verify how to turn modules off. What modules are there to turn off?

The modules are listed on the right-hand cockpit panel under the "Modules" tab and include virtually all ship systems like weapons, shields, life-support, cargo systems, thrusters, etc. You turn them off or on again simply by selecting them in the list and pressing the UI select button.

And for Janichan, I want to verify you are advocating silent running following picking up contraband, including when entering a space station with contraband?

Not quite. Since silent running is a rather short term option (explanation below), you have to use it selectively. Only engage it when you really have to. In the case of smuggling, that's mostly when you try to dock at a station without having the circling system security ships scanning you.

I remember seeing a silent running button. I assume this turns off all modules, at least the noisy ones?

That's the problem: silent running turns off no modules at all. It closes the heat vents of your ship, thus impairing effective cooling of your ship and its systems. Without turning off any modules, you have maybe 10, 15 seconds, before your heat level rises above 100%, which will damage your ship and make you visible again on other ships' scanners. You have even less time when you actively use any systems that produce a lot of heat, e.g. by firing your weapons or using your thrusters by maneuvering.

That's why I recommend turning off as many systems as possible. When you turn off modules as I described above, you have almost a minute before you overheat (unless you maneuver a lot). If you would also turn off thrusters, you could prolong that time even more, since these produce the most heat. Getting your ship into the station without thruster, just by drifting is possible, but far from easy.

Another way to prolong silent running time is by using a heat sink launcher, which is a (fairly cheap) additional module. The heat sink is where your ship's cooling system stores the heat, and with a heat sink launcher you can chuck that thing into space, effectively reducing your heat level immediately by a considerable amount. These things also have the advantage of working as a decoy, since they appear as an intense signal on other ships' scanners.

Is there a map of the universe available online?

No "official" ones, but there is for example this one. There is at least one other map, but they are all somewhat incomplete, even for the inhabited part of the galaxy.

When looking ove a mission, how do you tell that it requires 2 jumps? Or how do you figure that out? I remember one cargo mission where after I had accepted it, the destination was shown in red in the navigation list and it was labeled with a "excess mass message". Does that mean it was too far away for my ship to make a single jump? Or what does it mean? If it means not enough range on my ship, how would I figure out a good middle point to stop?

The in-game map has a route planner. When you select a system on the map, there are a few buttons popping up underneath its name. The second to the left shows a few connected dots. Click on that, and you can see how many jumps you need to reach that systems (as long as that system is within 50 ly of your current location). The route is also automatically stored in your ship's computer. The next stop on your route has that symbol with the connected dots beside its name in the destination list on the left-hand panel and as long as you don't select any other targets in the meantime, you will always have the next stop selected as hyperjump destination.

The "excess mass" warning you got means in fact that you cannot reach this destination in one jump. More precisely, the maximum length of a single hyperjump depends on your ship's mass and that includes cargo. The more cargo you have, the shorter your jumps become. (There is also on slider on the galaxy map to recalculate possible jumps based on the mass of the cargo you have loaded.)

And is it possible to run you yourself out of fuel? What then?!

Oh, yes, you can run out fuel. And then you are f*cked. Currently, your only option then is to self-destruct. That makes a fuel scoop, which allows you to refill your fuel tanks by skimming the stars, a very worthwhile investment.

 

[garnerx]

As mentioned earlier, I have thruster controls on the throttle lever hatswitch, which is directly beneath my left index finger, and I have assigned flight assist as toggle on one of the thumb buttons on the control stick. So I can switch it off in mid-maneuvre without taking my hands of the stick.

I never bother with flight assist off, but it's mapped to a button somewhere.

I chose this hotas set (CH) specifically because it has so many hat switches. I think I've got four on the stick and another four plus a mini analogue thumbstick on the throttle.

They're super useful in this game. I've got every control bar a couple of combat-specific ones (chaff, etc) bound to a button. There are two buttons left unassigned for when I decide to venture back into combat.

Speaking of which, I claimed something like 65 bounties plus a bunch of other ships that I shot down for free, and I'm still 'mostly harmless'. What's the threshold for the next level?

 

[Huntn]

OK, how to you find decent missions? Looks like that little incident approaching Ackerman Market involved a 900c bounty, which I payed which leaves me with about 900 credits to my name. Plus I have a 400 fine for landing pad loitering in Akerman, but I'm there now and no one is pressing me to pay. Figure I'll do a mission and get more credits before paying. Would that be bad?

And after reading about what a sweet place Eravate was for trading I don't see jack in Ackerman Market. Since it's late, I'll wait and see if anything pops up tomorrow in this location. I figured out how to open the galaxy map. How do you analyze where the decent credit making opportunities are? Especially missions that newbs can handle.

Regarding joysticks, I broke out my Saitek 3D Cyborg and could not find Windows 7 drivers for it, so I guess it is scrap. Broke out the Saitek X36, online said there were drivers, besides the original drivers which I loaded, but the game does not recognize it. My guess, not Windows 7 compatible. I'll give it one more try or it's scrap too.

Finally got out my CH Combat Stick and Throttle. It came through for me. Got it going and now that I'm using it, it's much easier then keyboard and mouse. Although the mouse has good sensitivity for pitch and yaw and you can get by ok with roll keys (A,D), the throttle is a pain in the butt without a throttle. So happens I have a dedicated CH throttle with 3-8 way switches on it, plus a mini joystick. It's makes throttle management much easier. It does not twist but I'm using one of the hat switches on the throttle for yaw.

Help me figure out how to make some money. What happens if you run out, are you dead in the water or can you get some credits somehow?

 

[garnerx]

You're better off with the CH stuff, I think. So many hat switches! I use the mini joystick for looking around, but I also have it set to thrusters in 'landing override' mode, just in case I need a gentle analogue touchdown (I rarely do).

Help me figure out how to make some money. What happens if you run out, are you dead in the water or can you get some credits somehow?

Are you trying to make money specifically from missions, or will anything do?

Early on, when you can't carry much cargo, you can make good money from the missions where you have to find black boxes or rebel transmissions. They spawn randomly, just keep checking bulletin boards. It'll be easier if you go to outpost stations rather than the big ones, because you won't be scanned by the feds on your way back. Find an outpost that has a black market and you can make quite a lot from scavenging.

Buy some decent weapons and cruise the unidentified signals looking for ships with bounties.

The real money is in trading, nothing else comes close. Work towards a Cobra (about 370K) which is the first one that can carry a good haul. Then a Type 6 (1 million) which carries double that and can jump 20 light years fully loaded. You get most of your money back when you buy a new ship (-10% on the hull, sell the parts first for full price) so it's all an investment. The important stat is your net worth, which includes your ship and cargo.

I'm currently farming a trade route from Gliese 868 (palladium) to LHS 3885 (consumer tech) which is worth about 2300 per ton per trip. The jump distance might be too big for your current ship. A Cobra would do it easily.

You're okay if you run out of money - just take some cheap missions to get started again. If you're destroyed you'll get a loan for your ship. I was bankrupted a couple of times early on.

The only really bad thing that could happen is if you get overexcited and spend all your money on a massively expensive end-game ship (like a Python) and don't leave enough in the bank to cover the insurance. Then if you die the loan won't cover it and you'll have to go back to a basic Sidewinder and no money. I'd quit playing if that ever happened to me.

 

[Janichsan]

Speaking of which, I claimed something like 65 bounties plus a bunch of other ships that I shot down for free, and I'm still 'mostly harmless'. What's the threshold for the next level?

Good question, actually. I never seen a really valid number for the progression, but it seems the rank is not dependent on the number of ships you kill, but on the bounties you collect on them.

OK, how to you find decent missions? Looks like that little incident approaching Ackerman Market involved a 900c bounty, which I payed which leaves me with about 900 credits to my name. Plus I have a 400 fine for landing pad loitering in Akerman, but I'm there now and no one is pressing me to pay. Figure I'll do a mission and get more credits before paying. Would that be bad?

I'd be careful. Unless the fine is marked as "dormant", there's a 24 hour timer to pay that off. Miss that deadline, and it becomes a bounty.

I figured out how to open the galaxy map. How do you analyze where the decent credit making opportunities are? Especially missions that newbs can handle.

Regarding (bulletin board) missions, it's as garnerx said: you'll only find out when you are actually there.

For trading, keep an eye for goods in high or at least medium supply. When you select them, you get a list of systems underneath the description of the type of goods on the left-hand side to which these goods are exported to. And vice versa: when you select some trading good the station demands, you'll find a list of the systems from which this stuff is normally imported.

On the galaxy map, you can also let the game display trade routes for under the "View" tab. First thing you should do is to disable all trade routes and then only selectively activate the ones you are interested in. You can display the routes for each available standard type of goods specifically. The map then displays are sparkly line moving between the systems that trade that goods.

However, the displayed trade routes might be incomplete, since you do not have the trade data of all systems, only of the ones you have visited. For other systems, you can often buy the trade data directly on the galaxy map.

In addition, these in-game trade data also don't show you how much of a profit you will be able to make from that trading run. It can happen that you arrive at your target system only to find that the demand for your cargo is low, meaning virtually no profit or even a loss. That's where third party trade tools like the one garnerx linked to come into play. There's hope that the in-game trade tools get refined, but no timeline or confirmation for that.

 

[garnerx]

It can happen that you arrive at your target system only to find that the demand for your cargo is low, meaning virtually no profit or even a loss. That's where third party trade tools like the one garnerx linked to come into play.

Trading blind is a waste of time, I don't think I ever made any decent money doing that.

Using that website I found a short-haul trade close to huntn's system in a few seconds:

Buy gold at LP 751-1 (Tito), haul to LTT 7421 (Fancher). Buy food cartridges for the return trip. It's less than 6 light years and earns 1189 per round trip. Obviously you need the cash to buy the gold in the first place, but you can see how the profits mount up pretty quickly. There are probably better trades out there if you can jump further.

 

[Janichsan]

Trading blind is a waste of time, …

It's not the destination, man, it's the journey…

I can see where this comes from, though, after lugging around 9 tons of silver for quite a while, before finding a system 50 ly away where I could sell them without loss.

 

[garnerx]

It's not the destination, man, it's the journey…

I want to make that journey in an Asp! And then a Python!

I've got more than enough for an Asp now but not to kit it out to a decent standard, so I'm still hauling in the Type 6. Playing late at night, brain switched off...

Sometimes I've forgotten to fill the cargo hold before taking off. Once I just went into the station without requesting docking - managed to get out with a few seconds to spare before they opened fire. Am I really enjoying it? Can't seem to stop, though.

 

[Huntn]

You're better off with the CH stuff, I think. So many hat switches! I use the mini joystick for looking around, but I also have it set to thrusters in 'landing override' mode, just in case I need a gentle analogue touchdown (I rarely do).

Are you trying to make money specifically from missions, or will anything do?

Early on, when you can't carry much cargo, you can make good money from the missions where you have to find black boxes or rebel transmissions. They spawn randomly, just keep checking bulletin boards. It'll be easier if you go to outpost stations rather than the big ones, because you won't be scanned by the feds on your way back. Find an outpost that has a black market and you can make quite a lot from scavenging.

Buy some decent weapons and cruise the unidentified signals looking for ships with bounties.

The real money is in trading, nothing else comes close. Work towards a Cobra (about 370K) which is the first one that can carry a good haul. Then a Type 6 (1 million) which carries double that and can jump 20 light years fully loaded. You get most of your money back when you buy a new ship (-10% on the hull, sell the parts first for full price) so it's all an investment. The important stat is your net worth, which includes your ship and cargo.

I'm currently farming a trade route from Gliese 868 (palladium) to LHS 3885 (consumer tech) which is worth about 2300 per ton per trip. The jump distance might be too big for your current ship. A Cobra would do it easily.

You're okay if you run out of money - just take some cheap missions to get started again. If you're destroyed you'll get a loan for your ship. I was bankrupted a couple of times early on.

The only really bad thing that could happen is if you get overexcited and spend all your money on a massively expensive end-game ship (like a Python) and don't leave enough in the bank to cover the insurance. Then if you die the loan won't cover it and you'll have to go back to a basic Sidewinder and no money. I'd quit playing if that ever happened to me.

If you run out of money you can still buy gas and fix your ship? How do I figure out insurance?

Good question, actually. I never seen a really valid number for the progression, but it seems the rank is not dependent on the number of ships you kill, but on the bounties you collect on them.


I'd be careful. Unless the fine is marked as "dormant", there's a 24 hour timer to pay that off. Miss that deadline, and it becomes a bounty.


Regarding (bulletin board) missions, it's as garnerx said: you'll only find out when you are actually there.

For trading, keep an eye for goods in high or at least medium supply. When you select them, you get a list of systems underneath the description of the type of goods on the left-hand side to which these goods are exported to. And vice versa: when you select some trading good the station demands, you'll find a list of the systems from which this stuff is normally imported.

On the galaxy map, you can also let the game display trade routes for under the "View" tab. First thing you should do is to disable all trade routes and then only selectively activate the ones you are interested in. You can display the routes for each available standard type of goods specifically. The map then displays are sparkly line moving between the systems that trade that goods.

However, the displayed trade routes might be incomplete, since you do not have the trade data of all systems, only of the ones you have visited. For other systems, you can often buy the trade data directly on the galaxy map.

In addition, these in-game trade data also don't show you how much of a profit you will be able to make from that trading run. It can happen that you arrive at your target system only to find that the demand for your cargo is low, meaning virtually no profit or even a loss. That's where third party trade tools like the one garnerx linked to come into play. There's hope that the in-game trade tools get refined, but no timeline or confirmation for that.

Right now I feel like I'm stumbling around in the dark. I don't think there is an easy way for a new player to figure out how to quickly move to where the profits are. It seems to be hit and miss. Maybe I'll go back to my starting point and hope there are decent trading missions available. As far as trade routes, are they shown as to connecting points, or are they labeled trade route? How are they analyzed? I'm annoyed that I jumped to a system, Evarate and am aggravated that I am not trusted enough to be offered any missions off the Ackerman Station bulletin board. Bastardos! Honestly I'm a bit frustrated.

 

[Huntn]

The Difference between Hper Jump and Super Cruise? They both seem to have the same visual cues.

Regarding money making: Do all stations have commodities that can be hauled that are not missions on the bulletin board? If so how to you figure out where to haul them?

Thanks!

 

[garnerx]

If you run out of money you can still buy gas and fix your ship? How do I figure out insurance?

You can't actually borrow money if you're broke, but if you're destroyed you can use insurance to rebuy the ship and leave you with 1000 credits. The cost is in the right-hand panel (rebuy price). You can borrow up to 200K.

The Difference between Hper Jump and Super Cruise? They both seem to have the same visual cues.

Regarding money making: Do all stations have commodities that can be hauled that are not missions on the bulletin board? If so how to you figure out where to haul them?

The hyper jump is when you go between stars - looks like a tunnel of clouds and stars, basically a loading screen. Supercruise is the other one, with yellow lines on the screen.

Just look in the commodities screen to see what a station has. Or go on elitetradingtool.co.uk, click the 'find trades' tab and enter your details. I found one for you a few posts up that would pay out quite nicely, close to your location.

 

[Huntn]

You can't actually borrow money if you're broke, but if you're destroyed you can use insurance to rebuy the ship and leave you with 1000 credits. The cost is in the right-hand panel (rebuy price). You can borrow up to 200K.



The hyper jump is when you go between stars - looks like a tunnel of clouds and stars, basically a loading screen. Supercruise is the other one, with yellow lines on the screen.

Just look in the commodities screen to see what a station has. Or go on elitetradingtool.co.uk, click the 'find trades' tab and enter your details. I found one for you a few posts up that would pay out quite nicely, close to your location.

Thanks! Obviously I need to look at that. I assume you must buy commodities. I wonder how this plays out with just 500c in my bank account?

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Trading blind is a waste of time, I don't think I ever made any decent money doing that.

Using that website I found a short-haul trade close to huntn's system in a few seconds:

Buy gold at LP 751-1 (Tito), haul to LTT 7421 (Fancher). Buy food cartridges for the return trip. It's less than 6 light years and earns 1189 per round trip. Obviously you need the cash to buy the gold in the first place, but you can see how the profits mount up pretty quickly. There are probably better trades out there if you can jump further.

I'll check this out tonight. Is it easy to explain the mechanics of how you identified this?

 

[garnerx]

It's really easy to do. On that website, go to the 'find trades' tab. type in the name of your location, select the distance you want to search, the minimum profit you want, etc. The maximum distance to station, I always set at 1200 (because it's boring to supercruise any further).

It gives you a list of stations and commodities. For example, searching for 30 light years around Eravate right now turns up a palladium trade from Brani to V1688. The two systems are 13ly apart. Click 'find return commodity' and it will pick the most profitable thing to haul back the other way (mineral extractors in this case). Your profit for that trip would be 1853 per ton, which is pretty good.

Before you start trading, though, you'll need to get some capital to actually buy the palladium, as it's over 12k per ton. You'll need a bigger ship to make it really worthwhile - I'd recommend getting a Hauler, which costs 52K and can carry 22 tons if you strip it out. If you had one of those, you'd make 40,766 for each trip, which is probably only a few minutes in the game.

Just do a few black box / rebel transmission jobs (from outposts, not big stations) which pay about 12K per go. Maybe a bit of bounty hunting, preying on easy targets. You'll soon get enough money to get started.

 

[Huntn]

It's really easy to do. On that website, go to the 'find trades' tab. type in the name of your location, select the distance you want to search, the minimum profit you want, etc. The maximum distance to station, I always set at 1200 (because it's boring to supercruise any further).

It gives you a list of stations and commodities. For example, searching for 30 light years around Eravate right now turns up a palladium trade from Brani to V1688. The two systems are 13ly apart. Click 'find return commodity' and it will pick the most profitable thing to haul back the other way (mineral extractors in this case). Your profit for that trip would be 1853 per ton, which is pretty good.

Before you start trading, though, you'll need to get some capital to actually buy the palladium, as it's over 12k per ton. You'll need a bigger ship to make it really worthwhile - I'd recommend getting a Hauler, which costs 52K and can carry 22 tons if you strip it out. If you had one of those, you'd make 40,766 for each trip, which is probably only a few minutes in the game.

Just do a few black box / rebel transmission jobs (from outposts, not big stations) which pay about 12K per go. Maybe a bit of bounty hunting, preying on easy targets. You'll soon get enough money to get started.

I appreciate the help. I'm at the web site, I'm located in the Eravate System, I punched in Search 20ly, Profit per ton: 800, max distance to station 1000ls (I assume this is in the Erevate System), max distance between system: 10 ly, ship size: small, one way.

Came up with Beryllium and Gold. The top slot was to Yakabugai, it said 6901ls Beryllium, buy: 8236, sell: 9100.

I have no idea what quantity this is for. Is 8236 the cost per ton or is "ls" liters? I assume this would be a profit of about 800c per ton? Do I have enough to buy this? 500c is in my account. I'm thinking no, but am all ears.

I wondering if I should self destruct at this point and start over? At least I'd get a 1000c to start with.

 

[garnerx]

I appreciate the help. I'm at the web site, I'm located in the Eravate System, I punched in Search 20ly, Profit per ton: 800, max distance to station 1000ls (I assume this is in the Erevate System), max distance between system: 10 ly, ship size: small, one way.

Came up with Beryllium and Gold. The top slot was to Yakabugai, it said 6901ls Beryllium, buy: 8236, sell: 9100.

I have no idea what quantity this is for. Is 8236 the cost per ton or is "ls" liters? I assume this would be a profit of about 800c per ton? Do I have enough to buy this? 500c is in my account. I'm thinking no, but am all ears.

I wondering if I should self destruct at this point and start over? At least I'd get a 1000c to start with.

That means you'll buy 1 ton of gold at Yakabugai for 8236 and sell it at Eravate for 9100. You need to do some minor missions or scavenging before you can afford that sort of cargo, but it won't take long. Just stay away from the big stations so you don't get scanned and fined. Restarting for the sake of 500 credits won't make much difference, to be honest.

Ls (light seconds) is the distance that the station is from the hyperspace jump point. For scale, the distance from Earth to the Sun is about 500 light seconds, but it only takes a minute or so in game.

You can get some really nasty ones, which aren't worth bothering with. One of the first missions I took was to deliver something to Alpha Centauri - I didn't realise the station would be so far away that it took 90 minutes of real time to get there. Just left it going while I made some dinner (and then overshot by 5 minutes and had to turn around).