Being a newcomer (bought the game on 10th Jan), I thought I'd share my experience of the game so far.
After a couple of disastrous starts (thank you "Clear Save"), I'd started to get the hang of things.
I've found using a joystick the best approach, and it took a while to find out the most common controls I'd need for my style of play, and I still occasionally hit the wrong button.
I decided to start off just exploring, perhaps following in the footsteps of r4nger0 and try just using a Sidewinder.
As I went along, always going left on the Galaxy map, to get away from the more crowded areas, I started to earn credits with some regularity. I imagined my character as an intrepid pilot, gathering data of undiscovered systems, and finding various settled systems that seem to have slipped through the cracks, always turning in the data at the earliest opportunity.
I got interdicted a few times, but always managed to get away. I slowly improved my docking skills, but still overshoot here and there.
When I started this particular incantation, I'd stripped the Sidewinder of weapons, shields, and cargo space, and installed a fuel scoop. At various points, I beefed up various components, which improved range and durability, but what I really wanted was a Detailed Surface Scanner. At quarter of a million, that seemed to be forever out of reach.
So I decided to supplement my income with some trading.
A couple of nights ago, I found myself at a shipyard, and was able to trade the beefed out Sidewinder for a Hauler, and upgrade a few components.
I read up about trading and trade routes, but found it difficult to map supply systems and demand systems, and get a regular route going.
Today I found a cluster of systems, in an area about 60 light years across, that encompasses some Agricultural, Industrial, and Corporate systems, and found a lucrative business doing Bulletin Board delivery missions.
For example, the food supply company on one outpost was causing issues, so I was tasked with getting six tons of Algae. Bought this at a total cost of 300 credits, and the payment on delivery was just over 4000 credits - they must have been desperate!
There are various political intrigues going on as well, with various messages and data needing to be taking here, there, and wherever, which at around 1000 credits a pop, is nothing to be sneezed at.
Of course, with cargo, comes pirates. The interdiction rate has gone up, sometimes two or three times in one system. I can still evade most of them, but some I need to drop out of SuperCruise, and then try to avoid getting hit, while the FSD cooldown completes, and I can fire up the FTL again. However, in one case, a missile up my exhaust port caused me to test the quality of my insurance (phew, had the rebuy covered).
And, of course, inattention can get you. Coming out of HyperSpace, I'd forgotten the mantra of throttling down when entering HyperSpace, and in my eagerness to bring up the system list, so I could lock in my destination, managed to fly right into the sun. Again, thanks to the insurance, I was covered, but I decided to park in the hanger overnight, and make my way down to the mess deck for a hasty meal, while I wrote this up.
All in all, I'm having a blast, thoroughly pleased to have bought the game, and now I just need to ration my playing time, as it's getting in the way of regular life .
After a couple of disastrous starts (thank you "Clear Save"), I'd started to get the hang of things.
I've found using a joystick the best approach, and it took a while to find out the most common controls I'd need for my style of play, and I still occasionally hit the wrong button.
I decided to start off just exploring, perhaps following in the footsteps of r4nger0 and try just using a Sidewinder.
As I went along, always going left on the Galaxy map, to get away from the more crowded areas, I started to earn credits with some regularity. I imagined my character as an intrepid pilot, gathering data of undiscovered systems, and finding various settled systems that seem to have slipped through the cracks, always turning in the data at the earliest opportunity.
I got interdicted a few times, but always managed to get away. I slowly improved my docking skills, but still overshoot here and there.
When I started this particular incantation, I'd stripped the Sidewinder of weapons, shields, and cargo space, and installed a fuel scoop. At various points, I beefed up various components, which improved range and durability, but what I really wanted was a Detailed Surface Scanner. At quarter of a million, that seemed to be forever out of reach.
So I decided to supplement my income with some trading.
A couple of nights ago, I found myself at a shipyard, and was able to trade the beefed out Sidewinder for a Hauler, and upgrade a few components.
I read up about trading and trade routes, but found it difficult to map supply systems and demand systems, and get a regular route going.
Today I found a cluster of systems, in an area about 60 light years across, that encompasses some Agricultural, Industrial, and Corporate systems, and found a lucrative business doing Bulletin Board delivery missions.
For example, the food supply company on one outpost was causing issues, so I was tasked with getting six tons of Algae. Bought this at a total cost of 300 credits, and the payment on delivery was just over 4000 credits - they must have been desperate!
There are various political intrigues going on as well, with various messages and data needing to be taking here, there, and wherever, which at around 1000 credits a pop, is nothing to be sneezed at.
Of course, with cargo, comes pirates. The interdiction rate has gone up, sometimes two or three times in one system. I can still evade most of them, but some I need to drop out of SuperCruise, and then try to avoid getting hit, while the FSD cooldown completes, and I can fire up the FTL again. However, in one case, a missile up my exhaust port caused me to test the quality of my insurance (phew, had the rebuy covered).
And, of course, inattention can get you. Coming out of HyperSpace, I'd forgotten the mantra of throttling down when entering HyperSpace, and in my eagerness to bring up the system list, so I could lock in my destination, managed to fly right into the sun. Again, thanks to the insurance, I was covered, but I decided to park in the hanger overnight, and make my way down to the mess deck for a hasty meal, while I wrote this up.
All in all, I'm having a blast, thoroughly pleased to have bought the game, and now I just need to ration my playing time, as it's getting in the way of regular life
.
