I am a newbie on steroids. Help! :)

[keem85]

Hi folks!

I played a lot of Elite right when it came out. I was on sick leave at that time. Got myself a couple of high end ships like a fully equipped Anaconda and Python.. I haven't played Horizons very much, not familiar with Powerplay, not done a lot of engineering modifications and I do not know much about The Guardian, have never had a Wing-Group.. All I know is how to handle a ship, land, take off and trade. Much have changed, and I have some questions I hope you people can give me some helpful advice on.

• 
  I want to get involved in a meaningful mission, a community goal.. What galaxy should I start at? And what impact does a community goal do when contributing to a faction, missions and CGs?

• 
  Want to do some engeneering. How do you find surface materials on planets? I tried to scan with my ground vehicle. Nothing happened. Should I have a surface skanner on my ship also? Any other helpful tips on engineering is warmly welcomed also.

• 
  If I get a fine or bounty on my head for killing an NPC (SOL workers party f.example), where do I pay it? And if I get a fine with Federation, how do I pay to a feds-station before entering the station? It's like 8million credits of Insurance that I have to pay everytime the feds kill me in my Anaconda.. They don't give me a chance to pay for my crimes before attacking (at least it was like this a year a go).

• 
  I approached a planet in SOL. I got killed by the ground feds.. I have no idea why.. They saw me as a criminal.. How do I check that before approaching a ground-station? Can I check it on the Galaxy-map or surface-map? And how do I redeem myself with them?

• 
  What is Powerplay in a practical sense? How does Powerplay affect me as a player, and how should I contribute here? I see star systems controlled by someone, should it matter to me?

• 
  Any place I can practice shooting low level NPCs, just to practice my weapon handling again?

All in all, where can I start in this game.. I'm like a newbie on steroids. I just want to find my Identity in this game. I want to play this game, and not spend 4 hours of free roaming trying to figure out what to do. My time schedule is very tight, and I actually really need some helpful advice on what to do and where to start.. Someone, just make a deceision for me. Tell me what to do ;P

 

[fitzsteve]

Community goals can be joined from any mission board and you can read about them there, they are highlighted with yellow bookmarks on the galaxy map.

You can do trade goals, pick a side to fight for, collect bounties, etc. Have a look at the CG section of the forum for the latest info on current CG's

I never bothered with Powerplay as it just seems to put a target on your back but I'm sure there is a Powerplay section on these boards where you can read about it more.

You can pick your NPC fights at any Nav Beacon and Scan for Pirates or head to a Conflict Zone, when you enter a conflict zone go to your UI and chose a side and pick on the weaker targets, you can use the combat bonds/bounties in CG's and the rep up in local stations for example.

If you get a bounty it will tell you how much time for expiry, some low level bounties expire on jump. When they're dormant you can pay the fine at the local station but beware if you're scanned then the bounty becomes live and you will be attacked!

On the surface you have a scanner, like a radar, follow the noise and graphics and you will find rocks and points of interest that you can shoot that will release materials. Rinse and repeat.

Hope that helps, maybe find some friends online to play with and learn the ropes together

 

[Grumpy jawa]

Rather new myself, so answering what I can.

Engineering- ground scanner is odd and takes a lot of driving around. I found it far faster to do following. Put mining laser on any ship, don't buy a refinery, get collector limpets... blast a asteroid and limpets will gather just materials = taxa fast material to start engineering.

Easy combat - goto a nav becon, ships are often easier there, or grab a tiny bit of cargo and fly around hyper space slowly, a n pc with politely interdict you and be low rank

Sol - been told it requires a permit... this game has very little wiggle room for trespassing

Jawa

 

[MagicTofu]

• 
  I want to get involved in a meaningful mission, a community goal.. What galaxy should I start at? And what impact does a community goal do when contributing to a faction, missions and CGs?

Active community goals are displayed on the galactic map by default since 2.1 I think. Otherwise, when in a station, the top part of the mission board also has a menu item to check all currently active community goals, you can even sign up for a CG before you go to the relevant place.

The impact really depends on the CG, some will have little consequence (ie: a new commodity will be available if successful), or it could even create a new space station.

• 
  Want to do some engeneering. How do you find surface materials on planets? I tried to scan with my ground vehicle. Nothing happened. Should I have a surface skanner on my ship also? Any other helpful tips on engineering is warmly welcomed also.

When you are in the SRV, the wave scanner is used to determine the direction to either points of interests or mineral deposits, the type of thing you are tracking is indicated by the number of 'stripes' on the wave scanner. This might be explained in the SRV tutorial video you can access from the games training menu. Once you find a mineral deposit in your SRV, you have to shoot at it with your weapon, then open the cargo 'hatch' and drive over the fragments to collect them.

Surface scanner is useless to find materials, it's mostly useful for exploration to maximize income from exploration data you sell.

About engineering, I haven't done much of it myself, won't be of much help there.

• 
  If I get a fine or bounty on my head for killing an NPC (SOL workers party f.example), where do I pay it? And if I get a fine with Federation, how do I pay to a feds-station before entering the station? It's like 8million credits of Insurance that I have to pay everytime the feds kill me in my Anaconda.. They don't give me a chance to pay for my crimes before attacking (at least it was like this a year a go).

You can't repay bounties, you'll have to wait for the timer displayed in the transaction tab to expire before you can go to the relevant station and pay the legacy fine I think. Even if you're wanted, you still can try to enter a station without being scanned (be quick or use silent running), but you'll still can't pay a bounty. Only fines can be paid in the stations.

• 
  I approached a planet in SOL. I got killed by the ground feds.. I have no idea why.. They saw me as a criminal.. How do I check that before approaching a ground-station? Can I check it on the Galaxy-map or surface-map? And how do I redeem myself with them?

Before you get near the surface station, if you're wanted somewhere, it should definitely be displayed in the transaction tab on the left panel in the 'bounties' section. Once you're in a given jurisdiction (near a station / spaceport), a red 'wanted' tag shall be displayed above the heat signature of your ship on the right of your scanner. If you have illegal cargo, it should also be displayed there to warn you that you'll get a fine if you get scanned by security ships.

• 
  What is Powerplay in a practical sense? How does Powerplay affect me as a player, and how should I contribute here? I see star systems controlled by someone, should it matter to me?

If you sign up to a power, know that NPCs from enemy powers will be likely to interdict and attack you even when you're in a system controlled by your own power.

Contributing to a power can take different forms, and it depends on the power you choose. If you choose to support a power, there several activities you do then: undermine enemy powers, prepare candidate systems to be later controlled by your faction, actually take control of a system, or fortify systems already controlled by your faction to minimize loss of command capital if enemies successfully undermine it.

I wouldn't recommend aligning yourself to a power until you're comfortable with getting interdicted by NPCs personnally, but you should check the various powers from the powerplay menu and check the ethos of available powers to give you an idea of which power may require activities you like best.

• 
  Any place I can practice shooting low level NPCs, just to practice my weapon handling again?

Low intensity extraction sites may be the most practical place to start, you'll probably have to wander a bit and check several extraction type systems to find one. You can also try plain resource extraction sites, but high intensity and hazardous ones might not be a good choice for practice.

You could also try navigation beacons as there are sometimes wanted NPCs there.

In all instances, avoid anarchy systems, as there won't be security ships that might help you finish wanted NPCs. Be careful to check you fire though, as if you hit accidentally a security ship, a non wanted ship or even a wanted ship that you haven't scanned, you'll be wanted yourself and need to escape promptly. Plus, in anarchy systems, there won't be wanted ships, you'll only be able to collect bounties if you use a kill warrant scanner.

Also, cut back on the steroids

 

[Ben_BigBen]

Come and join the AEDC http://elitediplomats.com - we have lots of small goals that you can get from our squadron board that makes it easy to dip in and out when you have the time and help influence the background simulation. Community goals are OK - I've done the last two delivery ones and made a good amount of Credits from them.

I've had a big break from the game too, and in your shoes I think I'd try and get to know an Engineer - Felicity Farseer with her long range FSDs is popular - watching Mini (ThatTinyDude) on Youtube really helped show how Engineers worked for me (post 2.1.05 vid here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeNafoNZW5o )

With fines, often they'll time out - look in the Transaction tab to see how long left - when they say "On H-jump" if you leave the system you'll no longer be wanted.

Powerplay isn't that hot at the mo' I'd skip it until it gets the hinted reworking

Try a Low Extraction zone or a Low Combat zone, or even at a Nav point (just don't have any cargo in your hold otherwise you may get a lot of unwanted attention)

 

[Ashnak]

1) There is only one galaxy, but 400,000,000,000 star systems - a little different to the original Elite. As for community goals, see the corresponding subforum.
Otherwise, you could join any (or many) player groups, which have sometimes different opinions about what to achieve at a CG....

2) http://wavescanner.net/ - you ride around, perhaps following the sounds on the scanner. If you find something worthwhile, the corresponding chunk of rock will be targetable. Shoot it, then collect the crumbs (or don't - anyone needs some Sulfur?). After scanning the planet from the ship with a DSS, you'll see which materials are available in which distribution on this planet in the system map. I don't know whather this information is also available through other means - I never fly without a DSS.
Other helpful tips: don't sweat it. Frustration lies this way, as evidenced by countless forum threads. But materials for basic (grade1) mods are easy to find and plentiful.

3) Wherever the issuing faction entertains an office. Usually your best bet is in the system where you got the fine. Otherwise, a surefire way was supposed to buy a sidewinder and shoot a station. "Death" of the CMDR clears the bounties. The sidewinder is optional, though.

4) Usually, but I'm shaky here, check your HUD. When you're carrying illicit cargo or are wanted, there's an indicator somewhere. Also should show up on the right popup screen, under system status.

5) If your combat rating is already high, little chance, as the spawning of NPCs is related to your own combat rating. Since the various NPC buffs and nerfs in 2.x however, support can, if you request it, reset your own combat rating to harmless again. Otherwise, in 2.2, there are also supposed to be more training missions (haven't checked them out yet) - or you could try CQC/Arena. No NPCs there (it has been suggested multiple times, though) - but as a pure PvP slaughter fest, it relies heavily on a reasonable network connection, which is sometimes hard to find.

But: several of the combat oriented player groups will offer (more or less regular) PvP training sessions for their memebers - if your interests lie that way.

Decision for your future:

a) Outfit an Asp or a FAS (depending on whether you want jumprange or coffee machines), and embark for Beagle Point. Being out of reach from the bubble lets you forget that such things as Engineering or aliens exist.

b) If a) sounds too extreme, join the Christmas Carrier Convoy to Jaques.

 

[Kizbot]

My biggest piece of advice, is clean your save and start again. The game has changed so much that you can really have some fun starting from scratch. Real upshot too is that your combat rating will be low and you can progress at the same pace as the enemy AI which got a hefty improvement.

 

[keem85]

Wow!! Thanks everyone for your response! Really great and helpful advice here!!

 

[JetsonRING]

Steroids are illegal . . .

[noob] Community goals are just that: community goals. They encourage players to team up, to play cooperatively, to achieve goals bigger than just themselves and promote social interaction among players. IMO they are OK if you are looking to make friends with other (human) players and a good way for newer players to earn some decent credits doing a less than deadly activity while they figure out the game but at a certain point they do not pay so well. CGs do increase a CMDRs REP and INF with the local factions where the CG is being staged, not sure how it affects REP with the major powers.

Engineering, surface scanning: watch the tutorials first before you begin any new activity. Saves credits, time and frustration. YouTube is also your friend, lots of CMDRs offering helpful advice there. I found that running missions got me all of the materials required for level 1 and 2 FSD upgrades. For level 3 I had to do a little mining, for levels 4 and 5 I had to go shopping. Don't assume there is only one way to do something, there is often at least 2 ways to get those commodities, or that material that you need.

[up] Good news for fines/bounties! Go to a station in any low security system, find the factors (in Contacts) and pay off any or all of your past fines remotely (for a 25% fee)! But if you accidentally shoot someone and pick up a bounty, you cannot pay it. You must wait for the bounty to expire into a fine or a "H-Jump" condition. Then, you can either pay the fine or if it is an H-Jump condition simply Hi-Wake out of the system without being scanned to kill the bounty/fine. Again, YouTube. This happened to me just yesterday, picked up a bounty because some FED fool blundered into one of my mines, luckily he didn't die so it was only a 315 credit fine but now I was "wanted". I entered my destination station (in the same system) without being scanned but the station would not let me pay the fine. Google explained I had to wait 5 minutes for the "fine" to expire at which point it became an "H-Jump" condition. When that happened I took off, engaged silent running and boosted out of the station right past the cops popping heat-sinks as I went. Hit the Hi-wake switch and the "WANTED" indicator turned off as I entered witch-space.

BTW if you enter a system in which you are wanted a "WANTED" indicator will light up on the right side of your instrument panel. The same indicator will display "ILLICIT CARGO" if you are carrying something that is illegal in that system. You can still enter a station but DO NOT GET SCANNED or they will fire on you. Same goes for leaving a station, if you have a dormant fine/bounty and get scanned it will re-activate the fine/bounty for seven days.

Don't know why you got killed at SOL system, not enough data. Check for "WANTED" indicator in instrument panel before approaching stations/planets. Pay fines with factors. I just paid off all the fines I did even not know I had, over 7 million credits worth.

To each his own but I have avoided PowerPlay. First, I am fairly independent, not a joiner, more of a "lone wolf". Second, joining/aligning with any power just gives other players, human and NPC alike who may be aligned with a different major power another reason to shoot at you.

Want to kill NPCs? Run a couple of missions that offer "commodities" rewards in addition to the credits payout. Fly around with these commodities in your cargo holds. NPC pirates are somehow omniscient and know all about that 4 tons of HN Shock Mount in your holds that you did not even know you had and he wants it. It's tasty! Just fly around with commodities in your hold and you will be interdicted by NPCs every few jumps. Alternatively, just fly out to a NAV Beacon, usually a few wanted types hanging out there or go to a Resource Extraction Site (RES) always a couple of unscrupulous types hanging out there. A Kill Warrant Scanner will earn you good credits here. Want to get attacked for sure? Just go to any HAZRES with cargo in your holds. Doesn't matter what it is, within a minute a pirate will scan you and politely ask you to hand it over. [arrrr]

How do I play this game? There is no one best answer because there are many paths that can be taken, I can tell you how since June I earned over 2 billion credits and now have 8 A-rated ships but since the 2.2 update much of that data is now obsolete. Some things are universal though and I started off small. I was Planet Express (and still am) delivering data and cargo, most of it even legal to wherever it needs to go, earning REP, INF and RANK the whole way. I reached Rear Admiral doing this and was still rated as "mostly harmless" when I got my Corvette! First: Check your ships outfitting! Usually, the cargo racks (if any) that came with your ship are half-sized! Replace them with top-capacity cargo holds and upgrade the FSD. Remove guns but keep shields because if you haul cargo you are going to RUN FORREST, RUN when you (and you will) get interdicted. Don't worry about guns until you can afford to die. Not having guns forces you to be "the rabbit", not the wolf and keeps you from getting into fights you will not win. Don't purchase a new ship until you have a concrete need to do so and then, do not buy until you have enough credits for the ship, the outfitting and at least one insurance rebuy.

So: I delivered pizzas (data & cargoes) until I could afford a Cobra Mark III. Flew that until I could afford a Type-6, started running "rare commodities", rare goods that are only available in small quantities but sell for crazy credit when transported long distances. That made me enough credits to purchase an Asp-Explorer (traded in the T-6). More cargo, fewer jumps on the rares route= more profit/credits. Then stumbled across an exploit (they come and go) that made me a few million in a day and bought a Python. Then I learned about Ceos/Sothis.

It's too bad, 2.2 has nerfed Ceos/Sothis into oblivion, I hope it gets fixed but I am not holding my breath, there is too much else to do. C/S earned about 15-20 million credits every 3-6 hours in a Python. Once into an Anaconda this went up to 50-62 million per lap. Yes, good money but I worked for it, fell asleep at the controls at least once. Once I had my first billion other factors besides money became relevant. I wanted a Corvette, needed FED rank of Rear Admiral so ran data/cargo delivery missions out of Haller City, Barnard's Star. Not much credit but more than enough and all the missions are REP++ and INF++, they are to the system next-door and no trouble stacking 20 missions at a time. I switched off between this and C/S and the occasional community goal, got my rank, got my Corvette and since the 2.2 nerf am off to Aditi and farming Imperial rank (for the Imperial Cutter). Again stacking 20 REP++ and INF++ missions in 5-10 minutes and all to the system next door with easy stacking coming back the other way. Imperial Cutter here I come and while I am not earning C/S credits the pay stacks up with the missions.

:x When you hear about a CMDR finding an exploit check it out! They come and go. After reading about a discovered exploit on Reddit I followed instructions and made about 200 million in a few hours (before it got shut down by devs), got me into my first Anaconda. Rumors are worth the effort!

[arrrr] See you out there, CMDR. o7