Newcomer / Intro What are you up to?

[Lieutenant Dan]

OK, fourm's not dead. Seemed a slower pace, but not one to insinuate anything

Anyway, finally got there after three years of stop-start play.




Combat and Trade are both on the final rung, so triple Elite is now the goal. Good luck with that eh?

Make room at the Founder's World bar would ya?

Yeah! Congrats!! Elite feels so great to accomplish!

Combat Elite...is something I'm not sure will ever happen for me LOL. 50% in Expert.....soooo many ships must die for Elite. So many.

 

[Speedcuffs]

Yeah! Congrats!! Elite feels so great to accomplish!

Combat Elite...is something I'm not sure will ever happen for me LOL. 50% in Expert.....soooo many ships must die for Elite. So many.

I made a big effort for triple elite on PS4 (it is a nice decal).
PC...not so much.

Trade elite was quick (not surprising, I'm a trader by nature).

Well on the way to explo elite (accidental tourist?).

Combat Elite... Yeh, it's looking a very long way off.[alien]

 

[Lieutenant Dan]

I made a big effort for triple elite on PS4 (it is a nice decal).
PC...not so much.

Trade elite was quick (not surprising, I'm a trader by nature).

Well on the way to explo elite (accidental tourist?).

Combat Elite... Yeh, it's looking a very long way off.[alien]

Yeah, I'm Elite in trade first, and then got it in Exploration....those seemed 'easy' by comparison to Combat lol. Much respect to those that have earned that!

 

[sinisalo]

Thanks folks. It was a long time in coming. And frankly I'd still be gunning for it if not for the revamped mechanics.

I'm 7% Dangerous, so while I have a long way to go, it's doable. Now that exploration is in bag, I can concentrate more on combat.

I've also just taken advantage of my new permit to outfit the Python for mining. I see you all made a killing in the Void Opal market and I want in

I disliked mining so much when I first tried it a couple years ago, that I mined one whole ton, then flew home and sold all the equipment I had just bought, never to mine another ton. But I want to unlock Selene Jean, and with the new mechanics I can give it another go thinking I might enjoy it. Exploding big space rocks seems a kick. If nothing else I can quit again after the unlock and making some money. That should get Trade rank over the line as well.

 

[Chris Simon]

I'm 7% Dangerous, so while I have a long way to go, it's doable. Now that exploration is in bag, I can concentrate more on combat.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're actually not even close. 100% Dangerous (0% Deadly) is about half way through to the 100% Deadly (=Elite)
In other words getting from Deadly to Elite requires the same amount of work as getting from Harmless to Deadly.

Plus the journey through Deadly is slowed down by the fact that you have to kill Deadly or Elite (i.e. equal or better) ships to make any considerable progress.

 

[Lieutenant Dan]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're actually not even close. 100% Dangerous (0% Deadly) is about half way through to the 100% Deadly (=Elite)
In other words getting from Deadly to Elite requires the same amount of work as getting from Harmless to Deadly.

Plus the journey through Deadly is slowed down by the fact that you have to kill Deadly or Elite (i.e. equal or better) ships to make any considerable progress.

This.

Though I have been having fun buying and outfitting/engineering fighting machines, so I have a great variety of rides to choose from for combat.

Federal Gunship - 'Patton' because it's tanky AF lol
FDL - 'Christine' because it's red, chrome, fast and badazz
Chieftain - 'Chiefy' just fits.
Vulture - 'Doc Holliday' - "I've got two guns, one for each of ya."
Corvette - 'Ajax' just a big bully lol

 

[sinisalo]

you're actually not even close.

Which is reflected in my claim of having a long way to go

Yeah, I know the formula. A typical hop down to the local RES usually pushes it up a point or two. If I don't burn out on Elite before then, I reckon I can hit combat Elite before D-Day

 

[Speedcuffs]

This.

Though I have been having fun buying and outfitting/engineering fighting machines, so I have a great variety of rides to choose from for combat.

Federal Gunship - 'Patton' because it's tanky AF lol
FDL - 'Christine' because it's red, chrome, fast and badazz
Chieftain - 'Chiefy' just fits.
Vulture - 'Doc Holliday' - "I've got two guns, one for each of ya."
Corvette - 'Ajax' just a big bully lol

Doc Holliday, I like that!
I have an AX Conda on PS4 called 'William Munny' (outta Missouri)

 

[Spaceman Si]

Doc Holliday, I like that!
I have an AX Conda on PS4 called 'William Munny' (outta Missouri)

Any man don’t wanna get killed - better clear on out the back.

 

[WeComeInPeace]

I just made Rear Admiral last night running missions out of Abraham Lincoln in Sol. Now I need to make a lot of credits to actually afford a properly outfitted Corvette. I'm trying to decide if I want to try out mining, since the the Deep Core mining seems to be so lucrative, or if I should head out for some exploration in my Asp Explorer after doing some engineering on the FSD. Decisions, Decisions.

Congrats on your rank! That one is still on my bucket list. If your goal is a Corvette, then I'm pretty sure that you'll earn credits faster by mining Void Opals. I was checking the market yesterday, and Low Temp Diamonds are only half the price of opals. There is a minor learning curve, but it's not bad. Google some of Down To Earth Astronomy's videos on core mining, if you have doubts. They are very thorough and honest, and you wont get sent to Hutton for anything

Yesterday I posted a link to a (long) D2EA video about pirating diamonds from NPCs in a Cutter, but even in an Anaconda I'm able to make more CR per hour mining opals. The Corvette is very expensive once you start outfitting it. You'll need CR.

On the other hand, if you enjoy exploring more, then just have fun and give it time. Even though ED is amazing, the main game is built around some sort of grinding. Do this to get that, and so on. Once you start getting annoyed about that, one should try something new, and there is plenty of new stuff to try. I like D2EA's approach. He comes up with some pretty crazy ideas, but they are all built on some sort of solid research, and creative thinking.

 

[aRJay]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're actually not even close. 100% Dangerous (0% Deadly) is about half way through to the 100% Deadly (=Elite)
In other words getting from Deadly to Elite requires the same amount of work as getting from Harmless to Deadly.

Plus the journey through Deadly is slowed down by the fact that you have to kill Deadly or Elite (i.e. equal or better) ships to make any considerable progress.

Allegedly the best way to keep up progress is to fit Decontamination limpets and a mix of AX and favourite weapons then go hunting Thargoid scouts which are for some varieties of scout fairly easy kills for an Elite equivalent.

Still ambling along towards Trader and Explorer elite currently 47% Tycoon and 54% Ranger.

 

[TomcatMF]

So, I tried my hand at Void Opal mining in my Python, and I netted about 35 million credits in about 2 hours worth of effort. Not bad for my first time out. Now that I am getting the hang if it, I think I can start making some real money with this.

Time to fill up the bank account and get Trade Elite.

 

[WeComeInPeace]

So, I tried my hand at Void Opal mining in my Python, and I netted about 35 million credits in about 2 hours worth of effort. Not bad for my first time out. Now that I am getting the hang if it, I think I can start making some real money with this.

Time to fill up the bank account and get Trade Elite.

You probably noticed already but:

When I started mining, I went outside the bubble because I thought that would be more calm and quiet, meaning less stressful learning. However you don't have to do that. The pirates scan you when you arrive at the hotspot, nag that you have no cargo and leave. Then you're "safe" until you FSD again. Now I'm starting to take out the pirates as well, just to gather engineering materials.

Normally I try to get roughly 100 T of opals per trip in a Conda (~2 hours). You can speed things up by bringing more collector limpet controllers. Notice that a size 3 means 2 limpets, while a size 5 only gives you 3. Therefore sometimes two size 3 are better than one size 5 (depending on free slots).

Two abrasion blasters makes it easier to hit the sticky opals. Also consider the mounting of the abrasion blasters. Put them in slots that are as easy to aim with as possible. Up front and centered is best.

The most important thing though, is learning to identify potential cores. That just takes practice, and speed things up considerably.

Keep going, and you'll become a billionair very quickly.

Edit: Just tried a mining trip to see the CR per hour. The ring I chose turned out to be rather bright, which I personally dislike. Also there were a lot of fissured asteroids not containing opals, and my only abrasion blaster was placed under the ship (a no go, as I mentioned. Do as I say, not as I do ). Finally I chose the selling station before leaving, and when I got there the price had dropped to ~700K per ton, so I had to go to another station to get a proper selling price. Still, all in all including everything from finding a ring to selling the opals took 2 hours and I got 130 mill CR, or 65 mill per hour. The trip was not optimal, so 100 mill per hour is well within reach.

I prefer the rings furthest from the star. Less action and less light. It might take an extra minute to get there, but that minute is well invested.

 

[Rock Hunter]

With regard to the Elite Combat, I’ve given up any kind of grind with that as it’s such an epic chase. As such my Corvette only gets used for assassination missions and black box stuff now. All of my combat takes place in small or medium sized ships as it’s just more fun for me. One day, maybe Elite will come my way

At the moment I’m mucking about with Power Play for the first time. I’ve aligned my self with Princess Unicorn and will hopefully unlock those weighty shields in a few weeks whilst I learn what’s what in the world of political space intrigue.

 

[WeComeInPeace]

With regard to the Elite Combat, I’ve given up any kind of grind with that as it’s such an epic chase. As such my Corvette only gets used for assassination missions and black box stuff now. All of my combat takes place in small or medium sized ships as it’s just more fun for me. One day, maybe Elite will come my way

At the moment I’m mucking about with Power Play for the first time. I’ve aligned my self with Princess Unicorn and will hopefully unlock those weighty shields in a few weeks whilst I learn what’s what in the world of political space intrigue.

If you decide to grind combat rank, I saw this video yesterday, about killing Thargoid Scouts:

https://youtu.be/Isj-ViCI9WA

Seems like a good way of gaining rank, but those scouts are quite agile

 

[Rock Hunter]

If you decide to grind combat rank, I saw this video yesterday, about killing Thargoid Scouts:

https://youtu.be/Isj-ViCI9WA

Seems like a good way of gaining rank, but those scouts are quite agile

Thanks for the link.

I do have a ship set up for tackling Scouts but found that I spent more time searching for the right type of USS than I did in actual combat. When I feel like a combat grind I tend to head to a CNB as they’re usually around for a while and quite easy to find. At the moment though I’m whizzing around has-res site in small ships just because it’s a hoot

Saying that, finding the right Scout locations is much easier than finding PP combat areas for Aisling Duval to get my hands on some combat merits!

 

[WeComeInPeace]

Thanks for the link.

I do have a ship set up for tackling Scouts but found that I spent more time searching for the right type of USS than I did in actual combat. When I feel like a combat grind I tend to head to a CNB as they’re usually around for a while and quite easy to find. At the moment though I’m whizzing around has-res site in small ships just because it’s a hoot

Saying that, finding the right Scout locations is much easier than finding PP combat areas for Aisling Duval to get my hands on some combat merits!

I only started fighting very recently. Until now, I've tried to avoid it. Then I suddenly had to, to unlock some engineers. I approached a Low RES with butterflies in the stomach, because I still find the advanced combat training difficult. However, in a better ship, with a strong shield, beams and frags, fighting is a blast, and a lot easier than training. I quickly moved to Haz RES.

My new "fighting skills" has already been handy on several occasions. Now I happily accept being interdicted, and I'm yet to loose against a pirate in SP. I'm also considering using a slot for a FSD interdictor, because now the pirates have started running. I'm nowhere ready for OP, but being able to brush off the pirates etc. is very nize. I can highly recommend explorers to get some basic combat skills. It makes exploring and mining a lot more relaxing. And if I can do it, anyone can!

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

That was a long time coming...

Next goal... 1bn CR? Dunno - but I'm off to Founders World to celebrate!

 

[Speedcuffs]

That was a long time coming...



Next goal... 1bn CR? Dunno - but I'm off to Founders World to celebrate!

Right on Commander!

 

[aRJay]

That was a long time coming...



Next goal... 1bn CR? Dunno - but I'm off to Founders World to celebrate!

Congratulations.

Now what was that Star Trek quote, ah yes.

First bar on the left and drink on till morning.