A Year of Anarchy In Colonia

[Iron Golem]

There's an element of "burning the ships" to this move that I think is really appealing. The choice means something because it's so difficult to go back.

And whatever @Renraiku tells you, this isn't just an elaborate attempt to gank people's bank accounts!

Spoiler

Its nice to finally have a credit dump... I knew they would come in handy for something one day.

 

[Bigmaec]

You could also do it my way and build everything twice.
I flew a Python, Vette and Cutter there, the rest I transferred, but built it in the bubble with the modules I wanted or bought them here in Colonia. Now I have a bubble fleet, a small IDA pleiades fleet and my main ships are in Carcosa.
In my view it's enough to bring one or two mediums for the first visit, in case you get bored or don't like it here.
And with a Krait mk2/Python and a Mamba/FdL you're more then settled for most shenanigans. After that you can still get your heavy hitters up here.

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Yeah. I'd caution anyone against bringing everything out here in one go. A couple good mediums will do you. Commit once you know the score.

 

[yianniv]

You could also do it my way and build everything twice.
I flew a Python, Vette and Cutter there, the rest I transferred, but built it in the bubble with the modules I wanted or bought them here in Colonia. Now I have a bubble fleet, a small IDA pleiades fleet and my main ships are in Carcosa.

Good advice, it's actually what I've done. I paid 3.x billions to transfer my main ships to Colonia. Which means that my initial fleet is actually in Carcosa, and I've rebuilt a clone fleet (thank you coriolis and adsy) back in the bubble. With a conda and python passenger carriers in Robigo and a cutter for cargo missions in Taygeta.

In my view it's enough to bring one or two mediums for the first visit, in case you get bored or don't like it here.
And with a Krait mk2/Python and a Mamba/FdL you're more then settled for most shenanigans. After that you can still get your heavy hitters up here.

Also good advice. Test the water before diving .

 

[Iron Golem]

I will come out light but leave the other things prepared to come if it ends up being destiny.

Itll be nice to pick up the extra pins and have my first long range exploration trip I will do on the way out. Even if you guys drive me off its something I've always wanted to do.

 

[CMDR GRAEME COWELL]

I flew out on a whim via the NH didn't plan ahead at all, liked it out here so I stayed, bought second accounts on sale who is my bubble CMDR handy to help my kids out when they can be ar$3d playing with the old man, I'll have to go back at some stage to unlock the rest of the engineers, but I'm in no rush

 

[Ian Doncaster]

ENGINEERING
The key thing - which many established players will have done already anyway - is to unlock Dweller, Martuuk, Ryder and McQuinn and get them to at least G4. That'll let you unlock all the Colonia engineers if you want to later, without a return trip. Even if you don't think you'll do much engineering, they're all pretty quick unlocks for an established player.

Something to remember is that anything you can buy locally will be cheaper than transferring it (and you'll then have one in the bubble as well if you go back) - but that gets offset against extra time spent engineering it. And most things - with a bit of patience on stock on a few big core modules - can be bought locally nowadays.

So if you've built up decent material reserves, just fly out, build ships out here, engineer them up to G4 (and G5 where you have the materials to justify it), and transfer a few cheap G5 modules (utilities and weapons, for example) to finish them off. G4+experimental gives you well over 80% of the performance of a maxed G5 for a small fraction of the material cost, so you might find that easier.

Pinned blueprint selection you might well want to change from your normal bubble one - with everything so close, you don't really need to pin anything available locally. I'd recommend at the moment:
McQuinn: railgun
Ryder: missile or torpedo
Ishmaak: mines
Nemo: frags
Cheung: DSS or Sensors*
Tani: Power Plant*
Tah: any except collector, prospector or heat sink
Sarge: cannon, or maybe fuel transfer/hatchbreaker limpets
Jameson: DSS or Sensors* (whichever you didn't pin with Cheung)
Turner: Plasma Accelerator
Fortune: your favourite utility scanner (KWS or Cargo less available locally)
(All other bubble engineers are equalled or outclassed locally, so the pin is irrelevant)

* These blueprints are rapidly approaching G5 in Colonia and should be there in the next two months just at background research levels, so could be skipped.

When ranking up with a Colonia engineer for the first time, you will help everyone if you pick a module that isn't yet G5 to do this with. Hopefully you can find one you have a use for.

TECH BROKERS
If you want any tech broker modules, unlock them before you leave. We have tech brokers out here so you can buy anything you've already unlocked, but no suitable Guardian sites are known anywhere nearby, and most of the commodities needed for the human tech broker aren't available either (there are a few, but only a few)

 

[Renraiku]

Transferring your gear will cost approximately 120% of it's purchase price. If you can purchase it in Colonia it is definitely worthwhile if you want to save pennies.

I transferred around 50% of my fleet, around 2 Billion in total.

squints eye's, looks at Phisto

 

[Iron Golem]

So my favorite part of Elite is the thinking, planning and out fitting. After reading the suggestions I've been putting deep thought into what is the minimum I could take and still have capability I want to have. I never had more fun just look at my ships and thinking... For a few hours lol.

I'm so use to just having everything all the time its a nice change of pace. There's much for me to do probably about a week of prep before I head out. Ill definatly say hello when I make it.

 

[Iron Golem]

ENGINEERING
The key thing - which many established players will have done already anyway - is to unlock Dweller, Martuuk, Ryder and McQuinn and get them to at least G4. That'll let you unlock all the Colonia engineers if you want to later, without a return trip. Even if you don't think you'll do much engineering, they're all pretty quick unlocks for an established player.

Something to remember is that anything you can buy locally will be cheaper than transferring it (and you'll then have one in the bubble as well if you go back) - but that gets offset against extra time spent engineering it. And most things - with a bit of patience on stock on a few big core modules - can be bought locally nowadays.

So if you've built up decent material reserves, just fly out, build ships out here, engineer them up to G4 (and G5 where you have the materials to justify it), and transfer a few cheap G5 modules (utilities and weapons, for example) to finish them off. G4+experimental gives you well over 80% of the performance of a maxed G5 for a small fraction of the material cost, so you might find that easier.

Pinned blueprint selection you might well want to change from your normal bubble one - with everything so close, you don't really need to pin anything available locally. I'd recommend at the moment:
McQuinn: railgun
Ryder: missile or torpedo
Ishmaak: mines
Nemo: frags
Cheung: DSS or Sensors*
Tani: Power Plant*
Tah: any except collector, prospector or heat sink
Sarge: cannon, or maybe fuel transfer/hatchbreaker limpets
Jameson: DSS or Sensors* (whichever you didn't pin with Cheung)
Turner: Plasma Accelerator
Fortune: your favourite utility scanner (KWS or Cargo less available locally)
(All other bubble engineers are equalled or outclassed locally, so the pin is irrelevant)

* These blueprints are rapidly approaching G5 in Colonia and should be there in the next two months just at background research levels, so could be skipped.

When ranking up with a Colonia engineer for the first time, you will help everyone if you pick a module that isn't yet G5 to do this with. Hopefully you can find one you have a use for.

TECH BROKERS
If you want any tech broker modules, unlock them before you leave. We have tech brokers out here so you can buy anything you've already unlocked, but no suitable Guardian sites are known anywhere nearby, and most of the commodities needed for the human tech broker aren't available either (there are a few, but only a few)

Great write up and tips, as always from you Ian. I have all the Colonia engineer invites. Its just a matter of finishing a few things, making module space / muleships and pinning all the recipes.

I didn't realize engineering out there helped progress for everyone in unlocking higher grades. That's interesting.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Plasma accelerators engineering currently at g4 and 40% progress. You all know you want that g5 pin without going to mine bromellite...

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Transferring your gear will cost approximately 120% of it's purchase price. If you can purchase it in Colonia it is definitely worthwhile if you want to save pennies.

I transferred around 50% of my fleet, around 2 Billion in total.

squints eye's, looks at Phisto

 

[Northpin]

A

What else can folks recommend? Figured it would be good to post here about it in case others were thinking about the journey.

Transfer costs are 1.3x purchase cost.
I'd farm some LTDs for some cash (if needed) then simply transfer all the ships in one go. I mean i'd rather spend 20 hours farming LTDs (that should be about 3 billions) than spend 20 hours taxiing 7-8 ships to Colonia. But that's just me.

Anyway, before transfer every ship should be equipped only with the modules that cannot be purchased in Colonia and/or modules that are not worthy to re-engineer.
Transferring A-rated Fuels Scoops? or AFMU, 5h FSD boosters, Size 6+ Cargo Racks? No way.
And I'd have some second thoughts about those 500+ millions needed to transfer the Vette's reactive armor or 550+ millions for Cutter's reactive Armour.
I'd rather re-engineer them.

 

[Renraiku]

That's true Northpin, my mistake, I was going off a 12 month old memory.

~130% Purchase price to transfer to Colonia,.also ~60 hours wait.

 

[Biff Stryker]

I'm slowly heading that way and will probably relocate there if it appeals to me (which I'm sure it will by the sounds of it). The only ships I plan on moving there are the Conda (which will be my first neutron highway trip) and the Multi-Mamba just for any possible shenanigans that take place. I'll build the rest of my purposed Colonia fleet in the region. Like others I have a bubble CMDR now plus my daughter has an acct there too so Biff is free to go play in the black
I am out nosing around a huge restricted zone near The Fallows for now but will turn and make a beeline across to Colonia to look at real estate before heading to Sag A*.

So for future reference.. who do I need to buy a beer or two just to make sure I don't get blowed..er "properly greeted" into Carcosa before I turn in a poop ton of exploration data? I'm fair game after that though My Phantom has pew pews and prismatics, it is a dangerous galaxy out there

 

[Bigmaec]

I'm slowly heading that way and will probably relocate there if it appeals to me (which I'm sure it will by the sounds of it). The only ships I plan on moving there are the Conda (which will be my first neutron highway trip) and the Multi-Mamba just for any possible shenanigans that take place. I'll build the rest of my purposed Colonia fleet in the region. Like others I have a bubble CMDR now plus my daughter has an acct there too so Biff is free to go play in the black
I am out nosing around a huge restricted zone near The Fallows for now but will turn and make a beeline across to Colonia to look at real estate before heading to Sag A*.

So for future reference.. who do I need to buy a beer or two just to make sure I don't get blowed..er "properly greeted" into Carcosa before I turn in a poop ton of exploration data? I'm fair game after that though My Phantom has pew pews and prismatics, it is a dangerous galaxy out there

Just tell me or Phisto you're on your way (CMDR name helps) and we'll work it out...
No KWS but explo data at the Rock is welcome...

 

[Phisto Sobanii]

Just watch out for Ratty! That guy has lost his mind.

 

[Bigmaec]

Just watch out for Ratty! That guy has lost his mind.

Everything named Wayland has to be handeled with extreme caution.
Lession from LV426.

 

[Biff Stryker]

Just watch out for Ratty! That guy has lost his mind.

Duly noted, I wondered what that Wayland character did with him but it's just the space madness so I guess no big deal then

 

[Just Paul]

Plasma accelerators engineering currently at g4 and 40% progress. You all know you want that g5 pin without going to mine bromellite...

Working on it. I have another 3 in the pipeline to be engineered. Just that like always selenium is holding me back.

Beside the Corvette, Cutter, Clipper, and Courier all ships are available. Some modules are out of stock some times but are usually back within a week.
I build most of my fleet in Colonia, that's a couple of Anacondas and Krait's, a Phython, Beluga, Mamba, lot's of FdLs, and now an Orca. All modules were sourced and engineered locally too.

Ratty is the most dangerous CMDR out here. He even made one guy run all the way back to the bubble, for just looking at him the wrong way.