Newcomer / Intro Basic Training - All your basic questions answered

[CMDR Sheehy]

You can find a lot of questions answered by going to http://www.elitedangerous.com/guide/training/ and running through the training videos here...

Thought this might help before you ask the question on the forums for the gazumpteenth time.

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A video on Trading and Trade Routes

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;8WH-SVh6kjM]http://youtu.be/8WH-SVh6kjM[/video]

Starting out and want to make some money exploring? Here are a number of videos made whilst in Gamma and Beta:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elite+dangerous+exploration+t utorial
The difference between then and now? You have to travel 20ly to sell the money.

Outfitting: Ever spiced up your ship and found that nothing now works???

Spoiler

[video=youtube;qJG6ZXosiB0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJG6ZXosiB0[/video]

And if you are going to outfit your ship with the latest and greatest, you are going to need to know about Insurance:

Spoiler

[video=youtube;lZuOTBh9R5w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZuOTBh9R5w[/video]

 

[Starnoob]

Those are all the same videos that are already linked in the training section of the game. They're really helpful so anyone who didn't take the time to watch them should do so.

What I'm interested in is maybe some more advanced training videos on how to do basic things, like take a bulletin board quest and actually successfully finish it. I got through all the training no problem and thought, "Wow, this game is gonna rock". I loved the attention to detail on the flight mechanics, docking, faster than light travel, the galaxy map, etc. All very impressive.

Then I hit "Start" and everything changed. I found myself on a station with nothing to do. I went into the bulleting board and there was a long list of missions that were "Available but unattainable" and only one that I could take. It was to find a black box. OK, fine. I took it and headed out. The training missions gave me enough knowledge to figure out how to get to the system I needed to go to and once there I had no clue what to do next. I flew around wondering how exactly I was supposed to find this box. The only contacts I saw were federation security ships and that made me nervous since the mission was supposedly illegal. Anyhow, after an hour or so of frustrated flying around my next mission was to figure out how to abandon this one. It didn't take long and I dumped it.

I went back to a station and docked and this time the only mission available was to take some clothing from that station to another one in another system. That was something I thought I could handle. I undocked and expertly used the galaxy map to locate the system and suddenly found it wouldn't let me hit the "route" button. I figured it must be out of range or something. I checked how far the jump was and it was listed as 6.89L. I checked the range of my ship and found it was 6.89L. Fine, I guess if the line is that fine it won't let you jump. I used my knew knowledge on how to abandon a mission to dump this one, and headed back into the station to get another. There weren't any. All the rest were available but unattainable. I waited a while to see if the bulleting board would reset but after a while and nothing I decided to undock and go try another station in the system. Everything at that station was considered illegal and I didn't want to go that route yet.

Anyhow, after buzzing around aimlessly and trying to figure out what to do next I decided it was time to pack it in for the night. I was really stoked for this game to come out and now I find myself not too excited about trying it again later tonight. It's just to hollow and empty from the start. I imagined it being more like X3 with crowded systems loaded with activity and too much to do.

If you could point to any videos that give a good idea on how to get started actually doing things that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[Anopheles]

the only thing i can't find out myself is how to target subsystems?

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

There have been some discussions on getting started: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=77703 for example.

Jump distance can be a problem in start systems. The way to get around this is to:

A. Sell something in outfitting. One of your lasers, or the discovery scanner. This will increase your range, and you may then be able to do some missions. As soon as you complete one, more start becoming available as your reputation grows. Don't sell your discovery scanner if you want to do some exploring.

B. If you bought the Mercenary Edition, go look for your Free Eagle. It has a better jump range and is good for exploring and fighting.

C. Make some cash by jumping in to a few systems (usually with a non-descript name) and scanning the star or other object marked as unknown (by targeting it and pointing your nose at the object.) Do this and you can sell the information at systems more than 20ly away. You get around 600cr for a scanned star, and 2000cr for a multiple-star system. Fire off your discovery scanner to discover more objects. You will need to map your discovery scanner to a fire-group in your system panel (the right panel.)

Ships start of with basic systems. You have to make some cash through trading, doing missions, or exploration, or, if you are good, shooting down some wanted pilots. Once done, you can upgrade your systems for items that draw less power, weigh less, and therefore get more jump distance.

The first couple of hours are a slog, but after that you get the hang of it.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

the only thing i can't find out myself is how to target subsystems?

Once you are in a system, every known object is listed in your left-hand panel. Use the left-right-up-down controls to highlight an object, then press space, and choose, lock target.

Is this what you mean?

 

[Anopheles]

Probably, thanks.

 

[Aubrey]

I checked the range of my ship and found it was 6.89L.

Your range is for a single jump only, which uses the maximum fuel of your drive. So you can jump 6.89 LY, which will use that amount of fuel. A ton, say. You can then jump another 6.89 LY using the same amount of fuel, so your true range might be 40 LY.

You can find the fuel use on the drive module, if there are others available in the station (else you can't view the module.)

You might find some instructional vids on Twitch...

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Ah... I've just clicked what you mean. Target the subsystems of a ship.

Two ways:

One is in the left hand panel, but that's not easy to do whilst in combat.
The seconds is that there is a key binding for next/last subsystem. Set that to something on your joystick or keyboard and you can scroll forward backward between target subsystems.

 

[Aubrey]

Oh yeah, and any salvage missions like black boxes, military plans or rebel transmissions will be in an un identified signal source in the named system. But once you scoop it, it's marked stolen, so don't get scanned!

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Oh yeah, and any salvage missions like black boxes, military plans or rebel transmissions will be in an un identified signal source in the named system. But once you scoop it, it's marked stolen, so don't get scanned!

Right, and the way to avoid being scanned is to dock at outposts, not at the big stations. You will soon get to know which is which from the icons in the system list.

It is possible and quite a fun challenge to dock at the main stations whilst carrying illegal goods, by using a combination of the silent running feature (it closes the heat sinks on your ship, so your internal heat rises fast - use in bursts) and speed, which takes some practice and a bit of accuracy.

Some people go around the station at quite a distance until the station entrance is right in front. Then boost and full speed, requesting docking after 7.5k in and through the flap. It gets the heart pumping.

 

[Starnoob]

Selling one of my weapons is actually a good piece of advice and would have worked perfectly for me last night. I think it was the load of cargo that was putting me just out of range from making the jump and if I'd lightened up a bit I could have done it. I did buy the mercenary edition and I did get an Eagle and I figured out how to locate it and dock at the station where it's stored, but I wanted to learn the ropes in my beginner ship first. I wasn't worried about crashing into a star or getting blown up or anything because I'd just get a replacement for it. That's my understanding anyway. I didn't want to risk the Eagle until I knew what I was doing.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

Bounty hunting missions are the same as salvage missions, then? Visit all the listed systems that the fugitive could hide in and search every unidentified signal source?

I have a question, too: I wanted to haul Gold from one station in a star system where it was marked as "Export" (but still sold above the galactic average) to an outpost on the outskirts of said system where it was marked as "Import". I expected to get a better price there. The opposite was the case. Is this a bug, or is trading data meant to be unreliable in this game?

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

I have added a video on Trade Routes in the OP as that might help with this answer.

The market is dynamic. Which means as pilots buy from that Export location, they become scarcer and more expensive. As pilots sell at the Import location, more go on the market and the buying price drops.

Basically, it is as if someone got there first. The situation could change tomorrow and you get there first.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Exploring is a good way to kick off a career in Elite. Pick a different part of the Galaxy and head towards it. Using the route plan button you can plot a route through unknown star systems, even in the core.

When you jump in to the system, you will see there is nothing on your scanner. Then the central star appears. You get a message "You have discovered a new astronomical body." Bingo! 200cr when you cash it in. Now reduce your speed to zero and point at the star. Target the star and wait. You will see the scanning message on your lower left. After about twenty seconds it will complete and you have a description of the star. Bingo! Your 200cr is now just over 600cr. You now have enough to buy your first fuel scoop!!!

In your systems (right hand panel) set up your Discovery Scanner into a separate Fire Group. Switch to this fire group and hold down the trigger and wait as it builds up. When it fires it discovers any other astronomical bodies within 500ls. If you have, more cr. Go to each one, targeting them and start scanning! More Cr.

When you are done, check your targets list in the left-hand panel. Select your next star system on your original planned route (It will have the route planner icon) and jump.

After about 3 or four jumps, dock and go to station services, universal cartographics. Start to see your data and start to kit out your ship better. Buy a fuel scoop and stop paying for fuel.

A final note: Watch out for other ships whilst scanning. If you see one closing in, it may be the better part of valour to jump to you next target and leave with what data you have. That said, eventually you can buy better weapons. Then when they interdict you, wait until they shoot at you, then target them. Wait again, dodging and turning until they appear as Wanted. Then shoot them out of the sky and you will have bounty to collect. Most importantly, note what level they are at. Harmless and Mostly Harmless are easy enough to take out, but above that, you will need some skill. Put full power to engines and boost out of there.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Added a video on Outfitting. As you select items to add to your ship, you can see the difference it makes in the lower right hand panel. You really want to stay below the max rated power and watch your jump distance!!! There's nothing worse than having a tooled up Viper that can only jump to two other systems!!! It's happened.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Talking about outfitting: Watch out for the insurance premiums. The more equipped your ship is, the greater your insurance. Video added to original post.

 

[Zathrus]

Great post, thanks for sharing it!

 

[dragn]

Two Questions:

I've been using my beginner scanner (I don't believe it's called Discovery Scanner -- something else -- can't recall offhand)...I've gotten the "You've discovered a new astronautical object" but just wondering if the beginner scanner is good enough to sell the cartography info.

I wanted to get a fuel scoop for my beginner ship but every module in the Internal section seems vitally important. Is there something I can do without? I guess shield generator if I don't plan on doing combat, but can I hold on to that or do I have to sell it?

Thanks

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

If you are going to only do exploring, you might sacrifice your cargo hold. I would not fly without shields. This was how I fitted my Eagle. It was a bore not being able to do delivery missions, but it was good enough to do some minor bounty hunting. Swings and roundabouts...

The basic discovery scanner (you can find the name of the device in outfitting) scan will get you a small amount. E.g. Scanning a star will get you 200cr. But if you target it and point your ship at it, the sensors will scan the star. Once completed, you will then get ~600cr instead of just 200cr.

However, saying that, you only get paid for items that appear as 'Unknown' AND you have to travel more than 20ly away to sell it. I have made around 50% of my money from selling scan data, the rest doing missions. I'm no millionaire, but I have a good ship and am enjoying myself.

 

[dragn]

Okay, so the basic scanner is good enough. good to know.

And yeah, I suppose the cargohold can be sacrificed...but when you replace the module, does it get lost forever and you have to buy it back again later? Or do you keep it somewheres. I suppose I could find the answer if I just booted up the game but I am away from my gaming comp atm.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Okay, so the basic scanner is good enough. good to know.

And yeah, I suppose the cargohold can be sacrificed...but when you replace the module, does it get lost forever and you have to buy it back again later? Or do you keep it somewheres. I suppose I could find the answer if I just booted up the game but I am away from my gaming comp atm.

When you are in a station and you sell an item, there is the option to buy back at the same price... A sort of cool down period. I believe (I could be wrong) that as soon as you leave it's gone and you have to buy a new one somewhere else.