New to the game and I've been trading/exploring for the time being till I can get a better ship, and I was just wondering if there is a better setup to make it better for trading/exploring?
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Newcomer / Intro Best way to set up sidewinder for exploring/trading
- Thread starter trucking45
- Start date
throw the BDS and shields (if you are brave) .. get more cargo space ....and just trade and do fetch and courier missions till you can get in a Hauler and ditch it.... exploration is really good ...but it's not really top for making credits ... quickly .... to progress
Well, you should try to maximise your jump range - trading isn't really very profitable within 15LY. Upgrade your power plant, power distributor and FSD.
In the Sidey, you might also consider losing your weapons - they're excess mass if you're not going to be in a fighting situation, which reduces jump range.
Some people even swap the shield generator out for another cargo rack. They respond to interdictions and unavoidable combat situations by running like a man runs to the toilet the morning after a vindaloo. If you do this, upgrade your thrusters so that you are hard to overtake and pray that CMDR Vipers and Cobras don't decide to chase you. NPCs, by and large, won't.
The basic discovery scanner is all you need (and can afford) for light exploration.
If you're trading, you should also have a spreadsheet program running that you can ALT+TAB to in order to input the trade data for each system. Some people use third party tools with crowdsourced data. Others use screenshots of the commodities market with an OCR program to catpture the data and dump it to a CSV/XLS file that can be read by popular spreadsheet programs.
In small ships, the most profitable goods seem to be rares (like Leestian evil juice and Pavan ear grubs) and slaves - imperial or otherwise. The rares routes are popular with player pirates, for some reason
and gankers - especially those around the "original" starter systems of Lave and Diso, etc.
In the Sidey, you might also consider losing your weapons - they're excess mass if you're not going to be in a fighting situation, which reduces jump range.
Some people even swap the shield generator out for another cargo rack. They respond to interdictions and unavoidable combat situations by running like a man runs to the toilet the morning after a vindaloo. If you do this, upgrade your thrusters so that you are hard to overtake and pray that CMDR Vipers and Cobras don't decide to chase you. NPCs, by and large, won't.
The basic discovery scanner is all you need (and can afford) for light exploration.
If you're trading, you should also have a spreadsheet program running that you can ALT+TAB to in order to input the trade data for each system. Some people use third party tools with crowdsourced data. Others use screenshots of the commodities market with an OCR program to catpture the data and dump it to a CSV/XLS file that can be read by popular spreadsheet programs.
In small ships, the most profitable goods seem to be rares (like Leestian evil juice and Pavan ear grubs) and slaves - imperial or otherwise. The rares routes are popular with player pirates, for some reason
and gankers - especially those around the "original" starter systems of Lave and Diso, etc.
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Thank you for the tips! Next time I'm on I shall try some of these and see what happens. I'm definitely looking at the hauler as my next ship for the time being till I polish my flying skills (I've had a couple close calls when docking like hitting boost when I meant to use my side thruster).
just forget rare trading in a little sidey..... it's the most ....em.... wierdest suggestion I've seen given to a fellow Newbie so far
multi jumping in a 15 - 20Ly radius around your starter system will net you a Hauler within a few days of steady play... hone your landing skills now.... as you progress it's a required skill.... some will say use auto dock module.... but it's just far too slow at the moment
multi jumping in a 15 - 20Ly radius around your starter system will net you a Hauler within a few days of steady play... hone your landing skills now.... as you progress it's a required skill.... some will say use auto dock module.... but it's just far too slow at the moment
Also, just avoid the hauler step...
the Adder is quite good for not that of a big step in price IMO
Adder will get you in some good trading starting point, and Adder is a very nice ship if fitted correctly for exploration...
EDIT : And Oh, get used for combat in your starting sidey, so you will still learn a lot and not loose that much money... learning combat later might end you up learning it the hard way with some bigger losses...
the Adder is quite good for not that of a big step in price IMO
Adder will get you in some good trading starting point, and Adder is a very nice ship if fitted correctly for exploration...
EDIT : And Oh, get used for combat in your starting sidey, so you will still learn a lot and not loose that much money... learning combat later might end you up learning it the hard way with some bigger losses...
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I agree, trading in a Sidewinder is not a good experience and it's limited jump range will make travelling 160ly to trade rares painful.
For basic exploring, jump to nearby systems with the basic discovery scanner and then scan each object you discover (lock on and point at it) - stars scan from further away (maybe 500ls... Can't remember off the top of my head), but planets you need to get closer about 50ls for gas giant and all the way down to 5ls for the smaller planets.
The more bodies you scan (do they are explored) the more you make. Up to about 10-15k was the most I got for a system before I moved to better scanners. But you'll quickly get enough for an Adder.
Yes I'd buy an Adder rather than a Hauler.
Fit a fuel scoop if you explore. The Sidey has a small tank, so a scoop will save you looking for a station to refuel.
For basic exploring, jump to nearby systems with the basic discovery scanner and then scan each object you discover (lock on and point at it) - stars scan from further away (maybe 500ls... Can't remember off the top of my head), but planets you need to get closer about 50ls for gas giant and all the way down to 5ls for the smaller planets.
The more bodies you scan (do they are explored) the more you make. Up to about 10-15k was the most I got for a system before I moved to better scanners. But you'll quickly get enough for an Adder.
Yes I'd buy an Adder rather than a Hauler.
Fit a fuel scoop if you explore. The Sidey has a small tank, so a scoop will save you looking for a station to refuel.
Now I have to say that I'll be looking into the Adder☺. Thanks for all the tips! I think I'll just do a lot of the courier missions and what not all the while selling system data till I can get an Adder and go from there. Love the fact that this community is so nice!
you can also along with the idea of training a bit your fighting skills in the sidey as I mentionned, get used to the KWS (Kill Warrant Scanner)
So again if you mess up with understanding whether you can shoot or not your target, it will make it a less painful learning as you will do the same mistake as most do (I even did it again while I knew what I should not do... lol)
Shooting wanted guys can also be a good first grind for a start.
You'll learn a lot too doing so
So again if you mess up with understanding whether you can shoot or not your target, it will make it a less painful learning as you will do the same mistake as most do (I even did it again while I knew what I should not do... lol)
Shooting wanted guys can also be a good first grind for a start.
You'll learn a lot too doing so
I did do some fighting once in solo play (think it was my second or third day playing). I had this NPC down to 30% hull I was at 60% as I was lining up my next set of shots a second NPC comes out of nowhere and starts shooting me and gets me down to 30% and I'm trying to engage supercruise but nothings happening and my canopy is busted out so I'm panicking, *BOOM*. Dead. Oh well it was fun.
It is the most profit per tonne of cargo, and the allocation per commander per visit is limited, which makes trading rares in big ships less profitable than plying commodities routes. I'd suggest to you that the rares mechanic is actually intended as a high-risk high-reward trading strategy for players in smaller ships - While yes, trading in a Sidewinder is painful, rares are one way of doing it. With 8T cargo holds (the max in a Sidey, iirc, if he strips out shields and the BDS and installs a fuel scoop to cut own on visits to stations), that's maybe 30-40,000cr profit one way. Half an hour of jumping at the most.just forget rare trading in a little sidey..... it's the most ....em.... wierdest suggestion I've seen given to a fellow Newbie so far
multi jumping in a 15 - 20Ly radius around your starter system will net you a Hauler within a few days of steady play... hone your landing skills now.... as you progress it's a required skill.... some will say use auto dock module.... but it's just far too slow at the moment
160LY will take probably half an hour at most including refuelling. I did also point out that there is risk involved in that pirates and gankers love the rares routes for obvious reasons.
Alternatively, he can scratch out a trade route around Eravate for 500cr/ton profit and die of boredom. At least he now has a choice to make.
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The sidewinder can be a powerfull tool, when it's upgraded.
but in the begining to "earn" money to get off it - is a real pain.
Painfull enough to 'force' you to learn how to manage your ship effectively.
FSD is your first investment.
THRUSTERS
power supply
power distributtors (you get extra oomphf)
I was doing the mining/exploring so power distributers and power supply was a must (makes those continual boosts happen) and longer blasting with the mining laser.
However, the pay-gap between the c->b->a class (depending) of ship modules start to go expenonential, sure 20'Cr or 50'000 is attaneable with some lucky mining or combat for the E->D->C
but it's still *random* drops, and you have to get "lucky" with exploration too.
and if you are already in the C/B class of ship modules in a sidewinder you can easily trader out to an Adder.
(don't bother with the hauler)
The Adder is where it's at for the most part, exploration isn't it's thing, the jump range is a bit limited.
It's has as good a turn rate as sidewinder, (in the blue) it's almost as fast, (sluggish on the lateral thrusters)
So even downgrading the feul tank is a must and the shield generator (to a sidewinder size) to lighten the load.
For mining and hauling, the Adder is your upgrade ship of choice.
However upgrading the FSD is a pain, as it's a larger module than the sidewinder, and you can't cheat by downgrading, and the price-tag for those babies is steeper than the sidewinder progression.
but in the begining to "earn" money to get off it - is a real pain.
Painfull enough to 'force' you to learn how to manage your ship effectively.
FSD is your first investment.
THRUSTERS
power supply
power distributtors (you get extra oomphf)
I was doing the mining/exploring so power distributers and power supply was a must (makes those continual boosts happen) and longer blasting with the mining laser.
However, the pay-gap between the c->b->a class (depending) of ship modules start to go expenonential, sure 20'Cr or 50'000 is attaneable with some lucky mining or combat for the E->D->C
but it's still *random* drops, and you have to get "lucky" with exploration too.
and if you are already in the C/B class of ship modules in a sidewinder you can easily trader out to an Adder.
(don't bother with the hauler)
The Adder is where it's at for the most part, exploration isn't it's thing, the jump range is a bit limited.
It's has as good a turn rate as sidewinder, (in the blue) it's almost as fast, (sluggish on the lateral thrusters)
So even downgrading the feul tank is a must and the shield generator (to a sidewinder size) to lighten the load.
For mining and hauling, the Adder is your upgrade ship of choice.
However upgrading the FSD is a pain, as it's a larger module than the sidewinder, and you can't cheat by downgrading, and the price-tag for those babies is steeper than the sidewinder progression.
It is the most profit per tonne of cargo, and the allocation per commander per visit is limited, which makes trading rares in big ships less profitable than plying commodities routes. I'd suggest to you that the rares mechanic is actually intended as a high-risk high-reward trading strategy for players in smaller ships - While yes, trading in a Sidewinder is painful, rares are one way of doing it. With 8T cargo holds (the max in a Sidey, iirc, if he strips out shields and the BDS and installs a fuel scoop to cut own on visits to stations), that's maybe 30-40,000cr profit one way. Half an hour of jumping at the most.
160LY will take probably half an hour at most including refuelling. I did also point out that there is risk involved in that pirates and gankers love the rares routes for obvious reasons.
Alternatively, he can scratch out a trade route around Eravate for 500cr/ton profit and die of boredom. At least he now has a choice to make.
I really don't know why you assume that everyone plays Open mode ?
I've seen zero "gankers" in Solo mode... if he's only making 500 credit's a ton profit... he's definitely doing it wrong.... Go to the BB and combine runs and it will be quick and painless. .. easy peasey.. lemon squeezey ...
160LY will take probably half an hour at most including refuelling. I did also point out that there is risk involved in that pirates and gankers love the rares routes for obvious reasons.
Alternatively, he can scratch out a trade route around Eravate for 500cr/ton profit and die of boredom. At least he now has a choice to make.
If you haven't been outside the Eravate vicinity, and making some 160ly jumps sounds like something I'd try.. how do you even plan a direction? Without just asking someone what to target, flying in a line and checking every station for what they want seems dreadful.
Well if he's playing solo, it's a no-brainer: he should trade rares. It's quicker and practically risk-free.I really don't know why you assume that everyone plays Open mode ?
I've seen zero "gankers" in Solo mode... if he's only making 500 credit's a ton profit... he's definitely doing it wrong.... Go to the BB and combine runs and it will be quick and painless. .. easy peasey.. lemon squeezey ...
There are plenty of threads both here and on Reddit that specify some of the stations that sell rares. There's actually one less than 50 LY from Eravate - I noticed the rare goods there about two weeks ago but didn't bother to write the name of the system down and have subsequently forgotten.
There are also route planner websites that help you plan routes in excess of 100LY. Currently, the inbuilt galaxy map is limited to about 100LY in denser parts of the galaxy. The 1.1 update due in March will stretch route planing to 1,000LY.
Currently, the best way in-game is to let the galaxy map think for a while as it plots all the available routes from home, search for the destination system you're interested in, then line up the starting and destination systems and choose somewhere halfway or thereabouts, then repeat when you get there.
At the end of the day. .. I think we can all agree that there are many ways of playing the game... none of them right and none wrong. ......
Yes - play the way you want! I have no beef with solo mode and no time for the crowd that look down their noses at solo players - I did it for my first 50 hours, but the NPC bounties are higher in open, in my experience. RESes spawn wave after wave of Sidewinders, which isn't really fun for me as a bounty hunter when they melt in 15 seconds.
I was just offering my opinion on what I'd try if I were in the OP's position. Personally, I'd rather go shoot stuff
I was just offering my opinion on what I'd try if I were in the OP's position. Personally, I'd rather go shoot stuff
Here's a trading loadout which maximises cargospace and has a decent jump range to - careful though, no shields!
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=301,,2-3m3m3I2C2C2C22,03w03w02M
With a limted 10Ton capacity I would probably try rares (in solo) too.
You can plan a route here http://eliteraretrader.co.uk
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=301,,2-3m3m3I2C2C2C22,03w03w02M
With a limted 10Ton capacity I would probably try rares (in solo) too.
You can plan a route here http://eliteraretrader.co.uk
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InMemoriamSirocco
Banned
According to http://www.elitetradingtool.co.uk/ , the nearest system to LHS 3447 selling rare commodities is "Xihe", where "Xihe Biomorphic Companions" are sold on Zhen Dock. I don't know whether you can reach it with your 6,5 ly range FSD in your stock Sidewinder. It is 44.08 ly from LHS 3447.
From Xihe, it is 166.94 ly to the independent system of Wulpa, where the starport of Williams Gateway sells "Wulpa Hyperbore Systems". So there you could max your profit for the rares from Xihe and stock up on rares to trade back there. After your first run you will probably be able to afford a Hauler, after your second run you will be able to afford an Adder.
You can use this route planner https://cmdr.club/routes/ to plan your way down there.
From Xihe, it is 166.94 ly to the independent system of Wulpa, where the starport of Williams Gateway sells "Wulpa Hyperbore Systems". So there you could max your profit for the rares from Xihe and stock up on rares to trade back there. After your first run you will probably be able to afford a Hauler, after your second run you will be able to afford an Adder.
You can use this route planner https://cmdr.club/routes/ to plan your way down there.