Newcomer / Intro Bit of early game advice needed, trading and finding a better base

NeilUK02

N
Hi All

I always seem to start a new game in the same system, LHS3447, which is OK but I can't seem to find anything to trade. A few people have said that Azeban City is a good base but I have been trying to find my way there all morning. I even found myself in a few Anarchy systems as I tried to find my way there. Survived unscathed but no profit, I have now been carrying the same cargo for 4 systems, everyone is selling it no one seems to want it. I'd really like to get somewhere more built up. The systems I am near now all seem to be Tiny Population and all the same type.

I am currently in the Apoyota System and have been further afield in my search for Azeban City but no luck, I guess my Sidewinder is too limited to get there. I seem to get to points where I can't jump any further and I have had to head back.

I'm also struggling to get any decent Bulletin Board missions, looking for low risk until I can build up my strength. Looks at the moment like I am going to have to head back to LHS3447, Azeban is out of reach! Would be nice if every new game wasn't always at the same starting point. Not sure if it's a Steam thing that means I always start LHS3447, I have read from others that they started elsewhere
 

Dommarraa

Dommarraa
Everyone starts there now. There was somewhere else pre launch, but not any more.

If you want to find a station, try the search function on the Galaxy map. It finds systems, nebula and stations.

Trading can be hard to begin with. Paper and pencil is good, don't buy unless you know where to sell. You can try and use the trade routes on the Galaxy map. Y8y can use one of the trade tools, of which Slopeys tool is my favourite
 

Hilight

Hilight
Hi NeilUK02. Welcome to Elite. The learning curve with Elite is kinda steep, but I'm sure you'll soon have a better handle on things... A good thing to use to help you trade are 3rd party trading tools like the one in the link that YoBuck gave you. Personaly I use Slopey's Trading tool which you can find here:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76081&highlight=SLOPEY'S

Either one should be fine... You can also go to the Glalaxy map in the game and look for High Tech systems and Industrial.Extraction sytems that aren't too far from one another. In these systems you transport raw materials (mostly metals and minerals) from the industrial/extraction systems to the high tech systems and high tech goods from them back to the industrial systems
 
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NeilUK02

N
Really finding it a struggle, not sure I'm keen on third party software but thanks for the link. I have tried travelling between a rich Industrial economy and a rich Agricultural one and still they are after the same stuff. I have some Bauxite minerals on board which I bought for 55 credits, the average says I can get somewhere in the region of 291 cr for them. However everywhere I go they have them for 55! Not my day ;-)

Hilight, thanks for your link as well, I think we posted about the same time, it may come to using Third party software soon if you I can get rid of these damn Bauxite minerals ;-)
 
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Hilight

Hilight
I'm not too sure where it might be good to unload Bauxite as people don't haul it much...in the trade screen on the right-hand side when you pick a good, it tells you what kind of systems buy the type of good...so perhaps that will help you. I also have to tell you that many of the goods offered for sale don't really yield very good profits..most of the goods that are traded by players are items that are higher priced such as silver, palladium, and progenitor cells
 

cmdr lowest

C
NeilUK02 said:
Really finding it a struggle, not sure I'm keen on third party software but thanks for the link. I have tried travelling between a rich Industrial economy and a rich Agricultural one and still they are after the same stuff. I have some Bauxite minerals on board which I bought for 55 credits, the average says I can get somewhere in the region of 291 cr for them. However everywhere I go they have them for 55! Not my day ;-)

Hilight, thanks for your link as well, I think we posted about the same time, it may come to using Third party software soon if you I can get rid of these damn Bauxite minerals ;-)
Click to expand...

You can't really go on galactic average information.

What I do is visit each starport and take a note of the prices then visit the other and see what they are selling them for. Pen & Paper style.
 

NeilUK02

N
Thanks guys, I've made some progress, thanks to your suggestions. I have had a couple of good runs between Worlidge Station and Cleve Hub, medicines one way and Cobalt the other. Finally starting to make some profit. Nothing much on the bulletin boards so far so it looks like a long haul doing trading runs until I can upgrade
 

Universal Evil

Universal Evil
You can sometime also in the commodity exchange switch mode in the upper left corner to see where some of the commoditys at your current station is exported to and/or imported from(this info will be in the column where your currently "galactic average" is when you select another station from the dropdown menu)
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
For Bauxite, take it to a refinery system with no extraction concerns. Bauxite is refined into aluminium.


  1. Filter the galaxy map for refinery systems.
  2. Choose a nearby system and go into the system view.
  3. Check the stations in the system - in the left pane, it will tell you if it's an extraction or refinery or industrial station or whatever.
    1. Refinery and industrial or high-tech and refinery will give you the best prices.
    2. Avoid systems with extraction stations, as you'll get a crap price.
  4. Set a course.
  5. Get there, dock at the station and sell the bauxite for a profit.
  6. Don't buy bauxite again. It's a low margin product.
  7. Frigaha, I think, is suitable.


Other advice:


  • Get the hell away from LHS3447 and Eravate. The prices around there are terrible - too many mixed economies.
    • 20LY in any direction will get you much better prices.
  • You can make a lot more money initially by bounty-hunting, even in your Sidewinder.
 
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NeilUK02

N
Thanks for all the advice guys, thought I'd give a little update, it's been a really productive day today. It was like travelling back in time to 1984 when I first played the earliest Elite version and finally started to make progress. Back in those days it was the docking that took me time to grasp. Finding the slot was the hard part until I learned the trick of getting the planet perfectly lined up in your right or left window and then turning to face the station. Once I cracked docking the game just came to me and it's happened again today. Not with docking as I have cracked that , it's actually easier in this version than the original once you get the hang of it.
My early problems with docking came from trying to use the keyboard and mouse, once I switched to keyboard and joystick it's a breeze. I have done loads of trade missions, mainly selling Medicine in one system and Cobalt in the other, with my 4 tons of cargo space it took some time. Then I used my scanner (didn't even know I had one until I looked at my Status tab) In the Frigana system it found 18 astronomical bodies, I took the time to scan each one and once I got 20 light away I was amazed to earn 21,700 credits! I've also escaped a couple of interdictions and survived a pirate attack when I didn't escape. Thanks to the speed of my Sidewinder! He had no chance against my mighty pulse lasers. So he was Elite! HAH! ... OK , I ran!!
All in all a good day and I appreciate the help.
Just need to upgrade my ship and get to be able to jump a bit further , I still can't seem to get out of my sector, I start to move left or right and get about 20 or 25 light years away from my starting point and get stuck. I'm thinking of an Adder next before working towards the coveted Cobra! Won't feel like Elite until I am in a Cobra again!
 

Distance

Distance
Good to hear new players getting stuck in.

If you want more jump range you can always sell cargo racks and scanners to get a little more distance out of your ship. If you upgrade the other components to D grade they're the lightest components and will improve your range even more.

Check out :

http://www.edshipyard.com

You can experiment with different parts on your ships before you buy them to see what you're getting before hand.
 

Sloppy Pilot

S
I would argue that azaban is a bad place to base yourself.
Spread your wings and leave the core for a place closer to the border of civilization.
There are loads of profitable systems out there and money is everywhere.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
There are better systems than Eranin. It has a lot of human traffic thanks to its rare good - Eranin Pearl Whisky - but it's otherwise small and poor, which makes it a poor choice of base, in my opinion. Population size and wealth affect the availability of ships in the shipyard and the range of upgrades available in the outfitters.
 

dsmall417

D
NeilUK02 said:
Hi All

I always seem to start a new game in the same system, LHS3447, which is OK but I can't seem to find anything to trade. A few people have said that Azeban City is a good base but I have been trying to find my way there all morning. I even found myself in a few Anarchy systems as I tried to find my way there. Survived unscathed but no profit, I have now been carrying the same cargo for 4 systems, everyone is selling it no one seems to want it. I'd really like to get somewhere more built up. The systems I am near now all seem to be Tiny Population and all the same type.

I am currently in the Apoyota System and have been further afield in my search for Azeban City but no luck, I guess my Sidewinder is too limited to get there. I seem to get to points where I can't jump any further and I have had to head back.

I'm also struggling to get any decent Bulletin Board missions, looking for low risk until I can build up my strength. Looks at the moment like I am going to have to head back to LHS3447, Azeban is out of reach! Would be nice if every new game wasn't always at the same starting point. Not sure if it's a Steam thing that means I always start LHS3447, I have read from others that they started elsewhere
Click to expand...

I'm very reserved about providing trading routes, as I have found a really good one. I'd be happy to share it with everyone here, but I don't know how it would impact my ability to get profit. Sorry for the selfishness, but that's kinda how this game is. I only play in solo mode, so I don't know if online trading impacts the prices for solo trading. If solo trading prices aren't impacted, then I will give you a route that will make tons of quick money. 1-3 jumps depending on the ship & upgrades, 30ls & 100ls from star with a round trip haul of $600k with an Imperial clipper maxed out for trading. Again, I want to share this information as I know how hard it is to find a route, but I can't do it at the loss of my own progression.
 

sasani

S
Welcome to the universe, you're going to love it.

You may want to check out this guide on trading if you don't like the 3rd party tools. It's very comprehensive.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91538

My own tips
1. I echo everyone's sentiments, get outta Dodge - find your own little corner of the universe to trade in if you are in open mode.
2. Best way to make money early game is missions (but you may already be past that stage)- don't do missions for any old faction, pay attention to who is giving you the mission as it will impact your standing (read up on politics, reputation, standing etc...)
3. Once you have a little bit of money to invest in a better ship and cargo space you can do some trading.
4. The best money spinner if you have about 30-50 tonnes (don't need more than 70) is rare trading, and I found that fun - and a decent ship (with a decent jump range) rare trading will be the best by a long way. You will need a ship with teeth to fend off pirates, and a good jump range. Cobras & Asps (my fave mid game ship) are good
5. once you have c.200 tonnes normal trading is the best money spinner in the game.

At stage 3&4 you may want to do some NPC bounty hunting as it is about 50:50 in terms of making money at that stage.

Hope this is useful...
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
The prices will get thumped. They are the same regardless of game mode - the background simulation is the same. In short, don't share unless it's by PM!

OP: Filter the galaxy map for refinery, industrial and high tech economies. Find three that are relatively close together and make that your route.

Refinery > industrial (metals)
Industrial > High tech (computer components)
High tech > refinery (resonating separators)

If your refinery has a lot of rare, high value metals like silver, gold and palladium, you might even want to consider skipping the industrial entirely.

Distance from the main star is an important consideration. Keep it under 2000ls if you can.

Higher population systems are more resilient against sustained trading. This won't be too much of an issue in a Sidewinder, but when you get to T6 and above, you'll notice prices drop out from under you if you push certain commodities too hard when the population is small.

You tend to get better prices towards the fringes of populated space where there is much less player trading. The flipside of this is that it can get pretty lonely out there. Not an issue if you're playing solo, of course.
 
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dsmall417

D
the100thmonkey said:
The prices will get thumped. They are the same regardless of game mode - the background simulation is the same. In short, don't share unless it's by PM!.
Click to expand...

I thought so. It's a real shame. I understand why they can't change that since it's easy for someone to build up in solo mode and carry that into online mode, but I wish they had an offline mode that wasn't impacted by the online community. Either way, to the OP, you've been given some good guidance here on how to start & I've tried the slopey's tool as well as Thrudds trading tool and people have their own preference, but I would recommend elitetradingtool.co.uk to help find trade information. It usually has a round trip planner, but that's been down for a while now. Best of luck.
 
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