Delivery Missions for Big Ships are Gone?

[evanevery]

I've been noticing this for a while now (since the last update) and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who has noticed this...

I used to be running 3 or 4 cargo delivery missions from my favorite refinery station. Generally three or four 120-180T missions to a large station in a neighboring system in single run. Usually about 4-7 mil for each individual mission.

...Anyway, now the best I'm seeing is 10 mil for a single 120-180T mission and it seems all of these are going to outposts or smaller stations (no large pads). 10 mil is a nice payout for a single run, I'm not complaining about that. I'm flying the crap out of my Python, but I simply can't find any excuse to dust off my favorite larger ships (Cutter, etc) as there simply are very few delivery missions to the larger stations. It seems the larger ships have very little use in the current environment.

I waited a while thinking maybe the BGS had not yet fully spun up. Obviously, I've been playing for a while since the last update, so it certainly appears to be the new norm. I'm also pretty sure this is not unique to my little corner of the universe...

Anyone else notice this? Am I missing something? Was this done to "fix" something?

 

[GunnerBill]

Yeah not many wing missions for 800+ tonnes of commodity.

I've also broken out the Python from mothball!

 

[777Driver]

All depends on where you are in the galaxy (and the current combination of system states) You'll obviously find more high value runs to outposts if those surrounding systems have boom state factions operating into outposts with high demand.

My local areas have always favoured large ships, I am always at max capacity on my large freighters with plenty of high value cargo waiting at the depot.

Lol, it's a hard life doing heavy haulage.. Believe me, I'm not the only big rig driver earning a good living. Even those 90 tonne 5 mill weapon runs are great for 700+ tonne capacity ships, just fill up yer hold. The Python just doesn't cut it, I use it for smuggling along with the Krait.

 

[Slange Lands]

Try doing missions on the Acropolis or Vanguard. Once allied, which is easy, you can trade performance enhancers, progenitor cells, thorium, consumer technology and insulating membrane for considerable profit. Usually, 30 to 40 tons of the above give 2 to 4 million credits per mission. My 728 ton capacity Cutter usually makes 25 to 35 million per run. Although the Acropolis and Vanguard are nomadic, the missions are always the same regardless of system. And the missions are always mostly source with some thargoid killing ones. Both ships have large landing pads. It's a nice way to see different parts of the Bubble, too.

 

[777Driver]

Try doing missions on the Acropolis or Vanguard. Once allied, which is easy, you can trade performance enhancers, progenitor cells, thorium, consumer technology and insulating membrane for considerable profit. Usually, 30 to 40 tons of the above give 2 to 4 million credits per mission. My 728 ton capacity Cutter usually makes 25 to 35 million per run. Although the Acropolis and Vanguard are nomadic, the missions are always the same regardless of system. And the missions are always mostly source with some thargoid killing ones. Both ships have large landing pads. It's a nice way to see different parts of the Bubble, too.

Nice, I take it those are megaships? Will have to investigate.

 

[evanevery]

Yeah not many wing missions for 800+ tonnes of commodity.

I've also broken out the Python from mothball!

No, I'm NOT talking "Wing" missions. Those are all over the place. But why would someone grind a 5000T "Wing" mission for 5-7 mil when I can take a single 120-180T mission for 9 mil (to an outpost)?

The payouts on wing missions are just stupid...

 

[777Driver]

The payouts on wing missions are just stupid...

Check the Beta patch notes, the low value commodity ones are being increased. Stiil whats wrong with 50 mill for 1000 tonnes? You just need to know where to look.

 

[GunnerBill]

No, I'm NOT talking "Wing" missions. Those are all over the place. But why would someone grind a 5000T "Wing" mission for 5-7 mil when I can take a single 120-180T mission for 9 mil (to an outpost)?

The payouts on wing missions are just stupid...

Right.

I'm meaning the ~1500 Tonne ones paying up to ~40 million. Easily a 25 mill+ profit even going it alone.

But hey, whatever.

 

[Mephane]

Since switching to a Corvette recently, I noticed this, too. With my Python, it seemed fine, plenty of missions to transport 80 tons, 120 tons, 180 tons, so doable in one or two trips depending on how many cargo racks you stuff in the ship. Now with the Corvette, I naturally lost access to those missions that go to an outpost... but gained nothing in return.

FD needs to really look at the mission options because they still heavily push players towards board flipping not to optimized some extreme credits/hour ratio, but to find even a single worthwhile mission at all.

 

[Brrokk]

I think those really nice missions for 120 tons paying 8M depend on both the system you're in and a nearby trading partner being in boom. They can dry up suddenly if a nearby system changes state, but return just as suddenly.

 

[Slange Lands]

Nice, I take it those are megaships? Will have to investigate.

Yes, they're Aegis Megaships. Commander Factabulous has a thread called "Thargoid Attacks: Where, When and What you can do about it" that updates every Thursday and gives that week's location of the megaships. Often, three to four of the mission givers are aligned to the Empire or Federation, so it's also a nice way to rank up. That's how I got to Duke and Admiral and became a billionaire. And now I'm bored and playing CQC.



o7

 

[777Driver]

Yes, they're Aegis Megaships. Commander Factabulous has a thread called "Thargoid Attacks: Where, When and What you can do about it" that updates every Thursday and gives that week's location of the megaships. Often, three to four of the mission givers are aligned to the Empire or Federation, so it's also a nice way to rank up. That's how I got to Duke and Admiral and became a billionaire. And now I'm bored and playing CQC.



o7

Awesome thanks. Anyway @OP - simple answer, no delivery Missions for Big Ships haven't gone. It is a big galaxy.

 

[Red River]

...The payouts on wing missions are just stupid...

but what's really stupid they take up mission board precious/limited slots in solo .. I don't have wings in solo!

 

[evanevery]

Try doing missions on the Acropolis or Vanguard. Once allied, which is easy, you can trade performance enhancers, progenitor cells, thorium, consumer technology and insulating membrane for considerable profit. Usually, 30 to 40 tons of the above give 2 to 4 million credits per mission. My 728 ton capacity Cutter usually makes 25 to 35 million per run. Although the Acropolis and Vanguard are nomadic, the missions are always the same regardless of system. And the missions are always mostly source with some thargoid killing ones. Both ships have large landing pads. It's a nice way to see different parts of the Bubble, too.

I don't know what your smoking.... But your numbers aren't even close to accurate!

I spent a couple of days getting repped up (Allied) with all the factions on the Acropolis. There are lots of "Personal Shopper" missions. I can usually take all the missions on a single board going to a single station (Agri or Tech) in my Cutter. (Maybe 10 missions or so) But the net total on any one run is only about 10-12 mil. I'm calling B.S. on your "usual" 25-35 mil per run! Grossly overestimated me thinks. Unless you are sitting there for an hour, cherry picking jobs while you wait for the mission boards to refresh, you're never going to make that much on a single run. (Even taking ALL the progenitor cell and performance enhancer missions from a single board).

So my average for the highest paying, single-run, "personal shopper" missions from the Acropolis is only 10-12 mil. While it does allow me to mostly fill my Cutter, I can pretty reliably find 9-10 mil 180T single cargo missions for my Python which only require 1 jump. (...all at the same source station)

I'm repping up with the Vanguard right now, but the payouts seem even less attractive...

 

[Shintai]

Besides missing the big ship cargo, the smaller cargo also now pays way too much. The regular trade is pretty much gone.

 

[Slange Lands]

Unless you are sitting there for an hour, cherry picking jobs while you wait for the mission boards to refresh, you're never going to make that much on a single run. (Even taking ALL the progenitor cell and performance enhancer missions from a single board).

Yes, I do cherry pick and shamelessly relog. I am sorry that my numbers are not accurate for you, but my 1.7 billion credits, a fully A graded and engineered Cutter and Corvette came from doing those missions. It took about a month. As I am a housewife, I play Elite Dangerous when I take breaks from housework, so that allows me to look at the mission board more frequently and take only consumer technology, progenitor cells, performance enhancer, thorium, and insulating membrane missions. I accept as many as possible and am always at the limit. And once again I shamelessly relog. In addition, since the Source Missions are on a 24 hour timer I can wait to go to a refinery until I get 5 or 6 Thorium Missions. I do the same with Insulating Membrane. If I have space available I often purchase any surplus of Thorium or Insulating Membrane a station may have. Then, after having redeemed my current insulating membrane and thorium missions, I relog until more thorium and insulating missions pop up. They will. Instant cash in. My play style is is that I have so many Source missions to complete that I am always short of cargo space. I also have a tendency to deliver things at the last possible moment, which is not genius. I actually went to the stations/refineries to get stuff maybe 2 to 3 times a day.

When I am not exploiting the mission board, I play CQC or do Thargoid Missions or engineer.

I am sorry you are not earning more, but maybe the above might help. Maybe I was also lucky with the system status.. I don't know.

o7

 

[moodles08]

The Taygeta and Electra systems have been working well for me with large ship delivery missions. They both just have one large station, which saves mission delivery time. Taygeta has plenty of boom time delivery and source and return missions, so you can deliver goods in both directions.