How are you guys not losing tons of money?

[Ian Doncaster]

So please, if you have ANY good and helpful advice for me, please share... I really want to be start playing again....

If you only play occasionally, it's very easy to be surprised by changes. The NPCs have gradually been getting tougher and smarter from release to release - if you play regularly, then it's not that noticeable (and they're still no match for a fully-upgraded player ship) ... but if you only play occasionally (so you're also out of practice!) they can be surprisingly dangerous. Assassination missions are one of the more dangerous combat opponents, too.

I'd recommend switching to a cheap combat ship - Viper III or IV - to get back into practice. In something like a non-Hazardous RES, there's plenty of police around to help you out, and if you do lose it the rebuy is much smaller. Practicisng your pip allocation is one of the most important things you can get right - 4 to systems makes your shields much more resistant to damage ... but doesn't leave you much for engines or weapons, so switching them back and forth as needed makes you much tougher and effective in a fight.

You can also use a Viper for doing the data delivery missions for an easy extra payout as you move around looking for good bounty hunting sites.

As others have said, 5 million rebuy implies that your Python is not fully upgraded. It *can* be a decent combat ship, but a half-upgraded one is very often a slow and easy target.

(Alternatively, go exploring for a bit - payouts are decent, it's generally safe, and if you don't pick up cargo the pirates will ignore you - and get some rebuys back)

 

[777Driver]

Git Gud.

Seriously though, if you are flying a lower spec Python you should focus on armoured trading or perhaps smuggling. I would advise you run data missions for an anarchy faction until you are allied and they start to offer big money for shifting their drugs. Try tipping them into boom and wait ...

I also saw some one tell you not to fly CG's in Open. This isnt good advice. You won't improve with no competition. Also the CG's are quiet enough. I was flying a T9 in and out if Lave and saw loads of other haulers too. The only interdictions I saw were the ones I did last night when I switched to my Pirate ship. I literally had to inject the "danger" into the CG myself.

*And to the Cmdr in the T7 who repeatedly beat me at the interdiction... Your tax exemption certificate will be rendered invalid next time we meet 07!

I fly 99% in OPEN, sadly cg’s are full of bellends. No issues with interdictions, nice challenge and keeps you
on your toes. Sadly most cg’s I visit are full of kids trying to ram you in the access corridor, combine that with the GTA style chat, just full of kids flying FDL’s. Last night in Lave was no different
I tend to stick to one delivery to get on the board, then back to normality.

Respect to all the other truckers that stick it out. I can’t understand why anyone would put up with that for a week.

 

[Ouberos]

I fly 99% in OPEN, sadly cg’s are full of bellends. No issues with interdictions, nice challenge and keeps you
on your toes. Sadly most cg’s I visit are full of kids trying to ram you in the access corridor, combine that with the GTA style chat, just full of kids flying FDL’s. Last night in Lave was no different
I tend to stick to one delivery to get on the board, then back to normality.

Respect to all the other truckers that stick it out. I can’t understand why anyone would put up with that for a week.

What game time do you play?

This is literally not my experience. Last night I was in game playing as a "Tax Collector" and had much fun. I added a new Cmdr to my friends list, asked for small amounts of cargo and even got hunted for a bit by an FDL.

At no point did I see any ganking or ramming or bad language on chat.

I play, on average from 20:00 to 23:00 in game time.

 

[777Driver]

What game time do you play?

This is literally not my experience. Last night I was in game playing as a "Tax Collector" and had much fun. I added a new Cmdr to my friends list, asked for small amounts of cargo and even got hunted for a bit by an FDL.

At no point did I see any ganking or ramming or bad language on chat.

I play, on average from 20:00 to 23:00 in game time.

Funny, I was going to edit my post to say the time I play probably has a big influence on my experience. Currently
Playing UK peak time (around 6pm)

Appreciate that the experience differs for everyone.

Cheers

 

[Stealthie]

The above is how FDev intended it to work, the OP is how it actually works.

I suppose it's a bit of an assumption but this seems like one of those cases that might highlight what's wrong with "progression" in ED.

Is it okay that somebody can afford to buy a Python without learning how to do assassination missions, how to succeed at interdictions or how to survive at a nav' beacon?

Cos, for me, that's the sort of stuff a player should be learning before they progress past flying, say, a Cobra.

 

[TheMegaTurnip]

Easy. Watch your hud, Everything except module damage is shown on the HUD at a glance, if you hit 30%, time to high wake, or just fly a ship that does 450+ no npc human craft outdo that i beleive. Thats also why i've started flying a courier for PvP, its an to shoot accurately with kinetics, even gimballed ones, and if its a gank, i can turn tail and outrun seekers and all of the would be gankers with relative ease. 640 mps with 40% resistances and 1.4k hull, not too shabby to save the bank balance.

 

[Ouberos]

Funny, I was going to edit my post to say the time I play probably has a big influence on my experience. Currently
Playing UK peak time (around 6pm)

Appreciate that the experience differs for everyone.

Cheers

Yes, I suppose it does. It's just that the other day a thread even said when we would be arriving in Lave and there were no issues. ( Apart from server issues...)


Convoy PQ-17

By the way I also fly a T9, mainly on your recommendation and would happily wing up with you on a CG.

 

[777Driver]

Yes, I suppose it does. It's just that the other day a thread even said when we would be arriving in Lave and there were no issues. ( Apart from server issues...)


Convoy PQ-17

By the way I also fly a T9, mainly on your recommendation and would happily wing up with you on a CG.

Sent you a msg buddy.

Cheers

 

[Codger]

Just to clarify, honking the ADS does not currently work for updating the missions. It is bugged. You have to drop in and scan the nav beacon. Hopefully it will get fixed in the next release.

 

[Mxpower76]

So please, if you have ANY good and helpful advice for me, please share... I really want to be start playing again....

VIP sightseeing missions and bulk passengers are still a reliable way to get cash when you need it. I'm allied in several systems if one isn't in a boom state. Good paying bulk transports are usually to a destination at least 150,000ls out. My best spot is 350,000ls out and it sometimes pays almost 30mil and takes 15-20min flight time. That's stacked Vips and bulk to get 30mil. Not one mission.

 

[Hossi]

Just to clarify, honking the ADS does not currently work for updating the missions. It is bugged. You have to drop in and scan the nav beacon. Hopefully it will get fixed in the next release.

Honking the ADS does not currently work for WING-Missions, it does work for regular non-wing-missions though. I used it several times yesterday.

 

[Stealthie]

Just to clarify, honking the ADS does not currently work for updating the missions. It is bugged. You have to drop in and scan the nav beacon. Hopefully it will get fixed in the next release.

That was a funny conversation...

Somebody posted a bug report about this.
FDev Support responded by saying that honking is not supposed to update an assassination mission.
Somebody then pointed out that the mission-briefing specifically states that honking IS a way to update the mission.

Course, FDev will probably "fix" this by revising the mission-briefings... eventually. [sad]

 

[Codger]

Honking the ADS does not currently work for WING-Missions, it does work for regular non-wing-missions though. I used it several times yesterday.

Hmm, never works for me since last release. More RNG?

 

[mistohise]

Op, you say "16 deaths and you'll be out of funds" but death should be a rare thing indeed. (Heavy PvP activity aside).

I know the reason for every death I've had in elite, and that includes where I've been killed by human commanders in mobius. That reason is: me not knowing when to exercise due prudence.

My most recent utterly stupid death was from continuing to try to collect black boxes after losing shield against a swarm of NPC pirates.

You need to know your limit and bug out before reaching that limit. If I would have done that, I'd have saved my last rebuy.

If you're seeing rebuy screens that you don't understand, revaluate your craft. (In every sense of the word).

 

[Hossi]

Hmm, never works for me since last release. More RNG?

Now that I think about it, I did salvage, liberation and planetary scans in the phyton using an ads. I did the assainations in the corvette (which has no ads). So maybe honking the scanner works for everything but assasinations.

 

[Shiro Akai]

First - after long break you need to re-learn the ropes. Get familiar with controls, check if key mapping is how it should be - nothing more heartbreaking when you deploy cargo scoop instead of shield booster or chaff because some update decided to reset the keybinds.

Second - securing rebuys is a must, especially when you consider combat activities. If trading is not for you then Road to Riches if you're more exploration oriented, or Military Rank up data delivery missions (like Sothis-Ceos). Maybe not the most lucrative mission type but you can stack 20 of them, pick credits as main reward and an hour of such flying gives you up to 20M. That's 4x your Python rebuy cost.

Third - for starters, after longer break, I'd consider something smaller. Viper or Vulture, if you want something more pew-pew, maybe FDL. Similar price range and more combat oriented while Python is great but more for multirole.

Fourth - if you really insist on Python combat, I'd advice you to pay extra attention to details:
- make sure you KWS scan before firing at target. It's not that uncommon to misfire and be vaporized by local defense.
- read the scan info, look for "in wing" info. If present - your target have company that WILL turn on you on the spot. You may overcome one maybe to simultaneously. But 3+?

ED isn't specially forgiving and overconfidence is engraved on way too many tombstones.

 

[Frank]

If you're just looking for a way to make easy money then do every Community Goal. You will get money even if you only do enough to get into the top 100% by providing one ton, or shooting one ship. 75% is easily doable

 

[NY09]

By playing God Of War instead. Easy

 

[PiLhEaD]

Sorry to hear that commander - it's a real ouch moment when you lose a big ship. Maybe downgrade your ship and expectations a little, just for a while?

I use a FAS (HRPs in both military slots) or a FdL in med-res sites, and have a hoot 'helping out' the security forces. So I get my fix of pew-pew without too much worry. Just a word of advice, never take on a 'big' wing on the assumption the security services will arrive in time - I've seen a few re-buy screens that way. Haz-res sites are fun as well, as it's all on you, just pick your targets carefully!

For money making try passenger missions, two-stop sightseeing missions seem to have the best reward:time ratio at the moment. I earned 5M+ in around 40 minutes play last night, and even took in some nice sights and got some exploration data along the way. Not bad for me and the way I play.

Good luck, hope your mojo is back soonest!

 

[Rhino Hammer]

I'll admit that I'm out of the loop on many things in Elite. Got myself a new battlestation at home and wanted to start Elite again.. I went for a Mother Gaia mission to eliminate a pirate in a system ROSS.. I went to the system ROSS and looked for this pirate for an hour, scanning every ships I could scan in supercruise, but I was not able to find him..... After a while I got bored, because a million payout check for a pirate that takes HOURS to find, is...... imbalanced? So anyways, I tried to interdict a few harmless NPC's, and I failed the interdiction every time. Don't know why they are so hard to interdict. Failed every time.. So I went to the NAV beacons to shoot down some wanted NPC's or someone with a bounty. Found an NPC with a bounty and I shot her down, and immediatly I got shot down too.. And I lost almost 5.000.000 (five million) credits in insurance cost on my Python.. I had played for THREE hours without being able to earn a single coin, but losing five million in an instant...

This is happening everytime I try to start playing Elite again.. And to be honest, this is what's keeping me from playing Elite all together, because I'm afraid to lose all of my money... How the heck am I supposed to play this game and feel like I'm actually gaining something? I don't want to be doing trading all the time.. I don't have the funds to die all the time... I'm not able to do bounty missions... And if I'm lucky enough to do the bounty mission, there is a risk for me to lose all of my millions in an instant.. So please, if you have ANY good and helpful advice for me, please share... I really want to be start playing again....

The only advice I can give is to list the things that you're good at, list the best paying professions in Elite, and list the activities that you WANT to do in Elite.

As long as your lists are in descending order, you simply find what is common across all three lists and nearest the top. That's your primary money making career/activity. That is where you build your nest egg. That is where you retreat when funds get low. That is what you do when you want to play but don't have the direction that you want. For me, it ended up being short distance sightseeing missions. Fun, lucrative, and it was what I was good at.

Once you have your nest egg and primary profession, then you start to branch out and take risks in other professions. Take risks and try new stuff. If you fail and lose a bunch of money, go back to your primary profession to rebuild