Newcomer / Intro How to Find Outfitting Data IN GAME

[Johnny Cyclops]

I am looking for a Shield Generator upgrade for a Cobra Mk III (so, class 4 shield). I went to a High Tech system but they only go up to a grade 3. It also took me six or seven systems to find gimbal beam lasers (the High Tech did have those). I know there are third party tools, like Inara, that could help but as a 34th century trader I'd like to know if there's an IN GAME way of telling where to find outfitting gear (or, even ships - can't seem to easily find a Cobra MkIV, but only checked a few shipyards).

I'm not a newbie, but it's a newbie kind of question. I started a second account, playing 'IronMan' (no insurance rebuy on death), whereas on my first account (as an original Kickstarter backer) I just buy everything at Shinratra (which my IronMan account doesn't have access to), so I'm having to now learn how to actually fly system to system looking for stuff.

I expect people will kindly reply with "class 4 shields are in "[xx] type of sys/pop/econ/state", but that's still a form of external help (through this forum) rather than figuring out how to find that data IN GAME.

TIA
JC

 

[Northpin]

High population High Tech in Boom

Edit: Or I Sola Prospect, Brestla - it has anything, but more expensive

 

[Maenden]

Elite was designed so that it would breed a community that would provide help for others - so asking for advice and using third party tools isn't cheating.
It's a bit like asking your friends if they know a good garage or using Google to find one.

 

[heman86]

I am looking for a Shield Generator upgrade for a Cobra Mk III (so, class 4 shield). I went to a High Tech system but they only go up to a grade 3. It also took me six or seven systems to find gimbal beam lasers (the High Tech did have those). I know there are third party tools, like Inara, that could help but as a 34th century trader I'd like to know if there's an IN GAME way of telling where to find outfitting gear (or, even ships - can't seem to easily find a Cobra MkIV, but only checked a few shipyards).

I'm not a newbie, but it's a newbie kind of question. I started a second account, playing 'IronMan' (no insurance rebuy on death), whereas on my first account (as an original Kickstarter backer) I just buy everything at Shinratra (which my IronMan account doesn't have access to), so I'm having to now learn how to actually fly system to system looking for stuff.

I expect people will kindly reply with "class 4 shields are in "[xx] type of sys/pop/econ/state", but that's still a form of external help (through this forum) rather than figuring out how to find that data IN GAME.

TIA
JC

check this out https://inara.cz/galaxy-outfitting/

there you can find everything you need. you can type in the system where you are currently in and it shows you the nearest systems/ stations that have the stuff you are looking for.

 

[SportyScribe]

To be honest even third party tools are not 100% accurate as I spent a good part of an evening flying around to find A-rated Power Distributors ... despite anything EDDB was telling me,

 

[d8veh]

Stations always have the modules except when you want to buy them. I thought the game was using my webcam to read my notepad, so I unplugged it, but it still kept removing everything I had on my list from the stations. Whatever method it uses to find out what's on that notepad, I find it very worrying.

 

[SportyScribe]

THARGOIDS! I BLAME THARGOIDS!

 

[Ashnak]

The Cobra IV is only available to accounts that fulfill some criteria (early buyers of Horizons or something like that). And a not uncommon mistake for modules is to look for a class 4 module while having a class 3 compartment selected - you are only shown modules that fit in the selected compartment.
Otherwise, nope. You'll either have to search and make your own experience, or you need to ask others. And all that Inara, EDDB or EDSM give you is the information that has been collected by other CMDRs.

 

[Johnny Cyclops]

Elite was designed so that it would breed a community that would provide help for others - so asking for advice and using third party tools isn't cheating.
It's a bit like asking your friends if they know a good garage or using Google to find one.

I suppose if I treat this forum (and third party tools) like a Port Bar I've wondered into, or radio chatter in a hanger, then yes, I'll have learned to go to a high pop High Tech in a boom (which, curiously, is where I am right now, 44m pop HT Boom - most other HTs nearby are small than 44m pop - I realise it's not a 1bn+ system).

The Cobra IV is only available to accounts that fulfill some criteria (early buyers of Horizons or something like that).

I did not know that (or had forgotten it) but thank you. My main account is from 2015. I bought a second account when there was a sale last year, and that's the one I'm currently playing.

 

[aRJay]

I suppose if I treat this forum (and third party tools) like a Port Bar I've wondered into, or radio chatter in a hanger, then yes, I'll have learned to go to a high pop High Tech in a boom (which, curiously, is where I am right now, 44m pop HT Boom - most other HTs nearby are small than 44m pop - I realise it's not a 1bn+ system).

....

I realised very early on that I would have to ignore the forums as well as third party tools if I wanted to just find out stuff in the game, I didn’t want to do that so I just role play a little. When I am finding out stuff on line what I am doing is using a separate computer from my ships systems for security and logging into the gww (galaxy wide web), when in my cockpit that computer is summoned by an obscure term handed down the nerd side of the family for generations but no longer understood, that term is ”Altab”.

 

[Para Handy]

........ whereas on my first account (as an original Kickstarter backer) ......

(.... cue the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch...)

No doubt you can remember the fun back in 2015 when looking for 3C Gimbal Beams etc - threads on the forum, hot-tips from friends in the game, notebooks filled with station names and notes ... Oh those days of the "Hunt the Module" game ...

Thank goodness for the 3rd party sites, I don't miss "Hunt the Module" one little bit.

 

[Sapyx]

Unfortunately, the only way to find such things using only the in-game tools is to fly to each starport one at a time, dock, go down into the hangar to Outfitting, and look and see if they have what you want, then fly to the next starport and repeat, until you finally attain that which you seek. There is no in-game search function for such things. You can try to use logic to help narrow down your search (eg. "This is a complex high-tech piece of kit I'm looking for, so it'll probably be sold in a high-tech economy", or "this is a big, hunking piece of machinery that needs a giant factory to build it, so it'll probably be made in an Industrial facility."), but such logic isn't entirely reliable. It's kind of like your own personal quest.

Yes, that is supposed to be part of the fun and engaging gameplay in upgrading your ship, because this game is all about flying spaceships so flying around looking for stuff to install on your spaceship is an excuse to go fly your spaceships.

 

[varonica]

To be honest even third party tools are not 100% accurate as I spent a good part of an evening flying around to find A-rated Power Distributors ... despite anything EDDB was telling me,

EDDB has statement that points out that even if a station supplies a particular part there's no guarantee that the stock is actually available at any particular moment in time. So they may be accurate that the location supplies the part, it's just not in stock.

 

[SportyScribe]

EDDB has statement that points out that even if a station supplies a particular part there's no guarantee that the stock is actually available at any particular moment in time. So they may be accurate that the location supplies the part, it's just not in stock.

Yep aware... took three stations to get everything at a discounted rate so was worth it...