How to *NOT* be a Boy Scout

[Dr. Smith]

Ok, firstly I apologize if this has been asked before and welcome a reference to elsewhere. But I would appreciate some advice from those with more wisdom than I have.

I have been playing now for about a year, and achieved Elite Combat, Broker Trade, Pathfinder Exploration, and Mostly Helpless CQC, acquiring almost $575M net worth. I have played 95% solo. I have an A-rated combat Python, a trading Python, an Asp Exlorer for deep-space exploring, and an FAS that I am playing with to see if I like it (school is still out). I had a blast and really enjoy this game but am looking for some other areas to experience.

My rewards to date were achieved playing totally clean -- trading, mining, exploring, bounty hunting at NAVs, CNAVs, and RESs. I do most CGs dealing with those activities. I have not tried Pirating, nor dealing in illegal goods. Although I am Federal Chief Petty Officer, I suspect I deserve "Eagle Scout" if it existed. I have become "wanted", lost up to $10's of million in insurance from Security killing me, been fined, shot at by Security, locked out of important systems for up to 6 days or so, but in all cases it was accidental, and often I was not quite sure what I did to deserve the punishment (I wish there was a "why" button). So, I try to not become wanted, shoot friendlies, pick up illegal rares, or accept illegal missions.

But, finally, my question: how can I try the dark side without sacrificing too much?

For example:

• Some missions request me to break the laws -- will that permanently impact my game? How do I know this? I do not want to get banished from a system for a whole week without understanding this ahead of time.
• To get some required materials for the Engineers, I have to apparently attack a friendly planet base to get data -- how does this impact my status?
• Pirating sounds real fun - but clearly I need to completely understand these answers before attempting that. This doesn't seem like Mining, Exploring, or Trading that you can try to see if you like it without serious repercussions.
• The Black Market is something that seems like my ship can be vaporized if I don't do it right. I never have that problem at Costco, so I have been reluctant to try this..... but it entices me.

So I feel sort of petrified or paralyzed -- I do not want to waste a huge insurance wad on a mistake here. Any advice here? In particular, to make progress on the Engineers I need to get data that is only available (AFAIK) from attacking planet bases

 

[DidierDrbois]

I am a pirate that's a cop. A Fed merc that works for the Empire and is good friends with Alliance. I am a respected merchant with hold full of contaband. A gentleman explorer with deadly arsenal under the hood and a fat bounty on his head. Consequence? What consequence.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Start slowly, I recommend trying drugs. If that doesn't work, sell them
.
Smuggling rare drugs can be quite profitable.

 

[Kzak]

Start being a slave-trader! And do Imperial slaves first. They aren't real slaves, they have signed up for this and get paid. Once your conscience quits complaining, you can move on to real slaves.

 

[Zeeman]

Remember, it's all 1's and 0's.

Z...

 

[Rankaze]

Ok, firstly I apologize if this has been asked before and welcome a reference to elsewhere. But I would appreciate some advice from those with more wisdom than I have.

I have been playing now for about a year, and achieved Elite Combat, Broker Trade, Pathfinder Exploration, and Mostly Helpless CQC, acquiring almost $575M net worth. I have played 95% solo. I have an A-rated combat Python, a trading Python, an Asp Exlorer for deep-space exploring, and an FAS that I am playing with to see if I like it (school is still out). I had a blast and really enjoy this game but am looking for some other areas to experience.

My rewards to date were achieved playing totally clean -- trading, mining, exploring, bounty hunting at NAVs, CNAVs, and RESs. I do most CGs dealing with those activities. I have not tried Pirating, nor dealing in illegal goods. Although I am Federal Chief Petty Officer, I suspect I deserve "Eagle Scout" if it existed. I have become "wanted", lost up to $10's of million in insurance from Security killing me, been fined, shot at by Security, locked out of important systems for up to 6 days or so, but in all cases it was accidental, and often I was not quite sure what I did to deserve the punishment (I wish there was a "why" button). So, I try to not become wanted, shoot friendlies, pick up illegal rares, or accept illegal missions.

But, finally, my question: how can I try the dark side without sacrificing too much?

For example:

• Some missions request me to break the laws -- will that permanently impact my game? How do I know this? I do not want to get banished from a system for a whole week without understanding this ahead of time.
• To get some required materials for the Engineers, I have to apparently attack a friendly planet base to get data -- how does this impact my status?
• Pirating sounds real fun - but clearly I need to completely understand these answers before attempting that. This doesn't seem like Mining, Exploring, or Trading that you can try to see if you like it without serious repercussions.
• The Black Market is something that seems like my ship can be vaporized if I don't do it right. I never have that problem at Costco, so I have been reluctant to try this..... but it entices me.

So I feel sort of petrified or paralyzed -- I do not want to waste a huge insurance wad on a mistake here. Any advice here? In particular, to make progress on the Engineers I need to get data that is only available (AFAIK) from attacking planet bases

OK... first rule if you want to not be a Boy Scout: WWHSD? (What Would Han Solo Do, Obviously).

Smuggle drugs (spice)? Yep.
Shoot first when the situation calls for it? Yep.
Be sneaky, underhanded, and dirty? You betcha.
Run from the cops? No doubt. If you fight the law, the law wins. If you run from the law, eventually they get bored and find someone else to chase.

Crime:
Some crimes, like assault and murder and splattering some poor Sidewinder like a bug on the windshield of your Type-9 inside the no fire zone, give you a bounty. Bounties are bad. The local law will shoot on sight, and they'll send bounty hunters after you when you're out of their jurisdiction. Bounty hunters can be really persistent. Bounties that expire turn into legacy fines, which you don't actually have to pay... except if you die and that was the last place you docked. Then they'll tack it on to your rebuy. This is important to remember if you have really huge legacy fines.

If the cops kill you when you have a bounty, it turns into a dormant bounty. Dormant bounties mean the cops won't attack you on sight anymore, but they're not really gone until they expire... don't get scanned, or the bounty "wakes up" and the cops will start shooting again! And the station, too. Station lasers hurt. A lot. A whole lot. As with a regular bounty, once the timer runs out it turns into a legacy fine.

Note: minor bounties (like accidentally shooting someone once) have short timers, sometimes as short as a couple of minutes. Major bounties (killing someone, repeatedly shooting people you shouldn't, large unpaid fines) have really long timers... up to 7 days. When a bounty is ready to expire, the timer will change to say "On H-JUMP". This means the bounty will go away the next time you make a hyperspace jump.

Most crimes, though, just give you fines. Fines are not so bad. Oh, sure, you'll have to pay them eventually (or they turn into bounties, after about a week. Pay your fines!) but the cops won't kill you and neither will the station, and you'll still be allowed to dock. Of course, you only get a fine if you get caught, so the best rule here is simple: don't get caught.

Smuggling:
- Practice speed docking before you start actually smuggling. You want to enter the docking bay fast to avoid the scan, but you don't want to splatter yourself all over the back wall of the station. The proper technique requires some practice. Once you get it down, you're good. I've never much bothered with silent running - if you're fast enough, you don't need it.
- For bonus points, smuggle at outposts. Most outposts (read: not all. Watch out for military outposts) don't have authority vessels around to scan you, which makes for easy smuggling.
- Make sure your destination station has a black market before you do this, or you've wasted your time.
- Don't try to smuggle to outposts in your Type 9.
- For that matter, it's probably best if you don't try to speed dock your Type 9. I'm told this doesn't work well. I wouldn't know, I've never flown a Type 9.
- For the most part, smuggling is easy. Just remember the rule: DON'T GET CAUGHT. Fines can be huge and the rep hit with the local authority faction is not so nice, either. But it's pretty easy not to get caught if you pay attention to things like the patrol patterns of the authority ships around a station. Situational awareness is key.

Piracy - if you shoot someone, you're gonna get a bounty. To be a pirate, you're gonna have to shoot someone eventually. If you don't want bounties, piracy is bad. I recommend you not start with piracy; get used to small crime first, and then if you want to branch out into piracy you'll be better prepared. Also, if you intend to pirate other players, be prepared to be disliked. Nature of the business. That's pretty much all I can tell you about piracy... to learn more about that, you need to talk to a pirate. I've never tried it myself (no desire to).

The Black Market is no big deal, in and of itself. Once you have your goods into the station, just select the Black Market (EDIT: It's been a while, since I don't smuggle on my main account. I think this is under Contacts, but don't quote me on that. The station I'm at presently doesn't have a black market so I can't verify it). in the menu, select "I Want to Sell Illegal Goods" (shocking as this may sound, this is not actually an authority faction sting operation, this really is how you get to the Black Market). Then, sell your illegal goods just like you sell legal stuff on the Commodities Market. All there is to it.

 

[colprice2002]

As one way of easing into the dark side, look for a salvage mission.
These usually require you to find a signal source, then scoop up the items.
These will all be marked "illegal salvage" when targeted, and when captured you'll see a notification on the the of the display.

You'll need to dock without being scanned, then complete the mission in the normal way.

Being scanned by authorities will generate a fine at worst, just makes the trip less profitable.
When you start big-time smuggling runs, you'll also find a number of NPCs who would like to relieve you of it...

 

[Archvillain]

Buy another copy of the game. THAT commander can be evil-srseibs, complete with goatee, clawing and backstabbing his way up the ranks

 

[d8veh]

There's nothing in Engineers that makes you do illegal things. I've unlocked them all to level 5 without attacking any innocent ships or bases.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

There's nothing in Engineers that makes you do illegal things. I've unlocked them all to level 5 without attacking any innocent ships or bases.

This wasn't the OP's point. He wants to turn to the dark (or at least grey) side for the fun of it, get the girl, that sort of thing. Blame Han Solo, not engineers.

 

[goemon]

very basically: what ever you do in an anarchy isn't considered a crime.

watch out in anarchies, that non anarchie minor factions "spread" their law 1000 km around a station, and 100 km around a surface base.

want to try piracy? take you ship to a non-superpower alligned anarchy in boom (industrial/hightech), interdict trading vessels, and steal their cargo. you won't get fines or bounties, and beside loosing reputation with the local factions (which is why the clever criminal moves on once hitting "hostile" or shortly before that on the downer side of unfriendly), it will have no effect.

want to give base attacks a try? take a mission for base attacks of an anarchy factions bases.

enjoy!

(and if you like it, and if you are up for the challenge, play the bad guy in non anarchy sytems - but be aware that bounties above a certain threshold will set bounty hunters on your head ... )