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Newcomer / Intro I agreed to take a passenger ~37,000 Light Years to Choose Your Own Adventure--did I bite off more than I can chew?
- Thread starter Oh-Cyrus
- Start date
Cripes. Although many of us have done similar. I'll try not to overlap with what others have posted to much, but to add a couple of thoughts: I only take the longer passenger missions if I am planning to travel in that direction anyway. If I'm heading up to Colonia then having a couple of passengers pay me millions to tag along can make sense. But as a reason in and of itself to travel that far? Not for me, the economics don't stack up.
But another point: you might have a handle on how much your exploration data might be worth on arrival (if so, apologies) but in case a comparison would be helpful: I recently flew my 38ly range Cutter up to Colonia. It was 602 jumps from where I started out (!). I didn't stop to surface scan/map too many planets on the way (although I did do a handful which were close to the arrival point). I made 23 first discoveries (which is nice!) and earned 43m cr when I handed in my data. You should beat those numbers. So assuming you complete the mission (and he might decide that some random moment of hull damage renders you PNG and cancel the contract - always a risk) you should be looking at over 100m cr. So it will seriously accelerate your in-game progression (you could buy and have a starter outfit for a choice of pretty nice ships for that sort of coin), but still taken in absolute terms it doesn't make financial sense. If you can mine 20T of Low Temp Diamonds in an hour then one evening will give you the same 100m cr. Allied faction transport missions pay 5-10m cr a run. There are many ways to make the money more quickly.
But it's an adventure and the money will feel great when you get it (and you'll move a long way towards Elite explorer!). But you have to want to do it. If it's a pain in the behind then the money isn't worth it, in either abstract or relative terms.
You'll learn a lot, though!! Personally, I'd ditch him, chalk it up to experience, unlock the Guardian FSD booster and some engineers, and do one of these with a jump range of 40+. But there's no wrong way to play the game.
o7
I'm on my way to take a passenger to a black hole.
I have just over 3 weeks. I'm nearly halfway there and calculate 1,460 jumps to my destination. I also have to return.
My max jump is 11LY so you got off lightly!
My view is this, if my cargo jettisons because they're done then too bad. I've earned 45m cr on the way so far with 24m in the bank if I make it back after 3 weeks away from the bubble.
If I don't make it back I've earned far more and got my name on a tonne if systems and planets. I'll also have seen my first black hole!
I've seen nebula, biological and geological phenomena as well as put some mileage on my Beluga.
Enjoy the journey. It's not the destination but the bit in between!
I have just over 3 weeks. I'm nearly halfway there and calculate 1,460 jumps to my destination. I also have to return.
My max jump is 11LY so you got off lightly!
My view is this, if my cargo jettisons because they're done then too bad. I've earned 45m cr on the way so far with 24m in the bank if I make it back after 3 weeks away from the bubble.
If I don't make it back I've earned far more and got my name on a tonne if systems and planets. I'll also have seen my first black hole!
I've seen nebula, biological and geological phenomena as well as put some mileage on my Beluga.
Enjoy the journey. It's not the destination but the bit in between!
Thwarptide
Banned
Dump the cheap passenger in the vacuum of space, head back, outfit for exploration then travel 2000lys on the economic path. You'll come back with a lot more than 50 million
I think to complete your trip, with scan data and the mission payout, you'll be much richer cmdr afterwards, but with a 21LY jump, you'll have to put some serious time in to playing.
Try to be efficient in scanning systems, get fuel scooping done quickly, but avoid overheating.
It's that or chicken out and run home.
Best of luck cmdr.
Try to be efficient in scanning systems, get fuel scooping done quickly, but avoid overheating.
It's that or chicken out and run home.
Best of luck cmdr.
Oh my. I feel your pain (from personal experience) 
I also remember another such enterprising Cmndr like you. Who fearlessly made a fabled, intrepid deep space odyssey voyage to Colonia. And got his paper plane shield grade ship #WREKT...literally within a star system or so of sanctuary in Colonia.
IMO, the quickest way to decide if this high risk venture is monetarily worth it is to do the math BEFORE you accept the job. i.e
1.calculate the average profit per distance (not including gas or any O&M you might need to scoop or make on the way at a station. Or preferably with repair limpets in the black). To do this you need to find the average profit per distance of the trip i.e.
trip profit / round trip distance
Don't know your starting point, so I'm going to base your trip on the assumption you left Sol. This allows you to use eddb.io to make your trip estimates. Now based on the eddb.io data base, your destination would be 37,449.21 LY from Sol ONE WAY for a round trip (RT) distance of 74,899 LY (which for me, would already be a red flag NOT to take said trip)
Anyhow, use this formula to get the average profit per LY i.e.
trip profit / round trip distance = 50,000,000 / 74,899 LY = 667.5 credits profit / LY
<-- this profit margin is very, Very VERY bad!!!
And that's BEFORE you factor in the N jumps you need to make just to go ONE WAY. Where N is an integer increasing to infinity with a 20LY jump rated FSD. You can always make FAR MORE with typical shuttle trips inside the bubble (under 10 - 15 LY) to neighboring systems ONE WAY. Or even transporting homeless and penniless refugees would pay far more!
2. Now compare that average profit per LY ONE WAY to the most profitable short distance trips you could make (which are ONE WAY by default) shuttling business class and wealthy passengers some 2 - 3 systems away where you don't:
Now substitute your actual distance from your station and repeat the calculation above. Then ask yourself: is my profit really worth the HIGH RISK, STRESSFUL 950+ JUMPS ONE WAY? Just so this overly entitled NPC can cross yet another life achievement action item off their Bucket List? Especially if I'm flying without rebuy? And if not, is having to pay a costly insurance bill, loss of faction/system reputation and/or gaining a potential crime rating really worth this potential space migraine?
If you did several such high credit to low LY shuttle runs in side the safety of the bubble, you might discover you actually earn MORE credits (doing several SHORT 15LY - 20 LY runs) v. a high credit, higher LY ROUND TRIP OUTSIDE THE SAFETY OF THE BUBBLE. Which is a potential deep space odyssey to hell due to all the risks above. And you would accomplish making MORE credits in a considerably SHORTER TIME. Again with ZERO to negligible risk. And you personally irl, would find you're less physically/mentally stressed out from making all those jumps with a low grade D rated FSD. Which forces you to make frequent fuel stops with your low D grade fuel scoop....
There are a LOT of short, economic cost/fuel efficient and highly profitable LY shuttle trip requests out there. And they're typically from RICH, NON CRIMINAL/LOW RISK passengers. Who will pay premium profits (i.e 500,000+ credit for say 15LY or less) to shuttle them to neighboring systems in the safety of the bubble. You just need to shop around at stations in the star systems.
BTW: If you can afford it, you needed to equip your Space Uber Black with 100% A grade modules (as engineered ones would take too long).
Anyhow TL DR
Glad you've realized your ill prepared for said trip. Upgrade your ship modules to grade A before attempting this high risk, low payout venture in the future. Or at least upgrade your AFMU, shields, hull, sensors, FSD and fuel scoop to grade A. Keep ONE medium size cargo bay storage rack (for salvage opportunities en route). And remove all other non passenger cargo modules/storage equipment besides your business class/luxury passenger modules. Unless you engineer your FSD and other modules like shields etc, avoid surfing the Neuron highway (unless you're a skilled pilot at doing this or incredibly stupid). Anyhow, I'd recommend you cut your losses NOW. Suck it up and pay the fine(s) to the injured host station your passenger originated in. If you end up with criminal/wanted rating when the passenger quits in their escape pod, then go see the nearest IF (or neutral station) to clear your rating. And then work on making your money back INSIDE the bubble until you can outfit a deep space touring/exploring ship.
The best part of this story is the new creases on your Holo Me's brain. Learning their mistakes and assumptions from this failure state. Which will cause you both to work SMARTER AND NOT HARDER in the future Cmndr! 07 07
ps: Don't forget to take advantage of the amazing service offered by the Fuel Rats!
I also remember another such enterprising Cmndr like you. Who fearlessly made a fabled, intrepid deep space odyssey voyage to Colonia. And got his paper plane shield grade ship #WREKT...literally within a star system or so of sanctuary in Colonia.
IMO, the quickest way to decide if this high risk venture is monetarily worth it is to do the math BEFORE you accept the job. i.e
1.calculate the average profit per distance (not including gas or any O&M you might need to scoop or make on the way at a station. Or preferably with repair limpets in the black). To do this you need to find the average profit per distance of the trip i.e.
trip profit / round trip distance
Don't know your starting point, so I'm going to base your trip on the assumption you left Sol. This allows you to use eddb.io to make your trip estimates. Now based on the eddb.io data base, your destination would be 37,449.21 LY from Sol ONE WAY for a round trip (RT) distance of 74,899 LY (which for me, would already be a red flag NOT to take said trip)
Anyhow, use this formula to get the average profit per LY i.e.
trip profit / round trip distance = 50,000,000 / 74,899 LY = 667.5 credits profit / LY
<-- this profit margin is very, Very VERY bad!!! And that's BEFORE you factor in the N jumps you need to make just to go ONE WAY. Where N is an integer increasing to infinity with a 20LY jump rated FSD. You can always make FAR MORE with typical shuttle trips inside the bubble (under 10 - 15 LY) to neighboring systems ONE WAY. Or even transporting homeless and penniless refugees would pay far more!
2. Now compare that average profit per LY ONE WAY to the most profitable short distance trips you could make (which are ONE WAY by default) shuttling business class and wealthy passengers some 2 - 3 systems away where you don't:
- have the profit risk of experiencing multiple dangerous encounters by criminal or 'Goid interdiction
- have to worry about your passengers becoming upset and/or quitting their trip from said multiple interdictions and attacks
- have the operational/logistics risk from constant delays from frequent fueling due to the D grade fuel scoop (which opens you to even more interdiction risk)
- have to be stressed out irl from that LONG trip. Since you're forced to following the longer economic route on scoopable stars. Which force you to make frequent jumps to witch space
- have to worry about multiple demands/requests from your passenger(s) for luxury commodities for their trip. Who-- by default of paying you that premium price--are 100% guaranteed to make the trip a living hell with their demands.
- incur the profit/operation and faction reputation damage risk of worrying about upset passengers threatening to leave by their escape pods. Because you failed to fulfill their ridiculous requests/demands. Because you made the mistake of failing to ignore all their requests during the voyage.
- incur the profit/operation and faction reputation damage risk of worrying about upset passengers who DO opt to voluntarily leave by their escape pods. Thereby making said risk a complete reality.
Had #7 happen to me after surviving a 'Goid screeching encounter to a deep space voyage with an extremely rich tourist NPC. Then my exotically buzzed Holo Me (and his extremely unsettled, non criminal rated rich passenger) got repeatedly interdicted by criminal NPCs while carrying zero cargo in the hold. The passenger home system was a high crime system. So pirates were happily interdicting easy targets around the arrival point and just outside the no fire zone everywhere. Rich passenger was understandably ed of and space sick by the time I entered the no fire zone with 1 red shield. They added insult to injury by literally ejecting themselves in their emergency pod. Just as my Holo Me was literally entering the damned mail slot at their destination station hub. Which naturally resulted in all hell breaking lose between my Holo Me and the station authorities. Who promptly vaporized my ship for unsafe operation or some crap like that. After all my Holo Me had been through. First catering to their every whimisical need procuring inflight entertainment, food and beverage consumables etc. en route for their sight seeing voyage. Letting them meet the 'Goid for the first time. Surviving that and the subsequent pirate attempts at bum nuggetry etc etc. You simply CANNOT. Make that up 
Now substitute your actual distance from your station and repeat the calculation above. Then ask yourself: is my profit really worth the HIGH RISK, STRESSFUL 950+ JUMPS ONE WAY? Just so this overly entitled NPC can cross yet another life achievement action item off their Bucket List? Especially if I'm flying without rebuy? And if not, is having to pay a costly insurance bill, loss of faction/system reputation and/or gaining a potential crime rating really worth this potential space migraine?
If you did several such high credit to low LY shuttle runs in side the safety of the bubble, you might discover you actually earn MORE credits (doing several SHORT 15LY - 20 LY runs) v. a high credit, higher LY ROUND TRIP OUTSIDE THE SAFETY OF THE BUBBLE. Which is a potential deep space odyssey to hell due to all the risks above. And you would accomplish making MORE credits in a considerably SHORTER TIME. Again with ZERO to negligible risk. And you personally irl, would find you're less physically/mentally stressed out from making all those jumps with a low grade D rated FSD. Which forces you to make frequent fuel stops with your low D grade fuel scoop....
There are a LOT of short, economic cost/fuel efficient and highly profitable LY shuttle trip requests out there. And they're typically from RICH, NON CRIMINAL/LOW RISK passengers. Who will pay premium profits (i.e 500,000+ credit for say 15LY or less) to shuttle them to neighboring systems in the safety of the bubble. You just need to shop around at stations in the star systems.
BTW: If you can afford it, you needed to equip your Space Uber Black with 100% A grade modules (as engineered ones would take too long).
Anyhow TL DR
Glad you've realized your ill prepared for said trip. Upgrade your ship modules to grade A before attempting this high risk, low payout venture in the future. Or at least upgrade your AFMU, shields, hull, sensors, FSD and fuel scoop to grade A. Keep ONE medium size cargo bay storage rack (for salvage opportunities en route). And remove all other non passenger cargo modules/storage equipment besides your business class/luxury passenger modules. Unless you engineer your FSD and other modules like shields etc, avoid surfing the Neuron highway (unless you're a skilled pilot at doing this or incredibly stupid). Anyhow, I'd recommend you cut your losses NOW. Suck it up and pay the fine(s) to the injured host station your passenger originated in. If you end up with criminal/wanted rating when the passenger quits in their escape pod, then go see the nearest IF (or neutral station) to clear your rating. And then work on making your money back INSIDE the bubble until you can outfit a deep space touring/exploring ship.
The best part of this story is the new creases on your Holo Me's brain. Learning their mistakes and assumptions from this failure state. Which will cause you both to work SMARTER AND NOT HARDER in the future Cmndr! 07 07
ps: Don't forget to take advantage of the amazing service offered by the Fuel Rats!
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Gotcha; thanks.
I saw it and considered it. I didnt, the exploration data alone will get u 2-3x that much ( thats a massive guess ) il do that in an asp, after i buy the expansion and do some enge. Core mining in a keel, cheap and quite fun ( its not just shooting a laser at a rock )