Newcomer / Intro I'm totally and and I totally have no idea what I'm doing at all

[Krux9]

I'm new to these types of games, new to this game, and don't know what to do, where to go, or really anything at all.

So far I've played this game for a couple of days and did the combat training and in the main game I flew around to some random planets and space stations.
Is there anything else to this game other than explore a virtual version of our galaxy?

Supposedly this game has multiplayer? Idk how to access or if I'm already in it and I'm the only one who plays, I haven't seen a single soul throughout the time I've played.
$60 gone and I'm getting bored really fast.. someone show me where the fun is? please? I really want to enjoy this game.

 

[Krux9]

I'm new to these types of games, new to this game, and don't know what to do, where to go, or really anything at all.

So far I've played this game for a couple of days and did the combat training and in the main game I flew around to some random planets and space stations.
Is there anything else to this game other than explore a virtual version of our galaxy?

Supposedly this game has multiplayer? Idk how to access or if I'm already in it and I'm the only one who plays, I haven't seen a single soul throughout the time I've played.
$60 gone and I'm getting bored really fast.. someone show me where the fun is? please? I really want to enjoy this game.

It seems I can't edit my post..
Subject line is supposed to say: "I'm totally new and I totally have no idea what I'm doing at all"

 

[Jack Shaftoe]

Well, in broad categories, theres combat, trading, mining and exploration. Watching a couple of YouTube videos on some of those things might give you a better idea of what you'd like to try out. What kind of things sound fun to you? Space dogfighting is a lot of fun for me, but it's not for everyone. Find a system in a civil war, and trade or fight for one side, hoping to tip the scales.

 

[Serkor]

Before spending the $60 for a game, I usually read about it and watch some hours of gameplay videos, so I know why I'm spending (or not spending) the money.

 

[Krusty]

First thing for me was to try to make some credits by trading so that I could get a better ship. I studied the local sectors on the galaxy map and decided on a couple that looked compatible and ran a few T of some commodities to see what I made most on then repeated the run with the prime commodities. I added a few missions from the boards and soon got a feel for that and when Federal ranking missions appeared I took those.
In short, I started small and it just kinda developed.
I have just bought military grade armour for my new Asp. Now to get used to flying it in a few hunt pirate missions...You may find space dust to indicate how well that went

 

[Darkcyde]

Hi and welcome to the game!
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One of the core things 'to do' is trading. Buy low at one place and sell high at another. The hard(ish) part of this is learning what is sold where and who wants to buy it. The galaxy map has options to show trade route of the types of things going between systems, however, many people say this isn't working as well as it should be. Personally I use a 3rd party web site to look for trade routes in my local sector of space. I use this one http://elitetradingtool.co.uk/
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The second core profession is exploration. Look for a star system in the galaxy map the has little or no information about it. Fly there and scan with the basic explorartion scanner (every new ship has one). Then, if you find new astronomical bodies, you can sell the data to nearby stations, although you need to travel at least 20 light years away from the scanned system first. Some of the most beautifl sights in the galaxy can be found just a few light years jumps away!
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The third core area is combat. This can be either bounty hunting or piracy. You can fly to a star and there should be a Nav Beacon nearby. Fly to that and exit supercruise (SC) to find traders, pirates, smugglers, and the police. They will jump in and out of the area, so pick your targets depending what you want to do. Target a ship let the initial scan complete and if its a wanted, kill it for the bounty (which you have to redeem at a local station). If you want to be a pirate, kill traders, these are usually transport ships, shhot and scoop their cargo. This WILL make you a wanted criminal, but that's all part of playing a pirate!
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Those are the simple basics. One other thing you can do is take a job at the job board on any station. These may ask you to transport some cargo, or go find some commodity to bring back, or kill pirates/traders/police. These will reward you with credits and usually reputation with whichever faction gave you the mission. There are also some missions that will advance you in rank of one of the main factions, Federation/Empire/Alliance.
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There are many other threads on this forum to help with newcomers, giving suggestions and ideas. Look through them and pick your profession!
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Hope this simplistic description has been of help to you, you'll get the idea once you're out there. Good luck Commander, and see you in the big black!

 

[Cybermykl]

Hi, are you familiar with the term "sandbox" game? That is what this type of game is based upon. A 'Sandbox game" is one in which a variety of outcomes can be had based upon what you do in it. There is not a story, per se, but rather it is an epic that has many different stories all of which can be affected by the player or groups of players. Ideally, you choose a profession and master that profession, thus becoming the status of Elite. Hence the name. NPC players are computer generated to fill the gaps where real players aren't. In "open" play you can interact with other players when you see them. In "solo" play, you are alone, but still can interact with the game. When you are ready for "open" play, you can take what you've learned from "solo" play and apply that to "open" play without any loss of rank or assets.

Good Luck Commander!

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Hehe, i love how ED throws you in with few instructions.

Someone around here has a sig that says something like "Some games throw you in at the deep end. ED does so with bricks attached just for good measure".

@OP - it may seem daunting at first, but don't worry, it becomes quite simple once you start to understand the basics.

Few tips:

1) Don't worry about dying at the start. Worst thing that happens, you lose a few thousand credits and start again in a new ship. In fact, i'd even recommend just doing random stuff for a while and get a feel for the game, and even die a few times doing silly stuff. Better now that later.

2) Never fly without insurance. Can't be stressed enough.

3) PCs have hollow icons on your radar, NPCs are solid. Learn the difference.

4) Don't treat the game like a race to the top. Don't get focused on getting credits. You'll get more out of the game that way.

 

[Krux9]

hey guys thanks for the replies..
idk if there's a friend list of any sort but would it be possible for me to message u guys in-game too?
mining and trading sound interesting. I found the missions from the relays but have no idea how to complete them, got one that said to go find toxic waste...anywhere. I'm in freaking space.. any clue on direction might have been helped but I think that quest timed out by now. Not sure how ppl know things like where to find stuff like that.

But I'm down to give this all a shot.
Not sure how this scanner works.. says scan successful when i use it but no idea what im scanning or where that information is going but ok.

 

[yah-ta-hey]

hey guys thanks for the replies..
idk if there's a friend list of any sort but would it be possible for me to message u guys in-game too?
mining and trading sound interesting. I found the missions from the relays but have no idea how to complete them, got one that said to go find toxic waste...anywhere. I'm in freaking space.. any clue on direction might have been helped but I think that quest timed out by now. Not sure how ppl know things like where to find stuff like that.

But I'm down to give this all a shot.
Not sure how this scanner works.. says scan successful when i use it but no idea what im scanning or where that information is going but ok.

Hey there, I was/am in your shoes..... in your profile there is a section where you can invite people to be your friend... you can add me if you want.
Missions are kinda tricky... been caught in a couple where I didn't do my homework and got fined ( whatever the amount is in the contract).

OK.. you contracted for toxic waste, rebel transmissions, etc... you go out into space... look and find : unknown signal sources. Target them by lining up and pressing the T key... this will scan the object and tell you what it is... also discloses players and npc players, their status and type of vessel they command.
get close, deploy your cargo scoop and gently place the item Just Under your canopy line... item should then be scooped up and stored in your vessel. GO back to where you got your contract... dock and go to the services screen. go to bulletin
board... find and click on the contract that you just completed. You will be congratulated and told to "surrender the item and you will get paid. click on Give cargo... you get paid the agreed upon price and then continue onto something new. A trick where out scouting... you may find some items floating around... scoop them.. go back to a station and see if what you have is what they want. if they wants it, then agree to the contract and then immediately go back in the surrender your cargo... get paid without leaving the station... pretty slick.