First of all - welcome CMDR among the stars.
So I have a trade niche the missions are very repetitive but I figured out a cycle to make lots of money very quickly
All missions are repetitive if you consider doing just one type of them. Key to success is to find what you really like and stick to it or create a combo of missions types to shuffle between to avoid burning out and/or boredom.
and I can easily get to the best ship in the game with in about a week maybe less if I put my mind and time to it.
Word of advise - there is no such thing as "best ship in the game". Or, maybe from different angle - which ship you refer to?
Every ship is capable of doing anything, some are better in certain roles than others and since there are multiple roles, there are also best fitted for said role. Ergo - we have multiple "best ships" out there.
Do not fall into that trap where "bigger, more expensive is better". It may perform better than smaller/other ship but is it actually better? T-9 can haul more cargo than Python, true, but you won't be also tougher vs pirates in T-9 than in said Python. You may find some encounters easier countered in Python than in T-9.
And Anaconda is overrated
and broken. OPly broken, DEVs messed with hull mass (scandalously low) hence it's the best explorer. Since mass affectgs multiple specs of a ship, low Anaconda's mass makes it OP in many fields. But it's not the best ship out there, many people will tell you that.
You may have the best ship for the role. Which one is it - it depends on the role and your personal taste.
My question is why am I doing this is there a long-term goal here
As vaugely as may it sound - whatever you set it for yourself. Ed is a SANDBOX. You get the sand, some tools and... rest is up to you. You may take few archetype roles like combat pilot, trader (buy low, sell high), explorer, errand boy (mission runner, cargo included), bus driver (passenger missions), etc...
You may set yourself more ambitious goal like reach the farthest star in every corner of the Galaxy (if you find one in a spiral, that is
), build the fastest ship out there, become Thagroid bane or the filthy richest CMDR alive.
Your imagination is the limit.
is there a rainbow at the end of this grind,
It is - the one you set.
As an example - myself - I set several goals. Get to center of the Galaxy (having 5m and Adder it was Great Goal), visit Colonia, get Big 3 (Anaconda, Corvette and Cutter), own multiple ships, have Billion in free credits, unlock Engineers and Guardian stuff... Most of the things I already managed to achieve, other still await their time.
are there people to play with online on this game, people to share your failures and successes with ask questions to,
First - open mode. With all of its glory and pitfalls.
Second - wing with friends
Third - squadron. Join one, make friends, fly together.
I'm not sure what I'm doing here, this game is cool and I'm spending a lot of time on it but I now at this brick wall.
Normal first entry experience. Got my ship, earned few credits. WTH am I supposed to do. YOu can be overwhelmed quickly by the myriad of choices of what to do next. My advice - take it slowly, one step at the time.
Is there long-term goals that I'm not aware of that are part of this game?
- earning credits to afford better, bigger ships and modules. Finally it turns out that hull valaue is about 10% of what you need to fully and best outfit your ship. Imperial Cutter can eat over a Billion of credits while costing mere 200M for the hull alone.
- unlocking Engineers, this gives you access to further modifications that enhance performance greatly
- grind-gathering engineering materials, needed for above
- unlocking Guardian tech
- grinding ranks with Federal and Imperial navy to unlock access to several star systems (Sol included) and, most important, ships. Pinnacle being Federal Corvette and Imperial Cutter
- and ofc - doing bit of everything to progress your own Trade, Exploration and Combat ranks to Elite.
Is there anybody to play with and share this with?
Play game, try chatting with people you encounter, join squadron. You'll find them.
Do the missions get better as you level up in the ranks where do I go to find them,
That's the "dangerous" part of Elite. You need to find/create it for yourself. Key is faction reputation. If you keep doing missions for certain faction they will like you more. The more they like you, the higher standing. The higher standing, the more and better missions you get. Trade missions score toward your Trade rank, the higher your rank, the better missions you get.
I, for example, chose free roaming cargo delivery CMDR. Pick something at port A, deliver to B, pickc at B, deliver to C and so on. I have visited half the stations in the Bubble, almost everyone is neutral or mere friendly toward me so whenever I re-visit them they don't offer much. Jack of all trades, master of none.
is there some secret rank I need to obtain?
Shh... keep your voice down. It's not common knowledge but listen closely as I won't repeat.
I heard that Imperial navy is recruiting pilots to do some of their work. Not a military career per say, more like affiliate but with some bonuses. Do them good and they may grant you access to some ships.
Rumors say that Federals also have similar program but...shh... heard that?
Someone's coming. Quick, get out of here. You don't know me, I'll deny we ever met. Now get lost....
I mean I like the stars as much as the next guy and checking out the planets that are relatively repetitive as well what's everybody doing here, give me some tips on what you're doing in this game what keeps you here what goals are you pursuing here.
Varies from CMDR to CMDR, here's what I've been up to:
- starting in Sidewinder my ship goals were: Adder - DBX - ASP - <maybe something in between> - Anaconda
- having 1B credits
- own Big 3: Anaconda (credit lock), Cutter (navy rank and credit lock), Corvette (ditto)
- visit Sagittarius A*
- visit Colonia
- unlock Engineers
- reach G5 FSD engineering
- obtain Guardian FSD booster
- own vast fleet of ships, something for the every role I want to perform
- reach King with Imperium
- reach Admiral with Federation
- find unexplored system
- find unexplored systeem with Earth-like world
- ...
Thanks for your time please advise...
You're welcome.
