Money as a whole is RUINING my experience in every aspect of Elite

[Foxon_the_fur]

Spending so much time on the forums I see posts either of people saying they can't make enough money or that repairs, ships, modules, and more cost too much money; I agree.

I'm in no means a super player. I'm not making a million credits an hour and I'm still flying a Cobra. In a Cobra 30,000 for insurance is a lot. I just had a 50,000 wear and tear repair bill... which is like 5 missions or an Anaconda kill. I should be in a Type-6 by now but between minor repairs and not making enough cash via combat and trading/missions I can't make enough money to even afford the 1.1 million credit ship.

Let's say I do make a million credits an hour. I buy an ASP. I've seen DOZENS of posts of people saying their repair bills are hundreds of thousands for getting down to 80% hull damage, not to mention fuel costs without a fuel scoop and modules get more expensive the bigger your ship is. Did I even mention the MASSIVE insurance scaling for bigger ships? a 6 million credit ship grind should be over when you're able to buy the ship. You can't even buy it until you have almost 8 million credits because you need a bit of cash for insurance and a few upgrade mods to even make money back. Because I'm not a super player and WILL NOT be earning a million credits an hour... one death in an ASP will set me back DAYS OF PLAY just to pay my insurance.

An ASP is nothing compared to the Clipper, Python, or Type-7 that I dream of having as my main and maybe final ship. I feel incredibly disheartened to the point of quitting because of the costs of the game I'm forced to pay. I'll never get past playing in a Cobra because of them. The Cobra's insurance and mods aren't that expensive but still require a bit of a grind to earn. In a bigger ship I earn more but the costs are WAY higher than I can earn...



If costs of insurance, mods, repairs, and wear and tear aren't balanced better or made WAY more affordable I won't be playing Elite much longer. I love playing more hardcore no holding your hand games but... this is ridiculous. Please Frontier, please do something about this...

Also, sugar peas...

 

[Asp Explorer]

Earn more money?

 

[Carradin]

You could try building up reputation with a faction. I'm occasionally seeing missions with a 250k+ reward in systems I'm allied with. It doesn't happen often, but even once in a while would be enough to take care of your current maintenance woes.

[Edit] You can also do some trading in rares to build up a quick money base to work with - it's boring, but it's one of the easier ways to make money early on, and you only really need to do one or two runs to be financially secure for a while. This Post goes into more detail about that.

 

[Foxon_the_fur]

I'm actually doing that currently in I Bootis. I'm friendly and at 96%. I vowed to stay in the Eranin area until I made enough money through combat or missions to buy the Type-6, then I'm going full trading and, using Slopey's tool, see if I can make enough money that way to fully deck out my Cobra with the 500,000 credit FSD it needs to reach 15LY+ jump and a few other mods.

Sadly, gotta do more missions before that'll happen and with the way trading is currently buying the Type-6 might just cripple me. Money is fickle and when it's the primary source of the entire game it kind of... needs to work better... When I'm doing things to make money to make up for dying or make up for repairs... then the game's currency output isn't strong enough or the repair and other things taking your money is too strong. I really want more balance... Obviously there should be setbacks if you die but in bigger ships the setback is too high. I'll fly an ASP until I die, look at the insurance, and say "Well, guess today's the day I quit!" because I don't want to spend a week of trading to make back my one death... not including dying WHILE trying to make that money back.

I've only died by bugs so far too... so when you take that into account...

 

[Julio Montega]

I'm actually doing that currently in I Bootis. I'm friendly and at 96%. I vowed to stay in the Eranin area until I made enough money through combat or missions to buy the Type-6, then I'm going full trading and, using Slopey's tool, see if I can make enough money that way to fully deck out my Cobra with the 500,000 credit FSD it needs to reach 15LY+ jump and a few other mods.

Sadly, gotta do more missions before that'll happen and with the way trading is currently buying the Type-6 might just cripple me. Money is fickle and when it's the primary source of the entire game it kind of... needs to work better... When I'm doing things to make money to make up for dying or make up for repairs... then the game's currency output isn't strong enough or the repair and other things taking your money is too strong. I really want more balance... Obviously there should be setbacks if you die but in bigger ships the setback is too high. I'll fly an ASP until I die, look at the insurance, and say "Well, guess today's the day I quit!" because I don't want to spend a week of trading to make back my one death... not including dying WHILE trying to make that money back.

I've only died by bugs so far too... so when you take that into account...

Well that actually inspired me.
Why not have the ability to repair at friendly outposts for a loss in reputation,
getting the repairs, refuel and re-arms without having to pay the bill,
since you supported the cause of the operating faction?

 

[Ulysses_W]

Blimey, 50K for wear and tear, 30k insurance! I gotta say, that does seem to be an extortionate amount of wedge.

I'm in a Cobra too and I've not had anything like those sorts of bills. Something doesn't appear to be quite right there.

Then again, I'm a KS backer, but even so...

 

[Carradin]

Why not have the ability to repair at friendly outposts for a loss in reputation,
getting the repairs, refuel and re-arms without having to pay the bill,
since you supported the cause of the operating faction?

I like that idea. Anything that helps give faction reputation purpose is great!

 

[EddyRockSteady]

That Cobra repair bill must surely be a bug. I don't even pay that much maintenance for my Anaconda or Asp. Just hang in there and find a profitable trade route off the beaten path and you'll make plenty of money in no time. Watch the station traffic reports and steer clear of high-traffic zones.

 

[eeps]

I'm actually doing that currently in I Bootis. I'm friendly and at 96%. I vowed to stay in the Eranin area until I made enough money through combat or missions to buy the Type-6, then I'm going full trading and, using Slopey's tool, see if I can make enough money that way to fully deck out my Cobra with the 500,000 credit FSD it needs to reach 15LY+ jump and a few other mods.

Sadly, gotta do more missions before that'll happen

So you enforce a limit on yourself by staying in one area
Then complain you arent making enough money
...what?

you know in real life countries trade internationally so they can make more money, rather than just buying and selling stuff at home, yes?

quick reality check :
- youve bought a cobra, more than most ppl have been able to afford
- theres more money to make 'out there', and less money to make in the starter systems
- theres 400 billion star sytems to explore, trade and earn money by exploring and doing missions
- if youre flying an ASP or something worth alot of money, you should be doing very hghly paid missions
- if you spent a month in each ship, maxing it out slowly, money would be no object and you would blow 200,000cr like candy
- so far I think you're doing it wrong

sorry

 

[Tuzmaal]

The trick on the bigger ships is not to get hull damage and not to jump in the next bigger ship only because you can buy it, you must be able to maintain and replace it.

 

[StarTux]

You could do the odd run for rares, not as profitable as they once were, but may break things up a little as you head off adventuring. There is actually quite a lot to do and the Cobra is marvellous at doing quite a number of different jobs.


Also, if you find a profitable route the bigger ships with large cargo bays should offer greater returns as you're carrying, ie 36 cargo bays on a Cobra carrying fruit and veggies will offer more profit per trip than a 12 ton cargo ship, especially if you use a fuel scoop.

Perhaps also not focus so much on the money and grind?

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

The trick on the bigger ships is not to get hull damage and not to jump in the next bigger ship only because you can buy it, you must be able to maintain and replace it.

So very true!

Pointless if you have a large capacity freighter if you can only then afford to put two tons of food in it .

 

[777Driver]

The trick on the bigger ships is not to get hull damage and not to jump in the next bigger ship only because you can buy it, you must be able to maintain and replace it.

True, but nobody has to pay the wear and tear bill if they are just trading, the ship will work fine regardless, the devs explained that you only lose slight hull integrity. You can fly these big ships back and forth without doing any serious damage, especially with interdiction turned down. Only damage my Type-6 & Type-7 would ever receive is heat damage through multiple jumps, that was cured with a high end power plant.

Something else to note, the Type-7 is extremely cheap to repair, around 9000c for 60% damage, and with a fuel scoop running costs are next to nothing. Anyway, once in a Type-6 or larger you should making millions each hour, I earned 14mill in the last few day's just from trading in the type-7, am now cruising in a Clipper making cash on rare good circuits.

 

[Ydiss]

I have a military hull Asp. It costs 74k to repair from about 65%. About the same to repair wear and tear from 93%. So not hundreds of thousands.

I make about 300k in half an hour bounty hunting and 900k from a one trip rare trade run, which I stock up on when I dock to re-arm.

Get a KWS and hunt in anarchy systems at Nav Beacons. Do the odd rare trade run. It's not millions per hour but it's enough to get by and make a healthy profit. Above all, keep practicing.

 

[nosscar]

It is true about the rare trades to get easy money, and i have 2 ships, with different uses from trading wares, i started with just the hauler (from selling my freagle).

What i have now is a well kitted out cobra, which i use for kill missions and exploring USS ect.
When money gets a bit low from accidents, maintenance costs ect, i go back in my Lakon 6.

I start at Lave, go collecting rares from various stations, i can usually fill my hold up to 50-75% with rares in around a 50ly radius, then off to sell them 150ly's away, i usually make around 1.5m from this, then do the same at the other end to bring back.

Just a few trips like this and i am stocked up with cash again. Then back in the cobra.

yes i could keep doing rares for a bigger ship, but it is too much of a grind before i get bored, so i keep switching.

But i am hoping for more content to come before even this gets too repetitive. More multi-player, ect.

 

[bullfrog]

If you're flying beyond your means downsize. Try the Viper, trade only really pays with type 6 and bigger.

Your best bet for money IMHO is either to bounty hunt or mine platinum and palladium at a metallic pristine site, its hard work but the pay is good. Of course you have to find the right place to do either. If you are in the right place with the right kit you can make enough to get your #6.

PS dont try to mine in an Adder, the scoop is awkward, the hauler is much better and viper better still.

 

[Tuzmaal]

I make about 300k in half an hour bounty hunting and 900k from a one trip rare trade run, which I stock up on when I dock to re-arm.

Dont lie now according to the "you broke rare trading" whiners there is no money to make at all

 

[Jackboot]

TL : DR
Game is too difficult, I'm going to quit if you don't make it easier, I've been playing for 8 days already and I still cant afford all the ships. This is ridiculous, please change it.

 

[AV2012]

The approach I take is to pimp out whatever ship I currently own. Only keeping enough back to cover insurance. So far I have flown only a Sidewinder, Eagle, Hauler, Adder, Viper and Cobra. You don't spend on ship upgrades, you invest in them and the improved gameplay experiences they provide. They add to the resale value of your ship and open up new gameplay styles. My advice would be to enjoy what you have in the game without worrying too much about how you'll afford to fly a much bigger ship. Unless you have your eye on the £10,000 Triple Elite prize then this is not a race and no one is going to judge you. Just try and have fun!

 

[Sargon]

30K to insure a Cobra in low... My Cobra is at 100+ K to recover it.
Prices are fine... once you get up to speed, money comes in all sorts of ways.

 

[carlisle]

A bloody good ship is a Cobra, I'm happy enough in my Adder