So, the plan is to do a few more mining trips this week then buy the reactive composites for the Anaconda. Then I think I want to get a full on combat ship which would be a Fer de Lance and a Beluga just for the laughs and obviously passenger missions.
I wonder how much a kitted out FdL costs?
just been out to sell some LTD, went back and swapped to my Corvette to go shoot some pirates and collect some material.
Had not noticed i had 4 diamonds in the refinery which was not sold and only realised when i was at the Nav Beacon and got a lot of attention due to having 4 diamonds in my hold 🙂
I wonder how much a kitted out FdL costs?
I haven’t much change from £150mil for my current sled. It’s pretty effective though. 😎
Only 150m? Half the price of the bulkheads I'm considering for the Anaconda 🙂
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by trying to tweak the BGS in four systems (I managed to win an election and claim a station!), so taking some time off to do a little relaxing mining tonight.
I'll be in Borann around 2200 if anyone fancies a bit of chat or wing action. The aim is to be cashed out at the nearest station (Xhosatto (sp) was the best price yesterday. It has a black market, so was attracting freebooters) by midnight.
Matt
For once the price listed on EDDB was correct when i got to the station just made 377Millions, was worth the 15 jumps
I need 2-3 sessions in but my wife has started binge watching another show, which makes it harder.
It took me to just over 2billion
That's with the Corvette fully kitted out as well 🙂
305M for 186t of LTDs, the best system was a 260Ly drag though. There was one a third of the distance but the demand was only 420 so the price would have been nerfed.
Not bad, about 2.5hrs.
Matt
Right, that's 288t of LTDs in the hold, and some more in the refinery. Let's see if I can make it somewhere to sell them.
Decided to gamble and make a 15 hop trip to sell for 1.6m vs 1.1m that was much closer. Made it, had no bother at all. I'm now just short of being a billionaire.
I still haven't decided if I want to blow a third of it on bulkheads though.
I think the risks of getting mugged for your LTDs are pretty low. Last night I did 16 jumps and didn't even get any smack talk about the size of my load!
I definitely feel like the poor relation amongst you guys! Another week to go so I may fit another couple of trips in.
@Molgrips what are you going to spend it on if not bulkheads, hookers and lavian brandy?
Matt
Well I dropped 116m on an 8A power supply that made a noticeable dent in it.
I'll try again tonight or tomorrow. It's shit work though, four hours of slogging away. I may only have one more mega trip in me. Might try different locations and minerals post update.
That's why I like the python. Only 192t fully loaded so should be 1:45 with good luck in the rocks (the first was a 36.06%, my record). I need to get less picky about which rock to prospect if I want to speed up, but then you get more limpet wreckers.
I think it would be around double that time to core mine for void opals, even in a double overlap. It's still not bad money though!
Matt
My technique last night:
- Surface mining only - less fun but it means you can keep a decent stack of weapons since you only need two mining lasers.
- Small refinery, cos you are only interested in one mineral here, a 2A is ideal it frees up your other slots.
- Zoom scanners out to max distance to help you keep track of limpets (X and R1 on PS4)
- Almost fill your hold with limpets - I did 260 out of 288 limpets and I still had to throw a few away. But this is preferable to running out IMO.
- ignore the Pulse Wave Scanner entirely - it does absolutely nothing
- Pips to engines and weapons, cargo scoop out so your max speed is as close to 100m/s as possible meaning you can't accidentally go over and risk losing a prospector. Even on my Anaconda I needed 3 pips to weapons to avoid draining the energy whilst zapping.
- Fly around at 60-70m/s ish shooting any rock that lines up nicely with a prospector. Speed should be low enough to allow your prospector to hit and you to peel away if it's no good and line up with something else.
- When you get one over say 18% park up, zap it and I throw max collectors at it which in my case is 6
- Whilst they are working, pivot and prospect nearby rocks. If you find one say 15% ish that's really close, move over and zap that one. It's not worth stopping for a 15% generally but the point here is that you already have your collectors out, and their clocks are ticking, so in that case it's better to hit a lower density roid you know is nearby than waste their remaining lifespan flying around looking for something better. In terms of tonnes per limpet I think this is better value but I haven't modelled it. I'm too lazy to be a spreadsheet ****er 🙂
- Prospecting technique: use max 2 limpets as any more and I lose track of where they are. I fire at a nearby one, target that drone, then fire another drone at a farther rock. Then when the first one hits I see the results whilst watching the second one. If the first one is good then mine it and try and remember where the second one went. If the first one is no good then just target the second. That way you have two prospectors in flight at all times which makes for faster prospecting.
- Do not pause, do not go AFK, do not leave the ring, do the entire thing in one sitting or you'll meet pirates again.
- On the way to your market scoop every star you can where it's quiet and top up your tank, so that when you jump into a system with lots of people you have enough fuel to hop straight back out again, and you aren't exposing yourself by being forced to scoop when there are ships and potentially pirates everywhere. Scanners to max range here too so that you can see who's getting ready to line up behind you.
This method is quite wasteful on limpets, but it's more time efficient, and I still ended up getting more units of LTD than I brought limpets. And given how cheap limpets are and how much money you're going to make it's worth the cost to save the time, which is the real burden here.
I definitely feel like the poor relation amongst you guys!
Err, hi 👋😂 ‘only’ 350mil in the bank and no large ships here; I know how you feel! I struggle to get the time to get on as much as some so most of the time I enjoy my space zapping vicariously through you lot...
Filling 288t really is a chore, I've only done it a few times. Doing 90t at a time might work out better in the long run if you enjoy it more and do it more often. Once the update hits I won't be doing that much at a time again.
Change the subject - I was looking at the Eagle last night. It occurred to me that it might be good for a laugh to buy one to try and skill up as a pilot. They're so cheap that if you have a bn or so in the bank you could just rebuy all day and not really be bothered.
OTOH you could do the same thing with fighters which would be even cheaper.
Here's a tip off from a mysterious stranger.
If you receive a tip off from a mysterious stranger about a crashed ship on an obscure planetoid 22 jumps away with coordinates and encryption keys....don't go.
They're pulling yer plonker.
1 container of materials, a 167k data package and a message telling you that your tadger has been well and truly tugged.
Totally not worth it.
Mols, that exactly how i do my mining too.
My Elite Dangerous playing has taken a bit of a sideline due to the new Stellaris update.
I tried an Eagle and I was crap at it. Found combat was taking an age because of the small weapons Now I roll into a fight in a Krait with 2 beams and 3 overcharged multicannons, plus drop my fighter out before it kicks off.
It's usually over pretty quickly, unless they're Elite or in a tank, in which case it's pips to thruster and boost away
@molgrips thanks some good stuff there, including a few bits that I had not really considered.
With the Eagle, that's what I use my Viper for, you don't really need much in the bank to suck up a few 'rebuys'. The three small hardpoints are going to be a bit limiting, but you're probably not looking to take down 'condas.
Matt
I've not put a stopwatch on it, but my collectors seem to last longer with one module than with two. Makes mining a bit longer but less intense job, for my money.
Just a heads up, anyone heading for the LTD sell station at BD-15 447 there are three Cmdr ships, though I was quick enough in the Python that I didn't see what they were up to.
Matt
I got jumped by them. Ran away, jumped, interdicted...and repeat. Lost all my systems then whilst they were sending limpets across managed to reboot and boost and then jump to another system. An hour of calm mining followed by 5 minutes of frantic activity and panic. Great game! I think I owe my Python a new paint job.
Great stuff, bloody pirates! Glad you got away. Typically one hatchbreaker will take 6-7t but I wouldn't rely on it.
I got lucky and two of them were in the station when I arrived. I just docked at high speed and banked the cash!
Matt
Managed to squeeze a mining sesh in before the kids school time this morning; I’m very aware of the 9/6/20 ‘everything changes’ deadline. Prices back down to 1.1mil/tonne, unfortunately but still got 200+ mil for my 193t load. Uneventful save a poor attempt at an interdiction by an NPC. Pushed me into trading ‘Elite’ too, which was nice 😎
Congrats on the Elite!
It's quite a 'shock' when you only get 1.1M per ton! I took the opportunity to unlock an engineer while selling my LTDs so a constructive evening.
Not sure what the hell I'm going to do with the increased range on my sensors, but it pushed me up to level 5 access.
Matt
10 Billion Cr per leg, grind for all your worth. Borann here we come!
Matt
Bought an Anaconda, kitted it out as best I could with the kit / funds available, loaded up with 400 tons of cargo on my regular Federation rank grinding route.
Got interdicted 3 times, lost twice.
It's just too slow and cumbersome.
9 million rebuy first trip out and lost all the cargo. Bah!
I feel the same about the Anaconda, mine’s been in the garage pretty much since it’s first outing. I should really get it out and have another go.
So what is the trick to route finding to far away places?
Want to go to colonia but can't plot a route.
ohh and this
I feel the same about the Anaconda
Grade 5 dirty drag drives are your friend in this situation I think. You should try a type 9 with D rated thrusters if you want the Anaconda to feel sprightly!
That update looks (literally) game changing. Wow 🤩
I love my Anaconda. If you get interdicted, submit then boost away and jump out - not much can interdict you. But I normally stop and fight, I've not yet had anything I couldn't finish off with 7 hardpoints worth of pew pew.
Grabbed another 250m and I think I'm done with Borann for a while. I'm off to Shinrarta Dezhra to spend some of my 1.2bn credits.
Best thrusters you can find and engineer them, more important than the drive. If you are going to fight it four pips to engines, then switch across to sys if you lose.
I am about 50:50 with no engineering in the Space Cow.
I don't think a 'conda is the solution to every problem in the game, but it does seem to solve many of them!
Matt
Went shopping. Bought a Fer de Lance and A-rated everything. Went looking for pirates and tbh struggled a bit. The ship turns reasonably well but doesn't actually change direction, it drifts more than Ken Block. I could come around to point at my pursuer and still be going backwards, even with FA on. Took a few hits, decided to return to base so my wife could watch telly, and then realised I had not actually upgraded the thrusters. So maybe later I'll take it out again.
Also bought a Beluga just for the laughs. It's really nice but utterly massive. Like flying around space in an exclusive airport lounge. Such a shame I can't get up and walk around in it and help myself to the hospitality.
Sounds like you've all been busy. I pretty much only read this thread on STW these days 🙂
I took a break from mining at Borann in my AspX to kit out a Cobra mk3 and do some missions for the Feds. I'm keen on the permit for Sol. Made it to Recruit so far and lined up as many missions as I could in an area, got quite confusing remembering where I was meant to go next. Then some NPC was sent to hunt me down - he failed, I hightailed it from the fight as my FSD was already charged. I'll get back into the mining before the deadline, I could use the top up to my cash, "only" about 300Mcr left in the bank. Plan is for a Python and something for dogfights to get my rating away from Mostly Harmless. Once I'm half decent at anything I might join in some of your multi-crew/wing action.
@mikkel - yes, I've been watching some of the analysis of the new Odyssey release for next year. I quite like the look of it but I'm not much of a 1st/3rd person shooter fan. I prefer space flight simulations, although I'd be very interested if base building came into it and it worked a bit like Sim City - zone it, set taxes, provide utilities, manage the population & resources. I just can't believe how utterly VAST this game/simulation is.
Right, time to get some limpets and head back to Borann!
o7 CMDRs
Once I’m half decent at anything I might join in some of your multi-crew/wing action.
You don't need to be good at anything. Just join for a laugh. I don't think V8ninety or Matt actually hit anything in their (my) fighters, I kept them safe with my 4E burst laser 🙂
I’m keen on the permit for Sol.
Canopus and Exphiay.
Run data courier missions and any cargo missions and always choose the reward with most rep.
When you get a Fed Navy mission, log in and out of the mission board until you get an easy one to rank up.
I got the Sol permit in a few hours
yea im am not sure what it will add to the game as it is either, but looks cool.
My favourite game of all time is the old Sony Star Wars massive online game, before they nerfed and killed it. It had it all. space flight/fights, building towns the best crafting system ever in any multiplayer game. People actually wrote their own server code and still run it to this day in its pre nerf version but looks sooo dated, wish someone would redo that game with new fancy graphics and i would be begging work to furlough me on 50% pay lol
yea im am not sure what it will add to the game as it is either, but looks cool.
Missions will involve sneaking around and stealing things, or an assault of some kind. Sounds good to me. You will be able to not choose those missions, as you are able to pick and choose now.
I'm not sure about base building. You can build to your heart's content in No Man's Sky but they don't actually do anything - all you can do is sit by the window in cosy comfort and watch the storm rage outside. In VR. Which is cool, but that's all there is to it.
When you get a Fed Navy mission, log in and out of the mission board until you get an easy one to rank up.
Is it not on a timer? Always seems to be on a 5 or so minute timer for me.
Is it not on a timer? Always seems to be on a 5 or so minute timer for me.
The normal mission board seems to refresh and change a few of the missions on a 10 minute loop.
This doesn't seem to apply to the naval rank missions though.
Once i've built up enough rep to generate the rank progression missions i've just been backing out of the mission board if it gives me a "We need 435 tons of wine from 22 jumps away" or "Go and kill 14 hard bastards" and jumping back in until I get a "Take this harmless data to the next system that you're going to anyway and have a nice cup of tea"
@son-of-mike get a python, without doubt the best ship in the game. It cam do literally everything and everyone should have at least one. At the minute I only have one, but I use that for mining (set-up for core and laser), light trading (200t capacity) and general bubble jumper. I reckon I fly it more than any other ship I have (maybe I'm in the space cow longer, but that's because it's so slow!).
Re dogfighting, get a Vulture, you can use it unengineered at nav beacons for a cheap rebuy, once you get a bit of engineering it will be a blast in combat zones. I have a Viper mkIII as well which is fun but you are forever managing shields and power priorities.
Of course this is the STW method of recommending what you already have! The Krait and Chieftain are also smokey alternatives.
Matt
get a python, without doubt the best ship in the game. It cam do literally everything and everyone should have at least one.
Anaconda owners might disagree with that... I've waded into CZs in mine (and felt pretty happy about it), I can do passenger missions, carry nearly 400T cargo, I can mine 280t at a time and still have loads of guns, I can get a 70Ly jump range so I can explore whilst also packing loads of extra kit, not sure there's anything I can't do. Ok so there is one downside - when chasing ships that run away, I can't keep up. So I either need more engineering on the thrusters, better flying, or missiles. Or all three.
I played with missiles again in last night's bounty hunting session they worked pretty well as a distance option.
Anybody had any luck finding modular terminals for Marco Quent?
Actually having read about it I might also need a Python 🙂
Ok so there is one downside – when chasing ships that run away, I can’t keep up.
Equally, and as I found out to my cost yesterday, when you're in your Anaconda and it's pitch rate is way too slow to win the interdiction mini-game and you drop out to find yourself being chased by heavily armed Pythons, you can't run away as their top speed exceeds your boost speed.
What did you do to get interdicted by Pythons? You must have a high combat rank which means you must've been playing the game a lot more than me cos you started later!
Nope, Mostly Harmless Combat rank.
What did you do to get interdicted by Pythons?
Showed up in an Anaconda?
Stacking 20 Elite and Tycoon level trade / courier missions between Canopus and Exphiay to up my Federation rank.
Get interdicted by Deadly / Elite NPC Pythons and Anacondas on every trip.
Wasn't a problem in my engineered Python. Won every single interdiction.
I think the game mechanic is that, for mission generated NPC enemies, you get interdicted by a rank equivalent or one better than the mission you undertake. I suspect it's also driven, in part, by the type of ship you're in.
Elite level missions typically spawn pythons or condas, V8ninety helped me fight back when a load got sent after me.
@molgrips just noticed the didn't hit anything line! I distinctly remember hitting V8ninety twice, your conda and an asteroid, even if it wasn't with weapons.
Matt
What did you do to get interdicted by Pythons?
Showed up in an Anaconda?
Interesting, I usually get Cobras and the occasional Chieftan in my Anaconda. I do Elite delivery missions but I think that refers to trading rank not combat.
@molgrips just noticed the didn’t hit anything line! I distinctly remember hitting V8ninety twice, your conda and an asteroid, even if it wasn’t with weapons.
Hehe. It was a good laugh, just a shame that I couldn't fly a fighter.
It is definitely a fun part of the game. When Borann gets nerfed I'll get my 'vette and you can wing for me. You can watch in horror as your lift home goes down in flames!
Matt
You don’t need to be good at anything. Just join for a laugh.
Ha, I might just do that - I need to remember, it's a game - it's not real. We're not really getting blown up 🙂
@Perchypanther - top tip, noted. I'll give it a go. I got up to Cadet last night, was just looking for faction rep missions and noticed my 2nd Fed Navy data one, I thought I'd have to do a lot of missions to rank up but it seems the 2 missions ranked me up one level each time. Nice. When I get to Sol I'm going to look for the Voyager probes.
@matt_bl - yes, a Python is next on the shopping list 🙂 N+1 indeed. Recommened-what-you-have - LOLZ, STW in space. Will a Cobra mk3 take off if it's on a conveyor belt? Are we all wearing helmets in 3306? Sorry-Mate-I-Didn't-See-You in the space dock 🙂
I cracked on with Borann waaaaay too late last night. First rock was a core - then nothing for ages then 3 all in a row and 70+T of LTD's. Sold. Boom. Now I'm Tycoon.
@son-of-mike even I surface mine at Borann, you can't abandon a limpet without hitting a 30% rock out there. Having said that I do pulse wave scan as I drop in, just in case I land on a core.
Even better, if it's one of Molgrips fighters, you don't even pay rebuy! To be fair it seems the AI focuses on the main ship, the fighters could be tricksey to target.
[Edit] The modular terminals are mission rewards, I have only seen them (before I knew I needed them) for passenger missions.
Matthew
I don't think this counts as a thread hijack given the chat, so I'll just leave this here with the comment that I enjoyed the first programme of this BBC4 series;
@matt_bl - yes, a scattering of surface LTD's kept me ticking over. Very addictive, what's behind the next asteroid, is it a core? Nope, more false positives, keep looking. Still getting my eye in but when I spot them they're quite clear - big, lemon yellow space popcorns!
I thought I’d have to do a lot of missions to rank up but it seems the 2 missions ranked me up one level each time.
You keep building rep to rank up, even if you don't do the rank missions.
You can check on your progress toward the next rank in the right hand info screen under status.
Anybody had any luck finding modular terminals for Marco Quent?
Yes. You get them as mission rewards in systems with Industrial / Refinery.
Find a system with these and then rank up with local factions and there is a good chance they will be given out as rewards for any mission type.
Now assuming you have ranked up with Sirius Corporation to unlock Marco Qwent then you should have good reputation with that faction already. So pop along to Luyten's Star (which is an Industrial / Refinery system just down the road from Sirius) and have a look through the mission board at Ashby City and you might be in luck.
I need to remember, it’s a game – it’s not real. We’re not really getting blown up
Also if you're multi-crewing someone else's ship it's not even your money in the line 🙂
I need to engineer all my new ships so I'll be doing missions for mats next.
I need to engineer all my new ships so I’ll be doing missions for mats next.
High Grade Emissions and razzing round Dav's Hope in your SRV should give you enough to trade for whatever you need.
@son-of-mike yeah, I have a good eye with Icy. Nowhere near as happy with metallic, from what I can see the same shape (flattened avocado) does and doesn't give cores, so I have to look for a fissure at one end of a very large crystal shape. Takes much more time.
Qwent's annoying as he doesn't have G5 for anything, but he's a stepping stone for some serious upgrades.
Matt
found one of the online route planners and have set off towards Colonia.
25 sets of 20 jumps, done 5 so far and never been this far away from "home" before.
High Grade Emissions and razzing round Dav’s Hope in your SRV should give you enough to trade for whatever you need.
Ta.
Fly safe Mikkel, o7
Find us a nice ELW to build the STW base on.
Matt
Also considering going after some Guardian stuff. Anyone else interested in a wing trip?
got in range of plotting route in game, only 377 jumps go go 🙂
Also considering going after some Guardian stuff. Anyone else interested in a wing trip?
Ooh yes! I’m up for that and I’ll be on 2000-0000ish tomorrow and night after.
Have researched this a little bit; two bay SRV hangar and point defence fitted to the ship are highly recommended.
I don’t think V8ninety or Matt actually hit anything in their (my) fighters, I kept them safe with my 4E burst laser
Ha! If by ‘keeping safe’ you mean ‘popped like a melon in a microwave’ thus returning me quickly and safely to the co pilot seat of the Anaconda, then yes, yes you did... 😂🤪😜
How long is each jump taking you Mikkel? When I was exploring I was doing one 47ish Ly jump in about 55s including scooping enough fuel to top up my tank (big scoop). That works out at a maximum speed of about 3,000Ly/hour.
Happy to check it out, can we watch your back in the fighters while you SRV? Otherwise I'll transfer the Phantom.
Matt
I noticed there was Guardian in the civilisation drop-down list on the map, and I found a Guardian world before I'd read about it on the internet so I'm claiming that as a discovery 🙂 Looks like the closest one to Sol is about 500Ly away.
not very efficient as im doing other stuff at same time on second monitor, scooping takes me quite a while, should look at a bigger scoop really.
The biggest scoop I could get on my Asp Explorer packs in nearly 800/s so if I fly round the star in the scoop range at full speed at each star the tank just stays full for no real time penalty.
I use the same process with fuel scooping, works brilliantly especially if you aren't maxing every jump.
Are you going to use the neutron highway at any point?
Matt
I have done a few neutron star jumps, but it takes longer, and given that my scooping and jumping routine is so finely honed now I'm not sure that it's quick enough to be worth the risk.
On my Asp Explorer I didn't carry AFMS or hull repair limpets.
i am beginning to regret this trip bored already 🙂 and still 300 jumps to go.
But curious to see how much Exploration cash this will make not to mention how much it will cost to get some ships transferred when i finally get there.
As far as I know its tens of millions to get a ship out to Colonia. Pocket change to an LTD baron such as yourself!
Matt