Haha I was about to offer my services as a fuel rat, you're PC right?
Haha I was about to offer my services as a fuel rat, you’re PC right?
Me? PS4 bud. Hankering after a mega VR machine, but need a small inheritance or something first.
Thank you for the thought, it’s appreciated ☺️ but I’ve just had notification that my lift has arrived in system and I’ll be boarding in the morning. It’s a great community on E:D, it’s just not immediately obvious how to access it!
Ah well it would have made for an interesting trip, glad you got sorted anyway!
Oh, yeah I forgot I could've helped you out. Sorry.
Well, I docked at Tennyson Landing in the Akuntsu system last night. It was a pretty ropey landing, and I was puzzled enough by the new icons across the screen that it took me a while to realise that I was still on the pad and not in the station. Sorry if I was hogging a space!
Sold my exploration data and got what I wanted, my Elite badge. Also have enough money now to splash out on some nice ships, so if anyone has recommendations for a good Trader build and a good Fighter build, I'm open to hear it!
Just as a recap, I set off from the Bubble with around 12,000 other players (across all platforms, linked via Discord), as part of the Distant Worlds 2 expedition in Feb 2019. A few wine induced collisions with planets and the realisation that I'm not as dedicated a gamer as I thought I was saw me quickly fall far behind the rest of the fleet as we travelled the Colonia Highway. After reaching Sag A*, I was pretty much out on my own but decided to keep plodding along regardless.
However, summer 2019 intervened, and I didn't pick up my flight again for a few months, travelling 'up' through Ryker's Hope, through Newton's Vault into the Formorian Frontier which is just a nightmare expanse of Brown Dwarfs and finally, at the start of Spring, up to the Abyss and my destination, Beagle Point. Again, Spring and summer saw me pretty much hanging up my PS4 controller, but I eventually got back in the cockpit for the return journey. I hung a right, and travelled through a fair bit of Acheron, before heading back downhill towards home via The Veils, the Arcadian Stream, Norma Expanse and finally the Inner Orion Spur. My last hundred or so jumps last night were just a fast blast as pretty much every system had already been explored on my route.
It was fun being part of the expedition, flying with other pilots and sharing goals, but it eventually turned into a pig headed grind just to get the journey done and get back to the Bubble. I was thinking I might have a wee break from playing, but looking out of my lab window at the weather here in Glasgow....Bleurgh!
Epic effort. 👍
Wow, that's quite a journey. Congrats on the explorer Elite.
Now's not the time for a break though, we need help in the coming war...then you can park up for a while.
Oh, and can you all hold this war off for a bit, I'm stuck down south with no way to play for the next 10 days 🙁
@beagleboy - wow, epic indeed. Well done on the exploration Elite. I'd recommend a Python as a multi-role ship. I've used mine for trading, mining, material gathering and some combat.
I've done about 17 NKL missions out of Tennyson (trade, delivery & data) in the last 24hrs. Picked up a few high value missions so that, plus a bit of trading on the side, has seen my balance go up about 113Mcr.
@beagleboy incredible stuff, welcome back. I'm going with son-of-mike, a python is very hard to beat as a trader unless you have a need for 500+ tons. The only reason I don't have one as an armed trader is that I already have one that I use as a miner/trader.
Pure fighter, in the spirit of recommending what I have, Vulture or Chieftain!
Matt
@beagleboy How many credits did that trip net you when you sold all of you cartographics data.
I'm Elite for exploration too, and I think my lifetime earnings are about 550mnCr. I imagine you topped that in one go!
Nice to have you back CMDR. What cool stuff did you see? Also what were you flying?
Re the war - I've got my Anaconda and my FdL pretty close to where I'd want them to be, only with G3 shields rather than 5, and no engineered lasers. The Anaconda might make a better CZ ship, I could give it an SLF and hire a deadly pilot. I might even be able to give it all turrets, and set them to fire at will for a bit of extra support then I can use two SLFs.
Although tbh I'm probably more effective in the Anaconda's pilot chair than a fighter.
then I can use two SLFs.
You need to use multicrew for that I think.
On your own you can fly the fighter and the ship will follow you and fire at will with no NPC pilot.
With an NPC pilot you can fly either the fighter or the ship and issue orders to the NPC.
You can't have two NPC Pilots in fighters at the same time, at least one fighter pilot needs to be a CMDR.
got the cytos, just need to get them engineered now. Spent about 90 mins in san tu, first half at the nav beacon, restock at the station then the rest in the nearby res, find and kill a couple of mahons guys then the rest will search you out, couple of squeaky bum moments when a wings of 3 attacked while I was already engaged with another single ship.
Top tip, don't wait too long to hand in your wing missions, despite having no expiry date they *will* dissappear after a week or so (20M I wont see again)
Mol the purple balls are plasma, they deal thermal and kinetic damage while a certain amount of it is absolute damage which ignores resitances, pretty damaging when they connect.
Someone asked about an armed trader? Admittedly heavily engineered, swapout the PAs for MCs if you prefer, with high cap and ocrrosive on one of the smaller ones, OC and autoloader on the others.
Vulture with beam nda mc w corrosive is a good place to start for fighter. FDL 4xbeams and huge MC corosive if you have the cash.
You can’t have two NPC Pilots in fighters at the same time, at least one fighter pilot needs to be a CMDR.
I think you can fly one of the SLFs and leave the ship on its own with the turrets set to auto. Need to check that though.
molgrips is correct, you can have two SLFs if at least one is human. Saying that you can only hire 'Expert' pilots and they rob you blind. If you want one get a harmless one and rank them up. It takes them no time!
D0NK's suggestion for the vulture is what i use, perfect for 1-v-1 PVE combat.
Matt
@D0NK Grrrrr, how can I not buy another Python, that 'Armed Trader' is pretty much perfect. I would probably drop it to just over 200t by sticking in some HRPs.
Either that or I need a different multi-miner. I thought Clipper but it doesn't have enough hardpoints.
Matt
I still prefer my Anaconda 🙂
And it's still a large ship!
[Edit] Maybe as a miner though!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I still prefer my twin SLF, Twin Huge MC, G5 dirty drag drive Corvette.
I shall be laying the smack down upon the Imperial scum in Kuwembaa this evening
Yeah the Corvette I'd also fancy. It's brilliant being able to fit tons of stuff and still have room for other stuff.
I think my Anaconda build could do with some work still though.
I don't have any cargo racks in mine. It's all HRP / MRP's plus the Guardian FSD booster.
It used to be a 300 tonne miner with teeth.
Now it's just all teeth.
As it should be
STW bringing it for NKL.
Did you all unlock the Dweller to get lasers then Cheung for shields? Looks like that's the only option that doesn't involve Colonia or working for the Empire.
I reckon I'm about one evening of light NKL work away from the Vette. I saw Plater running his with dual huge plasma, which looked fun. Though the dual huge MC has an obvious appeal as well!
Matt
Huge MCs are flippin awesome.
What do I need to do to hurry the war along?
TBH I haven't checked yet, we could be pending now if yesterday's improvements were replicated.
Matt
Yeah, I did the Dweller as he's common knowledge, then Lei Cheung. I have unlocked Broo Tarquin, since you can get an 'Outsider' rank (for smokey girl) with the Empire by running Federation missions.
The only one i draw the line at is Etienne Dorn, the freak!
Matt
Grrrrr, how can I not buy another Python
Ive got 3, a miner, a 284T low emission smuggler/trader and that armed trader, they are just too good.
2 vultures too, 1 vanilla with shields, MC & beam, 1 shieldless with APAs or pacifiers. Shieldless gives you more pips to engines/weapons so you can fly differently, can get hairy against multiple enemies tho.
Wondering whether to try another FDL, a federal build, or maybe something smaller like an eagle or sidewinder. But I should probably concentrate on getting a cheiftain build I really like first.
Oh, and I saw my first ever T10 out in the wild the other day, anyone else? Also has anyone seen an NPC cutter? I've never seen one of those.
Ah yes, purple balls = plasma. I found that my FdL is now so nippy I can dodge them sideways quite easily.
I am fairly sure I've killed a Cutter before, a random NPC one.
I might already have outsider rank by accident, not sure.
Just ran off with some unaligned faction's boomtime delivery cargo, now I'm trying to flog it around black markets. I tried to dock at 275m/s in my Anaconda, missed, obviously, and got scanned whilst trying to untangle myself from the fence. I managed to leave without being scanned by using silent running. I don't get this though - you stay cold on the outside but apparently hot on the inside? And you can still use thrusters?
Also has anyone seen an NPC cutter? I’ve never seen one of those.
Just killed one in a CZ in Kuwembaa.
The newly painted and christened Yellow Hammer soon sorted it out along with it’s two Python mates.
I don’t get this though – you stay cold on the outside but apparently hot on the inside?
You see those big heat vents on your ship?
Silent running just closes those so the heat can’t escape and builds up inside the ship instead
also, a state of War is now pending in Akuntsu.
I’m guessing beagleboy has given us the final push to match influence with his exploration data.
Best tool up, gentlemen
Well an opposing faction has taken over in the molgrips system (my wife is watching TV) and I think any attempt to increase my influence to further my own objectives (playing ED) will result in a significant loss of reputation. So I might have to wait this one out until the tick (when she goes to bed).
Only ever seen a T10 in combat zones, I was in my Vulture so it was like beating a stranded whale with a stick. Only started getting Corvettes the other day, they are easier than Condas, as long as you swerve the two big guns.
Never seen a cutter. Every Clipper I've ever seen has been a pirate.
Matt
Just had a pop at a Majestic Class Interdictor.
Almost shat myself when it appeared.
Got it down to 41% before the Federales won the Battle and it buggered off.
That would be something to see. Gonna swap my ships so that the Python is in Leesti and the Funship is back for the scrap in Akuntsu.
Either that or I have 2 more days to get the Corvette!
Matt
Just shot down some random from another faction. ISS or something? His mates turned up to try and help but he got melted anyway.
IPP aren't too happy for some reason.
This will probably get lost in the traffic but,
Elite is in Humble Bundle at the moment, if anyone cares / wants to get friend on board maybe.
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/super-simulation
Damn. Sold my illegal cargo and it didn't invite me to the Dweller. Does it have to be actual illegal stuff or just ill-gotten?
It's 5 seperate black markets you need for the Dweller
I know. Turns out I'd only done four, and I had to relog.
However now I need to trade at 50 markets to unlock Cheung and I can't see anywhere how many I have already traded at.
Just had a play in a viper with efficient cytoscramblers and Hi cap packhounds. Was a lot of fun for 5mins..... and then I had to go back to rearm. Might have found a new murder machine tho, drop in obliterate everyone before they jump away, jump out, restock. Just need to strip it down to barebones now, catch my prey a bit quicker.
I did engineer some long range cytos but the jitter on them (that I was unaware of) means I reckon they wont be much use. Eff or OC is probably the way to go
What is humble bundle?
Hm. I'm grade 3 with Dweller, and that's meant to unlock Cheung in my engineer list on the right hand panel where I can see my progress. But he's not there, I see no progress bar.