3041

@BiggerBoat

Thanks! I figured there had to be a reason to have three separate controls in options.

One of the biggest challenges to me is mapping all the keys and then remembering them! I created my own Saitek Rhino Diagram reference sheet as a help aid. I also find myself constantly tweaking where I put what - trying to use the switches without looking (especially when using Trackir 5 - I suppose it will help if I ever decide to get an Occulus Rift too).

3042

They added discrete options because there were situations where you needed them. For example, I set a destination to a different star system. However, when I exit the station, it’s right on the opposite side of a planet so I have to work my way around it first. Now I have to set a destination to some local stellar body to enable supercruise (instead of hyperjump), align to that, engage drive and fly until the star I was originally aiming for is no longer occluded. Now I have to go back to my navigation pane, select the star, re-align, and hit my FSD button again.

To alleviate that sort of situation, they left the original FSD key in but put in discrete options for supercruise and hyperdrive.

3043

Heh I spent almost two days getting my HOTAS mapped exactly how I want it. It helps to spend time with the game messing around to see how things work and then decide what buttons on your stick and throttle would be appropriate to map them to.

3044

Thx, KevinC!

I appreciate the insight on using another object to Supercharge to in order to get around another object.

3045

Very true. But it’s also true that once you play the game with one config, it’s tough to change it because you’re so used to it. When I started the game, I changed my fourth button on my sidewinder to turn Flight Assist off instead of being the Chaff button (by default, and also in every other space sim I’ve played, like Freespace, I-war, Wing Commander, etc.). Then two nights ago, I finally bought a chaff launcher, so I memorized the keyboard command for Flight assist off (Z) and changed button 4 back to Chaff.

Except, you know what? In the heat of battle, for two days in a row, whenever I wanted to turn FA Off, I kept pressing the chaff launcher. After a day and a half of this, I just accepted the fact that I’ve already hardwired my brain for button 4 being FA Off, and changed it back. I’ll find a key to learn for launching chaffs instead.

3046

Question about the controls in the Galaxy map: is there a way to back out of a system view without automatically going back to the system my character is currently in? I’ve been checking out already-explored systems on the outer edges of inhabited space looking for systems with Metallic belts and rings, and it’s a pain every time you back out of system view to end up having to type a name into the box in the navigation tab to get back to the sector you were checking out.

EDIT HERE: I was informed that if you select the system first, it will stay centered on that system when you back out. I was just hovering over it till the tooltip came up.

I found one that looks like quite the bonanza (about 230 LY from Sol, I presume away from the galactic core) with an easy name to remember if anyone wants to know it BTW. I’m going to put the name in spoiler tags below. Not only does it have a pristine metallic belt but TWO gas giants with metallic rings. There’s also an industrial station there that will likely take all the gold/platinum/silver/palladium you can mine, if I don’t miss my guess.

Lucrative system’s name:

Krangwe

3047

Just wanted to mention that trading in rares is kinda awesome. I did two runs in my hauler and earned enough for a cobra mk 3. Catch is you gotta plan and fly 150 light years .

3048

I completed the launching, docking, and travel tutorials today. I actually found docking to be easier than the original Elite - until I started my first game. I took what I thought would be an easy assignment to deliver some Hydrogen to an industrial platform. I arrived with no problem, only to find that the docking tutorial left me completely unprepared to deal with these things.

I get that the landing platforms are all on the surface, but I just can’t find my assigned platforms, or when I do I just can’t seem to get properly oriented (yes, I had to ask for clearance several times).

Good thing the game lets you save anywhere.

3049

Replaced my scanner with 2 extra cargo slots, now I can make 1450 credits in one direction, and 468 in the other.
At 8000 credits now.

Seems like the hauler only has 2 extra inventory slots, so not sure it will be a good investment for 53.000. Tried to look at some missions, but it seems they only want items I do not know where to find; or send me far away. Think my ship only can do 7.5LY, but I am sure I was offered missions that were further out.

Guess I’ll be stuck repeating this trade route for quite a while; was thinking maybe to check out the other stations in the system I am in – in case they had better prices though.

Learned from the Internets that certain bounties are put on a freeze for 24 hours. So I paid one I had. According to my ship computer I still have another bounty, but when I visited a station with the same (i think) faction, I had no option to pay it.

It is nice that the game gives you a fine costing more than all the money you have in the first 30 minutes of playing because you are stuck inside a station.

Almost got a second fine tonight as I was exiting a station behind another player who was flying really really slow, so I received a warning message as I was exiting the ‘forcefield’.

3050

I know you can sell some of your items on a ship (like your guns) which makes you lighter and then can go farther in distance (not that I am going to try that). :)

The missions I had - some of them gave me the stuff to carry. Not certain if there is a way to tell when they will (well one of them was some type of test item so they did supply that but the other was beer and they supplied it).

3051

I ran into this problem myself. I finally realized that I had to dock on the surface and the landing pad is lit up in orange like it is in the tutorial. My one problem was that I could not land at all (the docking computer gizmo would not turn on). Then I thought maybe I came in the wrong direction - so turned my ship 180 degrees and that was the culprit. I was facing the wrong direction. I think I remember seeing that on a YouTube game play video or something. I could not imagine getting through this game without those videos and everyone on here. :)

I have to say one thing this games does make you feel like you are accomplishing something. I run around the house and tell my family - hey I just docked my ship. Then I run back to my computer room until I do something else; hey I just learned how to buy something! :D

3052

isntant0, your ship can only do a 7.5LY hop, but you carry enough fuel for 3-4 hops on the trot. You should be fine taking any mission that requires you to travel up to 3 systems or so away. Or further if you dock to collect fuel in systems on the way. Your fuel gauge on the right hand side shows you how much fuel you are going to use each jump - it highlights a portion of the full bar when you have your hyper-drive target locked in.

Also, re the Hauler, there are different sized slots. The Hauler has more of the larger internal slots, which you can install larger and more cargo bays into, in comparison to the starting Sidewinder. Not sure total capacity you can load out a hauler to, but it will be a lot more than the Sidey.

And just go around those slow pokes taking their time on station ingress/egress, should be plenty of room to zip past them in the little Sidey.

Also, you can check the galaxy map (in the view tab) for sources of various trade goods. Remove all the filters, expand the list and only select the good you are looking for (and the main parent item - so tick metals and gold, for example). Coloured lines will then be drawn on the map showing potential trade targets , with direction of trade indicated by the direction the colour is travelling. Caveat being you need to have traveled to the systems to have data populated in this fashion, or you can buy trade data for individual systems on the map screen. Also, when viewing a good in the commodity market, the right hand side of the screen will usually tell you a description of the good and a few close locations from which the good is imported.

Some of the tools are there to make life easier, but it can be obtuse. They really don’t do a very good job of helping players understand the tools at their disposal - none of the info above is in the living manual. The game comes across with a steeper learning curve than necessary because of this, I think. Any excuse that this is because it is a ‘hard-core space sim’ and you need to figure it out yourself is just baloney, they did not get doco done on time, or it was low priority.

3053

Early on in the game when I was just making trade runs, I found the Adder a very versatile ship that I’d recommend over the Hauler. Just a wee bit more expensive, but it’s got an open internal slot. IIRC, if you upgrade all the cargo bays, put an upgraded cargo bay in the open slot, and dump the discovery scanner for more cargo, you can carry 20 tons. It’s also got 2 small hardpoints to the hauler’s 1, and 2 utility mounts, so you can keep your teeth. Just upgrade your frame-shift drive at the earliest opportunity, and rare commodity runs should be a breeze!

3054

The Harmless Guide to the Galaxy explains how to upgrade the Hauler to 18 cargo slots:

Equipping your Hauler

  • On the hardpoints tab, sell the pulse laser it comes with. You’ll be running away from anyone who interdicts you.
  • On the internal tab, replace the two ‘Cargo Rack (Capacity: 4)’ items with ‘Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)’ items.
  • Replace the “Basic Discovery Scanner” with a ‘Cargo Rack (Capacity: 2)’
  • Where you see “Frame Shift Drive”, replace the standard ‘E2’ drive with a ‘D2’ or if you can afford it ‘C2’ drive.
3055

Thanks, Gordon_Bleu!

That is a great resource!

3056

When I successfully completed the docking tutorial I started fist-pumping and screaming "Yes! ". Mrs. tgb, who shares the office/computer room with me, was unimpressed.

3057

Basically a Hauler is upgradeable to 16 tons. If I were you, instant0, I’d upgrade my Sidey somewhat to extend its one-jump range, but keep an eye on the power requirements.

3058

Feels like I’ve missed out on a lot. Had my nieces and nephews over for the week. Great fun but very demanding.

Can anyone bring me up to speed on story events and if I should get my butt involved in them or just stay in my far away part of the galaxy?

3059

I could use some weapon upgrade recommendations for my Sidewinder. I’m running with two class E beam lasers with fixed mounts and while I enjoy the challenge of fixed mount weapons it’s not uncommon for a Cobra to FSD away after he’s gotten a good pounding. Maybe I need a gimbaled multicannon?

3060

It took me a little while to get used to those platforms. They have landing pads on opposite sides, so you often can’t see the assigned / illuminated pad from your approach. What I do now is, after getting docking permission around 7km away, line up the destination indicator to see where the landing pad is, and if I can’t see the yellow landing lights then I head for the opposite site, using vertical thrust around 3km away to rise into position so I’m oriented correctly.

Get a Cobra, triple fixed beam lasers, a missile rack, a wake scanner and an interdictor like I just put on mine, and you’re set. ;)