Post by koles on Jan 17, 2011 17:14:07 GMT -5
Explorer is the easiest class to play. Peacefully at start (why not in late game I'll write later) giving big amount of cash and ranks in all Houses and Syndicates
lets look at him:
Explorer's class give you skills _explorer_ and _pilot_
Explorer skill is used for exploring wild planets for finding artifacts, electronics and weapons - all worth much money... and reputation
Pilot skill gives you better chances for flee from pirates when you will be transporting founded goods for sell
First weeks:
We start with all reputation at 0 so even if we got full cargo of artifacts, we wouldn't sell them. So first we need do some easy contracts (delivery messages and passengers) to obtain 7 reputation and could buy Trade Permit that allow as to sell our founded on surface goods. Then we can with easy go to explore planet, grab goods and sell them for big profit and reputation (usually for 10-40k $ and 30-50 rep - nice, isn't it?)
The real problem at start are pirates and other military ships that want to search us and confiscate our goods... so i advise at start first skip our home faction and fly right to one of those what have planets already with wilderness:
Bellix-Thulon I (-6,-5) House Tulun
Tennath Outpost (8,10) Syndicate Rychart
Tucanae-Javat Mining (-2,-5) Clan Javat
Last is not really risky (4), so it will be perfect to start, and there are planets around with cities.
So go to Clan Javat planet, do some easy contracts - not for long distances but short, buy Trade Permit land on planet. To this moment you will earn some experience doing contracts so you can raise your explorer skill. At planet explore it with full team two or three times to get full cargo of artifacts, electronics and weapons. You will probably get injured by ugly aliens or other nasty things, half of your team (or more) will be dead... but you have goods
Go to city, and sell it with glory, buy 1 rank, upgrade ship, seek for volunteers in spice hall, heal your self and jump again to planet surface
Looks easy? Yes, it is.
After second exploring (or even after first one) you will find lack of crew on your ship. So to find them, you need visit spice halls in other planets - thats why Tucanae-Javat Mining is the best for first exploring - there are many planets nearby giving you volunteers as meat shield in this money-making machine for one purpose - getting artifacts from hostile plane's surfaces.
There is one thing worth to remember - if you don't want do contracts for others clans before you could buy Trade Permits, you should buy all records you will find and instantly sell them for 1 rep (its small but remember you need 7 to buy Trade Permit)
so now you have about 50k $, about 60-100 reputation in Clan Javat House. You should do that before quadrant will be full of conflicts and with some lack, before there will be any Trade Embargo on Clan Javat.
What to do next? There are two options:
1) Fly to one of those 2 planets left with cities and wild zones, and repeat what above. Screw pirates. All you have is money and water. You don't lose anything expect crew's morale, what is easily to repair on starting small ship
2) If there are Trade Alliances with Clan Javat - you will get extra reputation in that faction, so you can first go to that faction and buy rank and Trade Permit - you will get one less military ship what want to confiscate your goods. Try not risk flying to that faction with goods from near planets - you have slow ship and not good pilot skill so pirates will easily take your loot. After buying Ranks and Trade Permits repeat 1)
Some advices:
- upgrading ship remember about two things - engines and crew - in those order. On slow ship you are easy to pick by pirates and military ships of factions in which you don't have Trade Permits, so first you will lose crew on planet while exploring and grabbing goods, then all cargo. So Engines is a 'must-have' upgrades. More crew - more goods you can grab while exploring, and even when 30 crew members will die - so what, you still have last 20-30 volunteers at ship for second run. Last upgrades can be cargo for getting more artifacts/electronics/weapons
- playing explorer it is really easy to get 100k $ - buy as fast as possible faster ship with more engines. This let you run away from pirates and military ships (before you get ranks in all factions)
- use conflicts to get small reputation bonus on factions where you reputation is close 0 - to adjust it to 7 allowing you buy Trade Permits. For example: after you started, you have 100 reputation in Clan Javat, 0 or to -3 in rest. Clan Javat have solar war with House Thulun... so if you attack Clan Javat's ships - you will get boost in House Thulun. Don't worry to do that. Its easy to hit 2-3 small merchant's ships when patrolling faction's zones. You will get 4-6 rep in House Thulun and lose about 5-12 in Clan Javat (but having 100 rep its like drop of water in the ocean). After that action you will lose Trade Permits in Clan Javat, but having 100k $ you will easily buy it again, then go to House Thulun and go exploring hostile planets for them. In the same way you can use spy wars, or even easier trade alliances.
- AVOID TRADE EMBARGO - selling artifacts, electronics and weapons. They can mess up your reputation with one sell of 30 artifacts. Buying water-fuel give loss of few points, but prohibited good can hit you with -50 or more.
- you don't need more than 25 explorer skill - for long 14 is quite enough - concentrate on pilot skill - you will need it to avoid pirates, when you have it more than 10-15 you can back to explorer skill for safest exploring more hostile planets
- there is some trick for finding new crew members to exploring planets. Volunteers are dying quickly, so its hard to find many in spice halls. No crew = no exploring = no money and no reputation. What to do? Be bad! Go to independent zones, patrol and attack independent merchant or even do so in friendly on friendly ships! Enslave crew and use them to work for you searching planet's surface. Don't board ship, easier way is to short distance (engines and pilot skill) and shot enemy engines.
Thats all... Enjoy!
PS. Cory, you can put this on your site as guide
lets look at him:
Explorer's class give you skills _explorer_ and _pilot_
Explorer skill is used for exploring wild planets for finding artifacts, electronics and weapons - all worth much money... and reputation
Pilot skill gives you better chances for flee from pirates when you will be transporting founded goods for sell
First weeks:
We start with all reputation at 0 so even if we got full cargo of artifacts, we wouldn't sell them. So first we need do some easy contracts (delivery messages and passengers) to obtain 7 reputation and could buy Trade Permit that allow as to sell our founded on surface goods. Then we can with easy go to explore planet, grab goods and sell them for big profit and reputation (usually for 10-40k $ and 30-50 rep - nice, isn't it?)
The real problem at start are pirates and other military ships that want to search us and confiscate our goods... so i advise at start first skip our home faction and fly right to one of those what have planets already with wilderness:
Bellix-Thulon I (-6,-5) House Tulun
Tennath Outpost (8,10) Syndicate Rychart
Tucanae-Javat Mining (-2,-5) Clan Javat
Last is not really risky (4), so it will be perfect to start, and there are planets around with cities.
So go to Clan Javat planet, do some easy contracts - not for long distances but short, buy Trade Permit land on planet. To this moment you will earn some experience doing contracts so you can raise your explorer skill. At planet explore it with full team two or three times to get full cargo of artifacts, electronics and weapons. You will probably get injured by ugly aliens or other nasty things, half of your team (or more) will be dead... but you have goods
Go to city, and sell it with glory, buy 1 rank, upgrade ship, seek for volunteers in spice hall, heal your self and jump again to planet surface
Looks easy? Yes, it is.
After second exploring (or even after first one) you will find lack of crew on your ship. So to find them, you need visit spice halls in other planets - thats why Tucanae-Javat Mining is the best for first exploring - there are many planets nearby giving you volunteers as meat shield in this money-making machine for one purpose - getting artifacts from hostile plane's surfaces.
There is one thing worth to remember - if you don't want do contracts for others clans before you could buy Trade Permits, you should buy all records you will find and instantly sell them for 1 rep (its small but remember you need 7 to buy Trade Permit)
so now you have about 50k $, about 60-100 reputation in Clan Javat House. You should do that before quadrant will be full of conflicts and with some lack, before there will be any Trade Embargo on Clan Javat.
What to do next? There are two options:
1) Fly to one of those 2 planets left with cities and wild zones, and repeat what above. Screw pirates. All you have is money and water. You don't lose anything expect crew's morale, what is easily to repair on starting small ship
2) If there are Trade Alliances with Clan Javat - you will get extra reputation in that faction, so you can first go to that faction and buy rank and Trade Permit - you will get one less military ship what want to confiscate your goods. Try not risk flying to that faction with goods from near planets - you have slow ship and not good pilot skill so pirates will easily take your loot. After buying Ranks and Trade Permits repeat 1)
Some advices:
- upgrading ship remember about two things - engines and crew - in those order. On slow ship you are easy to pick by pirates and military ships of factions in which you don't have Trade Permits, so first you will lose crew on planet while exploring and grabbing goods, then all cargo. So Engines is a 'must-have' upgrades. More crew - more goods you can grab while exploring, and even when 30 crew members will die - so what, you still have last 20-30 volunteers at ship for second run. Last upgrades can be cargo for getting more artifacts/electronics/weapons
- playing explorer it is really easy to get 100k $ - buy as fast as possible faster ship with more engines. This let you run away from pirates and military ships (before you get ranks in all factions)
- use conflicts to get small reputation bonus on factions where you reputation is close 0 - to adjust it to 7 allowing you buy Trade Permits. For example: after you started, you have 100 reputation in Clan Javat, 0 or to -3 in rest. Clan Javat have solar war with House Thulun... so if you attack Clan Javat's ships - you will get boost in House Thulun. Don't worry to do that. Its easy to hit 2-3 small merchant's ships when patrolling faction's zones. You will get 4-6 rep in House Thulun and lose about 5-12 in Clan Javat (but having 100 rep its like drop of water in the ocean). After that action you will lose Trade Permits in Clan Javat, but having 100k $ you will easily buy it again, then go to House Thulun and go exploring hostile planets for them. In the same way you can use spy wars, or even easier trade alliances.
- AVOID TRADE EMBARGO - selling artifacts, electronics and weapons. They can mess up your reputation with one sell of 30 artifacts. Buying water-fuel give loss of few points, but prohibited good can hit you with -50 or more.
- you don't need more than 25 explorer skill - for long 14 is quite enough - concentrate on pilot skill - you will need it to avoid pirates, when you have it more than 10-15 you can back to explorer skill for safest exploring more hostile planets
- there is some trick for finding new crew members to exploring planets. Volunteers are dying quickly, so its hard to find many in spice halls. No crew = no exploring = no money and no reputation. What to do? Be bad! Go to independent zones, patrol and attack independent merchant or even do so in friendly on friendly ships! Enslave crew and use them to work for you searching planet's surface. Don't board ship, easier way is to short distance (engines and pilot skill) and shot enemy engines.
Thats all... Enjoy!
PS. Cory, you can put this on your site as guide
