Achieving general success

[Dunk Mujunk]

So i've played Star Traders on and off for a long time. The best run I ever had was on the challenging difficulty level. In that play through I managed to save up enough cash to purchase a Battle Cruiser (I think is what it was) from the Cadar Syndicate. I've never been able to replicate this success.

I'm currently attempting a Demanding difficulty run. The De Valtos Syndicate is my starting faction, and i'm a Military Officer.

For the life of me, I cannot seem to find success. I'm solely focusing on Contracts as my method for making money. I've ignored faction conflicts in the pursuit of money, i've strictly adhered to faction conflicts in the pursuit of money. I've avoided the space of factions that hate me, and i've ignored faction standings and gone into the space of factions that hate me. I've focused on a single faction, and i've worked for anyone that would hire me. I've focused on combat skills to get me through encounters, i've focused on piloting skills to help me avoid conflict.

I feel like i've tried everything possible. No matter what I do I always seem to sit around 30k, either due to constant massive repair bills, or continuous garbage contracts that provide minimal money. And whether I have been taking large amounts of damage in fights, or mopping the floor with the enemies I encounter, I always end up running into an enemy that absolutely steamrolls me out of nowhere. I can't fight, I can't run, I just get smoked. Sometimes they are alien ships, but 99% of the time it is just some pirate.

I have literally attempted hundreds of games over the years. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[fallen]

What difficulty are you on?

How are you making money?

[poryg]

You do not avoid conflict through pilot skill, but through stealth.

Anyway...
General beginning tips.
1. Pick Aperio Calliga. It's the best starting ship, because it has extra water-fuel tank upgrade allowing you to take 25 water-fuel with you before it starts to fill up your cargo. This makes pirates less hostile with you, because when they don't detect any cargo on your ship, they have no reason to attack you.

2. Get trade permits with everyone. With trade permits pirates will not bother you. To do that you should accept only passenger/cargo/message contracts and buy cheap pardons (the price grows exponentially the more they hate you). Don't worry about surrendering to warahips and bounty hunters. The exposed smuggling will not hurt your relations with any party and the quest will not count as failed.

3. Learn to surrender. It's pointless to try to fight everyone at the beginning when your build is not even properly optimized for it. You're only going to suffer large amounts of damage and stay poor. Even with full cargo it's better to lose that cargo than to die.

4. You don't need to keep your ship in top shape unless you intend to undergo/intercept hostile encounters. You won't die from space hazards. Just fix engines and sails to keep the fuel consumption low.

5. There are a couple of ways to profit. If you have spy of at least 20, surveillance during spy wars is insanely profitable. Just spy on a planet, then land and sell records there. If you lose your permit, immediately buy it. If you have intimidate of at least 20, blockade during solar wars is insanely profitable. But these are useful only on particular builds, so don't pick these stats if they don't fit your build.
Otherwise trade of records, artifacts and electronics is potentially profitable too. Thulun and Javat at the top have three planets (two thulun, one javat) that can be used for trading electronics and artifacts (arties from thuluns to javat, electronics from javat to thuluns). Contracts are useless for profit and should only be used for establishing trade permits and base reputation with everyone.

6. Learn to use rumors. If you can, get a spy officer. He will allows you to get paid rumors for free, but even free rumors get you a long way. They'll give you important info about shortages (paying crazy money for trade goods) and surpluses (selling goods dirt cheap). You can make a fortune trading even water-fuel into shortage.