Solar Hazards

[cubemonkey]

Is there some way to prevent solar hazard damage?

Literally every time I fly more than 10AU, I take solar damage and start bleeding water-fuel. As a result I have to take a massive detour to somewhere I can get fuel, invariably getting in fights I'd rather avoid along the way.

I dread taking 40AU contracts.

So is there any way?

I'm playing on normal difficulty (first time). Scimitar class ship. ST Elite.

[boeu]

Have you got the mechanic officer?? She reduces son damage.

[boeu]

Ment some

[oldalchemist]

Mechanical Officers and a few tons of Crystals will keep the sails in good shape.
I think you Pilot skill may reduce accidents, too.

Regarding surviving chance encounters, check your path on the zoom map. Watch out for pirate/alien hot spots. Also, put points into stealth.

Even better, get a level of rank with as many factions as possible. Now you only have to worry about pirates from independent factions.

[slayernz]

Getting higher pilot skill must help a bit. Definitely having a mechanic and at least 1 unit of Crystals is great because she has a % chance of fixing the damage with a bit of duct tape and a tube of super glue.

In saying that, if you have a ship with a large number of sails (>30), even if you get affected by a space hazard (eg Cadarian torp shrapnel), your efficiency isn't greatly compromised. You can still sail a good distance on only a few units of Fuel-Water.

Also, having the Fuel-Water tank helps give you some breathing room. knowing you have 25 units of good pure D2O makes you not fear the 40AU contracts

Re the encounters ...
Stealth helps you avoid contacts in space, but I have stealth of over 40 and still get very regular contacts, so it must be the way you hold your tongue or the angle of your pilfered Rychart hat that helps determine encounters or not.

[oldalchemist]

Also, try to plan your route so that you hit friendly, non-embargoed, or neutral worlds along the way. If things go badly, you're better off on a longer, greener route where you can stop for repairs and refueling than you are on a short red route with naught but gas giants and sector upon sector of hazard.

Or plan to loot unsuspecting merchants on the way...

[Cory Trese]

Watch for Surplus of W-F and L-R.

When you get a surplus GRAB it all (investments)

I often take 800 water out of a surplus and stash it in spots of 50 (or whatever my load is) on EVERY wilderness planet i can get to

[slayernz]

Apart from very early on in some games, W-F has never been a problem for me. I've always hunted for a ship with good sail numbers when I start out and then my fuel efficiency jumps dramatically.

The biggest challenge is that taking a ship won in combat sometimes makes you fall short of your destination because of the sail damage. You end up having to dismember the odd ensign here and there to add to the reactor. I guess that's why mutinies happen so often when you run out of W-F. That or crew are tired of slipping over in the spilt blood...

[oldalchemist]

Once I get a water fuel tank and around 9 in Pilot and Intimidation along with Ancient Reactor and Titan engines on a ship with over 25 engines to start with, fuel efficiency skyrockets. I also try to keep at least 10 luxury rations in the hold just in case.

Good Intimidation, a first mate with vudka, and some luxury rations usually give me a pretty good range on < 1.0 fuel to get to an exchange without mutiny.

Also, don't skimp in the spice halls. Lube your crew at every opportunity with a round of spice. It's cheap compared to mutiny.

[slayernz]

Of course, flying in random directions after indulging in a bit too much spice is always fun. Any fuel savings you gain from crew happiness is lost because you found you were half-way to Zu Chong-Zhi and you were meant to be going to Xeen Prime.
"Well they sounded the same Capt'n and you were snoozing, so we thought we'd use our initiative. "

[hashassin]

I know its a bit more comlex than this, but 30+ engines, with omni stealth and water tanks usually clears this up. Assuming you don't pilot a ship with a huge hull and or crew. My favorite ship always forces me to level my pilot skill though, and that can be a pain.

[kremmen]

Speaking of the water tank, how does it function? Does it give extra capacity when you fill the entire hold with W-F, or improve fuel efficiency, or allow more W-F on top of a full hold? Or what?

[slayernz]

You get 25 units of capacity that is purely for W-F. If your hold is 40, and you buy a W-F tank, then you can hold 25 units of W-F and your hold still reads 0 full.

Advantages: Your risk of being stopped to be search is partly based on the amount of units in your hold. You will notice the W-F tank doesn't register on your cargo count. If you have 14 units of water, your cargo = 0. If you have 26 units of water, your cargo = 1.

Also, having the W-F tank means you can fly most places secure in the knowledge you haven't had to skimp on W-F in order to maximize other cargo (eg a shortage of Rychart hats).

Note though, in order to add more W-F to the tank, you have to have at least 1 unit of space in your cargo. For example, if you have 15 units of W-F and 40 units of cargo in a 40 unit hold, then you can't actually fill up the additional 10 units of potential W-F you can carry. Selling 1 unit of cargo is enough for you to fill up your W-F tank to maximum. You can then re-purchase the unit of cargo you sold.

[kremmen]

Aha! Thanks for that, Slayernz.

[Cory Trese]

slayernz -- are you happy with current W-F tank functions? Do you feel it is operating without bugs?