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#3823996 - 08/18/13 11:07 PM X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions (semi AAR and tips)  
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Feetwet Offline
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Ok, so I have gotten back into this game and I am enjoying it right now. I have 2 mercury transports, mine and one using trade mark 2. The Ore belt is being torn apart by the paranid and I'm itching to buy a fighter.

Anyway, is there anyway to make the trade mark 2 an autonomous best buy/sell ship or do I have to go all the way to mark 3 for that?

S

Last edited by Feetwet; 08/22/13 02:00 PM.

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#3824027 - 08/19/13 12:48 AM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Autonomous is MK3 trading module, yes. And when you get it, it'll be like starting from scratch as it'll start off as a sector trader.

Why is Ore belt being attacked? I'm a good few (real-time) days into the game now and the Paranids are behaving themselves. Ore belt is a very good place to train up MK3 traders.

Be on the lookout for a cheap combat ship... check out all the stations that have icons (except the green "build" icon) as sometimes ships are offered under the "lightbulb" icon or the "credit" icon. I got a cheap-ass Paranid Perseus ship this way.


- Ice
#3824074 - 08/19/13 03:54 AM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Did you get this on steam Feet? What's your name on there?

I'm trying this thing again, but switching to TC from AP. Any more tips are welcomed. I've never gotten too far.
I think last time I did get a transport ship in a fight and sent it out with my original ship as an escort while I played the other missions in another ship. Didn't know how to set it to function autonomously as a trader though.


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#3824264 - 08/19/13 05:27 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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I keep hearing that TC has more story and plots than AP so I'm sticking with TC for now. Not that I've started any plots yet smile


- Ice
#3824283 - 08/19/13 06:03 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Raw I have had X3 Gold Edition for a little while now of the shelf. I do have a Steam Id...I think it's feetwet13...but I have to double check.

Yes, definitely check all of those little cents symbols. I just picked up a Nova Vanguard for a couple of hundred K. Made the mistake of paying for the repairs...sounds like I could have ejected and worked on it a little bit.

So right now I have 2 transports (mercuries). One is a Sector Trader but he is now level 11 and the other is a remote trader (trade software mk 2). Turns out that once the sector trader gains a few levels you can set him to jump 1 or maybe more sectors...watch for that...not sure what level its unlocked.

At level 8 you are supposed to be able to set the mk 3 to universal trader but I haven't tried that yet.

The Ore belt has been mauled. Half of the factories were destroyed. Apparently that conflict is now over and some rebuilding is happening. Going to make my other mercury a sector trader, kit out my Nova, and begin a little combat. After I gain about 4 mil I'm thinking of setting up a solar plant in cloudbase southeast...if I can figure out how to do that.

S


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#3824295 - 08/19/13 06:23 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Turns out, that once your sector trader reaches level 6, he can become a local trader (assigned sector and adjacent sectors). At level 8 he can become universal.

S


MWO callsign Feetwet
#3824346 - 08/19/13 09:07 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Yep, Sector at 6 and can jump 1 additional sector ever 2 levels IIRC. I'd not bother for Universal trader, that's a good way to lose ships IMO. Just make a Sector trader and make sure his jump range only covers "safe" sectors. As he gains in levels, you can "re-assign" him as Sector Trader and adjust his jump distance. Make sure to equip him with jumpdrive and order him to store a certain amount of energy cells.

A steady stream of credits is always a good thing!


- Ice
#3824412 - 08/19/13 11:54 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Yeah, I plan to only use them as sector traders so I can somewhat protect them. So I made my second mercury a sector trader but he is lazy. Always reverting to standby.


MWO callsign Feetwet
#3824927 - 08/20/13 09:43 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Note that they go on standby every now and again. That means they are doing something other than flying to/from a station. I noticed once a trader docks at a station he is buying or selling from, he'll go on "standby" for a moment. Keep checking up on him to determine whether this is the case or if you need to move him to another sector to level him up.

I only worry about them until they are level 6 or greater. IIRC, they gain experience by "trading" so obviously trading just inside one sector means you need to pick the proper sector to train them at. Once they can jump a few sectors, that means their market is now bigger so they'll have more trade opportunities. So past level 6, I know they'll be making me good money as well as gaining good XP.


- Ice
#3825683 - 08/22/13 01:59 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Ok, got back on for a few hours last night. The first thing I did was take my brand new Nova Vanguard and deck him out with 3X25 shields an IR laser in the turret and 8 PACs in the front. This thing is devastating right now to anything up to M3 (want to add some HEPTs before I take anything larger. Maybe 4 HEPTs and 4 PACs).

I took this new build and started my tour of space to the southeast of cloudbase southeast. Taking jobs along the way and kicking some pirate a$$. My 2 sector traders were left to ply their trade inside of Argon space. So after a few hours if find myself at the edge of xenon space thinking that I want to head back. Whoops, no jumpdrive. Dang, start the long haul back.

So here is a tip. Before you go exploring grab a JUMPDRIVE from Terracorp HQ and a crapton of ENERGY CELLS. Much easier while exploring than backtracking.

All in all I made about 3.5 million credits. Next step, my first factory and capping/bartering for a trader to service it.

S


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#3827431 - 08/26/13 02:07 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Ok, so I've got a few more hours in. My Nova now has 4 HEPTs and 4 PACS, plus 1 PAC in the turret for missiles. I still have the 2 sector traders but I have added a silicon mine to the equation. I flew all around the ore belt scanning asteroids until I came across an asteroid with a silicon yield of 64. I built the facility and provided a transport to use best buy to find energy cells.

This facility took forever to break even with a price set at 460 for the wafers. One supply ship is not enough to keep it full of energy cells. It really started to take off late last night when I assigned a new transport to sell ware at best price. I still need to get a second supply ship.

Currently at 8 million credits but I need to continue to build up a financial base. I'm not making money as fast as I want.

S


MWO callsign Feetwet
#3827451 - 08/26/13 02:43 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Can a Nova use IRE? If so, I'd suggest using that for the turret. Might run out of energy with a PAC.

As for the silicon mine, there are a few problems with that:
1. Although the sell price is high, I find that trading in silicon makes me saturate the market quite quick and it takes a good few hours before the demand is there again. As you have a silicon mine, it'll be like you're trading in silicon all the time, hence the slow ROI. At least with a trade ship, it could trade in other goods if the market is full of silicon wafers.

2. Are you using CAG for your energy-supply ship? The ship might be having to go to great distances just to source energy. Might be better to make your own solar power plant.

3. Once your silicon mine is full, it'll stop "producing" the product. So while the market is saturated, your silicon mine is essentially not making you any money.


This is why I've not built up my own factories until now. I've not yet decided what the "final product" would be, and until then, I don't want to be building anything. I might start off with a couple of solar power plants and ore mines, but I've not yet seen such a great demand to justify the cost of building factories.

Plus my X3 games are on hold thanks to SC Blacklist.... smile


- Ice
#3827927 - 08/27/13 03:20 PM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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Good suggestions/comments. I'm going back and forth with an IRE back there...I seem to get hit with more missiles with it than the PAC...may even try a repeater.

I'm not sure what you mean by CAG but it is definitely going to far for energy cells. The ones in Ore Belt aren't the cheapest.

As far as factories I am still groping in the dark. Decided to go silicon because there were none in the ore belt region and not many in the surrounding sectors. The wafers are needed for crystal fab, which in turn is needed for energy cells. Basically it was my first link in the chain. What I don't know is if it is possible to automatically transfer wafers > crystal fab > solar plant without having my plants pay each other.

S


MWO callsign Feetwet
#3828760 - 08/29/13 10:21 AM Re: X3 Terran Conflict gameplay/questions [Re: Feetwet]  
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CAG is like your own trader... this guy is responsible for supplying your stations. Search for "CAG" or "CLS" in the X3 forums to learn more. I've not used them yet myself.

Re: Energy cells, it probably would be best if you had your own power plant that just produces and does not sell to others (AI) so you get the best price always.

Re: Silicon, like I said, it is easy to saturate the market. Sure, there isn't any in Ore belt but there's like 2 in Power Circle and 2 more, IIRC, in the sector just below Power Circle. Those 4 mines can very easily supply a lot of places. A full load of my Mercury, and I can't empty it all in one station. After a couple of runs, I've saturated the market.... doesn't matter if the station is 4+ jumps away, the cost in energy cells to activate the jumpdrive is cheap compared to the profits.


- Ice

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