egosoft.com

Considering the Trade Command Software MK3 costs 500k are you going to lose that investment over a few thousand credits price difference.

There's a point I'd considered. Plus getting the ship to the software, but so far the return has been good enough to prove the scheme. I'm still rolling M4's and M5's I claim into ships, software and jumpdrives for them. It's still proving more profitable than the problems you get in with factories and support freighters. At least to me. Usually taking breaks between missions to hunt pirates, Dukes Flying Fleamarkets, and then slowly expanding my sectors. As long as that bottom line inches upward I'm happy. However my primary consideration is finger on the trigger and keeping myself in one piece. The need to rake in buckzoids so Goner priests and Fishy fuddy-duddies can stick out their hands for all you're worth is to me simply another part of the game. As I'm sure there are players out there that would be happy never to fire a shot. I'll see if this strategy paid off when the Hub and later comes up, but I'm happy with how fast the Goner missions were history.

Use a ship able to hold fighters to freight spare Jump Drives and Trade Command Softwares around. That way the equipment can come to the ship as opposed to it having to make the journey.

Beauty! Now there's suggestion! I just ditched on the TC New Home mission. 400 Million!? Have to ask yourself is it worth it? I'll pass for now. About like the guy who paid a man to dig a well. He asked the guy what kind of simpleton digs holes for a living? The guy smiles and tells him, a smarter man than one that pays me for a hole! Well a sector is just one big empty piece of NOTHING. At least the HUB is something!

DrSuperEvil wrote:Use a ship able to hold fighters to freight spare Jump Drives and Trade Command Softwares around. That way the equipment can come to the ship as opposed to it having to make the journey.

This is what I do. I use a Zephyrus as my "delivery" vehicle which I keep loaded up with 4 fast ships that are fully equipped with every piece of software I can find (except Trade Mk3 and System Override Software). Whenever I capture a new ship I intend to keep I order the Zephyrus to jump to the nearest safe gate and order one of its docked ships to load up the newly captured one with whatever software and upgrades it needs, along with enough energy cells to get to the nearest safe shipyard.

Once I've finished capturing ships, or once I have exhausted the 4 stored ships of their jumpdrive and softwares, I'll order the Zephyrus to jump around the universe filling back up on those upgrades for the next round of captures.

Way more effective than how I used to do it. I used to keep a rapid response patrol group in my favorite "capturing" sector to escort newly-captured ships to a shipyard or nearby system. Lost entirely too many ships that way and turned to these Egosoft forums where I found the aforementioned strategy. Since then I haven't lost any captures.

Dr SuperEvil your an evil genius.

After weighing where I was after saving the galaxy from malicious Sudoku puzzles I reloaded a game before that whole New Home bit and now I have a use for that 1000 unit cargo hold in the Truelight Seeker. Plus I'm moving up the ranks in Terracorp so I docked her there (Haven't got the start of the PHQ yet.)

Truelight Seeker becomes nasty with the PHQ. Give a small fleet of them some Gauss Cannons and they can really do damage. Their PBC compatibility is also useful.

If you want heavily armored traders use Hyperion Vanguards (3k cargo) or Springblossoms (2k cargo) rather.

BRAHH...HA...HA.. A fleet of Goner Grinders! There's a evil plan for galactic conquest! I admit the first time they handed it to me I thought was Ion's ship from Reunion... When I looked at it's info thinking use it as a freighter I thought it was a glitch. No glitch, the darn thing is a flying fortress! Marines too! So much for a life of pacifism, BUY MY SALVAGE INSURANCE OR DIE UNBELIEVERS!

Xenon J is a better tool for conquest.

Truelight Seeker lacks the laser energy to use alot of heavy weapons IS and Guass Cannon drains alot of ammo if used OOS. Also built time wise it is not much different from a Xenon J which has 6GJ shielding and more weapons.

OKAY... Not even going to ask how you got your hands on a J in a vanilla game. Just glad I don't fun into you in a MP game. That must have been one Hell of a fight there parter!

Hank001 wrote:OKAY... Not even going to ask how you got your hands on a J in a vanilla game.

Standard boarding. By the time you have PHQ in X3TC, you and your marines probably have already had plenty of practice.

Websearch hit: https://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=277510

Xenon capital ships need to be boarded so you will need 30 marines with max fight skill and expect 4-9 to die.

If TC has M7M ships use a Cobra and Sirokos.

Well speak of the devil....

PHQ started today. Now into intermittently getting blown into dust bunnies by the Squash Mines around the Yaki base as a matter of fact. All the time wanting to tell that bugeyed Boron that Bala Gi got dropped off next door. Sure my Maines are up to snuff in my estimation. I'll just skip getting close enough to a J to keep those shields knocked down. Rather go hunting Sqash mines thank you. Higher chance of survival.

(Really want that Ray because that "Mobile Mining Monster" is a beast to maneuver and I'd like just leave it in the Alrin sectors doing what it's built for.)

Use fighter drones to keep the shields down and blow the rest away with missiles.

Just remember you will need 18 PPC, 14 FAA and 2 2GJ Shield factories to keep up with Xenon J production.

Savage Spur or Getsu Fune are the best sectors for making a PHQ.

DrSuperEvil wrote:

Use fighter drones to keep the shields down and blow the rest away with missiles. Just remember you will need 18 PPC, 14 FAA and 2 2GJ Shield factories to keep up with Xenon J production.
Savage Spur or Getsu Fune are the best sectors for making a PHQ.

Great Suggestions. Only I got sidetracked into some plotline I can't find anything on so I saved and started it. Know any walkthrough on this "Balance of Power" deal? Up to the part where I chased the Terran fighter all over the sector before I got it scanned for those Dark Space spy types.

Sounded more fun than hunting Sqash Mines.

Walk: https://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=288451

Thanks much! Was at the point of listening for pings when your pointer to the walkthrough came in. (Search for it turns up 0).

That last part was an OMG moment, but I think my solution I'll post on the walkthrough's thread. It was painless and fun to watch.

Got my HQ today too. . With so many Sec Traders and UT's to set a home base for I just set it in a peaceful sector I can get to by push E 3X. And I think it's digesting Trurelight Seeker at the moment...(Burp)

Good for you. I personally prefer Savage Spur or Getsu Fune for PHQ construction.

Some players use dupe methods to gain more than one PHQ for mass production of ships.

Thank's for the suggestions and help Doc.
Because somewhere I or the program screwed up.
I'd ran what I thought was a vanilla game.
It appears that I'm going to have to delete
the whole TC and reload taking out EVERYTHING
even close to mods or scripts because today I
checked my status and there at the bottom
appeared:

***modified***

Loading in past saves put be back to the very start of waiting for the HUB to start. Oh well. This time I'll keep a watch on that stat screen. And this time I know how take the udgrades to the freighters. So back to the HUB and the fervent desire to turn Bala Gi into sushi. Slowly. With a dull table knife...

Sheese thats terrible. Antivirus is a common cause of mysterious modified games. But who knows, shouldn't be doing that in 2018 you would think.

Sorry to hear that because I know how tedious that plot can be.