Newbie confusion

[P/o Prune]

Hi everyone.

I have just discovered this great game. As a matter of fact I'm still trying to figure out which version to buy. (there are so many to choose from)

The thing is that I'm more into exploring, developing and trading (at least to begin with) than actual combat so I'm not looking to jump head over heels into something that resembles the landing in Normandy 1944.

Any suggestions on how to approach this will be very welcome.

[Alan Phipps]

You have posted in the forum for X4 which hasn't been released yet. You would be better off with this in the X Trilogy Universe forum (moving it now) and a good start there can be found by typing 'which X game' into the exact phrase box of this search tool.

[P/o Prune]

Thank you Allan, will do.

[RainerPrem]

Hi everyone.

I have just discovered this great game. As a matter of fact I'm still trying to figure out which version to buy. (there are so many to choose from)

The thing is that I'm more into exploring, developing and trading (at least to begin with) than actual combat so I'm not looking to jump head over heels into something that resembles the landing in Normandy 1944.

Any suggestions on how to approach this will be very welcome.

Hi,

your game style seems to reflect mine, so I would advice to start with X3TC and then continue with X3AP. So you might buy the "X3 Terran War Pack".

Those games share nearly all mechanics so once you're familiar with TC you can easily switch over to AP.

One thing to do is that you need to take your time in all those games. You can't expect to understand everything on the first day. I would NOT advice to go and harvest mods as soon as you see a challenge in the game.

You should NOT start the game with a "free play" but first learn the mechanics by playing the first plot of X3TC (Terran plot). That will help you massively.

cu
Rainer

[Bill Huntington]

Welcome to TC!

Many players new and veteran spend a lot of time with the scenario Humble Merchant. You can begin trading and exploring ASAP. The Terran game starts are hard to deal with in a lot of ways. But every game start is worth a look.

You have questions. Just ask here.

[P/o Prune]

Thank you all.
I did as you suggested and went and bought X3TC. I didn't have much time after work yesterday so I only installed it and had a quick look at the intro. What can I say but WOW!
It the game holds what it promises I will be spending a lot of time in front of the computer.

[RainerPrem]

Thank you all.
I did as you suggested and went and bought X3TC. I didn't have much time after work yesterday so I only installed it and had a quick look at the intro. What can I say but WOW!
It the game holds what it promises I will be spending a lot of time in front of the computer.

It does and you will. Prepare for losing some friends and expect your family to be a lot older when you see them next time.

cu
Rainer

[Honved]

The Terran start in X3:TC throws some nice rewards at you pretty early, but I HATE flying across those massive sectors before I've got a ship fast enough to do so in a timely manner (even with SETA to speed things up). It's also a much more combat-oriented approach to the game.

The Humble Merchant start gives you a lot more options, and would be my own recommendation (either using the TS-class freighter to trade, or else selling it, then upgrading/arming and flying the light M5 scout you also get to explore and fight; doing BOTH is possible, if you can make one or two good trades before the Equipment Docks in neighboring sectors sell out of Impulse Ray Emitters for the next few days or weeks - the only guns that your M5 can carry).

Note that your ship's speed is rather lethargic (upgrading its Engine Tunings is a top priority, as long as you still have enough credits left to buy resources to sell), and unless you can find a load of Ore in the starting sector (look for a nearly full "product" bar) and sell it to a nearby station in dire need (with a nearly empty "resource" bar for Ore), it's going to be a long, slow grind to build up sufficient credits to afford the toys to make money quickly, at least until you understand a few of the many other options available, and what items you need to pursue those avenues. As a new player, you won't know where to head to for the "goodies" required to do Asteroid Scans, Taxi runs, or other increasingly profitable activities, which only pay a pittance anyway at starting ranks, but become quite lucrative as you advance in either Fight or Trade rank.

Note that Trade Stations (and the Terran Sector Defense equivalents) only buy and sell at AVERAGE price. Other stations only buy (not sell) their own required resources, and only sell (not buy) their end products. Once you can get Trade Extension software, you can see actual prices of all stations in any sector where you have a ship, station, or satellite. Until then, look for over half-full "product" bars (the upper bar), and sell to places with less than half-full resource bars for that item. Example would be selling Ore to a weapon manufacturer, Silicon to a Chip Plant or Crystal Fab, or Warheads to a Missile manufacturer. Weapons and Shields can usually be sold at average price to any Equipment Dock, regardless of whether they show a bar for it or not, so if you can buy them cheap enough (close to a full bar), they can be profitable.

[Timsup2nothin]

Another good start option that gets you the benefits of the Terran Plot without the down side of lumbering across giant Terran sectors in a barge is the Argon Patriot start. You start in an Elite that is armed with four moderately expensive guns.

If you dock at the Equipment Dock and sell the guns you'll have plenty of cash to buy a fully equipped, maxed out speed and maneuverability Discoverer Vanguard. Transfer to that and sell the Elite and you can follow the 'bridge mission,' which is available right there in the sector you start in and go directly into the Terran Plot, in a moderately fast ship.

You'll also have enough cash left over to buy a freighter that you can direct around to get some trading experience. That will give you something to keep you busy during long flights. Plus, everyone likes traders, so the more trading your freighter does while you are off galavanting with the Terrans the more the Argons will like you, which comes in handy.

[RainerPrem]

Hi P/o,

for now, you can ignore what these "old hands" are writing about alternative game starts. In my humble opinion, it's more important to learn the ropes first: and the Terran Plot gives you a good opportunity to do this.

OTOH you should know that you can hold the plot at nearly every point to stroll around and explore the universe. Many parts of the plot wait for you to reach a certain sector or even a specific point before the action takes place.

I agree that a faster ship will come handy after some time. And you can really make good money by selling the expensive weapons your starting ship comes equipped with.

cu
Rainer

[Timsup2nothin]

Me being me, i am compelled to point out that my 'alternative start' was in fact pointed at doing the Terran plot to 'learn the ropes' first. I just really do think that it is more fun to learn those ropes in a faster ship.

[RainerPrem]

Me being me, i am compelled to point out that my 'alternative start' was in fact pointed at doing the Terran plot to 'learn the ropes' first. I just really do think that it is more fun to learn those ropes in a faster ship.

Hi,

the Sabre runs at 275 maxed. I think it's part of the "learning the ropes" to notice that ships can be tuned to run faster at equipment docks.

cu
Rainer

[Timsup2nothin]

Me being me, i am compelled to point out that my 'alternative start' was in fact pointed at doing the Terran plot to 'learn the ropes' first. I just really do think that it is more fun to learn those ropes in a faster ship.

Hi,

the Sabre runs at 275 maxed. I think it's part of the "learning the ropes" to notice that ships can be tuned to run faster at equipment docks.

cu
Rainer

275 maxed is not my idea of a 'faster ship.' I've done the Terran start and pretty much immediately traded off the Saber for a full kitted Rapier...that's a fast ship!

[P/o Prune]

Thanks a million for all the replies...
I haven't gotten that far into the game, yet. Having an 8 year old kid looking over your shoulder, asking this, that and the other thing somehow tampers the effort
Anyways, I have found that I truly enjoy playing this game, especially in the evening / night when the house is quiet and I can sip a glass of quality whisky and admire the graphics and all the effects of the game.

[TTD]

when the house is quiet and I can sip a glass of quality whisky and admire the graphics and all the effects of the game.

heheh steady on mate. those graphics will be "enhanced" if you drink too much !
best not fly under the inflience



I read the debate above and all I can say is that there are pros and cons in every start.

you say you don't want to do a Normandy landing, so the Humble Merchant would probably suit you best, best try them all.

as you progress, more starts will be opened to you ... See the FAQs on this site for more info on that.

And welcome to sleepless nights and the fun of X
There are some good guides around if you need help, but beware of spoilers. Not always good to know what's ahead in this game....it spoils the surprise and fun .

I started with X2 The Threat and have played every game in the series now.
You never stop learning new tricks and game info.
Just when you think you know everything, someone comes here and tells everyone of something they do or have discovered , that had gone un-noticed by you for 10 years !

Hope you enjoy the game as much as the rest of us and , yes, come back with more questions when you are ready

[P/o Prune]

Thanks for the welcome TTD.

I've tried a little of this and that and found that I actually prefer controlling the ship using the keyboard. Having said that I hurry to say that I haven't yet tried the "fighterpilot mode" I would imagine that a joystick would come in handy there.

[zazie]

I support your approach of gaming. Don't think that your first game experience will be the best approach. Just try out a few things. Later you will realize that you spent too much Credits for stuff you don't really need in the beginning. Or that you bought the wrong factory.

Nevermind - it's your "test"-game. After about 50 - 100 ingame (IG) hours you will start again - and doing things better.

Oh, and veterans count their IG-DAYS

[Honved]

One good point that has been made is that you can generally sell off SOME of your expensive weapons. Two guns is sufficient to take on most equal or smaller opponents in a 1:1 fight, particularly if you're still learning to aim, and would otherwise run your 4 or more guns out of energy quickly.

The money from a pair of weapons can pay for several engine tunings and some software upgrades. I rarely buy maneuvering thrusters for fighters (they'll spin 180 degrees pretty quickly), but they're close to priceless on capital ships.

Cargo space can be expanded for a price, which comes in handy for picking up dropped missiles and other debris after a battle. Hanging around a sector while two rival factions fight, or after the Xenon or Kha'ak have attacked a few freighters, can allow you to sweep up several thousand (or several hundred thousand) credits worth of goodies for free, if you've got the cargo space. Note that ships can only pick up wares up to a certain size: S, M, L, XL, and Station sized), so even if you've got the cargo space, that dropped XL size Ore might not fit through the Medium sized cargo hold doors of your fighter. Many light M5 fighters can't even equip Cargo Life Support (a M size item) to carry passengers for taxi runs, or fit long range scanners except on recon variants specifically designed with them built-in.

The long, tedious trips across sectors becomes less tedious as you begin to field freighters and factories, and have multiple fleets defending them. You'll find that those intervals don't seem long enough at times for dealing with all of your assets between missions and events.

Tip: LAND at a station before engaging in any kind of dangerous activity or uncertainty (like taking a mission you know little about). If/when things go belly-up, you can reload the game from your last docking point. You can buy Salvage Insurance at several places in the game, which allow you to save in space, otherwise you can only save while docked.

[Triaxx2]

Most important of all, the tagline is Fight, Trade, Build, Think. That last one is the most important one of all. Think carefully before picking a fight. Think carefully before making a trade, and think carefully about where you build your empire or stations.

And very often you can think your way out of the problems you run into by looking at different tactics or values.

Also, the Rapier's quick, but the Kestrel's even faster.

[jlehtone]

Make mistakes, Traveller!

That presents* opportunity to observe, learn, and recover from predicament.



[*] Some personal effort required. No guarantee of success.[/size]