Basic game questions.

[Fspiders]

Hi please go gentle here lol

Firstly I'm an OAP with very little game skills. My game is kill or more likely be killed Don't understand complexs or mining or marines and boarding. I've never really had much more money than 5 million.

First question is. When does the plot end to open sandbox? I've opened the hub and realinged it. I've visited 99% of sectors and the 3 beacon thing until I've no missions left and got about 12 blueprints and asked to have a OTB (whatever that is!) placed in midnight star.. I've absolutely no chance of getting the materials needed. So I just need to get as far as being allowed to play sandbox.

Second. My only realistic way of making money was to break up nividium in kingdoms end and send 10 ships to pick up and sell ships then repeat... Has this method been killed as its not working for me in FL?

Thank you.

[Deeparth]

The sandbox starts after you gain control of the the hub. There is a Terran plot but you'll have to find it. As for nividium mining you can fit TS class ships with mobile drilling system(I think) and an ore collector to automate mining and selling.

[Fspiders]

I have the hub. But the sandbox options are greyed out in the new game options.

[Hwitvlf]

First question is. When does the plot end to open sandbox?

If you mean sandbox style play, then you're already in it. After you've claimed the Xenon hub, most of the universe opens and you're free to do what you want. The only change beyond that comes during the Terran plot, when the path to the Earth sectors is opened. If you mean access to the Sandbox new-game starts, I thought they were unlocked from the start. They won't give you access to new parts of the game that you don't have already.

Second. My only realistic way of making money was to break up nividium in kingdoms end and send 10 ships to pick up and sell ships then repeat... Has this method been killed as its not working for me in FL?

What is 'not working' about it? Ships have to be equipped with Mining Command Software to mine Nividium. You lose a good portion of the value when you sell to a shipyard but it still gets some money. NPC ships will usually buy all your Nividium from the HQ at average price. It's better to dump it there and adjust the HQ settings to allow NPCs to buy it.

If you can save up enough, you can build your own Nividium mine:

Spoiler

Show

They're sold for 2M by the NMMC shipyard in PTNI Headquarters Beta

Talk to a TL pilot and they'll transport it to where you want it for very little money.

As far as other ways to earn money, there's a thread nearby with lots of tips. The more missions you complete, the more you get paid for new missions (based on your ranks). It's common to see simple Transport Troop missions that pay 2 to 6M if your rank is high enough.

[Fspiders]

Thank you for the info.

My problem seems to be that I can't start the new 2 sandbox games as they're not selectable even though I've got past the hub part of the plot.

There used to be a neat trick in kingdoms end where you would hit 4 nvidium asteriods and break them and drop a sat. Then leave and not go back in... Get say.. 10 ships and add equipment to pick up rocks.. Send em to kingdoms end and once at the rocks tell em to collect.. Once full you can flog them at shipyard for loads... As long as you don't go back into kingdoms end the rocks never run out... So you can send hundreds of ships.. Fill and sell. I guess this must now be blocked as I can only fill half of one ship before it just stops dead.

I'm really only interested in getting enough money to get me a nasty big killing machine and turn every sector red and see how many I can empty before they get me lol.

[Deathifier]

Thank you for the info.

My problem seems to be that I can't start the new 2 sandbox games as they're not selectable even though I've got past the hub part of the plot.

There used to be a neat trick in kingdoms end where you would hit 4 nvidium asteriods and break them and drop a sat. Then leave and not go back in... Get say.. 10 ships and add equipment to pick up rocks.. Send em to kingdoms end and once at the rocks tell em to collect.. Once full you can flog them at shipyard for loads... As long as you don't go back into kingdoms end the rocks never run out... So you can send hundreds of ships.. Fill and sell. I guess this must now be blocked as I can only fill half of one ship before it just stops dead.

I'm really only interested in getting enough money to get me a nasty big killing machine and turn every sector red and see how many I can empty before they get me lol.

The sandbox starts only differ from the plot starts in that the sandbox has none of the starting plot and you start with different ships - the rest of the game does not change.
The other starts should unlock as you complete the starting plot so I'm not sure why they are still locked.

As for making money my preferred method had been boarding ships, repairing, and selling them however it does some time to train up marines, understand the boarding process, get the right ships for boarding, and get the reputation to buy a M7D and Extended Drones.
Once setup a single evening foray into Yaki, Pirate, or other races space, can yield several M7's, some M2's, M1's, and usually a pile of fighter craft - enough for you to marvel at the traffic jam they create when you send them to the sector your M7D is in.

For building your trans orbital accelerator you can buy almost enough stuff for at least one from around the universe, however you will need to make your own microchips, quantum tubes, and probably computer components.
When I built my first one I ended up with a XXL Chip Plant, XXL Quantum Tube Fab, and XL Computer Plant, with the microchips taking the longest by far.
You can source enough food for those 3 factories from around the universe, at least long enough to get your first TOA built, so you don't need to figure out complexes just for one TOA.

[Fspiders]

Yay! I've completed the terrain spy plot. Is that it?

I was a bit confused as I'm notified I can now trade in sol, but I'd already mapped and traded there.. So not sure what's changed!

It was surprisingly very easy to do with just my nemesis, a TL and a couple of TS. Been given a yacht as well.. All good

Now to make friends with Otas so I can get me a Boreus.

Totally addicted to this game. Thanks to everyone involved

[Deathifier]

Yay! I've completed the terrain spy plot. Is that it?

I was a bit confused as I'm notified I can now trade in sol, but I'd already mapped and traded there.. So not sure what's changed!

It was surprisingly very easy to do with just my nemesis, a TL and a couple of TS. Been given a yacht as well.. All good

Now to make friends with Otas so I can get me a Boreus.

Totally addicted to this game. Thanks to everyone involved

Congrats

There are only two plots, so the Terran plot being done is it.
The plot has a Terran and Commonwealth chain, in case you have an older save and want to try the other path - you get the same reward ship, but not much else differs in terms of rewards.

The trading in Sol is a bit confusing. In past games (maybe just X3TC) your rep with Terran/ATF limited how close to Earth you could get before hostiles started chasing you.
In X3FL it seems to just follow the usual core/border rep limits so as soon as you build the TOA, and esp. the moment you side with them, you can go explore Sol without issue.