Best Player Stations to Make Profit with in X3: Albion Prelude

[sporeboy101]

I was wondering what stations were the best to make a profit, a have two space fuel complexes and a few other stations here and there, but I'm looking for more ways. Thx.

[euclid]

The economics develops in different ways in each game but usually energy is always a good product. Find some juicy silicon roids and build a self-contained ecell complex.

Cheers Euclid

[sporeboy101]

Thx, i will consider the option

[X-Tie]

E-cell self-sustaining complex requires a heavy investment and takes about 2 days to break even when selling at an average price of 17 (assuming you have freighters to sell your E-cells).

If you are looking at making fast profits, I suggest you look at gaps in your market for products which only require E-cells to produce. For example, Argon Wheat Farms, Teladianium Foundries, Plankton Farms, Snail Ranches, Flower Farms, Soyfarms, etc... These tend to be very profitable if you place them in the right place.

:EDIT: So instead of using all that cash on the self-sustaining complex, if you buy some of those suggested factories you'll be making a lot more money per hour than you would with E-cells. That being said, you'll need a self-sustaining E-cell complex at some point or the other, so it's up to you whether you want to start on that now or start with better profit-making factories first.

[sporeboy101]

I see, hmm, well I will play around with it as a do have a source of income, but still looking to get more than I am now.

And to anyone else looking at this forum post, assume i can buy an station except for Terran ones.

[SIMON POPPLEWELL]

High Tech sell well, computer components, microchips and also 1mj shields I never have less than 10 inbound transports heading to my high tech sales complex.

[Teronredoran]

Depends on what you're doing, but currently my three most profitable stations are a crystal fab in twisted skies(managed to get 6-7 solar power plants there through building missions), the silicon mine that supplies it and a few other factories in the area, and an EMPC forge in Oort cloud. Have to log in to check, but I'm reasonably sure the EMPC forge is in the lead by a good amount too.

I believe I've heard good things about shield selling, but never got into that. And obviously selling space fuel/weed is going to be profitable.

[Lone Jedi]

The universe is always in need of microchips. They sometimes can sell well at maximum price.

[-XeNoN-]

Best selling station configurations:

For example:

1 MJ Shield + Microchips = 2 million credits each 30 mins (ofc you need to have alot of factories), for example i have on my Complex around 32 stations! Its self containing.
5 x 1 MJ Shield Fact - 480 1 Mj shields total
5 x Chip Plant - 200 Microchips total

Best selling components:

Microchips and 1 MJ shields - Always in demand
Computer Components - less in demand but profitable
Space Weed - High Demand
Space Fuel - Medium Demand
IRE's - Low Demand
PAC's - Low demand but high profit

These are your best options.

The rarest equipment is Hammer Heavy Torpedo's and Flail's i advise you to build the self containing complex only for you so you can easily restock your M7M's

[Fenris321]

I don't have a lot of time in game yet, but I have to agree with everyone saying the 1MJ shield sells well. I have 10 factories producing them non stop. Every cycle gets me 120 shields at a little over 5,000 credits each ... by the time another cycle finishes the first 120 are usually sold out.


I don't know that that's the "best", but it works well for me.

Space fuel took awhile but that sells somewhat for me. From what others have said I believe I'm in a bad location for that.

Mosquito missiles are hit and miss usually miss. I'll shut it down once my complex starts getting "stretched" for resources (trying to keep this one a closed loop).

Advanced drones ... haven't sold a single one. Although giving your traders a few does help protect them. I watched 3 pirates attack a transport of mine, as I was trying in vain to get into firing distance the transport released drones and killed the pirates.

Laser towers .. haven't sold a single one even at minimum price. Those were for my own personal use anyway so no biggie.

That's been my experience anyway, other may have had different ones.

[kaluce]

1mj shields have been very profitable for me, I have 5 producing in a closed loop in Home of Light. In my game, weapons are almost always capable of being sold at close to max price. For some reason there is a significant weapons shortage, and no factories seem to be able to produce significant quantities of weapons.

That said, in Weaver's Tempest, I have a SPP and an Ore mine to stock the nearby IBL forges, and in senator's badlands, I have low yield sidearms, disintegrater rifles, weed, and booze fabs that supply the local yaki stock exchange. It's definitely worth the effort for the Yaki, because each load of weed, booze, sidearms, and rifles I drop off, I make extreme profitsss.

I also have various missile fabs. Dragonflies, hammers, flails, shadow, etc. Those don't generate a LOT of profit, but when I've filled up all the sturgeons on my storage Aran with items, I turn trading on in the factories. At that point, I have a vast quantity of weapons, missiles, and energy, so I couldn't care less if I need anything else.

[bizbag]

In X3TC and AP, almost all factories have the same average profit/hour once you factor in built time and cost of materials. This means that the profitability is in the demand - and some goods have almost bottomless demand, like Microchips and 1MJ shields. This is also why illegal goods are popular among players.

[sporeboy101]

I have seen the 1MJ and Space Fuel sell well for me as i have to self sustained complexes in Farnham's Legend and Olmanckeslat's Treaty