I have been playing this x4 for a year, and been through an enormity of frustration, wonder, and gratitude that the game is with us finely. ( I am am old long in the tooth X pilot from way back when I can not remember ! )
Having stumbled through the uninformative help, and fumbled my way over under between the rather awkward menus in the game, I am at a position to start to play the game.
Yes I have made over 80 Billion in a recently lost game, all through trading. And countless days of building and exploring. Along the way I have documented all that I can to give me a clearer understanding of what is what.
Not fired a single shot in anger, I have no interest in the fighting aspect of the game.
With my recent enforced restart, due to my stupidity. I have set up a nice base game to restart from. I have Most if not all the Blueprints for ships, all the manufacturing module Blueprints, and all necessary other Blueprints to really get into the game as a restart.
I have one shipyard, No Maintenance bays ! ( they are a waist of time )
One large factory complex supplying the shipyard with whatever it needs.
4 equally spaced trading station around the Ringroad. ( Honestly ! They are hopeless )
8 trading ships set to trade at regular intervals about the map. This covers the map, so affords good reputation advancement.
7 miners also dispersed for trading their solids and gas.
And over 500,000,000 in loot to spend.
This simple set up is generating a very nice amount of cash at regular intervals.
So what have I learnt ?
1st, get some Miners going,
2nd, get a couple of traders underway.
3rd, build a small Silicon factory.
4th, gather information,
Evaluate all things, and for me, stay away from any Xenon areas. Concentrate on establishing your own base for cash. And that is a shipyard. Once you have a shipyard up and running you can start planning your long game !
Any station I build is riddled with defence modules, bristling with turrets. And no defence drones.
Fill any production module with shields and shards. One of my simple trading stations took out an Xenon carrier in seconds.
I am not at war with any faction as I want to trade, I want there blueprints. And I want to get a good foundation of my own before embarking on any combat. Should the lure become too unbearable. And my trigger finger starts to twitch.
All we need now is a larger playground, ( map ) and this game will be awesome.
