Hi!
I guess no one likes the mule much for its manouverability,which is that of a sack of cement. But it is quite handy because of the relatively low price.
Nevertheless, the first time I flew that thing it didn't get me anywhere...well, it did, but then it wouldn't stop and flying curves is quite impossible with all that inertia. So here's a few tips I have, which work quite well for me.
a) Get at least two Mult Thrust enhancers, a turn jet enhancer is quite nice, too
b) Do not steer abruptly in flight. Rather set speed to 0, point the ship at your target, go to about 1000 kph, SPEC as necessary. Probably you won't hit your destination exactly, especially in Sol where distances are huge. Correct light deviations by gingerly steering towards destination.
c) If you're way too far off the route, decelerate to 0 (F9's your friend), adjust your path, Accelerate. For this manouver the thrust enhancers are quite usefull
d) Get a cloaking device on that ship so you don't have to fight with it. Alternatively make friends.
Taming the Mule
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To Megatherion
- Bounty Hunter
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:23 pm
- Location: Germany
Taming the Mule
Just like Lot's wife I could never look back
Megatherion - selling YOUR wines all over the Galaxy.
If you're producing wine that deserves the name and need clients in all parts of the universe, be sure to check and call 1-800-MEGATHERION!
Only the best wines - everywhere.
Megatherion - selling YOUR wines all over the Galaxy.
If you're producing wine that deserves the name and need clients in all parts of the universe, be sure to check and call 1-800-MEGATHERION!
Only the best wines - everywhere.
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drvoke
- Merchant
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:22 pm
- Location: Albuquerque
- Contact:
I'd like to add this for general consumption, and it applies to using SPEC in general, especially when it comes to flying huge unwieldy cargo vessels.
I may be repeating information here, but bear with me.
SPEC is hard to get used to at first, but gets more useful with the use of time compression and a basic understanding of SPEC physics, as well as if you turn on ASAP in your vegastrike.config file.
If you're flying something unwieldy like a Mule(or a Plowshare, if you've got a full cargo and the 4.3.12 fan patch that adds cargo mass), you want to make sure your path is unimpeded. If it's clear, just hit your ASAP key and let your ship center on your target, and then disengage ASAP.
If your target is a planet or a jump node, it's simple. Just thrust to full speed and SPEC and hit your time-compression key maybe four or five times MAX. If you TC too much, the game will teleport you right through your destination and send you hundreds of lightseconds off course. Make sure when you're ready to land on the planet or jump through the jump node, you TURN OFF time-compression.
If you're going someplace that is more complicated to dock with like a mining base or a fighter base or something, you'll want to only take your thrusters up to 100-150kph, or get them down to that speed at a safe distance from your target. At low speeds, your Mule will be able to respond to course changes quickly enough to dock safely if you keep your wits about you at all times. Also, as you point out Megatherion, don't hesitate to bring your speed back down to zero if you need to re-orient yourself. It's always better than exploding against the walls of Serenity.
If there is a planet/sun/mining base/gravity-well of some sort between you and your destination, you MUST split your flight up into at least two parts. Take off flying at an angle that will take you off to the side of the offending celestial object far enough away that its gravity won't have too large of an effect on your SPEC drive, but keep your destination targetted. Engage SPEC and then engage the padlock view. When you get to a point where you can see that your path to your destination is unimpeded, immediately disengage SPEC and set your thrust to zero. Allow your ship to slow to a stop, and then hit your ASAP key to center your target on screen. Disengage ASAP and SPEC towards your destination normally.
Time compression is a very useful feature, but it can also be dangerous if you use it improperly. It can really cut travel time down significantly, but if you use it poorly, it can actually increase your travel time and your frustration. But DO use it. Just don't hit it until your FPS counter goes to 0 unless you really know what you're doing
ASAP is also "broken" in 0.43. You can turn it on in vegastrike.config by adding a keybinding for the command "ASAP", but sometimes, it will not center on your target, and your ship will jitter uncontrollably until you disengage ASAP, in which case you'll have to fly-by-sight. But ASAP is good when it works in the fact that it truly centers your target so that there isn't much chance that you'l overshoot it.
Anyway, this has been my strategy for using SPEC that's yielded results for me. Maybe if this is inefficient, the devs could explain a better way to utilize the SPEC drive to make hauling huge amounts of cargo feasible.
As far as not getting shot down in your Mule, the best suggestion if you're doing cargo runs through hostile territory is to make sure your Mule has all of its turrets, and maybe if it makes financial sense, hire some wingmen. In enemy territory your Mule IS a sitting duck.
I may be repeating information here, but bear with me.
SPEC is hard to get used to at first, but gets more useful with the use of time compression and a basic understanding of SPEC physics, as well as if you turn on ASAP in your vegastrike.config file.
If you're flying something unwieldy like a Mule(or a Plowshare, if you've got a full cargo and the 4.3.12 fan patch that adds cargo mass), you want to make sure your path is unimpeded. If it's clear, just hit your ASAP key and let your ship center on your target, and then disengage ASAP.
If your target is a planet or a jump node, it's simple. Just thrust to full speed and SPEC and hit your time-compression key maybe four or five times MAX. If you TC too much, the game will teleport you right through your destination and send you hundreds of lightseconds off course. Make sure when you're ready to land on the planet or jump through the jump node, you TURN OFF time-compression.
If you're going someplace that is more complicated to dock with like a mining base or a fighter base or something, you'll want to only take your thrusters up to 100-150kph, or get them down to that speed at a safe distance from your target. At low speeds, your Mule will be able to respond to course changes quickly enough to dock safely if you keep your wits about you at all times. Also, as you point out Megatherion, don't hesitate to bring your speed back down to zero if you need to re-orient yourself. It's always better than exploding against the walls of Serenity.
If there is a planet/sun/mining base/gravity-well of some sort between you and your destination, you MUST split your flight up into at least two parts. Take off flying at an angle that will take you off to the side of the offending celestial object far enough away that its gravity won't have too large of an effect on your SPEC drive, but keep your destination targetted. Engage SPEC and then engage the padlock view. When you get to a point where you can see that your path to your destination is unimpeded, immediately disengage SPEC and set your thrust to zero. Allow your ship to slow to a stop, and then hit your ASAP key to center your target on screen. Disengage ASAP and SPEC towards your destination normally.
Time compression is a very useful feature, but it can also be dangerous if you use it improperly. It can really cut travel time down significantly, but if you use it poorly, it can actually increase your travel time and your frustration. But DO use it. Just don't hit it until your FPS counter goes to 0 unless you really know what you're doing
ASAP is also "broken" in 0.43. You can turn it on in vegastrike.config by adding a keybinding for the command "ASAP", but sometimes, it will not center on your target, and your ship will jitter uncontrollably until you disengage ASAP, in which case you'll have to fly-by-sight. But ASAP is good when it works in the fact that it truly centers your target so that there isn't much chance that you'l overshoot it.
Anyway, this has been my strategy for using SPEC that's yielded results for me. Maybe if this is inefficient, the devs could explain a better way to utilize the SPEC drive to make hauling huge amounts of cargo feasible.
As far as not getting shot down in your Mule, the best suggestion if you're doing cargo runs through hostile territory is to make sure your Mule has all of its turrets, and maybe if it makes financial sense, hire some wingmen. In enemy territory your Mule IS a sitting duck.
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My poems crush bones into powder,
You mumble like a coward,
I'm Mos Def, you need to speak louder!
(Speed Law)
You mumble like a coward,
I'm Mos Def, you need to speak louder!
(Speed Law)
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loki1950
- The Shepherd
- Posts: 5841
- Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 8:37 pm
- Location: Ottawa
- Contact:
good tactic just are quick reminder about units in 0.4.3 your velocity is shown in km/hr while in the dev versions it's meters/sec which is more useful in those close docking situations. as for ASAP (as soon as posiable) it i usually leave it on till the SPEC multipler drops below 100 even in Sol which is my prefered hunting ground there always seens to be a bounty mission available.
Enjoy the Choice
Enjoy the Choice
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drvoke
- Merchant
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:22 pm
- Location: Albuquerque
- Contact:
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pjiotr
- Just a tourist with a frag'd nav console
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:33 am
- Location: Austria
Take no Mule! Take an OX, but don´t fly it!
If you are searching for a realy large and cheap cargo container, don´t buy a Mule buy an Ox!!! The freight capacity of the Ox is seems with 15.000.000m3 nearly endless compared against the 200.00m3 of the Mule. The Ox you can get for 1.7 Million, the Mule costs 1.2 Mill.
I don´t fly these ships, I have them in my fleet, most times a fly my Areus and "buy" the Ox at every base I want to trade. That costs 6000, if it is in another system, in system transfer costs nothing! The disadvantage is that you can do no freight or rescue missions, because if you have some load in the Ox (and I always have because I sell only to best prices), the cargo is automatically tranfered to your fighter when you change ships. So the Fighter is full every time, the not fitting rest of the cargo remains in the Ox. But you can take all the cool bounty, defend, clean sweep and patrol missions.
Whith this tactic, I can fly a high manoveurable and easy to use fighter between the bases/plantes and trade with the cargo capacity of an Ox at the bases/planets! Would be the same with the mule, but with lower cargo space
You can also save the money for upgrades or weapons! If you don´t fly your cargo container, there is no need for upgrades. But its also very funny if you have enough money to upgrade and use it sometimes.
I don´t fly these ships, I have them in my fleet, most times a fly my Areus and "buy" the Ox at every base I want to trade. That costs 6000, if it is in another system, in system transfer costs nothing! The disadvantage is that you can do no freight or rescue missions, because if you have some load in the Ox (and I always have because I sell only to best prices), the cargo is automatically tranfered to your fighter when you change ships. So the Fighter is full every time, the not fitting rest of the cargo remains in the Ox. But you can take all the cool bounty, defend, clean sweep and patrol missions.
Whith this tactic, I can fly a high manoveurable and easy to use fighter between the bases/plantes and trade with the cargo capacity of an Ox at the bases/planets! Would be the same with the mule, but with lower cargo space
You can also save the money for upgrades or weapons! If you don´t fly your cargo container, there is no need for upgrades. But its also very funny if you have enough money to upgrade and use it sometimes.
Pjiotr
The peacefully trader and figther tester
The peacefully trader and figther tester