Wondering about carrying cargo

[CyberNinja]

Hi guys, I'm new to this game an I have a question. The most of any commodity I have ever seen for sale was around 4000. However I have already seen cargo ships that have 200,000 cargo capacity. So I'm wondering..... How exactly do I fill up a 200k cargo hold without restarting the bloody game a dozen times?

Dan.

[CyberNinja]

Ok, I just answered my own question. The mule (that ship with 200k cargo) is so IMPOSSIBLE to fly that nobody in their right minds would try. In fact the insane physics of this game makes me wonder why anybody would want to play it. I mean that SPEC drive is so finnikey that it could literally make you evershoot your destination by several hundred light seconds before you even realize whats happened. The ships have to constantly fight their own momentum every time they try to change direction, decelerate, and then excelerate all over again. Trying to dock a mule to a mining station was more like preforming an orbital ballet, all the while desperatley avoiding a collision, than watching a ship flying!

Until some things are drastically changed I am not even gonna look at this game again.

Dan.

[targ collective]

Shame. It's a space simulator right now, geared more towards realism than fun gameplay (although the Devs are carefully trying to find the right balance between both). All these things will be changed eventually.

There's a technique to flying caps and light capships.

#1 They don't do corners.

#2 Y can be used to remove the combat-mode speed limiter. Since this is only really there to let you do corners you don't need it.

#3 They don't do corners.

#4 Ignore #2 until you can get a good bead between your targets.

#5 They don't do corners. I mean it! Don't turn until you're stopped! You're inertia will take forever to go!

#6 The Mule (and Ox, and Clydesdale) is best for interplanetery trade. You can mod your economic model to increase the amount of goods planets sell - it's all in the HowTos - and I'll even get you started - look for an oceanic and ice planet in close proximity. Buy Oceanic - Sell Ice - repeat.

#7 F9 = Time Compression. Use it to stop more quickly. F10 resets. This is a degug tool and unstable.

#8 Get rich!

Don't let the capclasses put you off - just be glad it wasn't a Franklin you bought. (Crummy 1.8 reactor...) I recommend the Pacifier, or the Goddard. That Mule you've got sitting in your hangar could go towards one of them, and then you can shoot to your heart's content. Else stick to the Plowshare for trading.

[Octavius8]

Insane physics? Frankly it isn't quite realistic, but it'll be harder to play if it is so. (Think gravity). IMHO, inertia is modelled quite well in this game. Just don't expect to turn a oil tanker around as easy as you could steer your car (or bike if you don't have one). As Targcollective puts it, don't do corners. You are piloting (helming would be more accurate) a ship which weights upwards of 3000 metric tons. Capships aren't rather playable in this game since the devs don't exactly expect people to want to pilot them a lot. Lots of people would prefer fighters and bombers. They might improve the handling in the future, (better forward thrust perhaps?) but don't expect them to turn well.

To fill up a 200k cargo hold without editing the units.csv file, do this:
1) Buy the cargo you need
2) Save game
3) Sell said cargo
4) DON'T SAVE! Reload
5) Now you'll have the cargo you bought and the planet will have said cargo in stock for an equal amount. Buy it.
6) Repeat 2-4. Each time you do it, your cargo doubles. Geometric progression will ensure that your cargo hold will get filled up soon.

Rather inefficient compared to editing the units.csv file (As Targ said, look up the tutorial on the Wiki), but that was what i did before I learn to mod my game...

Try not to turn when using SPEC. Turn it off first before turning, then turn it back on (Edit: no pun intended) If your ship's orthogonal thrust (sometimes it is split into lateral and vertical thrust, check the info tab when you are docked in a base) is significantly lower compared to your forward/backward thrust, it's a better idea to cut your throttle (change speed to zero) before attempting to turn. Capships handle well if you just go straight.

A plowshare can usually fit most of the cargo you can find in a planet/station. It's cheap too and it handles better then the mule. (bit sluggish though)

There's another exploit you can use. Fill up your mule (or an ox or any other capship), switch to a manoeuverable ship, go to your destination, and then 'buy' your capship at the ship dealer->my fleet tab. It will transport your ship to where you are with a minimal fee (6k outsystem, regardless of how far it is, and free insystem), along with all the cargo in it. This method allows you to have the massive cargo hold of a capship while having the speed and agility of a fighter. Beware though. Cargo is saved(in memory and in the harddisk) universally for all ships. Therefore if your mule is full, your llama will be too. (but the weight increase will only be for the last bought cargo which can fit into the hold of a llama) If you buy starships as cargo, your llama will still have a full hold. By the way, the massive cargo hold of a capship can be used to turn it into a carrier. Eject starships out as normal cargo and they'll be your wingmen. Just remember to tractor them back in at the end of the fight.

It's a shame if you don't want to play Vegastrike due to issues with capships. Piloting them is only a minor aspect of gameplay.

Edit: No offence meant. Enjoy the game!

[targ collective]

Bah! That buy ship/sell ship is a bug exploit. Likewise the save/load (but that's a decent substitute for modding so it's not so bad). Personally I try to avoid those.

Just remember #2, #4 and #5 and you'll be fine. #7 could help too. And remember the capclasses don't do corners!