So, unwilling to get the newest because of the DRM, I grabbed this thing instead. I'm pretty lost. I figured out how to move around, but I keep hearing "incoming communication" or something but I can't see any way to open comms with any but the ship I'm targeting :)
Go to your personal screen and read either "Incoming Messages" or "Messages". Initially a lot of your tutorial type messages get sent there, including some of the "You are being hailed" ones which make you think a ship is trying to tell you something.
I barely understand how to read the map and radar but I can at least move around, but I can't figure how how to create waypoints for my autopilot. I did find the speed-up command and how to target stuff and fire my weapons, dock, stuff like that.
I haven't completely figured out how to force my ship to a specific coordinate, but I know it's possible. If you target something in your sector map, you can auto-pilot to it. Navigation software Mk 1 and Mk 2 allows more advanced navigation commands. A fully loaded ship can do a lot of automated commands.
I'm probably going to go a combat route, and I want to fly a really big ship eventually, a destroyer I guess, but I don't have a lot of interest in creating a financial empire or mine in a single player game. This game is way complicated and deep, so anyone have suggestions on what's smartest to do? I will do the storyline, at first. I'm getting privateer vibes from this game.
Also, any mods you recommend? I found a few but I'm not sure what's good and/or useful.
Get the official mods from the Egosoft site. They have a bundled pack, if I remember right.
The best way to make money early is to get a license ASAP and go after pirates. Kill them improves your relations with the sector owner, and once you have a license any kills against pirates, xenon, or kha'ak give you reputation and credits.
You can capture ships. When you manage to do a lot of damage quickly, usually along with destroying a couple of important internal systems, a pilot will bail. You need to watch for your cursor turning blue or you'll destroy your own ship. Once the area is safe, you can go claim the ship. (Get close, eject, target and claim your new ship, hop back in.) Captured ships will give you equipment, wingmen, trading vessels, or quick credits by selling at a shipyard.
If you're willing to take a hit with one of the races, you can try to capture their freighters. (Boron Dolphins have no weapons.) [Alternatively, get an Argon police license and freight scanner, camp the Space Fuel distillery in Home of Light, and scan all outgoing ships. When they turn out to be smuggling, you can blast them.] Save a couple for trading purposes, and sell the rest. They also make handy ships to store cargo at a station. Once you have the funds, you can get a Trade Command Software Mk 3 which turns your freighter into a completely autonomous trader. It'll work in a single sector until the pilot is level 8, then you can set them to be universe traders. Money will flow in while you go do whatever you want.
I like to buy satellites and drop one in each sector. You can turn them showing up in your ship property list so they don't clutter everything up. It'll let you see other sectors with up-to-date info, and your free-roaming trader can benefit from them.
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