Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Author Topic: New to 0.8 after a year break, how do you make money as a solo frigate start?  (Read 5908 times)

Julzjuice

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile

I should mention that I am playing heavily modded as I always played starsector modded.

But yea... as per the tittle, how do you guys make your money in the begining? I am so broke... I just cant seem to find a way to reliably make a little extra on the side to upgrade my fleet... :(
Logged

CrashToDesktop

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 3876
  • Quartermaster
    • View Profile

Exploring is currently a bit...overpowered when it comes to making money.
Logged
Quote from: Trylobot
I am officially an epoch.
Quote from: Thaago
Note: please sacrifice your goats responsibly, look up the proper pronunciation of Alex's name. We wouldn't want some other project receiving mystic power.

ANGRYABOUTELVES

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 592
  • AE ALTADOON GHARTOK PADHOME
    • View Profile

Use your starting money to buy a Dram and a full load of fuel, then take sensor scanning missions. You'll earn around 50k a pop and most likely won't have to do any combat at all, if you keep your transponder off in hyperspace and stay away from scavenger fleets.
Logged

orost

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 436
    • View Profile

Then with that 50k from a scan mission buy more transport capacity, load up on crew, supplies and machinery, buy a Surveying Equipment hullmod (Persean League sells them on open market) and put it on all your transports, put one skill point into surveying skill and go on a surveying spree looking for habitable planets. Every habitable planet is usually an opportunity to turn 5-30 supplies into survey data worth up to 200k. Get a little lucky and you'll come back with millions' worth.

It's so effective that I don't actually do it any more because having millions takes all the fun out of early and mid game combat but it's very fun to do for the first time.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2017, 08:20:13 PM by orost »
Logged

StarSchulz

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
    • View Profile

I like going super nuts with a wolf and a kite, killing as many pirate fleets as i can early on. with the burst of starting money and exp from Jangala bounties, i move onto some exploration, and then decide what i want to do.

Julzjuice

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile

I like going super nuts with a wolf and a kite, killing as many pirate fleets as i can early on. with the burst of starting money and exp from Jangala bounties, i move onto some exploration, and then decide what i want to do.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong then as I spent the last 2-3 hours killing pirates there and I am breaking even... :-( Do you take the commission from the hegemony?
Logged

Julzjuice

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile

Thank you guys for those inputs. I'm going to try surveying a little and try not to abuse it! ;-)
Logged

StarSchulz

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 458
    • View Profile

I try to avoid taking a commission early unless i know that is the route i want, but it is a bit of extra money. taking on fleets slightly larger than yours but still all frigates will mean you save on deployment costs, if you can beat em. taking on two 3 frigate fleets costs more than taking on a single 6 frigate fleet, if you don't run low on CR. takes a bit of practice, and a bit of luck.

Spending your starting money on another kite/shepherd will make taking on those fleets easier, too.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2017, 12:26:23 AM by StarSchulz »
Logged

Flying Birdy

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 165
    • View Profile

I like going super nuts with a wolf and a kite, killing as many pirate fleets as i can early on. with the burst of starting money and exp from Jangala bounties, i move onto some exploration, and then decide what i want to do.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong then as I spent the last 2-3 hours killing pirates there and I am breaking even... :-( Do you take the commission from the hegemony?

You're probably over deploying ships and picking bad targets. Generally, just killing pirates is not profitable because there aren't enough targets (pirate convoys are super rare). Thus, the duration between each fight and the cost of getting these fights through e-burn will completely eat your profit margins. The profits you squeeze from each fight are taken away by maintainance and the occasional disengage and harry. These fights are only really profitable once you finish the salvage skill tree (free e-burn, +50% salvage, lower maintainance).

On the other hands, killing independent merchant fleets...

Turn off your transponder and go hunt independents. Much more profitable.
Logged

Althaea

  • Lieutenant
  • **
  • Posts: 80
    • View Profile

I don't know what I'm doing wrong then as I spent the last 2-3 hours killing pirates there and I am breaking even... :-( Do you take the commission from the hegemony?

Are you going after bounties? You can press "e" to reach a screen where you can see what planets in what systems are offering bounties to go after all enemies on that faction, and also where "named bounties" can be found (though you might want to be careful about going after those if you don't have any destroyers).
Logged

Megas

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 12117
    • View Profile

Bounty strength is affected by character level (after 10) in 0.8.x.  Depending how fast you gain levels, they may upgrade faster than you can.
Logged

nathanebht

  • Lieutenant
  • **
  • Posts: 93
    • View Profile

Currently surveying is too rewarding so I don't do it.

My last start, lots of mods, ironman turned on. Started as a member of one of the mod factions.

First, I wandered around salvaging. Also picking up derelicts I could use. Any safe looking hostile fleets I took out. Skilled up in improving salvage and d-mod reduction early. So much salvage and derelicts gathered.

Didn't do many trade missions. When I had a good enough fleet, I started doing bounties. Never wiped my fleet yet but I did retreat and lose key ships a few times.
Logged