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[Agalyon]

Being the kind and helpful person you must be to have seen the title of this post and clicked it, you must have thought that you would find some simple and obvious question regarding the new update from someone who just purchased the game.

But, sadly, you are not so lucky.

I have recently found myself totally lost and confused as to what to do with myself in the more recent updates. I haven't played this game in a while, perhaps around the days of 0.5 something, and when it was called starfarer. Back when nomads got updated in a timely manor and there was only one system. Now I feel like some kind of old man that doesn't know internet explorer sucks.

All I really did back then, and really all you could do, was tear hostile factions (and sometimes everyone else when I ran out of victims) apart, and hand pick a fleet, trying new combinations as I thought them up. But now in the face of multiple systems and many, many changes, I feel quite lost. The details of the trading system are lost on me: I get the idea of how it all should work, and even experimented with interrupting trade a few times- with success- just to see what would happen. But its pretty hard to keep track of it all in practice. Whats more, even finding pirates or what have you to pick on now seems quite hard. As everything is so spread out, you don't have the luxury of having plenty to choose from, or a steady supply of fleets around your size. Moving between systems is expensive, and they all seem sparsely populated, and only by a handful of factions. Trying to collect bounties usually ends up being mostly waiting around for something you can either A; catch, or B; kill. This is a far cry from the old melee of having every faction in a single huge system. The advantages are definitely there, but its left me confused.

So, rather than flail around for hours, I've decided to ask you guys, as in my experience Starfarersector has a very helpful community. As someone who would rather be dog fighting most of the day rather than trading, what should I be doing, and what am I missing?

[orost]

The secret to effectively finding things to kill is to go the Intel tab, switch the thing on the left to the map, expand the Bounties on the right, and click on the named bounties ("Wanted: John Smith"). It'll show you on the map in which system it is and on the top it'll say near which planet the fleet is hanging out. These fleets scale to your progress and in vanilla they will be your main source of profit and entertainment.

As for trading, you don't need to do it, but it can be very helpful and not require much time at all if you set it up right. When you have some spare money, buy some freighters, go to Eos, buy as much food as you can carry and stash it somwhere in the middle of the sector together with the freighters. (You can buy storage space for 5000 credits at any station). Then you go do other things and when a food shortage event pops up and you're reasonably close, you grab the food, ship it over, sell it and bam, you're filthy rich. And a few levels ahead, because trading gives XP. Again, this is optional, but gives you a nice boost and it doesn't take much time.

[Agalyon]

See, I had thought about market manipulation like that, but I didn't know you could buy storage space. I also didn't know anything about those named bounties, that sounds really cool. I'm going to try to update to 65.2a from 1a, hopefully that wont ruin my mods. Is there a system that has a lot of action that would be nice to hang around in? Maybe some kind of huge pirate base somewhere? Going to have to find somewhere where I can eat pirates to make tri-tacheon like me.

[orost]

I don't think there's a specific hotspot of pirate activity bigger than Corvus. Your best bet to increase reputation is actually also to do named bounties, they give you a boost with the faction that put up the bounty and also with anyone that's in the system where the fleet actually was. It goes quite quickly.

[Midnight Kitsune]

See, I had thought about market manipulation like that, but I didn't know you could buy storage space. I also didn't know anything about those named bounties, that sounds really cool. I'm going to try to update to 65.2a from 1a, hopefully that wont ruin my mods. Is there a system that has a lot of action that would be nice to hang around in? Maybe some kind of huge pirate base somewhere? Going to have to find somewhere where I can eat pirates to make tri-tacheon like me.

Ummm, most mods were broken several times between .5 and now. If you need mod suggestions, I suggest choosing StarSector+ which is like a TC but not.

[Agalyon]

Ummm, most mods were broken several times between .5 and now. If you need mod suggestions, I suggest choosing StarSector+ which is like a TC but not.

65.1a to 65.2a
EDIT: Well I see now that that update isn't released yet.

[Agalyon]

So does anyone know how exactly these bounties scale? Is it with your level maybe, or with your current fleet? I thought at first they would be harder if they offered more money, but that doesn't seem to be the case. These are rapidly getting pretty hairy, I sometimes have to let other factions pick at them for a bit before finishing them off. I hope its not entirely linear, that wouldn't really allow for much experimentation until you've gotten leagues ahead of the curve. I've read all about how people seem to get millions of credits in a few hours, and I guess I'm not to that point yet, lol. But, I haven't played in a long time.

[Midnight Kitsune]

So does anyone know how exactly these bounties scale? Is it with your level maybe, or with your current fleet? I thought at first they would be harder if they offered more money, but that doesn't seem to be the case. These are rapidly getting pretty hairy, I sometimes have to let other factions pick at them for a bit before finishing them off. I hope its not entirely linear, that wouldn't really allow for much experimentation until you've gotten leagues ahead of the curve. I've read all about how people seem to get millions of credits in a few hours, and I guess I'm not to that point yet, lol. But, I haven't played in a long time.

The more you kill the stronger they get supposedly

[Agalyon]

The more you kill the stronger they get supposedly

Ahh, I see. Alright. Still kinda wish that scaling went down a little bit over time, so if kept killing them you wouldn't really notice but if you left the business alone for a while it would even out some. Maybe it already does, I dont know. In that "how many of you only use one ship" thread a guy said he basically lived using only one destroyer and two frigates. I don't really think the AI is smart enough to keep a frigate alive vs the kind of numbers you deal with later on, so maybe the cap doesn't go up to extreme levels or something. I wish there was a tad bit more transparency with these things, but then again I haven't been reading the dev blogs, so I may just be an idiot.
EDIT:Fixed the quote

[Megas]

When soloing a fleet with one or few ships, the player will "chain-flagships", that is, send in only the flagship, and when the flagship dies, retreats, or otherwise leaves the field, he sends in another ship and transfer to it.  There is only one ship on your side active at a time, always, and the AI never controls it beyond burning it into play.

I solo early bounty fleets with two to three Wolves.  Later, I upgrade to a Medusa, then a Hyperion or two.  Occasionally, I may use an Onslaught or Paragon if I have one in storage nearby.

Missile Specialization 10 is extremely powerful in 0.65.  It can kill even capital flagships very quickly, saving minutes of (peak performance) time.

[Agalyon]

When soloing a fleet with one or few ships, the player will "chain-flagships", that is, send in only the flagship, and when the flagship dies, retreats, or otherwise leaves the field, he sends in another ship and transfer to it.  There is only one ship on your side active at a time, always, and the AI never controls it beyond burning it into play.

I solo early bounty fleets with two to three Wolves.  Later, I upgrade to a Medusa, then a Hyperion or two.  Occasionally, I may use an Onslaught or Paragon if I have one in storage nearby.

Missile Specialization 10 is extremely powerful in 0.65.  It can kill even capital flagships very quickly, saving minutes of (peak performance) time.

You know, while I never thought to do that, I'm not exactly sure how effective that would really be. It seems like it would only truly make a game changing changing difference if you needed to run a line to take out a carrier. From my experience, you either can or can't handle a fight with one ship, and having lives wouldn't really mean much. Of course with that I'm referring to destroyers on account of the peak performance time, but even that won't matter in 2a, so when that drops I'll probably be using that strategy at the very least to buy more time. Thanks for the tip in any case.

I wish the AI was better at taking care of itself, or maybe had some kind of operating modes on a slider of offense and defense like some games have. It's perfectly good and flanking, and is pretty okay at taking advantage of opportunities, but seems to be completely incapable of keeping itself intact, which is what I care about the most. But, I know AI is extremely hard to code, so I can't really complain about that.

I also haven't tried Missile Spec 10, I don't really care for speccing missiles on account of the limited ammo, but I definitely see what you mean about saving time, I'll start working towards that.

I don't want to sound condescending or stuck up when I say I don't think cycling flag ships would make much of a difference. I don't consider myself an expert on this game at all, but I feel like if I've had my practice, I'm pretty solid combat wise, and about picking fights I can actually win. Using a Medusa, I can typically take out fleets with several destroyers (plus whatever else, like fighters and frigates) with ease, as long as they don't have a carrier. My point is is that sometimes you really need a second body (ship) just to apply more pressure or split up enemies. Theoretically, as long as you had the damage to do it, I bet one destroyer could handle almost anything in the game as long as it was fast enough to avoid being overwhelmed. Tri-Tacheon shield monsters seem to be the most applicable here, on both sides of the equation. It takes so much effort to break through their defenses, you can't generally get through to their hull if they have proper support, especially if they are a ship tier higher than you.

Anyway, as always thanks for the advice. I love hearing from the community.

[heskey30]

Yeah, I think only a few people do that flagship chaining thing, it's really for the arcade players. Especially if you are on iron mode!

Missiles, especially harpoons and pilums, are better than you might think - you might have limited ammo, but you also have limited ships, and if bursting someone down quickly saves one of your ships, that is OP well spent.

Another tip - I find it is helpful to take along a few hounds or other quick freighters full of food or supplies or fuel wherever you go. Pay attention to the market conditions when you dock at a station or planet and sell where there are trade disruptions. Fuel, supplies, and food seem to be expensive most often. It doesn't take a lot of your credits or logistics to run a pretty profitable trading fleet on the side.

[Megas]

You know, while I never thought to do that, I'm not exactly sure how effective that would really be.

It is extremely effective with high-to-max Combat and Technology (and if you have decent twitch skills).  You can take out almost anything with only one or two small ships and loot more than you consume.  0.65 is stingy with loot, but you can still profit from loot alone if you can solo fleets with a frigate.  Its only weaknesses is it does not smash the fleets the fastest, and not well suited for powerleveling.

I have soloed 0.62 to death with one Medusa against stock defense fleets and oversized Exerelin command fleets of various mod factions.  (I had to when the rest of my fleet was nothing but Atlas, Oxen, and Valkyrie ships.)  It is not that hard if you build your character right.  0.65 made it harder if you fight bounty fleets.  You need something to take out the enemy flagship, and Hyperion is the smallest option available.

If you can solo fleets with frigates only, you can use only frigates in your fleet (most of the time) and, if you have high Navigation, you can travel across the sector very quickly, which is important for participating in as many events as possible.

From my experience, you either can or can't handle a fight with one ship, and having lives wouldn't really mean much.

For those who chain flagships, the extra ships are mainly for the following:

• Extra lives when your flagship dies or is forced to retreat due to low CR (frigate) or running out of ammo (low-tech ship).
• Replacement flagships for follow-up battles, before your first flagship recovers CR.
• Extra capacity.  You will need ships to haul loot, one lone ship usually cannot carry enough.
• Boarding, enough said.

I also haven't tried Missile Spec 10, I don't really care for speccing missiles on account of the limited ammo, but I definitely see what you mean about saving time, I'll start working towards that.

Before 0.65, missiles were generally bad and often (but not always) a waste of OP.  In 0.65, most missiles were improved, and the strongest threat migrated from three unskilled Onslaughts to one overpowered random cruiser or capital with all Combat skills at 10.  A capital with Combat 10 is extremely durable (thanks to hard flux dissipation, hull regeneration, and damage reduction) and fast (Helmsmanship bonuses), and can alpha strike your ships to oblivion if it has Harpoons or other deadly missiles (Missile Specialization), and the fastest way to eliminate such an overpowered enemy flagship is to alpha strike it with missiles.

[Agalyon]

You know, while I never thought to do that, I'm not exactly sure how effective that would really be.

It is extremely effective with high-to-max Combat and Technology (and if you have decent twitch skills).  You can take out almost anything with only one or two small ships and loot more than you consume.  0.65 is stingy with loot, but you can still profit from loot alone if you can solo fleets with a frigate.  Its only weaknesses is it does not smash the fleets the fastest, and not well suited for powerleveling.

I have soloed 0.62 to death with one Medusa against stock defense fleets and oversized Exerelin command fleets of various mod factions.  (I had to when the rest of my fleet was nothing but Atlas, Oxen, and Valkyrie ships.)  It is not that hard if you build your character right.  0.65 made it harder if you fight bounty fleets.  You need something to take out the enemy flagship, and Hyperion is the smallest option available.

If you can solo fleets with frigates only, you can use only frigates in your fleet (most of the time) and, if you have high Navigation, you can travel across the sector very quickly, which is important for participating in as many events as possible.

From my experience, you either can or can't handle a fight with one ship, and having lives wouldn't really mean much.

For those who chain flagships, the extra ships are mainly for the following:

• Extra lives when your flagship dies or is forced to retreat due to low CR (frigate) or running out of ammo (low-tech ship).
• Replacement flagships for follow-up battles, before your first flagship recovers CR.
• Extra capacity.  You will need ships to haul loot, one lone ship usually cannot carry enough.
• Boarding, enough said.

I also haven't tried Missile Spec 10, I don't really care for speccing missiles on account of the limited ammo, but I definitely see what you mean about saving time, I'll start working towards that.

Before 0.65, missiles were generally bad and often (but not always) a waste of OP.  In 0.65, most missiles were improved, and the strongest threat migrated from three unskilled Onslaughts to one overpowered random cruiser or capital with all Combat skills at 10.  A capital with Combat 10 is extremely durable (thanks to hard flux dissipation, hull regeneration, and damage reduction) and fast (Helmsmanship bonuses), and can alpha strike your ships to oblivion if it has Harpoons or other deadly missiles (Missile Specialization), and the fastest way to eliminate such an overpowered enemy flagship is to alpha strike it with missiles.

Gotta quote all of this, amazing tips. Ive put quite a few more hours into the game now, and Ive got 10 combat 10 tech on my current game. I don't have SS+ because of some issues he has with the venting AI currently, but ill switch to it when it gets fixed. Im not sure If I could do the same thing with frigates that I can with a Medusa, but Ill try that strategy when I switch to SS+. Speaking of boarding, whats the best way to cherry pick what you want to take?

[Midnight Kitsune]

-snip-

Speaking of boarding, whats the best way to cherry pick what you want to take?

What I do is save, go into battle and completely destroy the wrecks of my enemies EXCEPT for the ship that I want and either let him escape so I can save again or try to disable and capture him