okay i'm blaming Hunbuns for this thread
please add your personal advice of things not to do, please pitch it at newbie level and try to explain how to avoid it. no posting in thread please unless you are adding a specific trap, mistake or game weakness to avoid:
- NEW PLAYERS - don't charge into the game. read the 3 new players guides - [System Options] dropdown box, 1, 2, and 3. the regulars and the fossils in chat and the online help love explaining things and assisting (seriously it can be a buzz) - but we have to grit our teeth when we are asked about basic stuff which is already written down in the game. hitting chat or the online help if you are stuck is cool - but please remember to look through the guides first. this is probably a redundant point if you have got as far as reading the forums but saying it again doesn't hurt.
- don't commit any sort of piracy without first reading my guide on how to do it. screwing this up can mess your entire game up. committing piracy without understanding how it will limit your options is a major game trasher from which you are not going to get back from without a lot of hard work. you will be locked out of talking to some NPC's. Read this first - the Incomplete Guide to Piracy: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=557 .
- before attempting combat, make sure you understand fully what you are doing Read this CE Combat Guide - before you shoot anything: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=570
- don't buy expensive kit which you can't use. before you rush out and buy anything - make sure you have read the entry in the CEDR about it. make sure that you:
- understand what it does and why you need it. ask in chat if you don't understand
are a high enough level to fit the thing, everything has a level lock
have either the correct skill at a high enough level to use it OR have the IP points available to spend on getting it
have enough energy in your ship to fit it. if you need more energy, look into buying a reactor or a C-E store bought engine
- understand what it does and why you need it. ask in chat if you don't understand
- don't buy anything expensive from the player's market until you have
- asked in chat if there is somebody with one going cheaper
if it is something available from a store - check the store price first. there are several players who sell second hand equipment higher than the store price to catch other players (esp. newbies) out and crook them
see if your guild (if you are in one) has got loan equipment
see if there is a player made version which can be crafted - collect the resources and either get another player to make it or increase your crafting skills and make it yourself
- asked in chat if there is somebody with one going cheaper
- don't take hauling missions you can't do. don't take missions to the Expanse unless you are over level 30, and have the equipment (ITB) to get in there.
- don't take courier resource missions unless you are absolutely sure you have the resource needed or can get it inside the 48 hour deadline. there are serious penalties if you fail to deliver. this is also true for the NPCs Albert Caruthers (Warloro, VP) and HZ-Exploration R123 (Atlantica).
- if it is a simple resource (water etc.) - make sure you have the extractor, and survey skills to place it. usually only a single commercial or industrial extractor will pull fast enough. make sure there are plenty of resource points free if you are still using personal extractors.
ask in chat - before you commit to the mission - to see if anybody has the resources/items
if it is a rare planet specific resource - check there are slots available to extract on - you are going to be stuck if there are none free and you are just hoping for them to magically spawn in time.
remember you are committed to this mission and cannot take any other NPC missions until you complete it
- if it is a simple resource (water etc.) - make sure you have the extractor, and survey skills to place it. usually only a single commercial or industrial extractor will pull fast enough. make sure there are plenty of resource points free if you are still using personal extractors.
- don't make a hasty sale - remember when you put something onto the player's market or trade something to another player - you are putting in the TOTAL sale price - not the price per unit. this is a common mistake.
- don't make a hasty purchase - when putting orders on the Galactic Buyers Market aka the GBM (see NPC bot, San Gallen, Descarte) - don't get the quantity you want to buy and the bid price you want to pay is a very silly mistake which we all do. buying 100 units of steel for 20,000 credits each is tragically funny [IMG] - so long as it wasn't your buying order being filled. if you ever do this - find out how to cancel an order seriously quick.
- don't forget to put your implants back on after an IP reset (hi katie - you'll remember next time, won't you?) - don't forget to upgrade your implants after level 35 and 60. Check also out new implants, like the Titan set.
- don't forget your extractors - after game server time 17:20 any extractor left sitting on day 0 is gone. the Shields Down fansite has a brilliant extractor reminder if you need it.
- don't forget to visit the bank and put plenty into it. if you take all your money out for a buying spree - make sure you have some to put back in. your commercial stores rental is taken out at server time 19:00 - if you fail to pay your commercial
- stores rental you will be locked out for 24 hours - even if you put credits back into your bank account. older players are still shudder at this one for reasons which are no longer in the code.
- don't forget to check your load out before you change tasks. going into combat with just a mining laser fitted is heroic but dumb!
- don't forget to check your mining drones. they stop functioning when they fall below 15%. when they reach 0%, they fall apart. it is easy to forget them - check them weekly and recall them when you need to.
- don't be brave. Whilst fighting, you'd rather withdraw than get breached. A breach means you also lose fuel. Whilst mining, even if your cargo hold is only half full, those pirates might still come and take its contents, thus making you waste both time and fuel. Especially risky where the law level is low (1-4). Be reckless and you will, in time, lose a lot more than you could have.
- Don't push your guild on people, especially in chat. It's against the rules, and it's just bad form. Each guild has it's strengths and weaknesses (as much as we don't like to admit it) and the choice is ultimately up to each individual.
- Don't forget to returned loaned items, especially if, heaven forbid, you should decide CE is not for you. Other people may need what you have borrowed.When you're done with them, or ready to upgrade, send stuff back to the original owner.
- Don't buy from an NPC store on a regular planet/station until you try to find the same store on a PC Settlement. There will almost always be a significant discount.
- do never build an expensive piece of equipment without double checking that you remember correctly the type of crystals needed. Say - an example that popped into my mind , dont know why - don't build a Stormbringer 2 for Vega's mission with yellow crystals[IMG]
- Don't gripe un-necessarily to the devs. Remember, this is an open BETA. It's always changing, improving. Not everything is going to go in your favor, so suck it up and play.
- The long awaited glorious day will come when you finally have enough credits saved up to buy that shiny new Ship! You've been fighting in V-P and have 4 Mall stores up and running, but have to travel back to Sphere in order to buy the Ship. (veteran Players already know where this one's going)
After spending 511 units of fuel to get to the Ship store in Sphere, you busily set about un-equipping all of your weapons, shields, armour ect......
You enter the store and happily click on 'Purchase Ship' only to discover that you forgot to shut down the Mall Stores back in V-P! - Make sure you know the route you are taking before picking additional cargo and passenger fares. To being Feris ->Ethan ->Kelsey -> -> Descarte and picking up a return to Feris at Kelsey is a waste even worse is picking up some where at a dead end like Hexham when it's the opposite direction
- Use the Core Exiles Map to check destinations and yes I am regularly guilty of this. Thinking I know the destinations by now is my common mistake instead of double checking especially on a VP run
wanna use CSTS to send some goods to Cinq Port, being a bit hasty and not check verry well and sending all of to Coalition 1. This was nasty especially when i wasn't lvl 30 and didn't had a n ITB .
It costs a lot of storage costs before you can move it back to were it was suppossed to go to in the first place. - Remember what you are doing. If you need to leave the game, don't leave entirely, just come in occasionally to fix your extractors and drones, and keep in touch with your missions and goals. Sinse Ce is a complex game, it'se difficult to pick up after putting down (this cost me a good few months of play and an account deletion and is something I regret).
- This probably applies to Vi players more than others, but take time to read pages. Ce is not a game that rewards you for clicking through pages like a demon, in fact your more likely to make a mistake such as docking at the wrong place or worse.
- Actually, while buying an engine is a good idea, I'd recommend Vi players nnot to buy fuel tanks or tickits including those in the starter packs, sinse i've found that I personally rarely if ever run out of fuel and that only on extended cargo runs over several hours. Then again, I freely admit I'm quite relaxed and like reading background so this might just be me.
In short, slower clicking through the game actually serves you well. - do not save up a hole bunch of Ip and cash for a minimal upgrade which you'll only use for a short time before upgrading again. Saving up for and buying a passenger module rev 3 immediately after a rev 2 is just a waste. Better to buy one thing, use it for a bit while you save up for and buy something else, then upgrade. I've deffinately made this mistake myself with drones, passenger cabins, guns and quite a lot of other things.
- don't be lazy.don't refuse to pick stuff up or trade gear around to deal with situations just to avoid extra work. For instance, if you've got a hole load full of standard ore and some rare ore turns up, don't pass it up just so that you can avoid going and dropping it at the cst, ---- I've deffinately done this one a few times.
- don't leave your mech in the arena if your logueing off from the game, make sure it's safely out first. yes, i have been stupid enough to do this and it resulted in a big pile of scrapp metal!
- Don't toss away stuff you don't know. Look at the GBM every now and then to see what prices are being paid.
- Don't forget your resources. If you empty an extractor, CSTS. If you stored items while fighting, CSTS. If you stored items while exploring, CSTS.
- Don't forget to take note of npcs. This one sort of follows from what JaAchan was saying about not selling everything and was something I actually did today.
I'd been past George town goodness knows how many times, even docked there on occasion. yesterday I decide to have a word with the npc there and what do I find? ---- he's looking for something I'd just the day before sold a bunch of!
Now, I speak to every npc I come across and have a tab on the note pad especially for writing down what they might want.
Oh, that probably makes another one. - don't forget the notepad!
- Don't mine without FOM missions. They're easy to pick up, and get you credits and XP for virtually no extra fuel/effort.
- Dont ever travel with a full load of really nice stuff to the GBM; you know that's the time a Pirate puts a hole in your cargo hold and it all dissapears. My maximum was almost 2MM credits worth including 100 Data Publics. Always send it ahead by CSTS.
- don't sell your resources to joe do check gbm ffor it there is surely some one better to pay then joe 's stores
- don't forget the buy/sell forums on the ce forums and in game. you never know what you might find there.
when exploring, don't forget to use all your exploration allowances whether it's 50 a day or more. they don't roll over to the next day so you may as well use them and gain more xp.
before you go to craft something, work out what resources you need and modules. plan your resource gathering.
if you're extracting resources in multiple galaxies, to save fuel choose resources that have a longer period of time for extraction. you don't want to start extracting plasteel in sphere whilst doing combat in vp if you only have 1 day of extraction available. find somewhere that has at least 10 days worth of extraction. - Don't assume it is worthless to you, and should be sold, just because you don't know what to do with it now. You will be glad, twenty levels later, that you saved it.
- Don't be in a hurry to advance a strategy. If you rush into something, you will almost always pay for your haste.
- Don't blow off help because you don't like what you hear. You won't like the cost of your mistakes even more.
- Don't let the sarcasm get to you. Some people can't help themselves...starting with your AI.
- When in combat, once you have started shooting, ignore you targets shield / armour / hull levels. They will die when they are low enough. Concentrate on your own levels or you will be the one destroyed.
- When recycling/sub-mol'ing (or even PMing) equipment triple check that you have selected the right item, it is very upsetting to find that you have reduced your favourite/best gun to its component parts.
don't hit the combat scan or repare links in the combat loot screen before you've picked the loot up. sounds silly i know, but this is one I've been guilty of. - When exploring planets, don't pass off the geo survey. This is similar to control pannels, but it's even more important since you get stuff regardless of your three in a row score.
- Don't use all your ten tries at geo survey, always submit with what you've got, since otherwise you'll have wasted your time.
- When in derelict combat, don't hit the retreat button after you've killed the enemy as it's a major waste of ammo and staminer. Yes, believe it or not, I've actually done this on several occasions mostly because it's the first button on the page after attack.
- Keep watching your ammo, and when it's run out don't continue checking everywhere for derelict combats and engaging in constant fisticuffs since it's a waste of health and staminer.
- If you've posted a topic on the in game buy/sell forum looking for an item, don't forget to close it when you've got what you want.
- If your after genesis points, remember what the genesis resources are (keep a list if you need to), and don't go and sell them on the gbm. I did this today and am still kicking myself for selling close to 50k of refined ore.
- Don't forget about your specials when your changing ship configurations for different activities, especially when you've got lots of special slots, since every peace of armor or hull plating you can cram in there helps.
- When parking in a settlement overnight whilst logging off for some sleep DON'T forget to swap PODs around, fitting a Midas POD overnight costs you nothing and will provide you (over time) with a lot of Omega repair drones which can be sold if you don't need them.
- Also on the subject of PODs if you fit VP Replicators DON'T forget about them, they eat your fuel faster than you can make it (40 per hour), to a lesser extent this applies to Titan refineries as well but with them you might be lucky and run out of ore before you run out of fuel.
- Don't forget about profession xp boosters if you have them. They serve you no good sitting in your stores and if your playing for an hour or so it's better to have the bennifit from them than not, for all it's easy to forget to activate one.
This is particularly true if your doing something with very high xp payouts like planetary exploration, but really since your always getting xp in Ce for something bonuses are good. - Don't forget the buy/sell forums. Great places for any random junk you might need for missions, engineering or crafting or what not, also a nice way to get general idea of prices of items.
- Don't start a derelict scan, then remember you need to check messages or do something else and exit the screen. At 5 fuel a pop you don't want to waste them.
- Don't deploy an industrial center Aurora on your genesis plot before you've actually manufactured any resources, it won't help you with anything else. Your just wasting the slot and using lots of energy and you'll have to wait around further time until you've completed yet more energy research. I did this and it was silly!
- When exploring Don't Use store bought staminer packs unless your planning to use all the staminer from them. Your staminer will refresh anyway, so save the packs for when you really want to get more exploring in, and then drane them absolutely dry.
- Don't change out oxygen, amo or armor without taking it to zero, even if it means having to come back and change out another one not much later. These are unrenewable items so you want the best out of them.
- Don't forget that ces extractors hold less than industrial extractors. I know this one sounds obvious, but the other day I was looking at my extractors, saw one with 4600 units full and another three days and thought "oh that's okay", ---- it wasn't and I have a long trip to pick it up.
- Don't buy multiple pods or specials without checking whether they're single fit or not. I managed to do this quite recently, buying 3 Babylon scan units, and finding I could only fit the one.
- Don't forget to upgrade your various pods, especially messiahs, Babylons and Auroras when you level up. Pods cost nothing by way of energy or IP to equip and you might as well bennifit from the best you can get out of them, even if it will take trawling the pm or engineering. I am definitely! guilty of this having only just got messiah's 4-6 at level 49! BUT: actually messiah pod lvl 1 is best IF you can use all your pod points.
- Don't waste fuel performing combat scans for mission targets at the wrong location. Yes, sounds obvious but again I've done this myself.
- If your about to start hauling passengers or cargo and are using energy booster specials, don't fill up all your special slots since you won't be able to unhook them until you've finished your missions and can remove all your ship equipment. it's quite frustrating to want to want to just nip into the expanse to change some extractors but not be able to fit the beacon, similarly if your using a fuel tank.
- Similarly, even if you have fitted the docking collar, derelict exploring with a full load of cargo is a bad idea, since there's nothing more annoying than finding a load of valuable derelict resources and having to leave them behind just because your hold is full of asha or wesbeck crates.
- Don't employ more staff than you need on your settlement. You only get srp bonuses for each 400 skill points the staff have, so any over this is wasted. Unless they're making up a multiple of 400 skill points, or running some of your buildings, weapons etc, they're just costing you money.
