x2 - the threat

[Walsingham]

Short version:

 

I'm playing x2, the threat, and am on the second mission

 

 

I had gone to brennan's triumph, and after a couple of abortive atempts on the gate, and being blown up by squash mines, I decided nuts to it and wandered off. I had a pretty sweet freighter going* on the side and figured on waiting for a bit more cash and a better ship before attempting this again.

 

However, on returning several months later (me, let a lead go cold at all?) I discovered that the mines had disapeared and so had the mission, so to speak. No matter how close I got to the nacelles, it won't let me complete the job!

 

Can anyone help me or do I have to start all over again?

 

 

 

 

All advice welcome. I am really getting to love x2, for its freeform nature, and teh combined wheeler dealing while shooting people.

 

Well, I say shooting people. My little m5 seems incapable of doing anything to anyone. My gamma impulse rays appear basically designed for heating MREs and nothing else.

 

I'd also be grateful if someone could tell me how I up teh ante and buy a station. I'm doing pretty well with my trade runs, but the lack of cheap solar power seems to be holding back the galactic economy, making goods too expensive. I think solar power has to be the best way forward.

 

*Top tip: at some point you will be lent a ship to take someone somewhere. Before you had it back, sell the shields, guns, and anything else not nailed down. Claim it got destroyed in a fire fight. This gives you the seed capital to egt on the trading tip immediately.

[Slowtrain]

X2 is an awesome games.

 

I never had that problem with Brennan's Triumph, so I don't know how to fix it. You'll probably have to reload a save from before the mission. The only problem I ever had with that mission was finding the goddamn place the first time since I hadn't done much exploring of surrounding sectors before I got that mission.

 

M5's work best as extremely fast missile platform. Wasp missiles can take down even an M3 if you use enough of the them and no one will ever catch you. Don't go guns with anything except another M5 and even then only out of desperation cause its a fifty-fifty chance which one of you is coiming out alive and even if you win repairs and equioment loadout are expensive.

 

The fastest route to wealth is to buy a whole lot of TS class ships and trade like crazy. I keep 100,000 credits per ship in my bank so I have enough to buy cargo for each vessel, buty everythng else goes right onto buying more TS transports.

 

Good stuff to sell includes: Silicon ore everywhere, Chelt Meats in SPlit Space, Bio-Gas in Boron space, Argnu beef in Argon Space. If you get a lot of Transports going you can bring supllies logn distances. Magalit for example is neccessary for a lot of things but you can only find it in Paranid space and some of the outlaw sectors.

 

Careful on building stations, most of them take a long time to earn a profit and require time and effort on the part of yourt transport to keep them supplied. Make sure you've got plenty of cash before you go the station route. Generally speaking I only build stuff for me early on; later I open up some my factories to all the races.

 

Chip plants for example make a ton of money, but you need to build all the stations to supply your chip plant first in ordder to really make a profit.

 

I almost always start by building a Crystal Fab in Argon Prime. Its a well- protected system, crystals are always neccessary for building your own power plants, and the extras you don't use turn a good profit. But before you build it, make sure you've laid in 2 or 3freighters worht of Meatsteak Cahoonas and one of

silcion and 3 or 4 of energy cells. That way you got enough materials to run the station right from the start without having to scramble to keep it supplied.

[Slowtrain]

Here's my station setup for my current game. I've got 34 TS freighters in operation at this point. At the moment, I've been taking a break from station building and am flying around in my M6 because some of stations in less-protected sectors have been coming under threat.

[Slowtrain]

I just wanted to expand on what I said in my first post.

 

Doing a ton of trading is the best way to get started, but once you get your rankings high enough (trade ranking especially but a high combat ranking also helps), you can get single person transport missions that pay a ton of money. A good sequence can net you hundreds of thousands of credits once you have enough experience. In the end those M5-class missions are the best way to make money.

 

You can slo run drugs and booze, which pays well but cna get you unwanted attention in the wrong sectors. The space cruises also pay well if you happen to have a fast TP ship and a good knowledge of the sectors. AGain, until you have high rankings they don't pay as well as trading.

[Walsingham]

Thanks for that. I'm afraid it looks as if i'll just start over. It would be nearly as bad to start from before the mission anyway.

 

I'd totally agree with you on the argnu beef. But also don't ignore energy cells early on. You can start trading up with only a little seed capital, and they get bought everywhere.

 

My first question, though, is how in the name of unholy christ do you run that many transports? It's all I can do to run three on the go at once! Mind you, I do run courier trips in my little Octopus at the same time. Which ensures pocket money to buy my freighters little upgrades like go faster stripes*.

 

My second question is how do I BUY a damn station? I just recently docked at a shipyard and the bloody things seemed to require a ship stransporter. But they're like 6 million!

 

 

 

*Kidding.

[Slowtrain]

Thanks for that. I'm afraid it looks as if i'll just start over. It would be nearly as bad to start from before the mission anyway.

 

I'd totally agree with you on the argnu beef. But also don't ignore energy cells early on. You can start trading up with only a little seed capital, and they get bought everywhere.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

True. I forgot to mention them. They are an all-around good reliable bet for trading.

 

My first question, though, is how in the name of unholy christ do you run that many transports? It's all I can do to run three on the go at once! Mind you, I do run courier trips in my little Octopus at the same time. Which ensures pocket money to buy my freighters little upgrades like go faster stripes*.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

heh. I just send them out into the galaxy and don't worry too much about them. I upgrade their speed all the way, give them a scanner upgrade, and raise their manouvering. I never put on any shields except a single 1 MW. That way, when they get destroyed, which they will, I'm not out much.

 

Basically, I just send one transport into a sector, look for any good runs in sector, clean the stations out, then send the ship on to another sector. I miss good deals from time to time since there are so many ships to manage, but I'm running enough ships that it doesn't really matter if I miss the occasional run here or there.

 

My second question is how do I BUY a damn station? I just recently docked at a shipyard and the bloody things seemed to require a ship stransporter. But they're like 6 million!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Correct. You need a TL class freighter that can carry station-sized containers. Believe it or not, if you keep going you will eventually own some of your own! However, before reaching such lofty status, you can just hire TL's on a per job basis. The Captains charge for each gate they pass through while under your contract. Races charge different rates. TL's are scattered around, but you can usually find one idling about in many of the heavily industrialzed sectors. Argon Prime has one. So does Home of Light. You can ID them easily by the cloud of M5's buzzing about them.

 

To hire a TL, fly into comm range, ring up the Captain, ask to hire him. He'll quote you a rate. Once you've hired him, ring him up again and ask him to follow you. Once you are close to a shipyard, ring him up and tell him to dock at the yard. Note that the docking process can take a long time since those ships are so huge and ponderous. You can just fly into the shipyard and wait for him if you want. Once the TL is docked, you will be able to buy a station and load it onto the frieghter. Fly out, and tell the Captain to follow you. Fly to whatever location you want the station in, then wait until he is in comm range and tell him to drop your freight here. You will get a little location grid to select the exact spot, but it has to be within a few kilometers of the freighters current location.

 

Bingo! Your own station.

[Slowtrain]

Thanks for that. I'm afraid it looks as if i'll just start over. It would be nearly as bad to start from before the mission anyway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Did you download all the patches and updates, including the artificial life scripts? They are really awesome. If you are going to start again, you should install those.

 

 

 

http://www.egosoft.com/download/x2/patches_en.php

[Walsingham]

Thanks, that would keep me busy, but my monitor just fething well crashed out.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Is X3 like X2 but better ???

[jaguars4ever]

Basically.

[Tale]

I have X3 and love it. Can't wait for enough free time to finish the new Bali G missions and get all my nice new ships and headquarters!

 

I need to figure out where I'm going to place that dang thing. Somewhere out of the way I can claim as mine or somewhere public that is well protected. Probably Argon Prime.

[Slowtrain]

I have X3 sitting on my shelf. But I'm not going to play it until I've played X2 to death. Which I probably have at this spoint, but still. X3 is something to look forward to. When the time is right!

[Berserk]

I have X3 and love it.  Can't wait for enough free time to finish the new Bali G missions and get all my nice new ships and headquarters!

 

I need to figure out where I'm going to place that dang thing.  Somewhere out of the way I can claim as mine or somewhere public that is well protected.  Probably Argon Prime.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've heard that the missions to obtain the HQ and ship is pretty lacklustre. I guess that Pihrana Bytes could use some help in coming up with more interesting missions than you get in X3.

[Walsingham]

I was thinking that what we need is some English majors or anthropologists to come up with a grand mission/story generator, that is kinda setting independent. Obs should sponsor that, like Bae sponsor advanced physics research.

[jaguars4ever]

I was thinking that what we need is some English majors or anthropologists to come up with a grand mission/story generator, that is kinda setting independent.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Too late Walsi, they already have one.

[metadigital]

Is this the game you are looking to buy the joystick to play, Wals?

[Walsingham]

I was thinking that what we need is some English majors or anthropologists to come up with a grand mission/story generator, that is kinda setting independent.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Too late Walsi, they already have one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Brains! *drool*

 

And yes, the joystick is for x2, but I'm planning on getting more. I figure my brain could use the exercise of more 3d manoeuvring.

[Gorth]

And yes, the joystick is for x2, but I'm planning on getting more. I figure my brain could use the exercise of more 3d manoeuvring.

Did you find a good joystick?

 

I just bought X3 (I blame Crashgirl) down at the store (no X2 unfortunately), so I am myself on the hunt for a decent joystick now. It being about a decade ago since I bought my current Saitek Cyborg 2000, I haven't got the slightest clue where to start looking. The only thing I know is my curren't sound card has no midi port for old sticks