M O R E  S T U F F

Best Traders

This is governed by a large array of things which include

The Ship, the Set-up, the Cargo, the Pilot, the Situation.

If you get these things right the money will start flowing in abundance. To be a good Lex Talionis you need to have the ability to make money and sustain the clan. Please see the tips and advice here to help you achieve the Lex Talionis goals to become the most dominant clan in Solaris.

The Ship

The best Cargo/Transporter ships are a purely subjective thing amongst the top few, but it is an easy thing to remove the worst and allow the wise Lex Talionis to make a good living out of trading.

What to look for in a trader

A trader demands two key things to make it a viable option. Firstly cargo space, secondly armour. You can never have too much of either but you certainly can have too little.

Large Trader or Small

If you are a trading character it may be a good idea to keep two profiles one with a large trader and one with a small trader. Large traders are great and often carry in excess of 1000 cargo a trip. They do have their disadvantages though. Large traders cannot enter planetary docking rings and so if a planet does not have a docking bar they cannot land. They also cannot land on some bases or battleships due to their size. They are also hard to maneuver through difficult space and can often attract the attention of the greedy pirates in the area.

Small traders are by contrast more maneuverable and can land on the planets and bases the larger ones cannot and so can get the more rarer commodities. They will not have the cargo space of the larger craft and usually a weaker hull. Both are useful craft.

List of Traders and a ranking of usability

The Setup

The set up of your ship is crucial to its relative trading success. It must be armoured to the hilt with good scanners.

You must always remember to ‘bling’ it up as well.

Link to kitting your trader www.lex-talionis.co.uk/TraderShips.html

The Cargo

The Cargo you fly will be the single primary feature which will effect the wealth you make in your craft. Make sure you have used the trade lane calculator before running any material. You may find a better material which will make more for you in an adjacent planet you had not considered. This will save you a great deal of time in the long run when trying to make money fast.

Link to best cargo’s

www.lex-talionis.co.uk/BestBuys.html

The Pilot

Your skills as a transport pilot are of key importance to how successful you are in trade.

Entering Jump Gates. Never simply press [F3] on a gate if you can help it. It will take forever and sometimes you may end up heading off in a random direction you never expect while the computer AI tries to position you into a docking position.

TRADE LANES

·        Position your ship so that you can see the second trade lane ring through the hole of the first ring. You can make subtle left and right moves with your ship using [A] and [D].

·        Highlight the first trade lane ring.

·        Fly your ship to exactly 0 metres from the gate and then press [F3]. It will immediately drag you through.

JUMP GATES

·        Position your ship so that you can see the jump gate is persitioned directly in front of your ship. You can make subtle left and right moves with your ship using [A] and [D].

·        Highlight the jump gate with your mouse

·        Fly towards it.

·        As soon as you are 0 metres away from it and your nose has not quite touched the unopened entrance of the gate. Press [F3] to dock.

The Situation

Never underestimate being prepared. If you are running oil, gold or cardamine dogs you will need to make sure your ship has the best chance of reaching its target. First of all establish which enemies you are likely to meet. If there are Rogues, Red Hessians, Corsairs, Liberty Police. Establish their threat level (can they touch you, how numerous, do you want to upset them?).

If you really don’t think it is worth coming near them find another route or commodity. If you need to pass them, establish if it is worth improving your rep.

Know a good trade route send it to Lextalionis@simplysociety.co.uk