03-20-2018, 10:13 PM
Guide to trading
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Trading is the bread and butter of Discovery. Within half an hour of your very first log in you'll have a fair idea of what it is and how it works. I don't need to recap these basic principles with you but it's worth revisiting certain elements of the game when building a trading character. So for the sake of chronology, let's start with the absolute basics.
Naming
I'd advise against putting the words 'trading', 'shipping', 'corp' or any other word that would shout to the world you're a trader. The best way of doing it would be taking a name that is conventional, following the theme of it's faction. A Samura ship would have a Kusari ( Japanese ) name, whereas a Bretonia Mining and Manufacturing ship would have a Bretonian ( English ) name, etc. Restrain yourself from trying to intimidate a pirate with your name. A LNS-, HMS- or RNC- tagged ship may fool him once, but he'll be sure to remember who you are for the next time he sees you.
Restart
As soon you create a new character, the proper way of proceeding would be using the /restart command. This command has become very useful on the Discovery server, as the /restart function offers a choice of ALL in-game factions. In addition to the ID and IFF you receive, you also get teleported to a faction base and get a standard navmap that will help you in your adventure.
To view the list of all restarts offered, the /showrestarts command in-game will do the trick. The command uses shortened names of the factions, but they can be easily figured out. For example – Samura Industries uses the /kucorpsamura , “Ku” means it's from Kusari, “Corp” means it's Corporation, “Samura” part is obvious. Use the same logic on other respective factions.
Ship
Choosing a ship is the single most important factor to consider when setting up a trader character.
Almost every faction in game has a choice of several transports they can use. The faction technology would be my first choice, but it if you don't like it, the Civilian, House or Pirate vessels could be your salvation. There's a nice application made by the Lane Hacker official faction that eases the process, it can be found here: Compatibility calculator
Your choice must reflect your idea on the way of trading. An Ore trader or a Player owner base supplier will go for pure 5000 cargo vessel to maximize it's capacity. But, if you want to smuggle, or your trade run passes through area that's hostile or pirates often use it, getting a smaller transport would be smarter move. The size and shape is the most important thing when it comes to dodging SNACs or gunshots. Also, some transports are considered battle-transports and have great offensive capabilities, so you're also able to fight back. Consider all of your options, then choose the one that fits you best.
Some bases also restrict the vessels that can dock based on size. The Leeds Resistance Base is an example of this. So while this base may offer some great prices for commodities, it can only be used by freighters.
Last thing: If you decide to use a ship that is not owned by the faction you're playing, it would be best to ask the ship manufacturers if they'll allow you to fly it (inRP). Some factions see it as a heavy crime to fly their ship without permission, so you might get shot by a friendly face because you 'stole' their ship.
Companion
Next you'll need to find yourself a route. Now i'm going to level with you, the single most useful tool for any trader or smuggler is Freelancer Companion. It's secure freeware so don't hesitate to try it out!
Companion will show you by default the routes with the best profit:time ratio from your point of origin. While this can be useful for powertrading, it does little to show you profitable routes for commodities you are interested in for the sake of your RP. It may be that the destination station may not only be outside your zone of influence, but also hostile. So check your affiliation's relationship with that station, and if it's 5,5 squares or more to the left (neutral, but undockable), consider other destinations. Another thing you need to consider is that companion won't tell you is how dangerous the route may be. For example, most Sirius factions are hostile to Gallia, so while a route headed there may be profitable and fast, for the time you spend running from the cruiser NPCs you may be looking at up to double the shipping time. This also matters when considering shipping routes through piracy hot-spots.
Player Owned Bases (POB)
If you're unfamiliar with player owned bases and how they work, I suggest you familiarize yourself with them first. For those of you who get the jist: as you may know, POBs have their own commodity buy/sell systems independent of the prices set in place with the mod. What this means is, owners of these player owned bases can set and alter buy and sell prices for commodities of their choosing for their base. So not only can you make some money shipping goods to these bases, but also on occasion find a fair bargain for unwanted commodities that you can sell on later. POB trading can be irregular due to the limitations of the stock availability, and finding a route to/from one with a decent profit margin can be difficult. However the experience of truly pioneering new routes depending on what commodities are on sale is pretty good fun. That and you can trade knowing you're helping out other members of the community with what is the enormous task of maintaining a POB.
Now before you get started, remember that POB owners also tend to restrict access to their base to members of a particular faction, house or criminal syndicate. The best way to check if you're able to dock on it (except for the obvious – trying to dock) is by checking on-forum under the “Player Owned Bases” subforum. Find the thread of the POB in question and see if the access is open to everyone, or if you must request it.
These commodities are required by the POB on daily basis:
Reinforced Alloy
Robotic Hardware
Hull Segments
Food Rations
Luxury Food
Kyushu Rice
Synth Paste
Oxygen
Water
Those highlighted in red are required to maintain the base health status and are always in high demand. Without them the base takes damage and is eventually destroyed due to disrepair or opportunistic enemies. So most POBs will offer a price of at least double that of the purchase price of the red commodities. Green commodities are required to keep the crew alive, which in turn are required to maintain the repairs. These too are consumed by the base at a steady rate and are always required.
The best thing to find out what POB requires is dock at it and check the status ( press F9 ). It will show the commodities that are currently required to make an upgrade, construct or produce something. While this is not a rule, the owners often offer great prices for these commodities.
Also, keep in mind, if the POB is located near the mining field, there's a high chance it will offer ore. The price averages around ~3000$ per unit.
Teaming up
As a trader you are part of the largest character group on the Discovery mod. Official factions are a great way to get more than space out of trading. If you're more of a fighter pilot than a trader then I'd strongly consider joining up. A well led/organised faction will regularly run convoys, quotas, competitions and collaboration activities so there's always something going on. Not sure about which one to join? Take a pick! .
Smuggling
Smuggling is a completely different playing field when you compare it to trading. To effectively perform it, you have to set-up the character that is allowed to dock on unlawful bases. There are a few ways to do it, but it's best to play as a middle-man. A Freelancer with no affiliation. A Junker, Hogosha or Unione Corse businessman could do the trick, and your third option is being directly affiliated with a crime syndicate. If you're affiliated with someone, you'll also be hated by some factions – It's good to understand faction relations to be a successful smuggler.
Most of the lawful factions will see your commodities as 'illegal' and you'll find yourself in trouble, if they manage to catch you. The pirates might let you through if you're smuggling their contraband, or supplying their bases, or attack you if they find you near enemy bases – it's based on faction relations. In some cases, a pirate may even offer an escort, to ensure your supplies reach their base! But, that is not the case with the Police and Navy factions. They will most definitely see you as enemy, and while you'll survive pirate encounters by losing a few millions or a bit of cargo, the Police and Navy will most surely ask you to drop ALL of your cargo or simply destroy you.
To properly understand the concept, check Laws of Sirius to see what is considered a 'contraband' by certain House:
As a smuggler, your task is to ignore the House Laws and go straight for the profit. To do so, you'll have to choose routes that pass through zones not likely used by Police and Navy. Jump holes, nebulas, and open space. Avoid players at all costs, especially if you're attempting to dock at lawful bases with contraband. If they catch you doing it, next time you might find that base hostile to you. Also, while the pirate may forget the encounter 5 minutes later, the Police will surely remember what you did.
Using tradelanes and jump gates while carrying illegal cargo is dangerous. Police ID’d players have access to a tool known as “The TradeLane And GateS Network” (TLAGSNET for short). This allows the police to scan the cargo of any ship that uses a tradelane or jump gate, even while not in scanner range, and even outside of your current system! While they cannot use this cargo scan against you in-character, they can certainly use it to track you down in order to perform an in-person cargo scan. Once that happens, it’s Game Over. Oh, did I mention that the exact jump gate or coordinates of a tradelane on the navmap is broadcasted over TLAGSNET, as well? Yes, this is what the police have at their disposal to find you! Do yourself a favor: Avoid broadcasting your location like an echo-locator and ditch the lanes entirely. If you MUST use a jump gate, don’t linger - The second you use one is the second a policeman might decide to take a long-range peek at your cargo hold.
To smuggle effectively, we're back at ship choice. The ultimate Freelancer choice for smuggling is obviously Serenity. Small, agile, decent hold, packs a punch, has a Countermeasure Dropper – perfect for smuggling. If you decided to run the business as a Hogosha or Junker affiliated smuggler, you're in luck. The Raba and Salvager are exceptionally strong and offer Gunboat armament, so the Police will think twice before engaging. The choice is same as before: Make sure the ship will be good enough to fit your role.
An unsung choice of smuggling ship is the Heron Civilian Train. While offering only a 3,000 cargo capacity compared to the Serenity’s 3,600, it offers a unique advantage: Front mounted engines with a rear-mounted countermeasure dropper. A cruise disruptor’s blast radius must catch the engines of a ship, and while running from a target, the Heron’s front-mounted engines and higher turn speed allow it to avoid disruption more frequently than the Serenity’s rear-and-front mounted engine placements. The rear-mounted countermeasure slot, combined with the engine placement, allows it to escape far more easily than other transports. It lacks in armor however, and certainly the difference in cargo capacity matters to some folks. The cargo pods will completely negate a bomber SNAC shot if hit, buying you extra time to escape, if you are forced into combat. Lastly, its small size allows it to slip through all but the most dense asteroid fields with an ease that the bulky Serenity lacks. All-in-all, the Heron is a hidden gem, whose lower hauling capacity is more than made up for by offering a slew of secret advantages.
There's another way of gaining profit as a smuggler – blockade runs. Trade embargoes and Blockades happen when the two faction or Houses relations deteriorate greatly, or they are at war with one another. Some commodities are inRP forbidden for political reasons, like Blood Diamonds, Military Vehicles or Marines. The Blockades are also a nuisance for a standard smuggler. If there's a Blockade in a bottleneck system, your chance to meet Police or Navy increases.
Playing the game
This tutorial does not make a difference if you do not actually play the game like you're supposed to – with 100% attention.
The first rule of not getting caught is to keep an eye out on your route. Familiarize yourself with the Universe map and open Player list. Check if someone's inside, then check if there's someone lurking in the system adjacent to it. You have to find any threat before it appears on your scanner – and be ready for it.
Character level:
15-40 – New player, no threat
~50 – Fighter, small threat
~60 – Bomber, high threat
70+ - Gunboat or a transport, medium threat
80+ - Battleship or transport, low threat
90 - Supertransport, no threat
Names matter. Use logic: What could be behind the name? If it uses “Trader”, “Miner” or something like that, the answer is simple. If it's a person's name, you should expect a fighter or bomber, perhaps even a freighter. A callsign could reveal a trader, and an intimidating name could reveal a pirate, or even a capital ship. The naming style used could also reveal something, as you can expect Corsair to use Greek names, someone from Rheinland a German name, etc.
While you can only guess what's behind the generic name or a player's level, a player tag immediately reveals what's to be expected. A [RM] tag is most definitely Rheinland Military, and a LNS- is most definitely Liberty capital.
Location is also very important. Think about who could be there; have Zones of Influence in mind. Your chance to meet a Corsair or a Hessian increases in the Omegas, just like there's high chance to meet a Liberty Navy or Liberty Police Inc. In New York.
Check to see if they are part of a group. If so change the filter and check out his friends. An enigmatic character called Mr.Jones isn't fooling anyone when he teams up with a guy called The.Corsair who's in Omicron Gamma.
Let's take Cambridge to New Berlin example. You jump to Omega 3 and and notice a level 62 character has just entered the system under the name 'Blitzen'. It's a German name, level 60ish, likely to be a bomber or fighter, in Red Hessian territory. Did you see him in Omega 7 when you first set off? No. Then he must have entered the system through a jump hole. By doing this, you'll be able to spot threats we mentioned and do a quick detour years before he realises he missed you.
If you meet a person that's as concentrated as you are, it becomes interesting. Like a game of Chess, you'll wait for each other's actions and mistakes. But remember – you're always one step infront, as he's chasing you, not the opposite. He can only react after you play your move, so try to not be obvious. Choose an odd route that he would not expect and ALWAYS have a back-up plan or a hideout nearby.
Form up!
Collaborating with other players isn't just a way to secure your haul but it really makes the most of your time playing the game. Except for chat and breaking the boredom with friends, there is strength in numbers. Organize your convoy and assign roles to players. Make sure they know the game plan when you find yourself in trouble. Also, hire an escort. It doesn't even have to be higher ranking player or a good fighter. Something that will distract the pirate while you run is enough. If you're going for maximum security, make sure you have at least two experienced fighters or a gunboat that can fend off any enemy fighter or bomber. Your convoy will attract a lot of attention, be sure that you'l need them.
While the there's many examples how to manage a convoy and it's completely your choice, here's an example: A fighter moves first, to scout the Trade Lanes and Jump Gates. Smaller transports follow, as they have easier chances of escape. Then Heavy transports, as they are slow and bulky – they will be warned about the threat far before they arrive. Last, another fighter. If you get attacked, the Heavy transports head to base first, while fighters cover the escape of light transports.
Threats
Threat Level 1 - Suspicious ships in adjacent systems
Keep an eye on the chat window to see if they move to your system or the system ahead. If you're using a Trade Lane, then you'll likely be gone before they arrive.
Threat Level 2 - Piratical ships in adjacent systems
Keep an eye on the chat window to see if they move to your system or the system ahead. Have a contingency plan in place in case they show up on the radar.
Threat Level 3 - Suspicious ships in your system
When riding a trade lane keep the mouse hovered over the free flight button. Keep your eyes fixed on the bottom left HUD. If you see anything pop up before the lane has run it's course, hit the free flight button and head for the nearest station. If you can with ease, get back into the trade lane the other way. In an open system, take an indirect route to your destination. Going the longer way around the sun usually does the trick. Have a good idea where your nearest escape route will be if something turns up. Stations and jump holes are good bailouts, jump gates not so much.
Threat Level 4 - Piratical ships in your system
If your system has trade lanes you have to assume that a pirate is on one of them. Taking the lane will be risky, which, if you choose to take, I would suggest you take similar precautionary action as outlined for threat level 3. Otherwise, for linear systems, avoid trade lanes altogether and fly directly (as long as it doesn't take you via the trade lanes). For circuit systems, opt for the less used lanes if you can or fly directly. Another (very) useful tactic is to take a detour through an alternate exit such as a jump hole, and rejoin your intended route path in a later system.
Threat Level 5 - Piratical ships in your system likely to be tracking your whereabouts
This refers to pirates who would at first be stationary, but are anticipating your movements, and therefore likely to seek you out if you take longer than expected to reach their trap. Find a celestial object such as trade lane ring, jump gate, moon or planet and dive 20k under it; alternatively rise 20k above. Set a waypoint to your intended destination, look at it and point your ship at the space below/above it. Cruise until you are 20k from your destination then head straight for it. This is a tactic deemed unfair by many as this widens the search area for pirates from a 2D plane to a 3D plane, so use in moderation.
For a smuggler, it will be same, just that the targets of observation will be the Police instead of a Pirate. Keep in mind that even non-allied Pirates are helpful. You still have to avoid them, but more often than not they'll attract more attention that you will, so if there's a Pirate AND Police in the same system, make sure they find each other. Perhaps even contact the Police and notify them – they don't know you're a smuggler if you're far away.
Encounter
It will happen, sooner or later. In these cases, you have to think fast and be prepared. Your first choice is always the most obvious one – RUN! Turn away from him and engage cruise engines. Make note that snubs are much faster than transport, so he will catch you. You just have to make sure you reach the hideout before that.
If he catches you, it's over. Do not resist. Try to settle it inRP, pay the Pirate. Fighting in a transport is not advised, as you need lots of experience for it, and a lot of luck. If you're close to hideout and think you have a chance, go for it! But open combat in a transport versus a bomber or a fighter? It's hard, especially against bombers toting Scorcher bombs - These have been known to chew through even Cap 8 Liners (Most of which have a base armor of 190,000) in a pair of minutes. Basically, Scorchers = Death, so ready your wallet and hope they’re feeling generous.
Escape!
As I said before, the encounter will happen, sooner or later. If you followed this tutorial right, you are prepared for it as you’ve identified a threat and have prepared yourself for the worst case scenario. To recap, check the system and see where you can run to. A base, a jump hole, or a jump gate, as long it gives you a chance of escape. Make a waypoint on it, so when you're in the mess, you know where to run - do not waste your time.
The best possibility is heading to base. Dock and you're safe. If he did not engage you yet, await outside of the base and see what he does. If he leaves, you can continue your run. One important thing – docking while engaged in a transport is not a PVP death. You can continue your run later. But be forewarned: Pirates will expect you to try and continue your route, and will jump at the chance to nail you a second time, and likely at a higher demand than the first encounter.
Another option is heading towards Jump Gate or Jump Hole. It prolongs the chase, but gives you opportunity to shake them off. While this option is not used often and you could shake off the pursuer by surprise, be sure that it won't offer any plan B. The Jump Holes are mostly far from any dockable object.
Third option is to call for help. Run towards a player that's willing to help you – escort, Police, anything. While you're not 100% safe after meeting them, they could open a lot more opportunities of escape while defending you.
If your cruise engine is disabled and you have to use the thruster, turn on the turret steer and shoot at him, make him back off. The further he is from you, the safer you are. Letting him sit at 100 meters away from you is certain death.
Equipment
Armor Upgrade: A standard AU VIII costs 15 millions and takes 20 cargo, BUT it increases your hull by x2.5. This one is a must and a bare minimum you should use. Capital Armor Upgrades are also a way to go, but that's optional, while the CAU will make sure you survive hell, it's expensive and takes lots of cargo space.
Countermeasure Dropper: Some transport have it, some don't. Countermeasures are extremely valuable as you'll be able to escape Cruise Disruptors. Make sure to have it turned on at all times. The choice is simple: Fortress for small transports (effective, but lacks range), Silencer for medium transports (semi-effective, medium range), and Sentinel for large transports (Less effective, high range). The range is very important, as the Cruise Disruptor has an area of explosion. If you're caught in it, it's over. So, low range CM is useless on a large transport as you'll be hit anyways because of your size. Same goes with using high range CM on a small transport – no need to sacrifice effectiveness for range when low range CM will do the trick. All of them cost under 1 million - if you can mount one, do it!
Cloak: You cant be caught if they can't see you. Most of the people don't carry Cloak Disruptor around, so you'l be 99% safe while using it, but you'll sacrifice A LOT. Cloak takes 600 cargo, plus every battery (1 battery = 1 second of invisibility) takes 2 cargo. Plus, it costs around 400 million, can be obtained from other players only and requires a Countermeasure slot to mount it.
Turrets: Keep in mind projectile speed. The higher it is, the more chance you have to hit. Hitting does damage, but so does damage attacker's morale. You're not trying to kill him, you're trying to fend him off long enough to safely dock/escape. Don’t mix turret types - Go strictly for a single projectile speed, unless you can mount a flak to deter fighters and bombers, in which case a single one of those will usually do the trick.
Scanner: This determines how far out you can detect someone on your radar. I recommend using the Adv. Deep Scanner when smuggling, as this has the highest detection range (14k) of the standard brand of scanners. Your job is to detect a potential threat as soon as possible, and swerve to avoid if necessary. The moment you see a name on your radar, your instinct should be to nose-dive or pull up. If done quick enough, even a target whom is also utilizing an Adv. Deep Scanner may miss you, and in case they’re using a scanner with a higher cargo scan range, they may never even see you on radar.