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+--- Thread: New player looking for advice. (/showthread.php?tid=111890)
New player looking for advice. - Hawken - 02-13-2014
Hey everyone Hawken here, I recently started on discovery about a week ago (was thrilled to see people still play freelancer) and was looking for some honest advice to help me better understand and get comfortable with the game, I plan on bringing in a few friends to discovery so I would like to be a better source of knowledge to any of them who have questions.
Questions
- Fighter Effectiveness - How effective are fighter craft really? I have to say that fighters are something I rarely see being used in actual fights. Nearly every pirate craft I encounter (I decided to make my first real character Liberty Police) always seems to be in a Gunboat or Battleship and from my current experience it doesn't seem like fighters can so much as hurt these types of craft even with something like sunslayers. Is attempting to be a fighter a lost cause? Should I just grab a bomber to be able to combat everyone? Is using a light fighter worth it considering they have lower health, max energy/regen, and weapon classes? I honestly can't stand having to sit there and just ignore an enemy gunboat while its pounding everyone because I simply can't damage it.
- Contraband and illegal exports - Being someone who rolled a cop, I have to ask if there is any easy method of identifying what types of cargo are illegal in your system without looking it up? Or is it just one of those "learn as you go" type of things?
- Fees and tax - Something I have noticed on most faction Military I.D's is that is states that officials have the right to "levy fines" what does this consist of exactly? Is there certain types of cargo or ships that can fined? What reasons would constitute fining another player? What amount is considered appropriate for a fine?
- "Codename" weaponry - I am aware that "codename" weaponry is found in set 'wrecks' in space in the base game but am currently confused how it works in discovery. Is it any different? The wiki has little to no information on the locations of such weaponry so I would assume it is harder to get than usual.
- RP and engaging an enemy - In regard rushing to the aid of an ally, I would assume there would be very little RP going on (seeing as the respective parties are already in battle), what is considered appropriate to signal you are entering a fight to help an allied craft
Example - Liberty military and Rogues are currently duking it out just outside of Manhattan, if I am part of the Liberty police or navy what would I have to do to indicate I am entering the battle and be within the rules? I know saying something like "engaging rogues" is looked down upon
- Lack of I.D's and ships that aren't Rping/afk - As I am scanning ships for contraband I often see a few that do not have an I.D. equipped whatsoever, other times I will attempt to RP to someone who is either AFK or just refusing to respond. What do I do in these cases?
Example # 1 - Finding a ship that in engaging in rp or doing some sort of activity without and I.D. equipped
Example # 2 - Finding a liberty rogue drifting with my zone of influence but does not respond to my RP attempts.
Example # 3 - Finding a player hauling illegal cargo but does not respond to any of my attempts to communicate or RP
Example # 4 - Scanning a player to find they have multiple I.D's aboard their ship. How am I supposed to know which one they are running currently?
What do I do in these scenarios? Do I simply ignore the person in question? Am I authorized to engage an enemy player if they aren't responding to my communication attempt?
RE: New player looking for advice. - Luke. - 02-13-2014
Alright...
Fighters have the steepest learning curve and you will die. Alot. Connecticut is there to help you however. Bombers are useless on their own, if you're going to use one, fly with people unless you're just planning on pirating transports. In that case, they're a good choice.
Contraband. Some commodities like Cardamine are banned Sirius-wide. However, it's best to check each house's laws to recognise illegal Commodities. Some do not condemn everything.
Levying fines and such is also law-based and therefore it's worth reading up on them. Ship types, commodities and general behaviour can all get you fined in certain places.
The wiki is out-of-date and is not reliable. Programs such as FLstat and FLcompanion use the local files on your computer and are therefore much more useful. Codenames are found on certain wrecks, yes. They drop 1 at a time and regenerate upon server restart. They are not in Vanilla locations.
A simple one or two-liner is generally accepted when assisting an ally who's already engaged in battle. Best not to rush too much though, to be safe from being slapped with a sanction. Some are zealous reporters.
Example 1 - Try to make them aware via an OoRP private message (use // before your message) that they need an ID (only one). If they refuse to respond and don't appear to be busy, report them or ignore it. Chances are someone else will.
Example 2 - If you're playing lawful and you've given the Rogue sufficient time to respond, you're okay to open fire if you so wish.
Example 3 - You're at liberty to attack the offender. You're upholding law, after all.
General notes - Read rules, laws and the forum in general. You'll learn fairly quickly. I've explained all this fairly briefly. Hope it helps.
RE: New player looking for advice. - Hawken - 02-13-2014
Thanks for the quick response! While I am still confused on some things such as levying fines (even after reading through the liberty Law page) I think you managed to clear up quite a bit of the confusion I was having when it came to server rules.
On a side note what you recommend as a good solo ship type while I am out patrolling Liberty if not a fighter? I have to say that half the rogues that I run into are always in gunboats which severely limits what I can do to stop them from pirating civilians. I was thinking of just buying the upholder class bomber but if you say they are bad alone I am starting to worry about what I should use as a general purpose craft.
RE: New player looking for advice. - Jonas Valent - 02-14-2014
Quote:On a side note what you recommend as a good solo ship type while I am out patrolling Liberty if not a fighter? I have to say that half the rogues that I run into are always in gunboats which severely limits what I can do to stop them from pirating civilians. I was thinking of just buying the upholder class bomber but if you say they are bad alone I am starting to worry about what I should use as a general purpose craft.
Bombers aren't bad but they require skill when attacked by fighters. Most fighters can take out a bomber in a 1 on 1 battle so you have to be careful playing alone.
Fighters especially VHF's can be quite effective against many ship types but as Luke said you will have to practice quite a bit to get good with them. If you mount a mini razor that can be very effective against bigger ships.
The best thing you can do is to join a faction ( Like the LPI or [LN] ) With the factions you have other people to patrol with. This makes things much easier and more enjoyable if your playing a lawful character (Police or Navy)
Also check out this link.The Laws of Sirius This has all the laws in effect for all the houses.
RE: New player looking for advice. - GrnRaptor - 02-14-2014
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote: Hey everyone Hawken here, I recently started on discovery about a week ago (was thrilled to see people still play freelancer) and was looking for some honest advice to help me better understand and get comfortable with the game, I plan on bringing in a few friends to discovery so I would like to be a better source of knowledge to any of them who have questions.
Welcome to Disco. More people being here is always a good thing, so I hope you're able to get used to things, good and bad, and enjoy yourself here. Now then, to the following.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote: Questions
- Fighter Effectiveness - How effective are fighter craft really? I have to say that fighters are something I rarely see being used in actual fights. Nearly every pirate craft I encounter (I decided to make my first real character Liberty Police) always seems to be in a Gunboat or Battleship and from my current experience it doesn't seem like fighters can so much as hurt these types of craft even with something like sunslayers. Is attempting to be a fighter a lost cause? Should I just grab a bomber to be able to combat everyone? Is using a light fighter worth it considering they have lower health, max energy/regen, and weapon classes? I honestly can't stand having to sit there and just ignore an enemy gunboat while its pounding everyone because I simply can't damage it.
This question has a few layers to it. First, fighters are very good at fighting other fighters, bombers, and even freighters and transports. Some things modify how long it may take you to take them one your own, however, like the armor upgrades. Remember that a fighter is as much of a tool for a certain situation as a battleship is for another. When it comes to gunboats for example, even swarms of fighters can down them without bomber support if flown properly.
I would recommend that you have both a VHF (Very Heavy Fighter) and a bomber class vessel so that you can deal with the range of things you'll run across. It would also be good to learn who your allies are in game, so that when you're on your fighter and you see that pesky Liberty Rogue gunboat go by you can ask for help to take it out. Official Liberty groups like the LPI-, [LN], and =LSF= should be able to assist you if you ask them; the same for any indy forces that may be around. Remember, you're an officer of the law, not the entirety of the forces of Liberty.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote:
- Contraband and illegal exports - Being someone who rolled a cop, I have to ask if there is any easy method of identifying what types of cargo are illegal in your system without looking it up? Or is it just one of those "learn as you go" type of things?
Galactica linked the "Laws of Sirius" thread for you, so if you haven't already checked it out you'll want to at least read the first response that contains the "Laws of Liberty" given your character is an LPI officer. And honestly, it's just something you learn as you go. The more you read and apply it the more you'll know.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote:
- Fees and tax - Something I have noticed on most faction Military I.D's is that is states that officials have the right to "levy fines" what does this consist of exactly? Is there certain types of cargo or ships that can fined? What reasons would constitute fining another player? What amount is considered appropriate for a fine?
These are mostly spot fines for breaking said laws mentioned above. Anyone carrying cargo listed as contraband or using illegal ships and weapons can be fined as an RP punishment. This usually goes hand in hand with getting the cargo ejected(if you stop them before they land with it) or escorting them out of your jurisdiction if empty/flying illegal stuff they won't change. You'll figure that out as you go. I mostly just fine for cargo related offenses however.
As for the amount, it really depends upon what you're dealing with. Small vessels carrying limited amounts would usually receive a smaller than a large transport carrying a full cargo hold. It also depends upon the attitude and character of the person you're dealing with, too.
Simply put, don't be afraid to charge multiple millions for a large transport carrying contraband straight to Manhattan if you can stop them. A ship with 3,600 units of Cardimine or (Sorted) Artifacts I'd gladly charge 4-8 million in fines for depending upon attitude and known behavior on top of getting the cargo ejected and burned/retrieved. Be prepared to deal with people who would rather run than pay, though. For that, screenshotting a timestamped image (the /time command typed into your console) of cargo (always, always, always screenshot what you can) and them docking if you can't kill them allows you to forward evidence to the official factions for them to deal with in RP.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote:
- "Codename" weaponry - I am aware that "codename" weaponry is found in set 'wrecks' in space in the base game but am currently confused how it works in discovery. Is it any different? The wiki has little to no information on the locations of such weaponry so I would assume it is harder to get than usual.
aerelm had a guide to wreck hunting that helped with that; you can still look it up, but it's a bit out of date in some areas given that it was for the last mod version. Still, for your case, it's not worth it right now. While you can spend multiple millions for guns from player dealers, your faction guns are more than suitable for your needs. CODENAME weapons are usually for:
1) Showing off wealth
2) Specialized combat styles
3) Specific RP interests
As an LPI, you're fine with using Vengeance, Magma Hammer, or Enforcer weaponry on your fighter. I would recommend using Debilitator guns in combo with the Vengeance or Enforcers, or just straight Magma Hammers if not those two. Remember to keep your weapons as close to the same velocity(in meters per second) as possible, with the debilitators being as fast/faster than your hull damaging guns.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote:
- RP and engaging an enemy - In regard rushing to the aid of an ally, I would assume there would be very little RP going on (seeing as the respective parties are already in battle), what is considered appropriate to signal you are entering a fight to help an allied craft
Example - Liberty military and Rogues are currently duking it out just outside of Manhattan, if I am part of the Liberty police or navy what would I have to do to indicate I am entering the battle and be within the rules? I know saying something like "engaging rogues" is looked down upon
Technically, you only need to RP if you're the initiating party of an attack, if I'm reading things right. If there's already a fight going on you can hop in to help your allies without saying anything. However, good form usually requires that you say that you're going in to assist in a manner like, "Officer Hawken on station, moving to assist fellow LPI" or "Liberty forces, aid is on the way" or something stating a similar intent.
(02-13-2014, 08:16 PM)Hawken Wrote:
- Lack of I.D's and ships that aren't Rping/afk - As I am scanning ships for contraband I often see a few that do not have an I.D. equipped whatsoever, other times I will attempt to RP to someone who is either AFK or just refusing to respond. What do I do in these cases?
Example # 1 - Finding a ship that in engaging in rp or doing some sort of activity without and I.D. equipped
Example # 2 - Finding a liberty rogue drifting with my zone of influence but does not respond to my RP attempts.
Example # 3 - Finding a player hauling illegal cargo but does not respond to any of my attempts to communicate or RP
Example # 4 - Scanning a player to find they have multiple I.D's aboard their ship. How am I supposed to know which one they are running currently?
What do I do in these scenarios? Do I simply ignore the person in question? Am I authorized to engage an enemy player if they aren't responding to my communication attempt?
#1 Is a Server Rule 1.3 violation. Talk to them OORP if possible to get them to correct this. Report if you feel it necessary.
#2 Kill it. Guns are RP too.
#3 Kill it. Guns are RP too. (refer to previous statements about screenshots, etc., above)
#4 Is a Server Rule 1.3 violation. Talk to them OORP if possible to get them to correct this. Report if you feel it necessary.
Anyway, I hope that gives you a good idea of how to deal with everything. You can also inquire with official factions or the [Angels] in game for help.
On a more general note, you'll probably want to grab Discovery Launchpad or another account manager program. It'll allow you to maintain multiple accounts so that you can have more than just the standard five character limit. I have 11 snub craft across 4 separate accounts for my [LN] characters alone, for example. You'll also want to have trading characters to earn money so that you can buy all the things you want for your other characters anyway. You might even enjoy RPing as a separate character while trading too.
RE: New player looking for advice. - Pancakes - 02-14-2014
Seeing that most other questions have been answered, I will just expand a bit on the first question you've raised.
For battleships - fighters, unless in a big swarm, are really ineffective. You are better off using a bomber.
However, as for the gunboats - a group of fighters or bombers can easily win against those for a very simply reason - the snubs can easily thrust away to resupply, while on the same time keeping the Gunboats in check since they are faster (by CDing, and if it tries to thrust away, well, you have 50 m/s bigger thrust speed. It's plenty.)
Some people will call you cheeky for fleeing to resupply in middle of a fight - but hey, it's their own god-damned problem for using a heavier ship.