new explorer needs a bit of help!

[DaveK]

Hi

At last I'm out exploring (Pearl to Deneb). I've spent a couple of hours flying and fighting - how do the baddies find me in the middle of nowhere and with such monotonous regularity? And why is it only the top class ships!

Edit: Sorry, I'm being a dummy again - I can't pick it up because all my cargo bays are full of other loot, plus a Shield Recharger I'm experimenting with! D'oh I destroyed a StarMaster and it left a small black cube that I can't pick up or ram. I'm using a platinum mining beam and have used it to pick up a few containers from other baddies who got on the wrong end of my excalibur pack! - what is it?

I also have seen a large floating radar sphere (in blue!) out there that I can fly though - strange!

I'm also trying out a station constructor and a deploy constructor.

Is it possible to create a refueling station inside the force field sphere? When I tried to put a sphere round the station (after the 8th attack!) the station ended up just outside!

I'm playing with [ and ] to change the balance between shields and weapons but they don't seem to be doing much - same 3 secs to depleted cannon and same 12 secs to recharge regardless of how many times I press them! Is there anywhere that tells me what they are set to?

Finally I created a trading station (expensive way to refuel @ 6 million credits but my ego demanded it ) but can't see any way to enter it - it seems to behave like the scenery objects in the game, except that it does appear as a blue blip on radar. Have I offended my residents?

At last I'm really beginning to enjoy this - no more sitting looking at asteroids or being destroyed within 5 seconds of a hostile appearing (due to a good ship, shields and weapons rather then combat skills!)

I'm in the UK so time zone is GMT - what time (ideally GMT but I can convert local time if I know where you are) are people usually on the server - I like the idea of leaving stations in systems I discover (none yet!) but not a lot of point in SP


[Edited on 15-2-2011 by DaveK]

[SeeJay]

It is a crate with something he had on board. You need to have a tractor/mining beam and
an empty cargo slot to pick it up. The blue floating radar thing might be a shield array.

When you build stuff they appear a little bit in front (North) of you, so build first and then
deploy a shield array on it when you're docked in it.

You should be able to see the settings on your shield/weapons on your hud to your left.

You have probably build something else than a trade station (research, energy or ore processor).

I'm in sweden, so we have just one hour difference. You need to fly in MP to make other people
see your stations.

Jump online and I'll be happy to help out in any way I can. I'm there just about every evening.

[DaveK]

Hi SeeJay

Yep - I couldn't catch the container because all my cargo bays were full!

I'll give that a try - I was just outside the station when I tried it and, though the build target grid was around the station it said that it couldn't build the shield because the origin was blocked! I'll also try building the station when I'm sitting in the middle of the sphere!

I had a shield array.This was much much smaller (not much bigger than my ship) and looked like a blue spherical grid - just like the one on my radar! One of the mysteries of deep space I think

I can see that there might not be anything much to trade in my new station in the middle of nowhere, but there isn't even an entrance so no-one can get in to sell anything! Someone in a thread suggested a station constructor is a must for exploring because you can replenish supplies (weapons and fuel) and sell anything you've collected and take a break.

I'm out this evening, but I'll MP try tomorrow night - thanks for the info and for the offer of help!

[49rTbird]

"Is it possible to create a refueling station inside the force field sphere? When I tried to put a sphere round the station (after the 8th attack!) the station ended up just outside!"

One answer is create the Sheild first.

[Marvin]

I can see that there might not be anything much to trade in my new station in the middle of nowhere, but there isn't even an entrance so no-one can get in to sell anything!

You probably clicked on the wrong item to build. Make sure you're selecting the trade station ... and, before you start building it, give it a name. Then it's kind of like planting a flag and claiming the territory for yourself.

[DaveK]

Thanks - I certainly named it. Still the first time I tried to refuel at a constructed refueler, I couldn't because it was an energy station!!

What is the point of an energy station - I get back to full energy for free in about 12 secs just by sitting there!!

[Marvin]

I don't know, exactly. Some of the station types only serve to increase the technology rating of the system.

[SeeJay]

This is from the official site:
"Energy stations help support the local energy and navy factions by
producing critical energy related items such as power cells,
batteries, solar arrays, and direct capital ship refueling. "

http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmerce ... iverse.htm

Lots of info here.

[DaveK]

Sorry - I meant the energy station that is a "deployable object".

"Energy Stations fully recharge your main power cells and shield arrays"

Similalry for deployable reaiar sttaions - are they really that much faster than a C3 repair device; the other 3 deployables are useful though: fuel processor, sensor and shield arrays

[DaveK]

great - thanks!

[Marvin]

I guess an energy station can keep your guns in a "continuous fire" mode. I never thought of that ... having learned my lesson after deploying a repair station right next to a combat zone. My computer simply couldn't keep up with 20 Reds firing and the repair station continually repairing ... FPS dropped to that of a slide show.