Merc/combat pilot questions

[Nex]

Hi everyone, just started playing the game yesterday. Its great

I'll try to keep it short. The first thing i tried after i bought the game was going for the Mercenary route. My first mission was simple, find New hope (it took me 5 minutes but eventually i saw it on the map). The mission i received after that involved racing. I had to complete it in order to continue my career. While still learning how to control my ship (not with a kbd, X52 ) i couldnt stay on the track for the whole race and i wasted precious time

Then i tried the combat pilot career. I was thinking something like "hm there should be alot of shooting involved, i guess i could try that". I already knew about the IDS and why/when not to use it, drifting sideways etc.
Welp, my first mission for the navy was "go to the waypoint, find an item, get the money". Simple enough. The next one was the same. The third one - same. Then i activated my jump drive while still getting out of docking range on a carrier (by accident! ). Then i had to do the same mission 3 more times. When i decided to try cleaning some roids for some reason i accelerated (my fault) and my ship went *boom* for the second time . Then i started saving the game


TL; DR: I finished the same mission around 12 times on 3 different characters (around 5-6+ times on the last one). Is it normal and after how many missions like that will i get some shooting experience?

And one more thing i want to ask. I realised that ive mapped roll in a wrong way (counter-intuitive) as i wasnt sure how to configure the axis controls (now its fine). Should i try going for the merc career again? I may be able to do better this time.





Edit: I couldnt find any links to servers but i saw people mentioning 2 or 3 (here, on the forums). Can anyone tell me more about this?

Edit 2: I think ive misunderstood the way the MP works, i havent touched that button in the game actually. I'll check how it works when i get back home (e.g. is there a list of servers or you need to add favourites with ip/port number etc).

[Edited on 11-20-2010 by Nex]

[Edited on 11-20-2010 by Nex]

[Ravenfeeder]

For the servers: Just log on to multiplayer. You'll have a screen come up, hit, left click, search for servers, and you'll see a list of servers come up, Right click on any of them to see who is on, or if you can, indeed, join in that server. Most of us use Rumula 1, a very friendly, no rules, aside from swearing, server.

Good luck, and, welcome to the game, and the forum - hope to give you a nice warm welcome in MP!

[49rTbird]

Hello Nex, you don't have to stay with one career or another and you don't have to start over. The career choice is only to give you a ship with items better suited for the chosen career. You can still change things on your ship and do any missions you want. If you are following a type of career and complete a mission it should tell you to go to a location and choice the mission say with a * next to it. There will be other missions listed also but it wants you to do the one specified. This could by why you say you see only one type mission as you have to scroll through the missions (they all don't show at once) to find the one you are suppose to do. Jump on Remula one server and pilots will try to help you also. Welcome to the forum and the Sim. Have fun and hope to see you out there sometime.

[Edited on 11-20-2010 by thetiebers]

[Nex]

Thank you for your warm welcome, the answers provided here will be really useful to me.

Originally posted by thetiebers
If you are following a type of career and complete a mission it should tell you to go to a location and choice the mission say with a * next to it. There will be other missions listed also but it wants you to do the one specified.

The strange thing is, i dont have missions which names are enclosed in **'s. I started on a carrier near a star (i can provide names later ) where there is only this mission (and the nasty grav. field thats messing with my beautiful landing). There is a station nearby with an asteroid field around it (there is an assignment to blow up some rocks), 'clean the solar panels' and a mission or two related to mining/transporting stuff. I didnt received a message telling me where to go when i started the military 'career' thats the only thing still confusing me so far.

Jump on Remula one server and pilots will try to help you also. Welcome to the forum and the Sim. Have fun and hope to see you out there sometime.

Thanks, will do. Now that i know how to connect to MP servers (i should've checked that last night but it was already past 3 o'clock in the morning when i stopped playing ) it wont be a problem xD

Damn, cant wait to finish with some work and spend some time trashin npc's .

[Edited on 11-20-2010 by Nex]

[Edited on 11-20-2010 by Nex]

[Maarschalk]

Hi Nex, welcome to the game and forum. See you out there some time...

[SeeJay]

Welcome to a great sim and community. I strongly recommend joining MP. I learned a lot from others there
and contracts are much more fun when several pilots join up together.

[Nex]

Thanks

@SeeJay - Yep at saturday i had some free time (1 hour o.O) and joined Rem One Awesome, was greeted by "Remula One" (not sure what's his exact name on the forum). For 20 minutes he told me more stuff than i couldve learned for a day browsing the forum / playing

There is no problem with playing on the server (and not playing @ SP when soloing)?

Btw i tried with 2-3 different combat-characters but i didnt received a message when i joined the game for the first time. Cant really start a career there so i'll follow RO's advice and i'll start mining






Edit: Why do i get a "contract failed, payment received" error on the mining contracts? First i had to mine 25 diamonds. I did it, returned to the station and i got that message. The next contract was about mining 25 plat. The same thing happened o.O


Edit 2: On the second attempt i managed to finish the plat. contract

[Edited on 11-22-2010 by Nex]

[Edited on 11-22-2010 by Nex]

[Nex]

Today i killed my first NPC's i travelled to olympus and finished some contracts. Then i decided to take a combat-one. 3 Fighters (according to the description), nothing too serious. I warped in, started shooting and several minutes later i was already running around from no less than 6-7 NPC's spamming missiles and trying to spank me hard. I killed 2, reinforcements warped in and i had to run away (out of countermeasures and @ 24% hull).
Then i decided to pick a fight somewhere in the system. Again (imo) reinforcements arrived too fast. Little by little i managed to kill some ships and a hour later (after i started my adventures in PvE pew pew combat) i was able to finally clear all the npc's that spawned after aggressing the first one.

SUCCESS

Then i accepted an IMG mission, 4 fighters. No reinforcements so i killed them without any problems (and no missile spam ). One of the missions i received after that was a bit harder, i had to escort a capital ship until he reaches a location in space / warpout point / whatever; I tried the mission like 3 times. I just cant get the little ships off his (the cap ship's) back. I managed to kill 2-3, tried to reach the remaining 1-2 ships attacking the cap but it was too late, he just got blown up time after time.

what should i do / how should i proceed with this mission? I upgraded my weapons with the best stuff i found in Olympus. Mirage hull.


Edit: Anyway, im really happy i managed to kill some stuff at last


Edit 2: Im trying to move in arcs around the ships im trying to blow up, what is the right way to do that? Most of the time i find myself moving almost backwards, holding the side thrusters + forward thrusters buttons (on inertial ofc) so i can slow down a bit and change direction. If im not too lazy i'll draw it on paint as im having troubles explaining it

[Edited on 11-25-2010 by Nex]

[Edited on 11-25-2010 by Nex]

[SeeJay]

You're doing great with your fighting.

The key to success in escort missions is to focus on the closest enemy of the capital ship.
Concentrate on them and you'll get by.

Keep up the good work, and remember that practice makes perfect!

[Edited on 2010-11-26 by SeeJay]