Junk Drawer Tips

[Rostin]

Depends on what you are going for I guess. When I started I just used whatever I could get and worked up to higher levels. Once I got to good landmark Mks I used uniformity to make all of my ships identical to others of the same type

[Madden]

Here's my very own tip, some may agree, some may not...

In the first month or two, maybe, it's useless to get powerful FTL drives, because money is kinda scarce then and it's kinda wasteful to spend extra solars in one single jump, also since an FTL MK I is already enough to send you around Sol. From Earth to Pluto its just seven minutes, what's the point of spending hundreds more solars just because you want to speed it up to five minutes? I doubt time is that precious to you guys.

As for Wormhole Generators, an WHG XXXX, like the one I'm using now, is good enough. Costs slightly more fuel cells but can send you around much faster.

It is also advisable to keep a spare WHG I in your SOS ship's cargo bay because if you happen to run out of fuel and solars while 100 LY away from Sol, you won't want to use the WHG XXXX any longer. Either this, or you have a LVQ at around 70% efficiency so that you can reduce the workers on your WHG, reducing its power but also reducing the fuel cost. LVQs at 100% efficiency are almost useless.

And...blind jumps are not as stupid as you might think. It costs less fuel and allows your ship to jump a distance of 50 to 150 LY away from your current spot, which is perfect for SOS missions in the future, because it lands you in the 3rd to the 5th rings, and those are where you earn the most money. And also a quick reminder: keep as many medicines as possible in your SOS ship's cargo bay, they could be useful.

Anyways, I'm not really Mr Astro Galaxy Expert, if I happen to say something wrong, just say.

[raphael]

Hi, y'all.  Been spending time data mining the Forum while drivin' my bus around and a thought popped up:  A sort of 'reverse' guide to the game.

Goes something like this:  Bravo posts -- I waited to progress in the SEA course until I had the goodies for a Heavy Frigate and then put a bunch of Cargo Bays on it.  I use it to transport crews here'n'there.  Got a gas mine and a sulfur mine that no one's killed, yet. Is this the optimal route for a newb that is 'x' far in the SEA course or is/are there things you can suggest?

Folks weigh in with their input which might be --- A:  Nope.  You're doomed to crawl until further notice.  B:  "Ya friggin' idjit!  Wha'd ya go an' do sumpin like dat fer?"  C:  Could be worse; better than a sharp stick in the eye, though.  D:...well, y'all get the idea.

If some of the respondents tossed in 'Here's how you could _______' sorts of commentary, the thread could evolve into a useful critter.

Could even start with this entry.  The info in the "Bravo posts..." is accurate. 

So, what kinda input have y'all got?

If you've got what it takes, do what I did: Sell the 20 QPs that you got after the course and build a science ship with the 1st ship. With the 2nd ship, start raiding mines and destroying them afterwards. Focus on inactives, but if they aren't enough, focus on one weak corp at a time. Expect revenge and lots of silly taunts and death threats (LOL) but it's fun (that's why you play AG, right? to have fun). Income is a lot better than transporting boring prospectors, and every day is a huge payday, especially when you're a week old in the game and have no one to rely on to. Research WHG and cargo bay, and when they're high enough, start doing SOS. Start buying VIP and hiring officers. You can still continue pirating at this point. Now focus researching on marines and shields. Once you have 5 SOS ships, you can then start making COM ships and start researching combat tactics. By the time you start COMs, you can stop pirating. Now make or force peace with your enemies. 

That's what made me where I am now, more or less. The beginning is the most crucial part of your growth because it can last many months if you start off on the wrong foot. I never followed other newbie guides because they were too slow for me and if I wanted to catch up and be no. 1 (Mata had 90m power when I started), I needed to do something different. You need to have an exceptional resolve though because you won't win in the end if you give up on setbacks. Always plan months ahead. And most importantly, choose your enemies wisely (read: don't touch SSS).

[Raptor]

but if they aren't enough, focus on one weak corp at a time.

Nice dig at IMG 

[BravoVoid]

Way cool, y'all.  You folks are sure a bunch of helpful critters -- got me waiting for the other shoe to drop, though.    Am wonderin' when the sharks are gonna bare their toothy li'l grins and chomp a mouthful of my hide.

Which brings me to the next chapter in the Junk Drawer saga.

While @ work, my space bus wandered into Alpha Centauri's environs.  Dropped off some hitch-hikers from Sol.  I've got some fuel to spare and an Atmospheric and regular mine aboard, fully staffed.  I'm not all the way through the Forum stuff, yet.  I haven't run into any input about the first SEA space jump's aftermath.  

So, here are the questions:  Exploring the new system is a given but does it make any sense for a shave-tail like me to put in facilities this far out, yet?  I haven't been pounced on by pirates (thus far), no predators have purloined any of my goodies in Sol (BTW, I think I read somewhere that there's a grace period for us know-nothin' newbs before the animals attack.  True?).  I haven't progressed to the SEA stuff that entails puttin' in a Station, yet.  Am trying to figure out the mechanics of that.  It wouldn't be too encouraging to put it in and then have some space beastie swallow it, right off the bat.  Gotta watch my pennies.  

[Madden]

Putting facilities far away is very sensible.

1.Raphael doesnt like others to put facilities in Sol.
2.Alpha Centauri is not far away.
3.You probably have space to put 10 facilities and manage it with just one station.
4. ++ For your information SOL corp members are 80% more likely to get attacked, especially if they ae as weak as you. Noncorp members too.

[raphael]

but if they aren't enough, focus on one weak corp at a time.

Nice dig at IMG 

I wasn't attacking them at first, but Dadds felt like he needed to do something against pirates. That eventually led to his downfall. LOL

[Rostin]

You'll have a tough time finding open space in the systems around Sol (In quadrant [0,0]) to put down miners/collectors

+1 to what Madden said. He is exactly right. You might get some other newbie attacking you but that is kind of unavoidable anywhere in (0,0) besides GJ 674

[Madden]

Hmm Rostin but that doesnt seem to be the case at ... Uh ... My exbase at Tau Ceti, luckily I managed to relocate 13 aths before I was attacked, and my weekly survey of the area showed that almost 80% of the slots there are vacant.

++And you sure are making money from that MIF at Triton huh 

[Rostin]

Hmm Rostin but that doesnt seem to be the case at ... Uh ... My exbase at Tau Ceti, luckily I managed to relocate 13 aths before I was attacked, and my weekly survey of the area showed that almost 80% of the slots there are vacant.

++And you sure are making money from that MIF at Triton huh 

Is that only recently? Someone might have cleared out inactives

[BravoVoid]

Back on point, ya -jackers!  

So far, I (and any number of lurkers skulkin' about) have gotten some interesting info dumped into our collective laps.  A decent mix of Aggressive and Passive/Aggressive postures have been outlined.  Some strategic information got shared, e.g., ...range out from Sol, pronto...Science is beaucoup vital...Be picky about taxi missions - use the "I can't take you there." dialogue to pyramid profitability...a couple of bug-lets in the SEA school stuff and their fixes were shared.  And more, because some of the things offered led to "Hey, I read somethin' about that in another Forum post!" and encouraged further exploration and data-mining.

My hat's off to y'all and I appreciate it mucho.  The community here is sorta surprising.

Got your egos buffed enough?

Cool.  One o'the things Raph pointed out was "...plan months in advance..."  Let's talk about that some.

 Scenario:  Bravo's Beasties are almost out of diapers.  Will be done with the SEA stuff (if interested, there was a MAJOR delay -- 16 friggin' hours worth! discussed a little in the 'Bugs and Problems' Forum topic.)  As a side note, I thought about doin' this step-by-step for the benefit of the bare-butt newbs like me.  Because "life begins after SEA school," I'm gonna switch horses mid-stream and be more situational versus "Here's what I've got, here's where I am, etc."  The BBs are out in the great wide universe now and I don't want to spill all my candy and popcorn in the lobby.

That said, here's my situation in a nutshell:  I've got a "To all who see these presents, greetings..." parchment sayin' I'm outta school, am trying to grow a gas station in another system, have a single ship, but it's flexible and useful, am ramping Science as fast as practicable (and maybe a bit past that) and I'm soaking up info from every vector and avenue I'm aware of.  

What da F...  Oooops.  Seriously, though --  What would y'all suggest for a newly graduated, wet-behind-the-ears, "Wow!  I didn't know ya could do that!" kinda goof do next?  And I'm specifically interested in your input colored with Raph's "...months ahead..." theme.  How does a space pup go about growin' without major trauma?   

[Madden]

Hmm Rostin but that doesnt seem to be the case at ... Uh ... My exbase at Tau Ceti, luckily I managed to relocate 13 aths before I was attacked, and my weekly survey of the area showed that almost 80% of the slots there are vacant.

++And you sure are making money from that MIF at Triton huh 

Is that only recently? Someone might have cleared out inactives

Its been like that for months why dont you check it out? Problem is I havent been there for a few weeks and the PvP corp may have taken up all the slots.

[Rostin]

Hmm Rostin but that doesnt seem to be the case at ... Uh ... My exbase at Tau Ceti, luckily I managed to relocate 13 aths before I was attacked, and my weekly survey of the area showed that almost 80% of the slots there are vacant.

++And you sure are making money from that MIF at Triton huh 

Is that only recently? Someone might have cleared out inactives

If that's the case then we might be experiencing less game accounts being registered than in previous eras...

.... back on topic...
Its been like that for months why dont you check it out? Problem is I havent been there for a few weeks and the PvP corp may have taken up all the slots.

[Rostin]

Back on point, ya -jackers!  

So far, I (and any number of lurkers skulkin' about) have gotten some interesting info dumped into our collective laps.  A decent mix of Aggressive and Passive/Aggressive postures have been outlined.  Some strategic information got shared, e.g., ...range out from Sol, pronto...Science is beaucoup vital...Be picky about taxi missions - use the "I can't take you there." dialogue to pyramid profitability...a couple of bug-lets in the SEA school stuff and their fixes were shared.  And more, because some of the things offered led to "Hey, I read somethin' about that in another Forum post!" and encouraged further exploration and data-mining.

My hat's off to y'all and I appreciate it mucho.  The community here is sorta surprising.

Got your egos buffed enough?

Cool.  One o'the things Raph pointed out was "...plan months in advance..."  Let's talk about that some.

 Scenario:  Bravo's Beasties are almost out of diapers.  Will be done with the SEA stuff (if interested, there was a MAJOR delay -- 16 friggin' hours worth! discussed a little in the 'Bugs and Problems' Forum topic.)  As a side note, I thought about doin' this step-by-step for the benefit of the bare-butt newbs like me.  Because "life begins after SEA school," I'm gonna switch horses mid-stream and be more situational versus "Here's what I've got, here's where I am, etc."  The BBs are out in the great wide universe now and I don't want to spill all my candy and popcorn in the lobby.

That said, here's my situation in a nutshell:  I've got a "To all who see these presents, greetings..." parchment sayin' I'm outta school, am trying to grow a gas station in another system, have a single ship, but it's flexible and useful, am ramping Science as fast as practicable (and maybe a bit past that) and I'm soaking up info from every vector and avenue I'm aware of.  

What da F...  Oooops.  Seriously, though --  What would y'all suggest for a newly graduated, wet-behind-the-ears, "Wow!  I didn't know ya could do that!" kinda goof do next?  And I'm specifically interested in your input colored with Raph's "...months ahead..." theme.  How does a space pup go about growin' without major trauma?   

Here is what it all comes down to...

$$$ MONEY $$$ 

Seriously though, money is the name of the game when it comes to Astro Galaxy. There are various opportunities out there to collect aaaaalllll the monies you can whilst still wanting/needing more.
Mining, piracy, SOS missions(x4), COM missions(x2), exploring alien wrecks, interplanetary taxi missions, interstellar taxi missions, private contracts, begging(???), etc. all of these will net you cash and more.

What Raphael (AKA, "The One Above All") means by "Plan months ahead" [at least I THINK this is what he means...] is figure out how much a project is going to cost you and how you should produce/work to make that happen in the most efficient way. For example, figure out what you want to use a ship for before you even purchase it (hull size really matters). It might make sense to use hybrid ship designs at first but later on when you're a logistical vet raking in millions of $ a day you will think to yourself "Why on EARTH did I put THOSE modules on THAT ship???" Think of any investment you make as basically nonrefundable. Manufacturing, income, and science all take time. Don't blow all of it on the first thing that catches your fancy when there is something else that will help you out much more in the long run.

My Tips:

1.) Balance your research and economy. It will do you no good to be able to make mk L WHGs when you can only afford a mk X after a week of saving.

2.) SOS missions are GREAT for newer players to develop towards. They only require WHGs and cargo bays and both of those modules are essential for any other ship you will need. (pro-tip; look for SOS bubbles in the outer rings, they pay the best)

3.) Don't worry about power until you can start making ships that can effectively use that power.

4.) Don't waste QPs on speeding up ANYTHING until you can afford to buy your own QPs.

5.) Always have a goal in mind!

[Antilak]

I'll give you a tip, although you probably won't understand it. Sometimes moving faster (and paying more for it) increases your profits, versus moving slower (and paying less). To really understand, you need to see an example. I'll try to fish...

Here... Getting things done fast is sometimes strategically and/or economically better. Let me try to give an example by creating a scenario to explain it. Lets say I spend $223 in transportation costs to acquire and sell $1205 of materials in the span of 72 hours. If I instead spend $446, which is twice as much, to get the same job done in 48 hours then in 72 hours the net result is I spend $669 and sell $1807 of materials for a total profit over the former example of $156. In this particular case anyway, one has to (ideally) graph these linear equations and see where they intersect to know when the profit switches hands.

I know thats confusin', but the nitty gritty of Astro Galaxy is .... ya .... in the numbers.

If you just play and ignore most of hte numbers, you should do ok. You'll do better if you join a corp. Myself, I took the slow route to success. I started out explorin'. And minin'. I'm still explorin'. And minin'. But that's what I enjoy. Do what you enjoy.

And to put into perspective the power of corps.... Join one and you'll be more powerful than me. That's how powerful joining one is. And I've played for several months. There's no single thing you can do right now which will have higher returns.

The second most powerful thing is probably to invest in science labs... just sprinkle them like rain in the cosmos. Most players won't attack them. I've never had mine attacked and I've never heard of anybody attacking them. If you worry someone might attack them, you can reduce the chances by always leaving room on the planets so players who might want room don't have to attack inactives to make room. Alternatively, you can harbor ships permanently at Earth and fill them with Science Labs. Nothing at Earth can be attacked, but putting science labs on your ships permanently will consume module space.