thebs wrote:I landed on my first 1.8G the other day ... by pure accident ... with an Anaconda no less. Talk about "interesting" when it came to the SRV and blowing up stones for resources!
So ... one-up'd myself. Thought I had a killer trade run, which turned out to be a bust with <<1,000cr/t profit. But man does landing on a
2.05G world really became interesting!
Orbital flight started way, way up around 5Mm IIRC. Entering glide started at nearly 100km. The one thing I learned when I landed on my first 1.2G world was to pull up and out of Glide before 10km high. Did the same in the prior 1.8G. In this case, for a 2.05G, I did it at 12km, especially since the crater walls were 8km themselves, and were getting bigger in my window! But that wasn't the end of it ...
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... because I should have done it at 20km!
Even though I was level, the Glide left me with momentum heading way, way down, especially as I had to bank around 180 degrees and finally realized it. Dropping like a rock through 5km, I had to pitch up and boost twice, which got me hovering ... at barely 1.5km! Some 2s later ... and I would have been snake bites!
Every tap down on the X55 thumb nipple was good for a 4-bar drop. Just when I thought I had it, the planetside base barked about my Delta-V, and I had to boost once again ... sigh ... loop around again. Keeping the nose up 10 degrees, while trying to find the pad ... I dare not go inverted, flipping around would lose 1km ... easily. Took 4 minutes to land in total, but I finally got it down.
All to find out the 3,100cr/t profit expected was barely 600cr/t. Sigh ... just cannot grind well it seems
... but
that's me ... on the D-list!
Falcon_D wrote:FD's idea to level up with the RNGineers by doing your own thing would have worked well if they had provided storage. The problem is that if you want a certain mod then there is a chance that you would have to "grind" out missions looking for a certain commodity or you would have to "grind" mining looking for a certain metal.
Yeah, the mission rewards-only components are a total PITA if you're not going for that upgrade at the time. You're totally 100% right.
At one point I had no less than 20t, of my 304-452t (depending on optional modules) dedicated to mission rewards-only components that I planned to use in the next 1-2 months. But finally I sold them, and called it a day. It's really stupid not to be able to store components at engineer base. I used to verify if they could be bought, and keep them if they could not ... but I'm done with that. Unless I'm going to upgrade in the next week, it gets sold.
In any case ... I've now got a Class 4A Multi-cannon ... and spent all last night in a trade configuration, getting interdicted by Deadly foes. Long story ...
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I love that Multi-mother-f'er! Makes great Pirate Porridge!
They sold the 4A right there in Bava, which I was at to collect on the CG (parked there the night before). Duh, didn't even look prior /me smacks forehead. I guess because I've already signed up for the new trade CG, when I was trade grinding out another 25Mcr out last night over 3 hours -- a trade route within 40ly of Azrael -- I kept getting interdicted by Deadly ships, in Empire systems I'm friendly, then allied with. I'm only Expert combat ranking, so I usually see nothing higher than Master.
I took out the FAS, FDL and others, got some great components ... but I just couldn't make a dent in the shields of a heavily upgraded, Deadly Python. When mines weren't doing much, I turned and made a pass, and he got the better of me, so I kept running. One interesting thing is that I finally had my first 4-way -- 3 them, 1 me. I usually ran prior, even in a combat Python, because 3 on 1 usually meant enough guns on me to bring the shields down.
But in the Anaconda, even in a trade configuration with only Class 4A Shields + the five (5) Level 1 Upgraded Class 0A Shield Boosters, I had around 700MJ with +7.5 damage resistance. It was an Asp Scout plus a pair of Cobras, all Deadly -- again, all I ever saw was Deadly all last night -- and that Asp Scout was really upgraded, as I would quickly realize. One of the Cobras felt my mines, and then I turned early -- not waiting for the mines to take out 1-2, although they were close enough they were already missing most of them. I then took him out in short order ... the pair of Class 3 Pulse Turrets knocking him hard and down to 70% hull. Once I got the bead, my Class 4A Gimballed Multi-cannon ruined his day in barely a half-dozen rounds, getting the bead very perfectly timed between his chaff releases.
The shields were still at only 2 ring, and without cells, I thought about running, again. But I said, f' it, I'm done running, and "pressed my own 'defense'." The next Cobra was toast once I got a bead on him, I totally unloaded and he was out in a half dozen seconds, with the Class 3 Gimballed Beam on the Anaconda's underside adding to the Fury of the pair of Pulse Turrets, with the Multi-cannon taking out the last half of his hull. I only need 3 pips to keep the weapons fed on that -1 Size, Class A (7A, 8 being the largest IIRC) distributor, so usually 2 pips to weapons, and 4 on the system gives me the best.
By now that Asp Scout had me on my six, and was pummeling me good, I thought about running, yet again. But the shields were still over 1 ring, and I decided to put 3 pips to those weapons the second I got him in my forward arc. But this guy had it all ... he was constant chaff, so ... for the first time ever, I switched to "forward fire" instead of "target only." I kept it on him, and just belched everything I had. I saw him expend cell bank after cell bank, and finally he exhausted him as we were in a direct brawl ... him flying backwards.
He got me down under 1 ring, just as his shields finally fell. I fired off another chaff, slipped sideways, and just kept using his ship as a plinking target, with no further attempt at piloting grace. As he hit 0%, he finally got my shields down ... just a fraction of a second before he went boom! It was the most satisfying battle I've ever been in, because I always had a rule I'd never take on 3 ships -- especially not in a trading configuration with no shield cells and the smallest Size, although Class A, shield that I could fit on it, for max cargo (452t).
Oh yeah, my "allied" friends (max bar too) showed up just as I finished him off. Of course I then had to submit to a scan. Couldn't pick up all the components in-time either. In the Anaconda trade configuration, I don't bother with a limpet collector. Oh well.
Again, I could have ran, low waked as no one was going to disrupt me much ... but I didn't. Now I feel more confident taking on more than 2 ships, as long as they are Asp Scout, maybe one Asp Explorer, or less in the pack. Probably easy for a lot of you guys, but a whole new experience to me. Next time I'll probably keep those shields one ring stronger. We'll see.
Now I'm off to the new trade CG starting Saturday. I thought of doing the Jaques one, but that's 22Kly! That would be over 10x farther out than I've ever been.
Won't be tonight as the Wife wants to see the new Star Trek in IMAX 3D tonight ... so off to Universal Orlando for a late showing.
