A mod for extended options but vanilla maps?

[Thunderfrog]

Hi all,

I have recently picked up the extended mod for Albion Prelude, and while I love the options it brings and all the ship data, I do not prefer the custom universe. For example, choosing the pirate start called "shanty" something or other, the universe I am allowed to play in is almost completely barren.

Here I am, in my M4, stuck in pirate territory with no where to go because the gates loop back on me, and no civilian ships to terrorize. There's a split border sector that leads nowhere, with no ships other than pirates, and going east leads to more dead ins, filled with other pirates but no prey. =(

Rohnkar's Dismissal, I think is the sector.

I realize gates unlock over time, but there's literally nothing to do with 10 credits to my name, a cargo to small for most missions, and not enough guns to risk fighting other pirates for an immediate ship upgrade. I also find that there's not as much information out there about Xtended sectors in the guides and such.

Help please!

-TF

Ps: I realize this thread is kind of doing two things. It's asking for mods that allow the same freedom as xtended in modding difficulty and starts and so forth. It's also asking if anyone has any advice on how to play the pirate start!

[Sorkvild]

What you have chosen isn't a walk in the park - this is very long and difficult gamestart, yet very satisfying when you will learn the ropes to work your way out of this miserable situation. My personal tip - sell your buster with weapons and buy yourself something smaller and faster, start doing courier stuff and light combat missions.