A few beginner's questions

[specialsymbol]

Hello!

I have a few questions and couldn't find the answers so far.

1. I found a suitcase (sorry, translated - I installed the german version, so I hope I find the right words). What's up with that? I can obviously pick it up, but don't find it anywhere.

2. Same goes for boxes. I can open them, but they are empty. It says I picked something up, but - I have no idea where this went and what to do with it. It's mostly scrap.

3. Where can I see what my ship's cargo is?

4. What happens if I set a different waypoint? I am playing the campaign and always get pre-set waypoints (to follow the campaign). What happens when I set my own waypoint, how can I get back to the campaign ones?

5. How can I dock manually? I seem to be only able to move close to a station, double-click on the item and select "dock". I am now at the point where I should dock with my own ship. I tried flying into the bay but it didn't work, only backing out, pressing <space> to go into interactive mode, double-click and then select "dock" worked.

6. When trying to leave the ship (after having deployed my captain) I walked into my ship (the other one, where you always are in). When I entered the cockpit (cutscene) I could see the background, the docking bay, spinning like crazy. It was even worse when I had control of the ship, then it stopped. Is there any way to prevent this? Did I do something wrong? Does it always happen when I walk into my ship's cockpit while landed? Is there a better way to take off?

7. Is there any way to open the nav map (, or .) or using the "t" key (whatever that does) without the ship automatically stopping? Especially with the maps it's quite annoying.

8. I see a few "Info" icons I can't select. Why? I can't select them when they pop up, I always have to get close. Sometimes I have to get so close that I almost ram the station. It also happens when I press <space> to go into interactive mode (is it even possible to select them not being in interactive mode?).


Thanks!

[RAVEN.myst]

Howdy, here's a few answers

1. and 2. All that stuff goes into your Inventory. Try 'I' or 'Shift-I' (I forget, as it's possible I changed mine somewhat, I customized many of my keybindings. In the options menu, under controls, you can find the current settings.)

3. Sorry to say, but your personal ship (the Albion Skunk) doesn't carry cargo, so all you have there is your personal inventory, as in 1 and 2 above. Some of the other ships that you can own (but not directly pilot) can carry cargo.

4. Once you reach the waypoint that you set, it will disappear and your campaign waypoint will reappear. If you change your mind and no longer need your custom waypoint, you can go via the commands menu to 'missions' and kill the destination (well, not literally - just the waypoint to it ). In this screen, you can also manage your objectives - you can turn off any mission (including main plot) direction if you don't want to be shown it for the time being, you can choose which mission to be directed to currently, and you can abort (non-plot) missions you have decided not to do.

5. Sadly, there is no manual docking, there's only the "magic insta-dock" By the way, there's a hotkey for docking once you are within a certain range, so that you needn't screw around with that on-screen menu, if you prefer - it's Shift-D on my PC (again, I don't know whether that's the default)

6. I found that if I disable mouse flight mode before I dock (by hitting the spacebar), it usually remembers and then when I take off again it's in a "civilized" manner. When taking off from a Rahanas or Sul, be careful to clear the "mouth" of the docking bay before you start any maneouvres, as this can lead to your Skunk bouncing up and down crazily and uncontrollably, and it can then be very difficult to get out.

7. Yes - in the options menu, there's a setting that's called something like "maintain ship speed in menus" and is disabled by default; just flip that setting. (I also don't like to pull over every time I need to look at the map or the time or whatever...)

8. If the icons you refer to have an "i" symbol, then they first have to be scanned by pointing your cross-hairs at them and flying close enough. You can see when they have been scanned because they become slightly brighter, whereas the "un-scanned" ones are a bit dimmer. How many of these icons you've scanned is reflected by the percentage number shown for the station (which isn't its hull or shield strength or anything of the sort, which is what one might think - it's instead an indication of how much of the station you've inspected and "have on file".)


Happy hunting!

[specialsymbol]

Wow, thank you for the thorough answers!

<i> or <Shift>+<i> doesn't work for me, but I finally could find the stuff. What use are these materials? For example the pesticides, what can I do with them?

[Alan Phipps]

Sell them to the relevant type of NPC traders on station while docked and walking about or by hailing individuals from the 'Info' option when you double-click Station docks from space.

Some inventory items form ingredients for optional recipes for crafting more useful complex items for use as gifts, to affect the operation of stations or to enhance the Skunk. Once you get one ingredient, the associated recipe shows in your Inventory.

Beware that many inventory and crafted items can be illegal without the relevant faction licences, and some are always illegal in some areas. Carrying illegal items on the Skunk can get you a run-in with the local authorities if you are scanned close to a station.

[specialsymbol]

Good to know, thank you!

[ajax34i]

You should take a look at Egosoft's wiki, especially the Player Handbook and the Information about the Game sections. And also check the English-version wiki, as that may have extra information.

[specialsymbol]

Yes, thanks. I already went into both the handbook and the wiki. I am right now trying to switch my game language to english, as there seems to be so much more information for it and I can't really translate all the drone's names.


Two more questions:

When I see a station trade points pop up. Is there anywhere the information available what they mean? I understand the flash is for energy and + is the station is selling it. But what about other icons?

When one station has several selling points, do they all have the same prices? It seems to be the case, but then what is the point behind having multiple identical selling stations?

[RainerPrem]

Yes, thanks. I already went into both the handbook and the wiki. I am right now trying to switch my game language to english, as there seems to be so much more information for it and I can't really translate all the drone's names.


Two more questions:

When I see a station trade points pop up. Is there anywhere the information available what they mean? I understand the flash is for energy and + is the station is selling it. But what about other icons?

When one station has several selling points, do they all have the same prices? It seems to be the case, but then what is the point behind having multiple identical selling stations?

Hi,

The buying/selling points are where L and XL freighters can dock (multiple at a time). The prices are all the same.

So what "other icons" do you refer to? the "i" are to uncover a station's layout and find places to hack into (if you're inclined that way).

There are docking points for the Skunk and points to uncover secret missions. Fly close to activate them and then look and click on your ship monitor.

cu
Rainer

[RAVEN.myst]

Those wares icons take some learning - in fact, however, you don't even need to. I've played god-knows-how-many-hours of the game, and I've not needed to familiarize myself with those (I recognize the microchips one, and the quantum tubes one, and ones for gases and minerals, the snowflake for ice, and the little burger for food, but that's about it.) The thing is, all the trade functionality you need is available through more consolidated interfaces, such as the trade menu and the "dealfinder" menu. If you need to look at a specific station's trades only, it's simpler to select it in the map, open its properties/details page, and view its trade data - all in one place, so squinting at the individual docks and what-not becomes irrelevant/unnecessary.

[specialsymbol]

Great, thank you! That would have been my next question, about if there is a better way to trade rather than flying close to the sign. Ah, and now I know what the Burger sign means

Thank you all so far!

[ajime]

Those wares icons take some learning - in fact, however, you don't even need to. I've played god-knows-how-many-hours of the game, and I've not needed to familiarize myself with those (I recognize the microchips one, and the quantum tubes one, and ones for gases and minerals, the snowflake for ice, and the little burger for food, but that's about it.) The thing is, all the trade functionality you need is available through more consolidated interfaces, such as the trade menu and the "dealfinder" menu. If you need to look at a specific station's trades only, it's simpler to select it in the map, open its properties/details page, and view its trade data - all in one place, so squinting at the individual docks and what-not becomes irrelevant/unnecessary.

the only bone i have to pick on that is i can't specifically filter the ships i want. or at least mark a certain ships from the trade menu. I tend to use one of those TL's as system warehouses and have smaller trader ships fetch stuff for it. i blame X3 for this.

[RainerPrem]

Hi,

there are however some situations, when you need to scan infopoints.

1) On a shipyard, when there's another production apparently stuck, and you can't see from the station's trade menu, which ware is missing.

2) On a fusion reactor producing factory to see when exactly the next bunch is finished and you can buy it before anybody else.

cu
Rainer

[RAVEN.myst]

@Rainer: It's not infopoints that were being referred to above, but the icons on the capital docks, which indicate what wares are traded (though I'm not convinced that only that ware is traded only at that particular dock - I think maybe the icons are simply spread around since only one is shown per dock.)