Best TP

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 22:22

time for the ultimate holywar.

adobis · Post by **adobis** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 22:29

Well based on X2, I believe the Manta is the best one, however, since I update my game from 1.2 to 1.5, I don't know which one is the better

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 22:42

since i've recently decided to purchase a tp and did a bit of research i'll add some points of discussion which people might find interesting

is the added shielding and weaponry of hermes are worth the reduced speed compared to manta?
is it worth investing in a spacier tp that the express to do more rewarding tours?
why aren't we able to compress passengers?
do i have too much time on my hands?
how many 1/16 of times can you fire a bpsg with 500mwt of weapon power in the hermes?
can you clear a xenon sector in iguana vanguard?
where is toucan hauler sold?
am i mad?
who is hotter: maria or saya?

Gazz · Post by **Gazz** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 22:51

Given that they are all useless (except for one buggy BBS mission) - the split TP is the most fun to fly.

Give it a flower power paint job and stock up on space weed and you have an a-ok hippie bus.

why aren't we able to compress passengers?

You can if you dehydrate them.

Demolisher 2 · Post by **Demolisher 2** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 22:57

BEST TP??? - we're really running out of "BEST blank" subjects aren't we?

But FWIW the Express Hauler is the best because it is unique so you won't see anyone else cruising around in a ship exactly like yours.

surferx · Post by **surferx** » Mon, 2. Jun 08, 23:28

Lifeform compression was something I posted about on the XTM X-Universe forum about space Marines on assualt ships. You shouldn't be able to carry 70+ people in the cargo hold of a Falcon. Compressing Delaxian wheat or Maja snails is one thing; but in order to exhibit a little more realism I think lifeforms should be uncompressible. That's why TP class ship's cargo holds (ie. passenger seating areas) are fixed and cannot be increased.
Besides you don't dehydrate them. You just hire Japanese subway attendants.

Japanese Passenger Loading Video

[EDIT] Oops, forgot to vote. I really like the Iguana to do odd jobs like picking up cargo containers or delivering jumpdrives to TS ships so they don't have to travel 10 sectors to get one. The Iguana is fast and can zip in and get the job done. The extra weaponry really is a non factor it's the speed that really matters.

Psychoclops · Post by **Psychoclops** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 00:35

kotekzot wrote:
can you clear a xenon sector in iguana vanguard?

Only one way to find out! Let us know how you get on!

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 08:18

surferx wrote:Besides you don't dehydrate them. You just hire Japanese subway attendants.
Japanese Passenger Loading Video

oh my god. and i thought rush hours in moscow's underground were bad.

as a tour craft, toucan hauler seems to be a good option. it has slightly less cargo than a manta hauler or a hercules hauler, but the speed is a bit better. of course, the extra cargo space means more space for ecells which makes speed less important and allows you to visit more sectors in the limited time you are given to complete the tour.

jlehtone · Post by **jlehtone** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 08:25

Jumping on Tour cuts the profitss big time. (There is also "Trip to nowhere" mission, where jumping is allowed.)

I had a problem with Manta Hauler colliding with stations during undock. And it is slow.

Iguana Vanguard is small. Way too often too small for the Tour.

Express Hauler is harder to find than Toucan Hauler, and bit smaller too. And there is always the Pandora's touch that could apply to the speed.

Sandalpocalypse · Post by **Sandalpocalypse** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 08:39

I modded all my TPs so they had good weaponry and shielding. Helps a bit.

TPs were useful in X2, but with the TS variants in x3 - and a game balanced around them - it's hard to find a role for them. :[

CAGs are a part of the problem too...

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 09:00

jlehtone wrote:Jumping on Tour cuts the profitss big time. (There is also "Trip to nowhere" mission, where jumping is allowed.)

I had a problem with Manta Hauler colliding with stations during undock. And it is slow.

Iguana Vanguard is small. Way too often too small for the Tour.

Express Hauler is harder to find than Toucan Hauler, and bit smaller too. And there is always the Pandora's touch that could apply to the speed.

oh, i see. that's why i didn't get as much money as i thought i would. that settles it then - toucan hauler is the best for tours.

GlorfindelX · Post by **GlorfindelX** » Tue, 3. Jun 08, 09:33

Psychoclops wrote:
kotekzot wrote:
can you clear a xenon sector in iguana vanguard?

Only one way to find out! Let us know how you get on!

Yeah, it was nice knowing you, kotekzot.

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 01:04

toucan hauler's view is much better than that of express hauler, because the cockpit is positioned higher so that the hull doesn't occupy half of your screen. i'm very happy with it.

are there people who do those tours, or do i just have nothing better to do?

Carlo the Curious · Post by **Carlo the Curious** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 01:13

I do them occasionally when I'm bored. They can actually be quite profitable if you find a million credit+ mission in an area with some small sectors.

I keep meaing to take one to a kha'ak sector, just to see if I live long enough to jump out

.

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 01:15

you'll survive in all probablility. i've done it a few times and never had problems. the only thing that bothers me is - are you going to get your pay decreased for jumping?

Carlo the Curious · Post by **Carlo the Curious** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 01:20

Yes, you lose money for jumping. Quite a lot, iirc - jump enough and you get paid negative amounts.

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 01:28

perhaps jumping in and out of kha'ak sectors is exempt from this because there are no gates (and the passengers wouldn't want you to fly that slug of a ship to the gate anyway

).

Carlo the Curious · Post by **Carlo the Curious** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 02:56

Doesn't look like it.

2,203,357Cr mission from Family Zrt:
1. Family Zrt-jump-enemy A4H7E9-jump-Family Zrt - 484,738Cr

Being bored, I ran a few more tests:
2. Family Zrt - 2,203,257Cr
3. Family Zrt-fly-Zrt's Dominion-fly-Family Zrt - 4,406,714Cr
4. Family Zrt-jump-Zrt's Dominion-jump-Family Zrt - 440,671Cr
5. Family Zrt-jump-Zrt's Dominion-fly-Family Zrt - 440,671Cr
6. Family Zrt-jump-Ocean of Fantasy-fly-Family Ryk-fly-Family Zrt - 661,007Cr
7. Family Zrt-jump-Ocean of Fantasy-jump-Family Ryk-jump-Family Zrt - 661,007Cr
8. Family Zrt-jump-Getsu-jump-Menelaus-jump-Bluish Snout-jump-OoF-jump-Family Ryk-jump-Family Zrt - 1,322,014Cr

So it looks like you get a flat 10% of your payment (give or take some rounding errors) if you use the jumpdrive at all. I though I saw a negative payment once, but I guess I was mistaken.

stooper88 · Post by **stooper88** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 07:49

Carlo the Curious wrote:Doesn't look like it.

So it looks like you get a flat 10% of your payment (give or take some rounding errors) if you use the jumpdrive at all. I though I saw a negative payment once, but I guess I was mistaken.

Thanks for taking the time to research this Carlo. Just a silly thought here... If this is true, then wouldn't it be possible to make MORE profit from Tour missions by abusing the jump drive? It might require strategic placement of fleet support ships for e-cell refueling.

Essentially, the penalty for jumping is 90% reduction in payout, regardless of number of jumps. I'm just brainstorming and haven't tested actual numbers. But in theory, one could jump through as many sectors as possible and as quickly as possible, rather than flying through sectors via gates. Of course, the crucial factor is something I've yet to test: Does the average time required to traverse a sector exceed 10 x the duration required to charge and activate a jump drive? If so, then the penalty can be offset by rapidly jumping thru the vast X Universe.

Supposing a Tour mission pays 5mm cr per sector and provides time only sufficient for 5 sectors via conventional drives, then the expected reward is 25mm. By merely activating jump drives at any time during the mission, the reward would be immediately adjusted down to 2.5mm. Then again, it would require jumping through 50 sectors in order to recoup the original reward (250mm x 10%). And this would involve an agonizing number of Loading delays, not to mention the monotony of enduring 50 glances at the universe map and 50 countdowns from Betty.

On the other hand, since jumping allows travel between non-adjacent sectors (w/o any difference in jump duration), it's possible to jump through all xenon, pirate, and kha'ak sectors as long as sufficient energy is available. This would reap additional profit rewards to the player. But certainly the net gains wouldn't be enough to outweigh the hassle and inconvenience involved. This would be purely academic...

kotekzot · Post by **kotekzot** » Wed, 4. Jun 08, 09:03

carlo, this is an outstanding job (not the game mechanics - how you tested it).

stooper88 wrote:Supposing a Tour mission pays 5mm

please give them my number if you see a 5 trillion tour

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