Which Economy to get started first? ( and why?)

[TTD]

Most of my games have been centered around the Commonwealth.
But there are problems with leaving the Aldrin/ Terran sector economies to stagnate .
Also the x GoD likes to remove stations.

I know the trick of placing cheap scouts in any station you want to keep.

But I am wondering which economy is best to salvage first,if both options are available.
And for what reason would you give that priority.

[StarSword]

Terran, simply because you get there first. I love the sandbox gameplay of X3 so I dawdled on the plots. I had a true trading empire, multiple capital ships, and had the Terran economy loaded up with two dozen LTs and a Rapier at every weapons forge before I ever got to Aldrin.

Only within the past couple of days have I started LT-ing Aldrin (reference this thread).

[Catra]

Terran.

Pretty silly to wait on giving them help. =P

[Flozem]

I voted Aldrin, as I start training my sector traders in home of light, and it makes more sense taking station building missions here early of the game.

It's impossible to rescue the Terran economy early in the game. You simply don't have the resources to build the stations / create enough traders for that. Just settle for docking M5 at key stations so they do not disappear.

[Catra]

I voted Aldrin, as I start training my sector traders in home of light, and it makes more sense taking station building missions here early of the game.

It's impossible to rescue the Terran economy early in the game. You simply don't have the resources to build the stations / create enough traders for that. Just settle for docking M5 at key stations so they do not disappear.

Ah, no, its not impossible. You gotta be quite quick about it, but it is very possible to get stuff into terran space to save it in the opening hours / day of the game.

[TTD]

interesting.
Now we are getting to the bits I am looking for.
The reasons behind choosing one over the other.

Just out of interest...How many stations in Aldrin at open,compared to the rest of Terran Space?

And , if playing Vanilla,which start for this quest would you recommend?

I am still looking for more debate/votes for original questions.

[Starlight_Corporation]

I voted aldrin, because the Terran economy can always be salvaged later on, the few stations that vanish forever don't produce anything useful (Hullplating I know of, maybe EMP rifles and/or Keris drones as well?) All others I've seen respawn/rebuild.
I'm aware you need hullplating for a certain plot, but no worries, a new hullplating fab is build specially for this once you need it.
Aldrin however is a whole different ballgame, once it's weaponfactories are gone, they're gone for good. The food, mining & energyplants respawn if the demand is high enough, but so far i've never seen a weaponfacility respawn. This is the reason I would try to save Aldrin as soon as I can.

[Catra]

interesting.
Now we are getting to the bits I am looking for.
The reasons behind choosing one over the other.

Just out of interest...How many stations in Aldrin at open,compared to the rest of Terran Space?

And , if playing Vanilla,which start for this quest would you recommend?

I am still looking for more debate/votes for original questions.

Aldrin has 24.
Sol has 128.

USC commander (you have earth access at the beginning, and a fully kitted M3) / aldran explorer (start in aldrin with a spitfyre and terran plot part 1 completed.)

[Flozem]

Ah, no, its not impossible. You gotta be quite quick about it, but it is very possible to get stuff into terran space to save it in the opening hours / day of the game.

Either you're just opening up 1 or 2 sectors, or you use an exploit to get enough credits to setup logistics. You are aware these sectors are huge, and it takes ages for a single Baldric to get anywhere?

No, I would rather park a few M5 at key stations and go the same route I took last time: build a lot of trading stations with CAG Mistrals and a few ST Springblossoms to kickstart the economy once I'm filthy rich.

In Aldrin I would just park a few M5 at the EEMPC and EM/AM fabs. I really missed those in my previous game.

OT: In my PP game I'm parking M5 at rehabilitation centers I see now too. I don't want these structures removed this time around.

I'm also staying friendly with Yaki to get access to the PGB / IBL fabs. I love my Shrikes, Tigers and Panthers to get equiped.

[TTD]

So far I see only 25% are voting Aldrin.

Is this because you cannot enter Aldrin before doing the Terran plot,in Vanilla TC,or is it something more strategic?

My question in this post,for which I am poll testing ,is on the main basis that the game has been done through to Aldrin,and no work has been done to prevent stations being removed by GoD.
Thus you have a choice of which to rescue first...Aldrin or the Terran sectors.

[Catra]

Ah, no, its not impossible. You gotta be quite quick about it, but it is very possible to get stuff into terran space to save it in the opening hours / day of the game.

Either you're just opening up 1 or 2 sectors, or you use an exploit to get enough credits to setup logistics. You are aware these sectors are huge, and it takes ages for a single Baldric to get anywhere?

No, I would rather park a few M5 at key stations and go the same route I took last time: build a lot of trading stations with CAG Mistrals and a few ST Springblossoms to kickstart the economy once I'm filthy rich.

In Aldrin I would just park a few M5 at the EEMPC and EM/AM fabs. I really missed those in my previous game.

OT: In my PP game I'm parking M5 at rehabilitation centers I see now too. I don't want these structures removed this time around.

I'm also staying friendly with Yaki to get access to the PGB / IBL fabs. I love my Shrikes, Tigers and Panthers to get equiped.

yaki don't have PBG forges, pirates do, and even then you need to hack em. =P

Pick USC commander(full sol access) --> Do fight missions in heretics end for rep till scabbard --> sell EMPC on your ship --> do transport missions. Each mission gets you enough to buy a baldric + MK3 software.

Do the first 2 above, but keep getting rep till yokohama --> keep running aroind till you get a return M6 / M7 --> sell said ship and you're set for quite abit.

Do the first 2 above except just gain 2 ranks --- Sell EMPCs -- buy CLSS -- do taxi missions.

And don't start with this condescending "are you aware" sillyness when you accuse someone of 'sploits cause you don't know how something is possible.

Sure, they might be a tadbit slow, but they're not slow enough for GoD to just swoop in and remove a factory due to inactivity or overabundance. TBQH I don't see the need for springies, my baldric LTs have the situation under control quite nicely.

Rehab centers aren't taken out by GoD.

[Ripskar]

Terran;
The Aldrin weapons only apply to Aldrin ships; Spitfyre, Springblossom and #deca fighters. Terran Shipyards offer a far wider variety of vessels which require weapons that may not be available again till after the Aldrin Plot, and that means a good proportion of the Hub.

[Flozem]

yaki don't have PBG forges, pirates do, and even then you need to hack em. =P

Really, thought I saw one in one of their sectors in my current game... but you may be right - damn gotta suck up to the pirates as well then....

Pick USC commander(full sol access) --> Do fight missions in heretics end for rep till scabbard --> sell EMPC on your ship --> do transport missions. Each mission gets you enough to buy a baldric + MK3 software.

Do the first 2 above, but keep getting rep till yokohama --> keep running aroind till you get a return M6 / M7 --> sell said ship and you're set for quite abit.

Do the first 2 above except just gain 2 ranks --- Sell EMPCs -- buy CLSS -- do taxi missions.

And don't start with this condescending "are you aware" sillyness when you accuse someone of 'sploits cause you don't know how something is possible.

Sure, they might be a tadbit slow, but they're not slow enough for GoD to just swoop in and remove a factory due to inactivity or overabundance. TBQH I don't see the need for springies, my baldric LTs have the situation under control quite nicely.

I never said you use exploits and I'm not trying to be condescending - sorry if you feel that way.

IMHO it's impossible to service all Terran sectors enough with even 20 Baldrics on day one of the game, and it will set you back by quite some millions. Terran sectors are huge and do not have jumpgates.

I was merely stating that either you did use exploits to gather enough money to add lots of Baldrics or you only discovered two sectors and are servicing those only.

In any case, it seems like a huge investment for something that can be solved later on in the game when you need that economy to open up business opportunities. You won't be needing those weapons for a long time anyway.

Rehab centers aren't taken out by GoD.

I wonder why I had none left on gameday 20. I find it hard to believe evey sector had it removed by enemy forces. But you may be right - didn't pay enough attention, but just in case, I am parking M5 there.


Hmmm - lol voted Aldrin, but thought I voted Argon.... that's what you get for posting late at night. I would abstain if it were either Aldrin or Terran. Even though Aldrin has a few stations that can never be rebuilt. Just park an M5 and you're done. It's the cheapest solution. Even though it too is an exploit. (See I use them too - not trying to blame anyone.)

[pjknibbs]

I just don't bother with Aldrin myself...the only reason for getting the economy going in there is to buy Springblossoms, and I dislike those intensely, so there's no reason for me to help them out!

[Catra]

but you may be right - damn gotta suck up to the pirates as well then....

Wouldn't bother, they stay red unless hacked.

IMHO it's impossible to service all Terran sectors enough with even 20 Baldrics on day one of the game,

Servicing all terran sectors and saving the economy are two very different things.

For saving the economy, you need to focus on key sectors:

Jupiter / 2 / 3 (zone 1)
Saturn / 2 / 3 (zone 2)
Venus / Luna / Mars / Mercury (zone 3)

All you need for this task is a lvl 6 ST, which doesn't take very long to achieve with how argon / teladi have their sectors setup in the south, and because the logistic dock both buys Ecells, eats them as well, and terrans 90% of the time have a overabundance of Ecells, means you can have quite a number of trainees there as well.

5/zone is abit undermanned(I shoot for 9/zone), but the (vastly) superior efficiency of your LTs can plug the hole good enough to allow the NPCs to do what they need to do to be helpful.

The real problem in the terran economy is the protein paste(which you need to fix on day 2). Only the orbital docks sell it, and the LTs will not buy from there, so you need to setup a CAG or CLS to go around and collect it from the docks, bring it to an elephant(you're unlikely to fill it) and sell it.

and it will set you back by quite some millions.

So does any other operation that has you setting up LTs. =P

Terran sectors are huge and do not have jumpgates.

So? Once the LTs are out in numbers, they can run their zones by themselves practically, I'm not convinced that springies, or faster TS vessels are better, simply because I've seen the baldrics keep things afloat just fine, only thing you're really doing by putting faster vessels into terran space is that transit time is reduced, which doesn't necessarily mean better efficiency(if a 110 m/s ship is keeping stuff afloat, what exactly is a 130 or a 360 m/s ship going to do than can trump that?), GoD might like to pick on the terrans, but he doesn't do it swiftly.

for something that can be solved later on in the game when you need that economy to open up business opportunities. You won't be needing those weapons for a long time anyway.

While that's true, it does take quite abit of time to produce them, and there's not a whole lot of places that do produce them, so stockpiling early is a very good thing to do. plus if you let the terran eco sink, you'll need to wait out the days for the station to comeback(GoD doesn't like giving the terrans their toys back) and then more days for it to produce the guns in sufficient quantities to arm a Osaka / tyr / yokohama / aegir / Tokyo / Odin + fighter compliment, by that time you can have a few CW capitals / CW carriers + compliment rolling off the SY and have em fully armed with NPC crafted guns.