I'd just like to start off by saying that I'm new to the X universe and I've only played Terran Conflict.
My current budget is approximately 14 million credits. I've got 1 UT and 4 STs. I've just gotten used to the idea of managing multiple ships. Thus, it shouldn't take long before I've got a lot more UTs.
I find the combat of TC very entertaining so I quicky found myself flying in a Nova Vanguard.
Enough of the introduction, time for the questions.
1. Now that I seem to have a reasonable amount of credits, I've been thinking about buying an M6 and use it as my player ship. Is it possible to get a second hand one or am I going to have to buy one directly from a shipyard?
2. Which M6 should I get and what setup should I use? I haven't started doing any of the plot missions yet and I don't have any experience flying large ships.
3. Can M6s carry M3s and/or M4s?
4. If I run missions in an M6, should I bring some M3s along with me or will I be able to do just fine on my own?
5. Do traders, when in engaged combat, launch all available fighter drones right away or is there a limit for how many they will launch at the same time?
6. People seem to be mentioning APACs and BPACs. However, I don't seem to be able to find any PACs with prefixes in-game.
7. How do I quit playing this game?
A few questions about M6s and traders
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Joe McCracken
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Sat, 22. Aug 09, 18:55
Q 1: It is possible, however I think your fight rank needs to be up around the middle of the ranks. (someone else probably has the exact requirements)
Q 2: I personally like the Vidar. You can only get it by doing a certain plot, and it is free.
Q3: Only one M6 can carry M3-M5's.
Q 4: You should be just fine on your own with an M6. (it really depends on your loadout, as to what you will be effective against)
Q 5: Don't know exactly. ( i think they launch up to 12? Please correct me guys)
Q 6: They are not in X3 TC. They have no bearing in this game.
Q 7: GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!!!
Also, Welcome to the X forums!
Q 2: I personally like the Vidar. You can only get it by doing a certain plot, and it is free.
Q3: Only one M6 can carry M3-M5's.
Q 4: You should be just fine on your own with an M6. (it really depends on your loadout, as to what you will be effective against)
Q 5: Don't know exactly. ( i think they launch up to 12? Please correct me guys)
Q 6: They are not in X3 TC. They have no bearing in this game.
Q 7: GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!!!
Also, Welcome to the X forums!
I'd like to shoot you in the butt with a EBC gun, hide in the asteroids and laugh at what I done, put a blood blister upon each bun, I'd like to shoot you in the butt with a EBC gun.
Some people are like slinkies, not worth a whole lot, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Some people are like slinkies, not worth a whole lot, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
it is possible to by a used M6 but that requires a high trade rank and its very rare.
Which M6 to use is a bit hard to answer as many pole have their favorites ( some like the vidar and spring blossom from the terran plot)
http://eng.x3tc.ru/x3_tc_ships/list.php?class=10&race=0
that link will give you list of all M6 in TC though be wary, not all of them are buyable as some are rewards from plots or corperate missions, other must be boarded.
For me when it comes to chooing an M6 i look for speed, shield strength and weapon generators and weapon placement.
the Argon centur is a good middle of the road M6 though its a tad on the slow side.
only one M6 can carry fighters and that is the Hyperion vanguard. you cannot purchase the ship, you can only get it by boarding one with marines or by getting one as a reward from the poisioned paranid start.
doing missions in a m6 depend on your own player skill. if you have hardly any trouble dogfighting in a fighter, then 9 times out of 10 you wont have any issue when using an M6 ( ive never had a combat rank higher than warrior and the only time ive been forced to use anything higher than an m6 was the final OFF plot mission)
question 5, im not sure about. i do know that traders will restock their drones if they use them.
APACS and so on are from the earlier games. all weapons had 3 versions (alpha, beta and gamma) they mean nothing in TC
Which M6 to use is a bit hard to answer as many pole have their favorites ( some like the vidar and spring blossom from the terran plot)
http://eng.x3tc.ru/x3_tc_ships/list.php?class=10&race=0
that link will give you list of all M6 in TC though be wary, not all of them are buyable as some are rewards from plots or corperate missions, other must be boarded.
For me when it comes to chooing an M6 i look for speed, shield strength and weapon generators and weapon placement.
the Argon centur is a good middle of the road M6 though its a tad on the slow side.
only one M6 can carry fighters and that is the Hyperion vanguard. you cannot purchase the ship, you can only get it by boarding one with marines or by getting one as a reward from the poisioned paranid start.
doing missions in a m6 depend on your own player skill. if you have hardly any trouble dogfighting in a fighter, then 9 times out of 10 you wont have any issue when using an M6 ( ive never had a combat rank higher than warrior and the only time ive been forced to use anything higher than an m6 was the final OFF plot mission)
question 5, im not sure about. i do know that traders will restock their drones if they use them.
APACS and so on are from the earlier games. all weapons had 3 versions (alpha, beta and gamma) they mean nothing in TC
1. With a high enough race rep, you can sometimes find M6's for sale second hand. I've only come across a couple myself; both of which were docked at shipyards.
2. Picking which M6 to use is a matter of personal preference. Everything can be deadly if used right. That being said, two frequently mentioned M6's are the Hyperion Vanguard and the Springblossom. However, the Hyperion can't be bought; only pirated through boarding opperations. The Springblossom can't be aqquired until the end of one of the plots
3. The forementioned Hyperion Vanguard is the only M6 that can dock fighters, to which it can dock two.
4. Unless you get a high combat rank, your M6 should be fine on your own for missions, although some Fighter assistance can be useful for mopping up M5's and some M4's that your M6 will have problems keeping up with. Although that problem can also be solved with missles. Wasp missles for instance are good M5 swatters.
5. Honestly, I've never paid enough attention to my ST/LT/UT's after I set them up, but at a certin level they will buy fighter drone to use for defence, so I assume they wouldn't buy more than what they would use at one time.
6. In X3: Reunion (and older X games as well I believe) many weapons had different varients based on power consumption and danger dealth. Alpha's used less power but did more damage, while Gamma's were the opposite. Beta variants were the between these with medium power usage and damage dealth. This was discountined in X3:TC and thus is why you've not seen them.
7. You don't. Welcome to your new favorite addiction and the X forums.
2. Picking which M6 to use is a matter of personal preference. Everything can be deadly if used right. That being said, two frequently mentioned M6's are the Hyperion Vanguard and the Springblossom. However, the Hyperion can't be bought; only pirated through boarding opperations. The Springblossom can't be aqquired until the end of one of the plots
Spoiler
Show
Terran Plot; once you have access to Aldrin you can buy them like common M6's
4. Unless you get a high combat rank, your M6 should be fine on your own for missions, although some Fighter assistance can be useful for mopping up M5's and some M4's that your M6 will have problems keeping up with. Although that problem can also be solved with missles. Wasp missles for instance are good M5 swatters.
5. Honestly, I've never paid enough attention to my ST/LT/UT's after I set them up, but at a certin level they will buy fighter drone to use for defence, so I assume they wouldn't buy more than what they would use at one time.
6. In X3: Reunion (and older X games as well I believe) many weapons had different varients based on power consumption and danger dealth. Alpha's used less power but did more damage, while Gamma's were the opposite. Beta variants were the between these with medium power usage and damage dealth. This was discountined in X3:TC and thus is why you've not seen them.
7. You don't. Welcome to your new favorite addiction and the X forums.
1.) With high enough ratings you can get a 2nd hand one, but it's pretty rare and you often wont get much choice in your rig. Once you've got more experience with the game you might try boarding one, but the easiest way to learn about boarding is from an M6 to begin with, so either using one from a plot reward or saving those credits and buying is the best way to go, imho.
2.) Depends on your playstyle. The Terran plot will give you a ~very~ nice heavy-fighter-ish M6 called the Vidar which holds it's own pretty well against darn near everything and is probably the easiest transition to make into larger ships if all your experience is with fighters. Recommended loadout is full Mater/Antimatter Launchers up front, which makes it the 2nd-highest DPS M6 in the game, I think.
The highest-DPS M6 is another freebie that comes from the Goner plot, the Truelight Seeker, loaded with full Gauss Cannons up front. TLS has abysmally bad shields, though, and really is more of a toy that's fun for a while than anything else. If you want to use it seriously, you ~need~ fighter support, which requires a whole 'nother learning transition that takes a heavy economy to support inevitable losses while you learn what you're doing.
Dragon and Heavy Dragon are very popular choices it seems -- fast and agile enough to not be ~too~ much of a culture shock when transitioning from fighters. They're great ships, but I dont use them much, so maybe someone else who'se more familiar with them can suggest a loadout.
My personal weapon of choice in the early game is the Heavy Centaur, or the regular Centaur if I've decided to get my first M6 by boarding. They're great, reliable platforms for spacewalk boarding from, imho, and that suits my particular gamestyle.
The loadout I like for the Centaur is 6x CIG + 2x ID up front (on separate weapon groups) and Mass Drives in all turrets. The ID only come into play when boarding (to fry defending marines), but I leave them in all the time because the Centaurs weapon generators just aren't strong enough to keep up with 8x guns firing away up front. (It's not even strong enough to really keep up with 6, but I supplement with missiles, and if I'm using one to begin with, it's because I managed to get it for "free".)
My Heavy Centaur loadout is similar, 6x CIG up front, and dual Mass Drivers in all turrets to swat fighters. For boarding other M6's, I'll swap in dual ID on the front turrets to fry defending marines before launching my own.
Anyhow, those are just some ideas to chew on. You play around and see what you like.
3.) The only M6 which can carry fighters is the Hyperion Vanguard, which is a late-game ship that requires a lot of work and preparation to capture, but it's well worth the effort for many, many reasons. If you want to try one out sooner, unlock the Poisoned Paranid gamestart and do the quest for an awesomely overtuned Hype.
4.) Depends on your combat rank and playstyle. By the time you really ~need~ fighter support to do missions in an M6, you can just as easily upgrade to an M7 instead.
Personally, I think that if your economy is strong enough to outfit your own fighters, the M6 stage of the game is the perfect place to start learning how to use and manage fighter wings. The best fighter to learn about wings with if you dont already have your heart set on something else is the Solano -- an OTAS M4 that's pretty cheap and very strong for it's price. Haul 'em to the battlefield in TM's and send 'em out to see what they are and are not capable of.
A factory proportion of 4x 25 MJ shield fabs and 3x PAC fabs can rig out 2 Solanos per hour (with an extra shield here and there, but you can never have too many 25 MJ) that you can then loose in mass while you try to figure out what you're doing. If you decide you dont like Solanos, then the same factory proportions are also just about right for mass-equipping Mistral freighters, so it's not a huge dead-end investment.
5.) Wow, good question. I have no idea. Hopefully someone else will know.
6.) APACs and BPACs are weapons from X3:Reunion. Terran conflict did away with alpha and betta weapon types (except for khaak lasers) and added a greater variety of weapons instead. This was an excellant game change, imho.
7.) I find that I stop playing for a while and think that I've moved on to other things, sometimes even for a month or more at a time, but I always seem to end up playing again...
2.) Depends on your playstyle. The Terran plot will give you a ~very~ nice heavy-fighter-ish M6 called the Vidar which holds it's own pretty well against darn near everything and is probably the easiest transition to make into larger ships if all your experience is with fighters. Recommended loadout is full Mater/Antimatter Launchers up front, which makes it the 2nd-highest DPS M6 in the game, I think.
The highest-DPS M6 is another freebie that comes from the Goner plot, the Truelight Seeker, loaded with full Gauss Cannons up front. TLS has abysmally bad shields, though, and really is more of a toy that's fun for a while than anything else. If you want to use it seriously, you ~need~ fighter support, which requires a whole 'nother learning transition that takes a heavy economy to support inevitable losses while you learn what you're doing.
Dragon and Heavy Dragon are very popular choices it seems -- fast and agile enough to not be ~too~ much of a culture shock when transitioning from fighters. They're great ships, but I dont use them much, so maybe someone else who'se more familiar with them can suggest a loadout.
My personal weapon of choice in the early game is the Heavy Centaur, or the regular Centaur if I've decided to get my first M6 by boarding. They're great, reliable platforms for spacewalk boarding from, imho, and that suits my particular gamestyle.
The loadout I like for the Centaur is 6x CIG + 2x ID up front (on separate weapon groups) and Mass Drives in all turrets. The ID only come into play when boarding (to fry defending marines), but I leave them in all the time because the Centaurs weapon generators just aren't strong enough to keep up with 8x guns firing away up front. (It's not even strong enough to really keep up with 6, but I supplement with missiles, and if I'm using one to begin with, it's because I managed to get it for "free".)
My Heavy Centaur loadout is similar, 6x CIG up front, and dual Mass Drivers in all turrets to swat fighters. For boarding other M6's, I'll swap in dual ID on the front turrets to fry defending marines before launching my own.
Anyhow, those are just some ideas to chew on. You play around and see what you like.
3.) The only M6 which can carry fighters is the Hyperion Vanguard, which is a late-game ship that requires a lot of work and preparation to capture, but it's well worth the effort for many, many reasons. If you want to try one out sooner, unlock the Poisoned Paranid gamestart and do the quest for an awesomely overtuned Hype.
4.) Depends on your combat rank and playstyle. By the time you really ~need~ fighter support to do missions in an M6, you can just as easily upgrade to an M7 instead.
Personally, I think that if your economy is strong enough to outfit your own fighters, the M6 stage of the game is the perfect place to start learning how to use and manage fighter wings. The best fighter to learn about wings with if you dont already have your heart set on something else is the Solano -- an OTAS M4 that's pretty cheap and very strong for it's price. Haul 'em to the battlefield in TM's and send 'em out to see what they are and are not capable of.
A factory proportion of 4x 25 MJ shield fabs and 3x PAC fabs can rig out 2 Solanos per hour (with an extra shield here and there, but you can never have too many 25 MJ) that you can then loose in mass while you try to figure out what you're doing. If you decide you dont like Solanos, then the same factory proportions are also just about right for mass-equipping Mistral freighters, so it's not a huge dead-end investment.
5.) Wow, good question. I have no idea. Hopefully someone else will know.
6.) APACs and BPACs are weapons from X3:Reunion. Terran conflict did away with alpha and betta weapon types (except for khaak lasers) and added a greater variety of weapons instead. This was an excellant game change, imho.
7.) I find that I stop playing for a while and think that I've moved on to other things, sometimes even for a month or more at a time, but I always seem to end up playing again...
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ancienthighway
- Posts: 1663
- Joined: Tue, 24. Apr 07, 05:25
Most of your questions have been answered already.
TS ships running as CAGs, CLS1/2, and ST/UT will equip and use fighter drones once they reach a certain level. At that time they will dock and purchase 10 drones. In my experience, if you put more drones on them, they will sell the excess.
As far as M6 and fighter support, the game determines what you will face during missions based on what you are flying, how many player owned combat ships are in the area, and your fight rank. As long as you can do the missions in an M3, there's no rush to go out and buy an M6, which buying and equipping will put a strain on your 14 mil credits.
If you feel you the need to spend your money, research what it would take to set up factory support for M3s and M6s. By the time you need an M6 for your fight missions, you'll have a small stockpile of shields, lasers, and missiles ready to deck out your new ride.
TS ships running as CAGs, CLS1/2, and ST/UT will equip and use fighter drones once they reach a certain level. At that time they will dock and purchase 10 drones. In my experience, if you put more drones on them, they will sell the excess.
As far as M6 and fighter support, the game determines what you will face during missions based on what you are flying, how many player owned combat ships are in the area, and your fight rank. As long as you can do the missions in an M3, there's no rush to go out and buy an M6, which buying and equipping will put a strain on your 14 mil credits.
If you feel you the need to spend your money, research what it would take to set up factory support for M3s and M6s. By the time you need an M6 for your fight missions, you'll have a small stockpile of shields, lasers, and missiles ready to deck out your new ride.
Wow, I wasn't really prepared for such quick responses. I expected to have to wait several hours to even get one reply. I guess these forums are a lot more popular than I thought. Also, thanks a lot!
I'm not sure exactly what the rules are like when it comes to thread progression. Can I ask an additional question in here even if it's not directly related to the thread's title nor the first post's questions? Oh, let's try anyway.
Ancienthighway, I think you made a very good point. However, I thought I'd need a TL ship to even be able to build stations. I don't think I'll have a TL before I've got a fully fitted M6.
I'm not sure exactly what the rules are like when it comes to thread progression. Can I ask an additional question in here even if it's not directly related to the thread's title nor the first post's questions? Oh, let's try anyway.
Ancienthighway, I think you made a very good point. However, I thought I'd need a TL ship to even be able to build stations. I don't think I'll have a TL before I've got a fully fitted M6.
You can hire a TL, find one in a core sector (usually hanging about near shipyards), comm the captain and away you go, you can start to build your empire straight away.ColtoM wrote: Ancienthighway, I think you made a very good point. However, I thought I'd need a TL ship to even be able to build stations. I don't think I'll have a TL before I've got a fully fitted M6.
I would advise saving for/preparing to capture your first TL soon though, as hired ones cant use Jumpdrives...
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ancienthighway
- Posts: 1663
- Joined: Tue, 24. Apr 07, 05:25
You can get a Split Elephant for a little more than 17 mill credits. It has the smallest cargo capacity, but still large enough to handle two stations and a complex connector. It is the fastest TL also if that's important to you. What it has that the others don't have is the largest hanger bay being able to dock 14 fighters.