Help a total newbie!

[Todoroki]

Hey guys I'm really new to this game and am having some problems figuring out how to do some things.

For one, how can I complete these trading missions? I encounter things like trade 8500 units of energy cells in an hour but the nearest solar power plant is 2-3 sectors away and the only ships I have that I think can carry that amount are my Mercury or Mercury Super Freighter XL both of which are super slow (77-100m/s). I never make it back on time. Is there a way for me to upgrade their speed above the 10 engine tunings or a faster way to get to the station and back?

Not only that I am a bit confused as to how these "units" of cargo work. If that trade mission requests 8500 units, I would need to buy the exact amount of 8500 right? That would take me like 3-4 trips with my 2 freighters and cost hundreds of thousands of credits.

One last thing I was having problems with was firing lasers equipped to my freighters. I tried equipping both a mining laser and Particle Cannons onto my ship and it says equipped in the laser bay but I can't seem to fire them. I checked the info chart and apparently my ships support these types of weapons. Not sure what else to do.

Would appreciate any help thanks!

[pulzarokkit]

You can buy a jumpdrive to shorten your voyage in a few seconds. (you need energy cells to make the jump)

Energy cells take 1 cargo/unit, some goods take more than that, so yeah if you need 8500 energy cells then you need 8500 cargo.
The max TS cargo is 15k i think for the Mistral SF.

Freighters usually dont have forward weapons (Some Split/OTAS freighters have forward guns or turrets), so you dont see the weapon installed.
You have to press F1 to switch to the back torret view. Note: some ships have more than 1 turret slot (top, bottom, left, right, forward, back)

[Catra]

For one, how can I complete these trading missions? I encounter things like trade 8500 units of energy cells in an hour but the nearest solar power plant is 2-3 sectors away and the only ships I have that I think can carry that amount are my Mercury or Mercury Super Freighter XL both of which are super slow (77-100m/s). I never make it back on time. Is there a way for me to upgrade their speed above the 10 engine tunings or a faster way to get to the station and back?

you really gotta plan ahead and have freighters already stocked to the brim with whats required for delivery.

Not only that I am a bit confused as to how these "units" of cargo work. If that trade mission requests 8500 units, I would need to buy the exact amount of 8500 right? That would take me like 3-4 trips with my 2 freighters and cost hundreds of thousands of credits.

and you usually still make a profit doing so.

One last thing I was having problems with was firing lasers equipped to my freighters. I tried equipping both a mining laser and Particle Cannons onto my ship and it says equipped in the laser bay but I can't seem to fire them. I checked the info chart and apparently my ships support these types of weapons. Not sure what else to do.

f1 to cycle turret positions.

[Morkonan]

Hey guys I'm really new to this game and am having some problems figuring out how to do some things.

For one, how can I complete these trading missions? I encounter things like trade 8500 units of energy cells in an hour but the nearest solar power plant is 2-3 sectors away and the only ships I have that I think can carry that amount are my Mercury or Mercury Super Freighter XL both of which are super slow (77-100m/s). I never make it back on time. Is there a way for me to upgrade their speed above the 10 engine tunings or a faster way to get to the station and back?

Not only that I am a bit confused as to how these "units" of cargo work. If that trade mission requests 8500 units, I would need to buy the exact amount of 8500 right? That would take me like 3-4 trips with my 2 freighters and cost hundreds of thousands of credits. ..

Well, first off, nobody ever recommends taking those missions unless you are already prepared with the wares requested. They are Haaarrrd to do in the allotted time. In any event, you probably need a jump drive and several freighters to complete the mission. IIRC, you must also be the pilot of the freighter making the delivery, even if the delivery requires multiple runs. (Can't confirm that because I never do those missions..)

Safest bet = Only do the ones that are a "sure thing" like picking up non-standard, mission generated wares like "Entertainment Chips" from station X and delivering them to station Y. That way, you'll always be assured of a supply of the item needed and you only have to worry about cargo space. (Many of those can be done without having to use a TS.)

One last thing I was having problems with was firing lasers equipped to my freighters. I tried equipping both a mining laser and Particle Cannons onto my ship and it says equipped in the laser bay but I can't seem to fire them. I checked the info chart and apparently my ships support these types of weapons. Not sure what else to do.

Would appreciate any help thanks!

If you're busy piloting the ship, from the pilot's position, you can't very well fire a rear turret. As stated above, you can cycle between the available positions on a ship by pressing the F1 key. This can be a lot of fun, especially when you're trying to run or jump away and have your course plotted. Jump into a turret and start plinking away at the enemy! But, for real combat, it's usually more efficient to stay in the pilot's seat and strafe (using the a/s/w/d) to avoid enemy fire while making your getaway.. or attack run. The AI has a difficult time leading fire against targets that are strafing.

[Triaxx2]

You don't have to do the driving for anything that's not a plot mission.

[Rapier]

Don't be put off ware delivery missions early in the game, they usually give you enough time then, but later in the game they can get ridiculous (I've seen things like 80,000 Delexian Wheat in 12 minutes). You will need a jumpdrive though, and a transporter device is handy if you're managing more than one ship. Both can be bought in

Spoiler

Show

Home of Light

and some other places depending on the game you're playing.

If you want to fly and fight, you can set up the turret view in a monitor and control it from there. Probably only for the advanced pilots though!

[Ormac]

You don't have to do the driving for anything that's not a plot mission.

You May not need to personally drive each freighter for the transport ware missions but you do need to be on-board to authenticate the unloading of each.

You can also have more of the wares than they're requesting. They'll only take what was originally agreed but you'll have to dispose of any surplus somewhere else most likely.

[David Howland]

Welcome to the X universe Todoroki,
Good advice so far, I would emphasise getting a jumpdrive as soon as you can afford it. Until then I would earn money through trading rather than missions.
For the future it helps requests for help if you include in the thread title, which game you are playing, as the game mechanics varies in each one. Also for help at game start it can help to know which start you chose. Later if you start using mods or scripts also mention which ones you have as part of your problem description!
Good Luck and may Egosoft be with you!