Factory recommendation for Argon Prelude

[TiriaqMaquinna]

I started the game about a week ago and now I think I got enough credits to buy myself a factory. I got around 2 millions on my account.
I am considering either a rimes factory or may be a shield production fatory for 1 MJ shields. Any recommendation what factory should I go for?

[pulzarokkit]

1mj shield and mosquito missiles are popular starter factories.

[TTD]

My first build was a sector supply complex for the Yaki IBL production.
Ticks over gently,supplying resources for the extra stations from build missions too.

[mimeo]

1mj shield and mosquito missiles are popular starter factories.

My opinion is that you should not bother with factories yet.
To get profit you need to wait time and sell wares, and at same time buy wares (since you do not have money for closed loop complexes).
Rather than that, buy Mistral Super Freighter from OTAS shipyard in Legend`s home (has 10 000 cargo space) and equip it with Trade software MKIII - and make him sector trader at first. There are plenty of safe spaces to do so, like Argon Prime (altough not a prime locaton for ST), Home of light(prime location), and few more.
He`ll pay you back for investing in him much quicker than factories.
I too started that way but than when I had enough money I wanted to fight a little and that is when UT and ST (Universe trader and Sector trader respectively) loose their value as they might get shot down.
That is time when you start to build factories...
Here is example: I finished yesterday self suficient complex in Barren Shores that I built for 2 days - has more than 100 stations and they do not need anything delivered to it - only sells final products. It took me well over 450 mil to build it. You think it`ll pay back for itself in 1 day?
No. It will pay for itself in like 2-3 game days (possibly sooner), but after that it will make me residual profit (quite big that is), so i do not need to worry if I will have money for this and that, and can focus on other apsects of game.
That is how this game is designed. If you expect quick return of cash from your 1 factory - you are terribly wrong....
Or if you do not want Mistral SF buy 2 Argon small freighters and equip them with Trade MKIII software (2 times TMKIII software will cost you 1.1 mil) but will pay for itself rather quickly. If you see any of those 2 traders at standby move him to another sector and make him ST there. But be sure to check his cargo hold before you do so, as AI has tendancy to sit there idle, making you think sector is bad and will not tell you that in fact sector is perfect, but he bought cahoonas, and he could not sell them for profit so he`ll just sit at station, in which case you need to sell his cargo manually.
Remember: this is game of patience, if you are looking for quick cash, you might wanna try your luck (or skills) at Stock exchange...

[mimeo]

Oh and one more thing.

Mosquite missle fab is around 600 000 to buy. Selling one mosquito is 232 cr.
You need to sell around 3000 mosquitos to get invested back, but we`ll not count energy cells, cahoonas and ore that you need there which in your case - you need to pay for.

1MJ fab is 1.6 million (or 1.2 not sure).
Even if you sell at 5000 cr those shields (which will make them sell like crazy, but even average-1 will make it good) will require you to sell around 300 pairs of those.... Again we`ll not count energy cells,cahoonas and ore that you will need to buy for them...
You can mobile mine for ore, but cahoonas and energy you need to buy...
Therefore profit margin for 1mj will be much less in beggining, making you sell even 1000 shields along with buying ore, cells and cahoonas....
But do as you wish....
P.S. It`s not Argon prelude, but Albion prelude....

[dwob]

It's a fact that ST/UT pay off really quickly, much faster than a factory. If you want a factory anyway, you really can't lose with any end-product factory, meaning weapons/missiles/tech/shields. If you did decide to make a rimes fact, it WOULD sell. It actually sells so well I've never had enough to cause a stop in production due to lack of demand. The absolute fastest profit in the game, however, is mosquito missiles. The profit/hour is the same as a shield fab at under half the cost. You can't make as many as shields fabs without saturating the market (I never make more than three mosquito fabs) but it's pretty crazy how good they are. This website will let you look at things like profit/hour and how long it will be before you get your money back. It's also really helpful when you're making self sustaining complexes when the universe's infrastructure can't handle all your factories easily.

http://www.altanetworks.com/x3/x3tcocc.html

[kurush]

With UT or ST you main risk is losing your investment - freighters are quite fragile. If you watch it, you should be fine. I am surprised nobody mentioned booze or space pot farm. They can be quite profitable, although you would need to build in either pirate or unknown sectors and be prepared to defend it.

[pulzarokkit]

Oh and one more thing.

Mosquite missle fab is around 600 000 to buy. Selling one mosquito is 232 cr.
You need to sell around 3000 mosquitos to get invested back, but we`ll not count energy cells, cahoonas and ore that you need there which in your case - you need to pay for.

1MJ fab is 1.6 million (or 1.2 not sure).
Even if you sell at 5000 cr those shields (which will make them sell like crazy, but even average-1 will make it good) will require you to sell around 300 pairs of those.... Again we`ll not count energy cells,cahoonas and ore that you will need to buy for them...
You can mobile mine for ore, but cahoonas and energy you need to buy...
Therefore profit margin for 1mj will be much less in beggining, making you sell even 1000 shields along with buying ore, cells and cahoonas....
But do as you wish....
P.S. It`s not Argon prelude, but Albion prelude....

Strange as it may sound but mosquito factories make more money than the 1mj one, because of their faster cycle
Buying at default prices and selling below average -1 the factories make
MM: 73500
1mj: 66951

With UT or ST you main risk is losing your investment - freighters are quite fragile. If you watch it, you should be fine.

Well with the new blacklist manager from the bonus pack it really becomes less of a pain because you blacklist all the pirate/xenon sectors. And even the spacefuel/weed fabs you dont want your traders to deal with and die from the customs.

I am surprised nobody mentioned booze or space pot farm. They can be quite profitable, although you would need to build in either pirate or unknown sectors and be prepared to defend it.

I usually mention spacefuel/booze but let's be realistic 2m is not enough to start a narcotics buisness

[Jumee]

Oh and one more thing.

Mosquite missle fab is around 600 000 to buy. Selling one mosquito is 232 cr.
You need to sell around 3000 mosquitos to get invested back, but we`ll not count energy cells, cahoonas and ore that you need there which in your case - you need to pay for.

1MJ fab is 1.6 million (or 1.2 not sure).
Even if you sell at 5000 cr those shields (which will make them sell like crazy, but even average-1 will make it good) will require you to sell around 300 pairs of those.... Again we`ll not count energy cells,cahoonas and ore that you will need to buy for them...
You can mobile mine for ore, but cahoonas and energy you need to buy...
Therefore profit margin for 1mj will be much less in beggining, making you sell even 1000 shields along with buying ore, cells and cahoonas....
But do as you wish....
P.S. It`s not Argon prelude, but Albion prelude....

Strange as it may sound but mosquito factories make more money than the 1mj one, because of their faster cycle
Buying at default prices and selling below average -1 the factories make
MM: 73500
1mj: 66951

mosquito market can get saturated 1mj seems to be bottomless in my game I have around 80 fabs and NPC's keep buying from them on their own (just have to prive them average - 1)

[pulzarokkit]

When the mosquito missile market saturates, grab a few small ships and start selling to Terracorp HQ with manual trade run and your problems are solved.

[Jumee]

When the mosquito missile market saturates, grab a few small ships and start selling to Terracorp HQ with manual trade run and your problems are solved.

that way you can sell anything in any quantities, so its not like it is mosquitoes advantage

[Catra]

or you could cheese the silly AI:

have a trade station in the US next to XS534, or up in twisted skies. the traders will never reach you(due to the xenon), thus you effectively created an infinite demand for anything.

[pulzarokkit]

I didnt say you couldnt sell other things that way, it was about profitsssss and how MM fab will still make more credits than the 1mj when all the EQ docks are full.

btw nice tip Catra

[dwob]

With UT or ST you main risk is losing your investment - freighters are quite fragile. If you watch it, you should be fine. I am surprised nobody mentioned booze or space pot farm. They can be quite profitable, although you would need to build in either pirate or unknown sectors and be prepared to defend it.

Booze and weed are roughly equivalent in profit/hour to 1 MJ shields and cost more money. They're profitable, but not as good as 1 MJ in the beginning. Booze and weed are just an endless demand.

[dwob]

or you could cheese the silly AI:

have a trade station in the US next to XS534, or up in twisted skies. the traders will never reach you(due to the xenon), thus you effectively created an infinite demand for anything.

I've...never done that. That sounds as bad as killing everybody who buys your weed/booze. I love it!

[mimeo]

I`d like to add microships and computer components to that list as well!
Altough I prefer NPC come to buy from me, I hate to assign any of my ships to them, unthankfull AI..... :/

[Jumee]

or you could cheese the silly AI:

have a trade station in the US next to XS534, or up in twisted skies. the traders will never reach you(due to the xenon), thus you effectively created an infinite demand for anything.

I've...never done that. That sounds as bad as killing everybody who buys your weed/booze. I love it!

I wonder if you can create enough movement through xenon sector for traders and their escorts to actually overwhelm xenon?

[mimeo]

or you could cheese the silly AI:

have a trade station in the US next to XS534, or up in twisted skies. the traders will never reach you(due to the xenon), thus you effectively created an infinite demand for anything.

I've...never done that. That sounds as bad as killing everybody who buys your weed/booze. I love it!

I wonder if you can create enough movement through xenon sector for traders and their escorts to actually overwhelm xenon?

Maybe if you are in sector personally....
If oos I doubt any of them will survive as most of them drives freight ships, while xenon are exclusively fighters...