Question on Mk3 / CAG pilots

[usfwoody]

Once a new pilot has been installed, can I take control and manually direct trades in an attempt to level the pilots faster?

[pjknibbs]

No. The pilots will only level up while performing their CAG or UT duties--if you're ordering them around then they're doing what you tell them, not practicing what they should be doing.

[oddible]

That said, it isn't a bad idea to have a couple tiny ships on milk runs to level up CAG/CLS pilots (CAG and CLS use the same ranks I think, MK3 use a different system). So for instance, set up a CLS run in a Discoverer where you run Space Fuel from the plant in Herron's to the Trading Center. I usually have a couple of those going so when I need a new CLS or CAG I go fetch them and install a new one and start up the route again.

[ancienthighway]

That could be the drain on your bank oddible. Police are on to you.

Pick up some Discos are Argon Prime, and set up a four stop route to trading stations, Three Worlds - CSW -CSE-Antigone Memorial. You don't have to buy anything, just fly to. Let it run and when you need a new CAG/CLS pilot, you transfer one over and have a trained pilot.

Alternately, start your CAG/CLS set ups at the Trading Station in Herron's Nebula. Start, check trader settings and if the rank isn't a Cargo Messenger, fire the trader and restart. It will take longer for that pilot to be promoted because flight time is 0 and he has to go through all the hours to catch up, but you've got jump drive capability and a usable number of waypoints from the start.

[oddible]

Interesting, it didn't occur to me that they could be getting xp just docking from station to station. Do you really need to even go between sectors then? Couldn't you just have them fly to 4 different stations in the same sector?

That said, I usually have them do a tiny bit of trading since every trip (past the Apprentice rank) costs a little cash so a bit of income while they're training makes it worthwhile.

[Nanook]

Interesting, it didn't occur to me that they could be getting xp just docking from station to station. Do you really need to even go between sectors then? Couldn't you just have them fly to 4 different stations in the same sector?....

You can. Their advancement depends solely on cumulative flight time. So you could just as well use some very slow, cheap freighters to do the same thing.

[ancienthighway]

Leveling pilots is based on time flying. I guess it doesn't matter if it's all in sector or over a number of sectors. If you want to earn a little cash, then you could alternate between Bakeries buying more than average and Trading Stations, selling at average. That would involve more set up costs in needing Disco Hauler with fully extended cargo holds to make enough money to, maybe, cover the pilot expenses. It's also a crap shoot in hoping the bakery has meatsteaks at your buying price and high enough to be sold for enough profit.

Setting the CLS up to buy at 3 bakeries and sell a a trading dock could work as then you'd have 3 chances to buy the meatsteaks at a favorable price.

My CLS/CAG pilots don't directly earn any money anyway. The CAG is paid by the station, so whether the station sells or just buys effects how your bottom line is effected. My CLS1 pilots simply move wares from one of my stations to another, no cash exchanged. Most of my CLS2 pilots are extended CLS1 runs between multiple stations of mine, again with no cash exchanged. Assign the trainee pilots to a station for pay, and to make it easy to find them looking at owned ships, and profits from the station handle the pay.

[Honved]

Oddly enough, I find that a mix of GACs, Sector Traders, and MORTs does better than any one of the above. My STs take advantage of any deals in range, my CAGs do whatever benefits my stations, and my MORTs ferry E-cells and Ore, or whatever else is in short supply, at minimal profit if necessary, to insure that the NPC stations are running smoothly to supply whatever my other traders can profit by.

I end up with a well-oiled economy, busy factories cranking out goods at maximum rate, and my traders buying resources at miminal price in most cases because the NPC stations are fully stocked.

The other end of the spectrum works, too. Drive the NPC stations out of business by selling whatever they produce, until they're removed. Dead economy, except for your own all-powerful mega-corporation producing almost everything.

[Sparky Sparkycorp]

For ST/UT training, you can manually fill them up with something sellable like e-cells then ask them to trade in a system that needs them in case you can't find a good starting system. There are guides for those but basically, they are systems that make and buy e-cells, and ideally make and buy a food -style resource. Finally, there's an important bug fix for the blacklist manager in my signature.

[oddible]

Or just send them off in Empire's Edge and reset them in a game hour when they're level 10 (mild exaggeration).

[OniGanon]

Empire's Edge, Ore Belt, The Wall, Profit Share, Company Pride, Shore of Infinity, Ministry of Finance, Consecrated Fire, Queen's Harbour, Nyana's Hideout, Aldrin...

Ideally you want a sector with SPPs, Food/Ore, and tech/weapon factories. Failing that, any sector that has SPPs with a lot of other stations will probably work.