Posts by Centaurian

Some weeks ago, OP apparently adjusted the cargo restrictions on several types of cargo, making a number of trades & mining much more attractive financially. High-value cargo still usually takes more cargo space than normal goods, but the restriction now appears to be 2:3 instead of the previous 1:2 ratio for items like diamonds, niobium, etc. Other goods have been relaxed much more, especially raw materials such as water, alien organisms and scrap metal, which are now 2:1 compared to normal cargo volumes. This means that mining for raw materials got twice as profitable, since the value of a full cargo hold has doubled for these goods, and mined commodities are free.

I have still not figured out what the reason for the various ratios may be, apart from putting some controls on the rate at which a player can build wealth through trading and mining. I once thought that the space limitations had to do with the maximum mass a given cargo hold would be capable of carrying, but OP insists that cargo mass does not affect ship performance, so only the value could be controlling the reduced ratio of space for diamonds.

Either way, these changes are good news for law-abiding traders and miners, who now can look forward to better compensation for the risk of predation on their legitimate businesses!

IOC is indeed growing again, and our SWAT portal forum just got an upgrade, with additional moderators and Admin. Rex Nebular will be helping with Administration our our board, with Shogun and Lost Heaven helping out as moderators. (If this is news to you guys, check your PM's!) I'd really like to know how this thread can be marked as done when OP just posted to it today...^^

Wow, I don't know how I missed this thread, but it's good to see an old mate back in action! Cheers, Privvy! [prost]

So I have permission to enter Vega to verify sign display? Been quite a while since I was there, and there was no 13th Armored then...

There are multiple resources for the novice Crossfire pilot to get acclimated: the CF Database (password available in-game!), the RP boards in this forum, any player with [Info] or {GR} in their nick on the server, and most clan members. Of course, there is no better guide than experience, so settle in and have a good time exploring the vast CF universe!

granola bar

While the APC is probably the most cargo for a relatively agile mid-size cargo ship, the Armored Transport (AT) is probably a better bet to accumulate tradng credits in a hurry, while still having access to basically all bases. The catch is that while its cargo is nominally 750, the mass of its considerable armor makes it more difficult to dock around such base items as bio-domes, etc. Precise positioning is required before engaging the AI autodock sequence, or else it will spin helplessly in space while the AI looks for a "needle in a haystack" for a neutral inertia point for the docking tractor. It also has a limited number of available upgrades, but IMO, these limitations are amply offset by the larger cargo capacity, which allows good profits even on "oversize" high value goods, which take up 2-3 times more cargo space than simple goods like water. It's relatively expensive (~$26 million), but that makes for a much smaller trade loss than a train. Good luck out there!

Reputation management IS actually a bit more demanding in CF 1.9 than previous releases, but as Rex mentioned, enough cash can overcome all obstacles. Of course, if you're a tightwad like me, you'd rather just kill enough faction enemies first to get the rep up to dealer standards, and save the cash. My newest character is doing this very thing; I've got to kill quite a few more Xenos to get the Hackers to sell me their thruster @ Leiden! See you in space

V-8 vegetable juice; yum!

internet radio - PULS trance channel

Carrots; next, an apple

33503

The old thread is revived!

In 6 years on CF, I have lost only 1 store by corruption. At that time, OP posted (or was it a PM?) that the absolute limit for a single character is 255 items; 256 is the ship itself, after which the character (and account) is corrupted. As P0X discovered, the account can be saved by deleting the offending character. I believe there is also a net worth limit, which is usually violated mostly by excessive cash, but now that there is at least one $50 million item in CF, it is also possible to exceed net worth limits by too much stored equipment + cash. Horde responsibly!

I'm in the market for some War'sy guns, since my recent purchase of 4 guns @ $10 million each vanished in the recent server crash Anyone having 4 to sell can send me a PM.

Contagious Generosity, by Barry Cameron
Four Pillars of a Man's Heart, by Stu Weber

I'm not sure this is the right place for this, but... I finally got into the CF 1.9 portion of the Single-Player game, and had FL crash to desktop @ the Jupiter Nomad battle en route to Earth. Everything was fine up to then, and just as I was docking with the Osiris, FL crashed completely (I think this is mission 16?). I did not see where others had this exact issue, so I'm wondering I should be downloading a saved game, or does the CF launcher do that automatically? If it's any help, I'm flying the new Rheinland VHF (the one bought on BS Westfalen, in Hamburg).

As of last night, console Bounty System still appears to be offline. Players can post bounties, but even licensed characters are not collecting them...

OK, so if I'm reading this thread right, once the content exchange system is back online, all I need is to un-mount the 3 pieces in my hold at any base while having at least $125 million available, and the device will self-assemble to my ship? If so, then all it needs is 10 energy crystals per charge in the hold to activate the cloak through FLHook... That is an amazing feature! One important question: will the other license/shield slots be available again after the cloak assembly?

Up to now, the Smuggler License restriction HAS been working. I am such a habitual smuggler that I tried to buy BMG's on non-licensed char's, and was told by the nice console lady that I could not

So you've decided to try your hand at the smuggling trade; what next? Assuming that you would not be reading this without being a licensed smuggler, we'll cover some of the more general considerations of the profession here, and explore the nuances in other threads. Above all, remember that the smuggler is a target, but a soon-to-be-wealthy target, as long as he/she embraces the mind-set required to keep cool under pressure!

1. Yes, you are a target! This is true not only because of the server RP rules, but also because you will be flying something with a generous cargo hold full of valuables. This means that your ship will not be agile, it will accelerate slower, have weaker shields and modest firepower. Don't forget that if you have credits to buy cargo, those who would exploit your vulnerability also assume you have enough credits to share with THEM. Police will try to enforce black market embargos, pirates will try to extort you to finance their profligate lifestyles, and mercenaries will be collecting bounties from the pirates you escaped last time out.

2. Alliances are extremely handy! Whether a freelancer or clan member, it's always a good policy to make friends among all other classes of players. A timely bribe, a stealthy errand into competitors' systems or other trade in kind can make it possible to get your normal adversaries to look the other way from time to time while you are building your wealth & reputation.

3. Reputation management is key to profitability! the best smugglers maintain a balanced reputation board, so that trade is possible right across Sirius & Altair. At the moment, trading is not a profitable business in the Inner Core, but who knows when this might change? It's also vital when running high-value cargo that you not be disrupted by unfriendly NPC factions when evading other players. In some cases, the local NPC's might be hostile with your pursuers, and help provide cover.

4. Exploration is indispensible! Unless you have docked the majority of bases, you will not know where the best trades are. Besides, there are millions of credits worth of salvage spread throughout the Crossfire Universe, in addition to some very profitable mining zones. On days when your favorite trading routes have too much traffic or are being blockaded, you need options to keep business going. (Artifacts can even be mined in some systems!)

5. Piloting skills are essential! Evasion is not something you do when you've run into an adversary, and you try to dodge CD's & missiles. The most elusive pilots are constantly watching their HUD chatlog (radar) to see which systems the predators are in, and plot a course that will most likely avoid them. Unless a smuggler is keeping his/her eye on this key piece of info, they will never see a pincer movement forming to trap them. There are specific techniques which can be used to evade the enemy in your current system, but now we are entering the realm of The Chase, in which the smuggler is the hare running from the hounds!

These facts form the backdrop against which the smuggler plans his/her day. Upon request, IOC pilots can provide information that will be most helpful in navigating the Black Market landscape of Crossfire, as well as specific hints of how to survive when the going gets tough. Good Luck out there!