X2 - The Threat

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:04 pm

Diff-E was the only class I ever dropped. I re-took it, of course, but it's a pretty singular distinction.

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Tue May 03, 2005 10:12 pm

http://argonopedia.ppcis.org/stations.php

The above link is to a page that you can find information about the stations, such as what their output is and what they need to produce.

For instance I noticed that one SPP requires 2 crystals per cycle with an output of 276 Energy Cells. The Crystal Fab requires 120 Energy Cells, 80 Meatsteaks Cahoonas (Argon), and 5 Silicon Wafers to produce 8 Crystals a cycle. The Cahoona Bakery requires 15 Energy Cells and 3 Argu Beefs to produce 10 Meatsteaks a cycle. The Silicon Mine requires 24 Energy Cells to produce 1 Silicon Wafer per cycle.

If these numbers are right then to provide enough power to supply one Crystal Fab with all the needed supplies to produce for one cycle would require 2 SPP's (with 192 extra units), 8 Cahoona Bakeries, and 5 Silicon Mines. This look requires 360 Energy Cells to do but provides a surplus of energy by 192 units and 4 extra crystals. With those extra crystals you can set up 2 more SPP's to produce a total of 744 Energy Cells that you can sell for either a max sum of 17112 credits or as low as 6696 credits. This is if the numbers on the site are true.

Hope this helps give you ideas for what to work towards.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Tue May 03, 2005 10:24 pm

Actually, I found an easier way to do the math.

Every station, except SPP, consume all the resources from each of the prerequisite factories (or mines) for a given time period in order to produce its output. Each station holds something like 15 minutes worth of input and output at full capacity. SPP don't exactly adhere to this rule; they put out more energy units than a closed loop consumes, and this is what you turn into cash, one way or another.

There was a post with all the math to back this up, but this was the gist IIRC.

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Wed May 04, 2005 5:48 pm

Wouldn't it be better in the long run to turn all of your frieghters, once they reach level 8, into Universe Traders? Or does that only allow them to trade from your stations to anywhere in the universe? I have the impression that they buy anywhere at a set price range and then sell at another set price. I have read several players say they get more money from their UT's than they do from their factories.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Wed May 04, 2005 5:51 pm

UTs are part of a mod. I've not installed any mods yet.

UTs also cost a pile. I think there's a half-mil sign-on fee, then a salary on top of that.

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Wed May 04, 2005 8:04 pm

Then I would assume that the military gunner crews are also a mod. What can frieghters do? Just buy and sell for a factory unless manually controlled? I now have to wonder what else I have read are based off of mods. The threads I have been reading are in the general forums and people talk about it as if its all a part of the game without moving it to the script/mod pages or saying they are mods.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Wed May 04, 2005 10:38 pm

Any ship with basic navigation software can fly to a sector or dock with a station if commanded.

Trade software I allows a ship to buy or sell goods for a station it calls home.

Trade software II allows a ship to automatically buy and sell goods for "best price" within a number of sectors defined at the home station. (wish it was configurable per ship!)

Trade software III I haven't bought yet - costs 500k. The mod I'm referring to with UTs builds on this software. (I am gong to have to try it soon, though!) Anyway, this mod is an officially "blessed" mod, and is distributed by Egosoft along with others on its download page. Trade software is useless without a station to attach to the ship.

There's also fight software I and II, and "special" command software, and others.

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Thu May 05, 2005 12:46 am

Jeeze! I gotta whip this bad boy out this month!

(Been packing for the upcoming move to a different place, and working.)

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Thu May 05, 2005 9:41 am

I let my station run for a couple of hours last night in time-accelerated mode, one freighter buying and one selling. Earned about 1.8 million in that time. Then I went and bought a nice fighter, a Nova, and sunk a couple million into that between the purchase and getting it upgraded. Arg. But it's very nice now (3x25 MW shields - woohoo). Took out my first pirate easily. Only problem is that it's much slower than my Discoverer. Now I want to get another factory going so I'm not wholly dependent on that SPP and then I'll continue with the plot. Probably experiment with that trade software III first, though.

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Thu May 05, 2005 10:24 am

At least now in the Nova you have protection and strong weapons. Back in the Discoverer you were quick to die when hit and had weak weapons.

Tomarrow I am heading to Columbus to tour the OSU campus. If I get a ride from some one then it will just be an out and back trip (that will last 12 hours) but if I end up driving myself then I will stop by a BestBuy and/or CompUSA to find this game. I know Bestbuy.com doesn't have it listed but that doesn't mean it is not there. CompUSA.com says it is sold out and that it costs about $8. So I will see tomarrow.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:24 pm

Ah! Trade software III enables "sector trader." Autonomous trading script within one sector.

I've also found another way to make money. Pick on pirates, and sometimes if you're careful they'll surrender and eject, leaving you their damaged ship and its contents. ...which you can then refit to your liking, or strip and/or sell.

Make even more if you purchase a law enforcement license, then you get a reward for destroying enemy ships (pirates & khaak). Frieghters get you 500, fighters get you 5000.

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Sat May 07, 2005 10:04 am

Wow, I really enjoyed myself on the OSU campus in Columbus. I was so tired from all the walking that I never did turn my computer on yesterday. I did stop by a CompUSA and asked about X2. They said they no longer carry it because it is nolonger produced, even though it is simply listed as 'sold out' on their site. So basicly all my options of getting it locally have been exausted. Now I just have to figure out how to get the funds to buy it at a higher price off the internet.

Yes, the Trader MK3 does give your frieghters secter trade and once they get enough levels it will also give them the option of doing 'Universal Trade.' As I said before, I have read that several people get more profits from the Universal Traders than they do from their own factories.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Sat May 07, 2005 10:43 am

I don't think it'll do universal trader without the mod, but I could be wrong.

Glad you liked the campus. Did you talk to any random students about conditions there?

TimberWolf · Post by **TimberWolf** » Sat May 07, 2005 1:14 pm

No, but I did wonder around on my own for a bit. Even though those girls sun bathing in little two pieces was tempting to ask.

I did get to see two different dorm rooms which do disapoint me but then again they have been there for decades. Over all the campus feels inviting. I did talk to former students there, such as my current boss, and they all enjoyed being there. Also the counseler that took my group also had nothing but high praises from when she was there a few years ago.

Currently I am looking at X2 on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 24067&rd=1&
I am considering buying it this way. The seller says its new and as far as I can see it appears to be all the right things (PC not Mac, ect.). What are your impressions?

*EDIT*
Forgot to state that every dorm room, for each person, gets a T3 connection to the internet! And the reason I didn't like these rooms were more for their size than anything since I have stayed in Jester Hall back in UT Austin which had good size rooms with open plans.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Sat May 07, 2005 9:21 pm

The eBay seller is probably safe. Looks like the X2 they're selling came with something, like mine - was two CDs in envelopes that came with my graphics card.