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You have walked into a bar where some reknown outlaws hang out, you are looking for some advise on how to make it in the hard life as a merchant. Thauglor looks up from his drink when you ask around and talks to you when you get close: "So you are a newbie are you? Firstly, the introductions, I am Thauglor. I have been hanging around the Merchant bars since well before you were alive. I've picked up a few things in my time, and I decided I should share a little of my wisdom with you." Thauglor looks at the young would be merchant to see if he is getting some respect, or if has to get his warship and teach the young one why he is to be feared. It seems like the young one already heard of him. So Thauglor continues: "Now, young cadet, pull up a stool and sit down. We'll teach you what you need to know to survive.""First, when you start: Use your newbie turns to trade. There are 2 ways to do that. You can trade for experience or money. You trade for xp by trading 2 planets next to each other, it will give you experience, but not a lot of cash. If you want to make money you need to trade 1 of the more expensive goods. You have to find a planet that needs the good and sell the good under Upgrade to get a good price. If you do so you get a distance modifier for the goods you bring to the planet, meaning you get a lot more money. Starting out just find a planet needing upgrade with the good needed 2 sectors away. If you just sell the good and the planet does not need it you will never get rich. If you don't know anyone and want to join a alliance (what all should do) you should trade for experience the first days. Work up a couple of thousand xp, that will make it a lot easier to get in a alliance. Hope that will get you started." Thauglor takes another sip of his drink and leans over the bar. "Now we are getting to the part of staying alive so pay attention: Now after the first days you lose your protection known as newbie turns. Once your Newbie turns run out, there is a good chance you will be involved in combat. Space is a harsh environment. Pirates, Bounty Hunters, possessive traders: they all have reasons to fire at other traders - traders just like you. You need to know about Protection. There are only two forms of absolute protection in Merchant Empires: 1. Newbie Protection. These are newbie turns which protect you when you first start, and for a short period after you get 'podded'. 2. Imperial Protection. The Empire protects it's outposts, and offers protection for its citizens. In the area where each race starts you will find sectors marked with Imperial Beacons. While in these imperial controlled sectors, you will be covered by Imperial Protection, providing you meet a few requirements. You lose protection if you get to high a attack rating on your ship, but you don't have to worry about that when getting started. When you are out of newbie turns always get to safety in IMP when you have to leave. Few things are as annoying as logging in the next day to a message that you have been podded. You might think yourself safe way out in space, but don't count on it, someone might pass. Which sends us to the next point, getting attacked. When you are being attacked, you will be sent a message 'battle report!' which appears in the top right above your Trader information. This message is only displayed when you load a page, so if you sit still, you can be attacked and destroyed without knowing it. When you get this message, flee the area, until you can work out who attacked you, and properly assess the damage done to your ship. In case you don't get away we move on to the next thing." Thauglor smiles, it only makes him look more dangerous. "Now we are at my trade, Death, that's where I make my living. Occasionally, things will not go your way, and you will have your ship destroyed. Do not fear this, as it eventually happens to everyone. You will not be killed, as at the last second, you escape pod is launched, which speeds you off to your Racial HQ. You can then venture back out to trade and recover. There are penalties for death, as you will lose 15% of your xp, and any cash you had on you, plus your ship and any weapons you had. Its not fun to die, but it happens to us all, you just have to keep going." Thauglor looks at the young would be Merchant, who from the look he get has no problem knowing that its about time for him to leave, before he gets up Thauglor talks again:: "What I have here given you here should be a basic understanding of the living in space, there is a lot more to it, but you once you get into a alliance they can help you." The young would be Merchant starts to leave, but before he gets out Thauglor comes toward him with a paper in the hand, it seems to be a list of some kind. He puts it in the hand of the young merchant. He then sends the young one on his way with these words: "Take good care of this. I have been talking with a couple of my old friends. Fighters who have killed a lot of newbies in their time. We have worked out this list of things to do, or not to do if you want a chance of staying away from our guns. There is more to it, as always, but this might save you from a pod or 2." While leaving you tale a look at the list in your hand: 1. Don't logoff unprotected. Some log off far out in space hoping they will not be found. Sometimes they make it sometimes not, don't try it. Then there are the people who think they log off protected, but who either are still 1 sector out of protection or have bought weapons so they are no longer protected. Always check if you actually have protection before leaving. 2. If you get a battle report don't stay around trying to find out whats happening. MOVE, get out of the way. Some big warships might be able to kill you in 2 shots. 3. Use the news. Many kills are made in the same areas. That's where the hunters hang out or a alliance is claiming territory. Stay away from those areas, no reason to make the killers jobs easier by going to them. 4. Don't trade over scouts, or at the least not if the person owning them is online. Check the CPL (current player list) every few minutes. If someone having scouts where you are or a hunter who is operating in your area is coming online there are 2 options. Go to safety and trade another time or trade somewhere else. Don't stay around being a target. If you trade around scouts, that person knows where you trade, and will use it against you. If you trade at a claimed port - you are now a target of the alliance that claimed it. 5. Join a alliance. You can help each other with cash for better ships. Bigger alliances might be working together to make better trade routes (by upgrading planets). And in general the game is more fun if you get into alliance where people work together. 6. Money. Use some to max your ship on shields and armor when you got the money. (Holds should be bought asap, the more holds the better trading). Use banks. That way you will have some money stached away if you get podded. 7. Getting podded. Learn from it. Some times there was nothing you could do. But mostly there was something you could have done another way to stay alive. Find out what it was and don't do it again. Some hunters will answer questions if you ask when they killed you. 8. Don't write messages or chat while in open space, you might come back to a pod. 9. Hitting mines is a big problem. When you hit mines remember what way you came into the sector you should then be able to leave that way. When you have newbie turns, you are not able to see if there are forces dropped in sector. So, when you're about to end the newbie turns, be sure you're near Imperial space. As the sectors where you have travelled/traded till now could be mined, and there is the risk that you can get stuck in a minefield. 10. Even if you decide to go alone (highly not recommended) could be smart starting you own alliance and set up tax rate to 50%. By doing that the half cash you will get will go directly to the bank, saving you some risky trips with lot of cash on, and some game turns too! BE SURE you have created an anonymous account, before doing that, at the nearest bank and set it in "alliance options menu" as the alliance taxes account", if not you could just LOOSE your cash!" 11. A large part of the game is using chat. Most alliances have their own channel on IRC. Chat is used for coordinating fighting and planet busts. Also many of us hang out in the alliance chat room if at the comp, even if not playing. The game gets more fun when you know the people you are playing with. Always good to make some friends. The game server where you also find the Admins is: irc.associatedpowers.com (6667), the main room where all are welcome is #ME. If you don't have a chat program you can download mIRC at http://www.mIRC.com. 12. If your ship support a Scanner, and you have it equipped (after bought it a Technology Shop) use the local map screen for travelling around the space, in this way you're able to see if in the next sector there are forces or ships before entering into it. This should give you a "largest view" of the area you're travelling/trading/hunting, always for your safety. At the bottom of the page there is a greeting from Thauglor: "That's all for now. If you see me online while playing and have questions you are always welcome to ask. Might not answer right away, following rule number 8, hehe. But I always try to answer messages I get. We will see each other out there some day, maybe as allied, maybe as enemies. Most important I hope you have as much fun with this as I do." The almighty Thauglor |