Elite : Dangerous

[DanceswithUnix]

Then I tried a RES, which was OK until a wing of anaconda + two clippers decided I looked tasty

You will have worked some of this out or read it by now, but just in case here are a few points that I didn't find out straight away...

1/ I find that big ships (and most small ones) scan you before they try and open fire. Make sure your hold is completely empty, that way your fight with an Anaconda that was always going to be right to the wire doesn't end up as "and also with a wing of three Clippers" unexpectedly.
2/ If you accidentally strafe a ship that isn't wanted, you will get a fine and become wanted. At that point, I leave on supercruise for a minute to reset the instance because if the ship you strafed gets blown up by another NPC, then your part in the matter gets you a murderer status which is really annoying to deal with.
3/ Get a Kill Warrant Scanner, and scan any decent sized ships with it before opening fire. That might up the bounty from 40K to 80K (or 120K on a big ship to 200K) which is well worth the time it takes to perform the scan. Sidewinders and Eagles I don't bother with, they might jump from 6K to 12K but in the time it takes to scan a ship I could have shot down two more sidewinders so pickings have to be very slim for me to bother investing the time.
4/ Look out for bounty hunters, the NPCs also attacking pirates. Tag along to a fight they started, it makes things go much faster and with less risk, and you still get the same payout.

[SMeK]

900k wow nice, its a really long trade route tho 220 LY my poor cobra going to spend more time at the fuel pump than in flight

[Lowe]

I don't see the point of the KWS, I can't be bothered going all over the galaxy to collect the bounties from elsewhere.

[cptwhite_uk]

Agreed, collecting dozens of bounties from tons of systems from wanted ships you've killed just annoys the OCD in me when I go to the transactions tab. If you could cash them in at any station for a reduction in value then yes, but at present it's too much of a faff to bother with it.

[kalniel]

I don't mind picking up odd bounties like that, but I'd like it if I could get a notification pop up telling me I've got a claim waiting in a system I happen to jump to.

[DanceswithUnix]

I don't see the point of the KWS, I can't be bothered going all over the galaxy to collect the bounties from elsewhere.

I think it means instead of getting just local system bounties you get that local system bounty plus whatever the Empire, Federation or Alliance have outstanding on them.

So yes you get a bit of a bounty buildup, but the local ones were going to happen anyway and if the Empire or Alliance bounties get to a million or two then I might go a few ly out of my way to collect that

I don't think I have ever had bounties that I had to leave the system for, and I only bother scanning if I am working a hazres quite hard in which case I am probably visiting the local station every hour to refill & repair so those aren't a stress to collect.

I do have one annoying and small bounty in my tab atm, which was from some chancer npc that interdicted me while jumping somewhere. Very much doubt I scanned them.

I don't mind picking up odd bounties like that, but I'd like it if I could get a notification pop up telling me I've got a claim waiting in a system I happen to jump to.

Now that would be nice

[Lowe]

I used to use a KWS all the time. My left hand panel is chock full of smallish bounties as a result, even a few big ones. I just can't be doing with the travelling, it's a proper pain in the harris in a FDL.

[Ttaskmaster]

I just can't be doing with the travelling, it's a proper pain in the harris in a FDL.

Likewise. You get far more money far quicker just RES Hunting.

But that's part of what being a proper bounty hunter is all about. Picking up a Kill Order in System A and hunting them down in B is the main, but what bounty hunter worth their salt would not scan a target to see if they have any additional (and worthwhile) monies on them?

IMO, if you're just hunting Wanteds in your local RES or something, you're merely a Mercenary. Proper bounty hunters actually hunt and track down their bounty... Frontier needs to beef this particular aspect up, IMO, maybe as an improved mission thing. Anyone (including me) can get a ship with big guns and go blatt a few dozen RES rats... proper bounty hunting requires sense and skills.

[DanceswithUnix]

Likewise. You get far more money far quicker just RES Hunting.

But my original comment was to use the KWS while RES hunting, and in that context it really is worthwhile.

I usually spend an hour in a Haz Res, which is enough to make a few million. One stop at a station in the system that the Haz Res is in should cash in *all* of the minor local faction bounties in a couple of clicks. The only bounties I expect to have left to pay out will be with major factions: Empire, Federation and Alliance. Those major factions payouts will usually add up to sizable amounts, and when I see one is up to a couple of million I might go out of my way to cash it in.

So honestly, I find it the most minor of faffs, and probably worth about a million per hour.

[Ttaskmaster]

Those major factions payouts will usually add up to sizable amounts, and when I see one is up to a couple of million I might go out of my way to cash it in.

Ahhh.... see, I rarely find a local Wanted with much more than a few hundred in another system, regardless of how many thousands are on their head in this one.
I used to have a KWS set on my lasers, so by the time the shields had gone I'd scanned the target. The most a target ever racked up on that was perhaps 15k in one, which is dwarfed when considering I can make 12 times that from dropping one Anaconda and in far less time.

So honestly, I find it the most minor of faffs, and probably worth about a million per hour.

Again, it's all in how much you can make in the time you have. I recall having to travel for almost an hour in Cruise to reach the station I needed, to claim 30,000Cr... which I only did because they were also buying Slaves and I'd hopped in a freighter.

If I'm gonna hop all around the galaxy, I'd prefer to hunt targets rather than figuring out where to collect small payouts.

[DanceswithUnix]

If I'm gonna hop all around the galaxy, I'd prefer to hunt targets rather than figuring out where to collect small payouts.

I'm going to have to have a play with this. I think you have to scan a ship before you open fire on it to get a decent payout, but I am not totally sure.

I do usually see an Anaconda go from 120K before scan to 200K after a scan though.

[scaryjim]

... if you're just hunting Wanteds in your local RES or something, you're merely a Mercenary. Proper bounty hunters actually hunt and track down their bounty... Frontier needs to beef this particular aspect up, IMO ...

You know, if there was a proper bounty hunting game, where you had to race to get the big bounties before other PCs got there, that might almost persuade me to invest in E: D. I've been following the discussions here for a while now, and while it sounds like there's a reasonable breadth of game there, I don't see enough depth in any aspect to persuade me yet.

And of course there's always the twin concerns of the always-on connection and the fact that I'd need to build a new gaming PC to run it...

[kalniel]

and the fact that I'd need to build a new gaming PC to run it...

Sounds like just the excuse you've been waiting for

Hate the always-on connection though. Was only the sale price that got me around it.

[DanceswithUnix]

My only worry with the always on connection is how long the servers are up for. Not an issue now, but I can drag the Atari ST out of the loft (never had a beeb) and play the original Elite on that but I can't imagine FD will still have servers running and maintained 30 years on.

I can only hope they lob the known universe onto a VM if they ever shut the servers down so people can run it locally.

And Scaryjim, I do know someone who built a gaming PC just for this game so you wouldn't be the first. Go on, the void is calling to you...

[kalniel]

My only worry with the always on connection is how long the servers are up for. Not an issue now, but I can drag the Atari ST out of the loft (never had a beeb) and play the original Elite on that but I can't imagine FD will still have servers running and maintained 30 years on.

I can only hope they lob the known universe onto a VM if they ever shut the servers down so people can run it locally.

True, that's part of my rationale for sales price purchase as well - I don't expect it to be a long termer in the way single player classics are.

[DanceswithUnix]

True, that's part of my rationale for sales price purchase as well - I don't expect it to be a long termer in the way single player classics are.

The flip side of that, I was wondering before the paid expansion came out just how FD were going to fund continued development and running of the game.

I have the mug and a shirt, but there is only so many mugs and shirts I can buy so that isn't a long term solution.

Edit to add:

Looks like they already thought of the day the servers shut down...


Originally Posted by David Braben:

We have no intention of taking the servers down, but I understand what you are getting at. We plan to archive the game from time to time (ie matching client and servers and game world state), and would release such an archive if the servers were to come down. That would also address the issue of how you preserve an online game for the future, from the whole 'retro' perspective.