Privateer tactics

Marc

Marc

Commodore
I've recently booted up my original PRIV game by using DOSBOX.
good times... good times.

Since I'm starting all over again, I find it funny how I instantly whent right back to my orignal tactic, devised so many years ago...

I hit the invulnerability button on the option screen, sold my shield generator and armor to buy a jump drive and whent straight to this System:
priv01sx7.gif

THE safe heaven of all of Gemini as far as I'm concerned.
One Agricultural planet and a Refinery next to each other- perfect trade route, steady money. And if ever the merchandise runs out, NewDetroit is right next door.
But most important of all no bad guys. None. Ever. At least not between the bases. (a usefull thing since, if you remember, I sold all of my defences for my jump drive and some starting cash for trade)
It may look like a wimpy tactic but I like to play it safe, work my way up to the Centurion. Slowly get some battle kills under my belt and then leave my safe heaven.

What tactic do you guys use to start out the game?
 
I wouldn't really call this a tactic, since it involves cheating :p. Using invulnerability even for just a short while takes all the fun out of the game, IMO. Privateer is fun precisely because it's a challenging game right from the start.

(I'd be very, very impressed if you managed to put this tactic of yours into action without turning on invulerability, however - travelling from Troy to Raxis without shields would really be something)

Personally, what I used to do is take one or two easy missions to earn enough money for an AB system and maybe a better gun or two. Afterwards, I'd try to take as many patrol missions as possible - if you can get three patrol missions for one flight, you can earn a fairly solid amount of money, and it doesn't involve that much risk, since patrol missions don't require you to kill everything along the way.
 
I think my tactic is about the same as Quatro's. I get some easy missions in-system and make enought cash to get stuff to my ship, and eventually a jump drive.

I'm not sure why nobody seems to like the Orion. I get it before I buy the Centurion. It's a nice way to play mid-game.
 
I'm not sure I've ever been to Raxis. That does look like a great system. What sort of jobs does it have? Patrols? I always gear up a bit and head straight for Oxford. One very nice base of operations, and three standard nav points (for up to three patrols). You're never very far from Oxford if something goes wrong, so you can just afterburn home.

Quarto said:
(I'd be very, very impressed if you managed to put this tactic of yours into action without turning on invulerability, however - travelling from Troy to Raxis without shields would really be something)
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That should never really come up if you weren't doing what Marc's doing. You'd just stick around in Troy for a bit and earn a little money to outfit the Tarsus for interstellar travel.
 
ChrisReid said:
What sort of jobs does it have? Patrols?
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It has the usual random generated missions, including patrols_ Once I get my Centurion outfitted and join the Mercenary's guild, I'm hoping for those 7000$ patrol missions in-system (3 nav points and I'm done... Imagine if can get three of those, jackpot!... although, does patrol missions involve patrolling base locations? if not then I think I'm screwed on that one...)

One advantage Raxis has over most other system is no asteroids_ that's a plus for beginners. I always get knocked sideways by at least one of those succcers.
Another I can think of is it's a dead end system_ great for those bounty missions since you don't start searching three systems by the middle one... does that ring a bell to anyone? you know, you start out searching the system you took-of from but then the two next ones are opposite to each other relative to where you are... lots of running around.
 
I would start off flying local patrols, and as soon as I got two massdrivers, a jumpdrive and an afterburner, I would do cargo runs until I could afford a Centurion.
 
I hate the Orion mostly because it has a single missile launcher. that's really bad, because you can't do a double missile launch, which is something that kills enemy Tarsus really fast.

and I just find it easier to just save up to a centurion straight away. the way that the space combat works in Priv, it's better to have an agile ship with more guns than a slow, armored one with fewer.
 
Edfilho said:
I hate the Orion mostly because it has a single missile launcher. that's really bad, because you can't do a double missile launch, which is something that kills enemy Tarsus really fast.

and I just find it easier to just save up to a centurion straight away. the way that the space combat works in Priv, it's better to have an agile ship with more guns than a slow, armored one with fewer.
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I think you meant Talons.

I also am not a fan of the Orion. I would rather just get the Centurion and run riot around Gemini.
 
Well, maybe it's not a superduper ultrafighter of awesomeness, but I think it's fun. I don't always play the game trying to figure out the absolutely best way to get trought it. And it's on the cover of the game. :p

What I do wonder if are there Galaxy fans around. Maybe if turrets were more useful it would be more fun.
 
Marc said:
Another I can think of is it's a dead end system_ great for those bounty missions since you don't start searching three systems by the middle one... does that ring a bell to anyone? you know, you start out searching the system you took-of from but then the two next ones are opposite to each other relative to where you are... lots of running around.
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Yeah, those bounty missions always seemed like way too much work.

Delance said:
What I do wonder if are there Galaxy fans around. Maybe if turrets were more useful it would be more fun.
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The Galaxy sounds like it would be very useful for just the situation mentioned in the original post. Two nearby trading stations in a small system with very few hostiles.
 
The original poster is correct that there are no hostiles between Trinsic (heh) and Gracchus... but there are some in the system.

At Nav 1 there's a 10% chance of spawning two Retros, and there is a hidden point between Nav 1 and Trinsic that gives you even odds of finding either three Pirates or three Retros.
 
Delance said:
Well, maybe it's not a superduper ultrafighter of awesomeness, but I think it's fun. I don't always play the game trying to figure out the absolutely best way to get trought it. And it's on the cover of the game. :p

What I do wonder if are there Galaxy fans around. Maybe if turrets were more useful it would be more fun.
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Oh, sure, you can play however you see fit, but I was just answering your own question about why people dislike the Orion.

And yeah, I meant Talons. :)
 
Quarto said:
Personally, what I used to do is take one or two easy missions to earn enough money for an AB system and maybe a better gun or two. Afterwards, I'd try to take as many patrol missions as possible - if you can get three patrol missions for one flight, you can earn a fairly solid amount of money, and it doesn't involve that much risk, since patrol missions don't require you to kill everything along the way.
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I always sold my radar and bought the Mk1, then I sold the missile launcher and bought a torpedo launcher instead and loaded up on proton torpedos. I then bought a couple of Mass Driver cannons so that I actually had some guns that could punch holes in pirate and retro scum. Take a few missions and work on upgrading. Load up on patrol missions and then just afterburn through all the nav points...you don't have to kill any of the enemies...just pass through the navpoint and you get the reward. :)
 
Oh yes, patrols are great in Wing Commander. The very first time I played Wing Commander I was doing rather poorly, and I loved when Halcyon sent a Patrol mission my way, an easy victory.

Privateer continues this, early on patrols are a good options for making a quick buck without extra hassle.
 
Delance said:
What I do wonder if are there Galaxy fans around. Maybe if turrets were more useful it would be more fun.
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I'm a huge fan of the Galaxy class. Once I got enough cash to outfit it (engine upgrade- shields...) I joined the Guilds and got those great 20,000+ paying cargo missions.
My thing was, I look over what's available, decide where I whant to go- but I don't accept the mission right away... once I know where I'm going, I go down to the Commodity Exchange and fill my ship to the brim with whatever is profitable at the mission destination. THEN I go back to the office and accept the mission.
Otherwise, accepting the mission first takes 50 units (or whatever the amount of mission cargo) of cargo in your ship, and you can't get rid of it 'till you complete or fail the mission. By doing it my way, I not only get 250 units of whatever cargo I whant (with cargo expansion) but the game adds the additionnal mission cargo units on top of it afterwards... don't ask me how, it should'nt be able to go over 250, it just does :)
I don't even mind the low manuverability of the Galaxy... as long as I avoid kirathi fighters and asteroids, two meson blasters and two missile launchers filled with I.R. keeps me safe and sound.

As for the turrets... those are only usefull to place a tractor beam.
 
I can start out the plot missions in the Galaxy without to mutch problem (altought Tayla's pirate base inside the asteroid field is tricky, since I have to fight in it)

I'm up to the Linch missions out of NewConstantinople and I'm starting to get pretty banged-up... I will most likely switch to the Centurion soon.
Besides, if I remember correctly, the Palan missions involve dozens of merc. ace fighters and I barely got trought it with a Centurion last time...
 
Marc said:
esides, if I remember correctly, the Palan missions involve dozens of merc. ace fighters and I barely got trought it with a Centurion last time...
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Yep. 20 Demons total in the mission set (10 in the very first mission), which aren't quite the cakewalk that are Talons, plus a group of 4 Centurions in Murphy 2.
 
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