Hauler's Guide Suggestion Thread - teaser posted

Xist

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RE your hauling cargo/deliveries idea @Black Sunder that sounds very useful.

This might be a good chance to try it out on Guilded and see how their docs are. Worst case if it's terrible we can cut/paste here but these forums definitely aren't very conducive to documentation so probably worth trying there.
 
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stockish

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Name Idea!

Eastbound And Down: The Search For More Money or Trucker Thoughts: How To Avoid Lot Lizards, But Gain Profits!

Rant Time!

Some great points have been touched on already, like first timers and the 5 W's to get started. But I think we could also talk about the thought process of what any particular hauler may want to do. Does this hauler want to do local or regional deliveries, then no reason to bust out anything larger than a MISC Freelancer MAX, unless the commodity can be safely delivered in something like a Caterpillar or similar sized craft with minimal support from a surface location to station or another planet based location.

Maybe this hauler wants to do more system to system or cross system travels, now we step up to the big leagues of hauling where we more prominently see Hull-C and larger ships along with escorts or in groups as a fleet for organizations. Is this hauler independent or part of an organization moving commodities? Now we need to account for percentages of profits if being used as a contractor by someone to help move product as being contracted out can have different ways to go. Are you just being hired to fly a ship, or are you being hired and must supply your own ship and crew as needed which increases cost to you requiring higher cuts of profits.

Next we can discuss, is this ship owned by the pilot or being rented and how insurance will handle loss of cargo. As the owner, the pilot must cover everything down the toilet paper used in the commode, while renting can depend on the policy and its cost. Local close range runs may benefit from lesser insurance as safety is higher, but when you move to longer distances and larger ships, cost goes up and if a pilot can't afford to cover to load or ship then they accept a major loss risk while a renter may have something that covers partial loss so the risk may be less.



Anyway, need more time to think stuff, more edits soon!
 
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Black Sunder

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The current starting outline. Subject to change of course but its a start for getting the brain gears working. Thank you @GameFleek for help in working this out

Intro - Becoming a Space Trucker
Renting ships (How long would it take to buy the same ship in game)​

The Ships of the Trade - an in-depth look at ships which are primarily focus on cargo running
4 classifications(Starter, Small, Medium, Large)​
Ship Upgrades - Push it to the Limit​

Running Cargo
Delivery missions​
How to find delivery contracts. (Mobiglass)​
Chaining Deliveries​
Ship recommendations​
Bulk Trading​
Time is Money​
Useful websites/spreadsheets​
Concerning planet buying/selling vs station and moon​
Calculating profits​
Repair, Fuel, and Q Fuel costs​
Illegal Trading​
Creating Routes​
Tick Rate explanation​
General table of estimated costs of ships full loaded​
Collateral Survivability - using the right ship​
The Necessity of Security​
Knowing the Territory​
Escorts​
Org level Human Intelligence​
Convoys​

Tips / Tricks / Other advice
Good practices - solo and multicrew​
Avoiding unwanted guests​
Insert more tips here​
Quantum Interdiction Avoidance​
So you’ve lost everything​

Final thoughts
 
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BUTUZ

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Something on Risk Vs Reward
 

Shadow Reaper

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Don't know if y'all posted this but here it is again:

 
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Black Sunder

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Well it IS Friday so I think we're done with this. Thank you to everyone that provided suggestions both on here and Discord.

Here is the EARLY EARLY we'll call it 'whitebox' intro for the new guide:

The TEST Squadron Cargo Hauler’s Guide V3.9?

An Introduction to Cargo Hauling

Cargo hauling in its most basic form is the action of taking a good, or set of commodities, from one place and delivering it to another. This process is what allows economies to function and gives rise to different money making opportunities. Although the in game economy at this time is fairly static, with minimal buy and sell ranges, technology has been developed to transform it into a truly dynamic economy unlike anything seen before. At this time there are two kinds of gameplay associated with cargo: Courier Missions and Bulk Commodity Trading. Each activity has different risks and rewards associated with it.

Courier Missions consist of a single object or courier box being picked up and taken to a specific drop off point. The rewards and travel requirements for these contracts vary, but are generally easy to accomplish with minimal personal risk. They can be done in almost any ship and are a great way for new players to earn some starting capital.

Bulk Commodity Trading sees the player transport large quantities of self purchased goods from one location to another to be sold for a profit. This carries significant financial risk for the player because the cargo must be paid for upfront and loss of a shipment can devastate a player’s finances if steps are not taken to mitigate it. However, the rewards for this scale significantly higher than Courier Missions and allow the player freedom of choice in what goods they wish to procure and sell.
 
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