Questions for you vets that I suspect are obvious or simple.

[Joehockey]

Ok, so I've just spent the last few hours in-game working on my button layout for my new 16000 hotas. Eventually I got it all figured and went about my business. Did a bunch deliveries and bounties all over Stanton with my Warden. Over time I noticed a couple of things.

1. How the hell do you find out what Pad you're landing on? It seems I was always at Pad 02. But the first time I went back to my ship after a drop off and pick up (without it going to hangar) I guess Pad 02 and was right. Is a Warden sized ship always at Pad 02? Was I lucky to guess Pad 02 seven different times at different stations? Or is the ship magically at whatever pad I send the elevator to?

2. Is there a way to look up locations when planning deliveries, bounties, and other missions BEFORE accepting the mission? Had I known where Banjini (or whatever it was called) was right by a bounty I wouldn't have left the another station before having to back track. Or do you guys simply know the verse well enough to mostly know where you're going without having to look locations up?

3. When enlisting the services of a R&R station (i.e. Hur-L2), how do you know when you're good to go (refueled, rearmed, repaired, etc)? I spent about 20 minutes doing all the Reddit tricks to using the services like hovering, confirming once service at a time, etc. Yet, my ship never looked repaired. I needed fuel and was (probably) low on ammo, and had a Warden that looked like a flying rock from the damage states (though I had no actual damage other than cosmetic). But nothing worked. Or at least I don't believe it did. Do you need to hangar the aircraft to see the services completed? Like you're ordering the services, land, let them take it and do the services and then you're back to fighting shape? Is it instantaneous? Or was it bugged and I just didn't get lucky.

4. I was interdicted at one point, and after shooting down the two cutlasses and a connie, I was unable to QT. It said, "quantum jammed" or something like that. There were no aircraft nearby. I just flew full throttle towards my destination while I went to grab a beer and sandwich, came back and was able to QT again. So was that an effect from being pulled out of Quantum? Or is there a "zone/bubble" that you have to depart from before being able to QT again?

5. How do you guys know/find out the meta for ship loadouts? Like you see a max DPS build on the DPS Calculator site but people tend to say that DPS doesn't mean everything (it usually doesn't) or that such and such weapons are bugged and only do a percentage of damage. Is there a doc, site, or place on out forums that I can find that info before spending money in-game on weapons/parts for my ship that are not the best option?

That's all for now. I love you guys. I need smart people in my life. Please.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Good set of questions, I'm not a veterinarian myself but i'll try to provide some info:

1. How the hell do you find out what Pad you're landing on? It seems I was always at Pad 02. But the first time I went back to my ship after a drop off and pick up (without it going to hangar) I guess Pad 02 and was right. Is a Warden sized ship always at Pad 02? Was I lucky to guess Pad 02 seven different times at different stations? Or is the ship magically at whatever pad I send the elevator to?

In the station if you go back to the ship spawn screen it will show you where your ship is located on the list. It will say pad/hangar and a number in a station.

2. Is there a way to look up locations when planning deliveries, bounties, and other missions BEFORE accepting the mission? Had I known where Banjini (or whatever it was called) was right by a bounty I wouldn't have left the another station before having to back track. Or do you guys simply know the verse well enough to mostly know where you're going without having to look locations up?

I rarely do missions so can't help with this one, others may be more in the know though :)

3. When enlisting the services of a R&R station (i.e. Hur-L2), how do you know when you're good to go (refueled, rearmed, repaired, etc)? I spent about 20 minutes doing all the Reddit tricks to using the services like hovering, confirming once service at a time, etc. Yet, my ship never looked repaired. I needed fuel and was (probably) low on ammo, and had a Warden that looked like a flying rock from the damage states (though I had no actual damage other than cosmetic). But nothing worked. Or at least I don't believe it did. Do you need to hangar the aircraft to see the services completed? Like you're ordering the services, land, let them take it and do the services and then you're back to fighting shape? Is it instantaneous? Or was it bugged and I just didn't get lucky.

When you are repaired your ship status in the top left goes back to normal (all red/orange vanishes). Setting one of your ship screens to your weapons will show you your ammo being restocked. You can see your H fuel topping up in your hud, and if you press F1 you can see your Quantum fuel replenishing if you go on one of the screens, I think the map...? It's one of them :)

Sounds like you had a bug, I'd say self destruct and insurance claim that nonsense.

4. I was interdicted at one point, and after shooting down the two cutlasses and a connie, I was unable to QT. It said, "quantum jammed" or something like that. There were no aircraft nearby. I just flew full throttle towards my destination while I went to grab a beer and sandwich, came back and was able to QT again. So was that an effect from being pulled out of Quantum? Or is there a "zone/bubble" that you have to depart from before being able to QT again?

Thats exactly what to do, just move out of the zone of corruption. In my starfarer it takes less than 60 seconds once fully up to speed but then obviously you have to get back to a sensible speed if your ship isn't very quick at slowing down. The Starfarer isn't.

5. How do you guys know/find out the meta for ship loadouts? Like you see a max DPS build on the DPS Calculator site but people tend to say that DPS doesn't mean everything (it usually doesn't) or that such and such weapons are bugged and only do a percentage of damage. Is there a doc, site, or place on out forums that I can find that info before spending money in-game on weapons/parts for my ship that are not the best option?

Beware the Meta Chasing, young padawan. There have been many Meta ships and load-outs over the patches, the Sledgehammer loudout, the Omnisky loadout, the Panters loadout, the Dominators loadout, the Vanguard, the Sabre, the Super Hornet, the MIS, the Buccaneer. All have perished as balance casts its shadow over them - you hardly ever see a Buccaneer in player hands anymore but it used to be the fighter to fly, for a patch or two...

Do not be tempted by the Meta Side. Many an early backer saw a particular ship was OP and pledged on it only to have the salt flow and the ship melted once it was bought into line. Full balancing will come once Beta starts. Until then, fly what you like the look of :)

As for effective/bugged weapons Until Server Side Object Container Streaming came, the Repeaters/Gattling guns were the best as they basically put out a stream of fire that you could then see if you were hitting or not. Single shots like the Autocannon and other slow firing weapons were unreliable. Now SOCS is here, I can't tell you as the server should now have a more reliable frame rate to be able to detect hits... it's still early days, if in doubt get the Panthers out.

 

[Joehockey]

Awesome, thanks @NaffNaffBobFace I figured most of them were obvious or at least close to what I was assuming.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Awesome, thanks @NaffNaffBobFace I figured most of them were obvious or at least close to what I was assuming.

No problem, as always advice is partly personal opinion so I look forward to seeing what other TESTies may have to say.

 

[Lorddarthvik]

Ok, so I've just spent the last few hours in-game working on my button layout for my new 16000 hotas. Eventually I got it all figured and went about my business. Did a bunch deliveries and bounties all over Stanton with my Warden. Over time I noticed a couple of things.

1. How the hell do you find out what Pad you're landing on? It seems I was always at Pad 02. But the first time I went back to my ship after a drop off and pick up (without it going to hangar) I guess Pad 02 and was right. Is a Warden sized ship always at Pad 02? Was I lucky to guess Pad 02 seven different times at different stations? Or is the ship magically at whatever pad I send the elevator to?

2. Is there a way to look up locations when planning deliveries, bounties, and other missions BEFORE accepting the mission? Had I known where Banjini (or whatever it was called) was right by a bounty I wouldn't have left the another station before having to back track. Or do you guys simply know the verse well enough to mostly know where you're going without having to look locations up?

3. When enlisting the services of a R&R station (i.e. Hur-L2), how do you know when you're good to go (refueled, rearmed, repaired, etc)? I spent about 20 minutes doing all the Reddit tricks to using the services like hovering, confirming once service at a time, etc. Yet, my ship never looked repaired. I needed fuel and was (probably) low on ammo, and had a Warden that looked like a flying rock from the damage states (though I had no actual damage other than cosmetic). But nothing worked. Or at least I don't believe it did. Do you need to hangar the aircraft to see the services completed? Like you're ordering the services, land, let them take it and do the services and then you're back to fighting shape? Is it instantaneous? Or was it bugged and I just didn't get lucky.

4. I was interdicted at one point, and after shooting down the two cutlasses and a connie, I was unable to QT. It said, "quantum jammed" or something like that. There were no aircraft nearby. I just flew full throttle towards my destination while I went to grab a beer and sandwich, came back and was able to QT again. So was that an effect from being pulled out of Quantum? Or is there a "zone/bubble" that you have to depart from before being able to QT again?

5. How do you guys know/find out the meta for ship loadouts? Like you see a max DPS build on the DPS Calculator site but people tend to say that DPS doesn't mean everything (it usually doesn't) or that such and such weapons are bugged and only do a percentage of damage. Is there a doc, site, or place on out forums that I can find that info before spending money in-game on weapons/parts for my ship that are not the best option?

That's all for now. I love you guys. I need smart people in my life. Please.

@NaffNaffBobFace gave really good answers, cheers mate!
As for 2. I learned by doing. I don't know of a way to see the locations except for searching through the map, but obviously that's not optimal lol
If you do enough missions you will learn the naming conventions and just get a feel for where stuff is mostly.

5. I would like to say hit detection is much improved on both side, but I haven't played enough to be sure. I could destroy 2 npc prospectors with my aurora Mr before I got blown up by another 3, but this time I could see their shots hitting me. So yes, Ssocs does work better in this regard.

 

[Cugino83]

1. How the hell do you find out what Pad you're landing on? It seems I was always at Pad 02. But the first time I went back to my ship after a drop off and pick up (without it going to hangar) I guess Pad 02 and was right. Is a Warden sized ship always at Pad 02? Was I lucky to guess Pad 02 seven different times at different stations? Or is the ship magically at whatever pad I send the elevator to?

System try to allocate you the smaller free pad you can land on, in most station giving priority to the closest to you, so depending on the situation and the ship it could be that you end up always on pad 02.
For knowing witch pad you are on you can look at the ASOP terminal or, in station like Port Olissar, looks at the signs on the landing pad (the small light sign near the stairs on the landing pad)

2. Is there a way to look up locations when planning deliveries, bounties, and other missions BEFORE accepting the mission? Had I known where Banjini (or whatever it was called) was right by a bounty I wouldn't have left the another station before having to back track. Or do you guys simply know the verse well enough to mostly know where you're going without having to look locations up?

Well' you'll end up knowing the general location of planet and moon in the future eventually, just playing SC a lot, in the mean time you can just open the star map into the mobiglass and look for the location. You don't need to know the exact position of the outpost, just the moon/planet it's on.
As general rule every location named HDMS is in the Hurston area...

3. When enlisting the services of a R&R station (i.e. Hur-L2), how do you know when you're good to go (refueled, rearmed, repaired, etc)? I spent about 20 minutes doing all the Reddit tricks to using the services like hovering, confirming once service at a time, etc. Yet, my ship never looked repaired. I needed fuel and was (probably) low on ammo, and had a Warden that looked like a flying rock from the damage states (though I had no actual damage other than cosmetic). But nothing worked. Or at least I don't believe it did. Do you need to hangar the aircraft to see the services completed? Like you're ordering the services, land, let them take it and do the services and then you're back to fighting shape? Is it instantaneous? Or was it bugged and I just didn't get lucky.

Looks for your ship fuel level, your ship diagram or your ammo count, another way is to simply re-open the service pannel in the mobiglass and check if you can request the service again: if not or is listed as 1 aUAC fee then you are ok.
An advice: do either service separatly: so first the rapair, then the rearm, then the Quantum fuel and finally the Hydrogen, it works better then select all ther service togheter.

4. I was interdicted at one point, and after shooting down the two cutlasses and a connie, I was unable to QT. It said, "quantum jammed" or something like that. There were no aircraft nearby. I just flew full throttle towards my destination while I went to grab a beer and sandwich, came back and was able to QT again. So was that an effect from being pulled out of Quantum? Or is there a "zone/bubble" that you have to depart from before being able to QT again?

Bug, report it in the issue council, if there are no ship around you that can QD you then you have to be able to QT again

5. How do you guys know/find out the meta for ship loadouts? Like you see a max DPS build on the DPS Calculator site but people tend to say that DPS doesn't mean everything (it usually doesn't) or that such and such weapons are bugged and only do a percentage of damage. Is there a doc, site, or place on out forums that I can find that info before spending money in-game on weapons/parts for my ship that are not the best option?

There are a lot of tool aorund the net to do that, just google for them or look in the forum for the resources post where we collect them a while a ago, kepp in mind those tool are not official and the data they are based on are mined form the game file, so is not granted they are up to date.
Also, be sure to test and try different cconfiguration: number are just that, numbers, be sure that the configuration you are ppan to use suite YOUR play style, your skill and is fun to use for YOU. SC is not a competitive game (especially not in alpha....) so be primary goal is always to have fun.