Smasha: TRied with no invulnerability and I just get shot down or half my ship is unreapairable.
Odear.Please give us Freelancer.My last hope Wing Commander 4 I got stuck on that photo mission forever and quit that game.My only hope is Freelancer.
Why are space sims so bloody hard and so not fun?
I don't know I don't find the game all that difficult... First part of the game should be focused on delivery missions between areas in first system. Until you an build enough money upgrade armor/weapons.
Actually you can sell your starting loadout of lasers (and base armor), and buy the 'mesons',and afterburner, maybe even upgraded armor. Those will make combat slightly easier, early in the game. Don't take on a mission if it looks more challenging than you are ready for.
Keep on taking missions delivery are the easiest (as you can outrun enemies with the arterburners and auto-pilot once you are out of range). Within a couple of hours you should be able to upgrade to the Centurion, and start maxing out its gear.
Seriously don't even think about leaving the starting area until you have at least the afterburner, max shields, maxed engines (at least one grade higher than your shield loadout) for your starting ship, max armor, and the ship repair bot. While you can start making deliveries into other systems once you have a jump drive, take care to realize you can be shot up while trying to jump systems if enemies are around. If you have no way to repair your ship while trying to pass through systems you will probably die the next time you encounter enemies. You need something to repair your afterburners, shields systems, and main engines if anything else.
Also to make combat 'easy' put money into IR missiles. They lock on fast, and do alot of damage to early ships in the game. Just don't target 'friendlies'.
If you wait to upgrade your radar, you need to be more careful what you are targeting if you fighting/using missiles. Use comm to talk to ships to find out what they are.
Oh, and many enemies can be made 'neutral' by spamming friendly chatter to them. The exception are enemies scripted as part of the main story missions.
Keep in mind if you utilize 'delivery' missions, and choose to avoid combat, you can wait to buy weapons (and upgrade everything else), and play the game more "Firefly" style at first. That is fly missions and outrun every enemy, to get to the delivery objective! This works fine, except when passing through any areas with asteroids.
A little hint about the afterburners. If you have engines one level higher than your shields, or if you keep your shields at half strength, you can endlessly afterburn. This makes it very easy to outrun most enemies. Especially once you get the centurion.
