nogwart: This looks like a game I should really like, but I'm having trouble getting started. From what I learned in the tutorial, it seems like one should trade, trade, trade, and trade some more until you have enough money to buy a decent ship that can win battles, then start taking missions, and expand from there in whatever direction you choose. That sounds like something I will really enjoy! However, the problem I'm having is that even trying to keep my "trading circle" small in order to build up money, I get attacked randomly, and more often than not, lose/die.

For a first playthrough, should I stick to the Federation so that I'm not attacked so often (I chose Bounty Hunter since that was in the tutorial and sounded interesting)?

nielsbauer: Hi, great you are on board! :)

Trading is just one of the possible ways to play this game. What´s really a major feature of this game is the freedom of choice. If you want to trade I suggest you choose one of the trading professions. They have special skills (which can even be increased with the right equipment) that are supposed to reduce encounters, increase your cargo space, give you more info about prices on foreign planets or systems etc.

If you play a bounty hunter profession, you are really playing a fighter class and while you can theoretically do some trading, they are really not meant for this playing style.

Each of the professions has a end-game content and if you want to build your own factories, you should play a trader. :)

nogwart: Thank you for the suggestions!

It's not particularly that I "want to trade", but it seems that trading is the only way to accumulate enough money to upgrade. I'll take your advice and start as a Fleet trader, more so that I can learn the game better for if/when I want to try other professions. The Bounty Hunter or Pirate does sound more interesting, but I'm at a loss as to how I could ever survive long enough to build up enough cash required to upgrade to better ships/equipment if they don't trade (much).

So, starting a new game!

Thanks again!

dragonbrad97: I started as a Bounty Hunter and there's no trading required as long as you understand the combat system. One of the things that the tutorial doesn't really teach is how to use Missiles effectively in combat. Don't use them as weapons, the low chance of them actually hitting isn't worth the action points it takes to actually fire them. Instead use them as a way to put pressure on your enemy and buy you some time to use more powerful ability's. For Example: I have enough action points to activate a powerful ability BUT I would only be able to actually use that ability once this turn with my remaining action points, effectively wasting it. OR I could not activate that ability at all and instead fire off a missile and end the turn, the enemy will completely waste all of his action points trying to ECM the missile and waste his turn. Then it will be you turn and you can activate that ability and use it two or three times instead of only once.

As long as you use all your ability's efficiently and use missiles to buy time you will do just fine. Then you can just grind missions in the area you started in and once you have enough you can buy a ship with a Warp Drive and really get going.

So yeah, if you find yourself bored of trading just go ahead and restart as a bounty hunter you won't have to trade at all.