Gameplay tips & tricks

[LGM]

geoschmo said:
A cargo ship is 300Kt, half of which must be cargo spaces. So basically you have a the same amount of room as an escort (150kt) for weapons etc PLUS you have 150Kt worth of cargo components that help to absorb a few extra shots in combat. All else being equal such an armed cargo ship should win a large majority of 1 on 1 fights against escorts, and will hold it's own against frigates. The longer you can Last in a fight the better off you'll be. The main drawback is the 5 engine limit on cargo ships. Sometimes speed can be a decisive factor.

Do not forget that escorts do have a 40% defense with a 0% defense for Freighters. However, until Point Defense Cannon II is reached, ships with Missile 1 and Max Range/Don't Get Hurt orders win over Depleted Uranium Cannons (Except at Warp-points where it can go either way). Defense has no effect on Missles, so the defense does not matter. A ship with 5 engines (Freighter) moves 3 in combat, the same speed as a ship with 6 engines (Escorts), unless you have the Propulsion primary trait.

I have seen many novices fall in the early game to myself or others that did not research Mil Sci 1 as their first technology and PDC 1 and 2 after that.

In the early game you will not have many Com Channels to acquire the technology in trade, so going for something else is extremely risky. If you disagree, speak up, I'll come looking for you sometime in the early game.