Nwbie wants to do courier missions
|
Volvo_13 Posted Feb 16, 2010, 2:24 pm |
So I'm finally at the point where I have more than 1 car and have some characters who are almost touching 30 in different skill levels.
I've been doing SS scouts lately with the locals (thanks everyone) and actually surviving and bringing loot cars home. SO I'd like to start doing quick courier runs between Somerset and Elmsfield, since that's the closest town. Figure it can't be too hard and I can bring in extra cash and keep training my A grade driver/gunner as well as other folks. Okay bear with me. 1. So since I'll have a single car with a small cargo space do I just advertise for a mission and see what happens? 2. I assume I should have a lightly armed and armored car with a big ass engine so I can outrun the bad guys, correct? 3. So out of my current cars, which one should I mod and how? (I like to run 2 cars during scouts so I can bring loot back as well as survive the scout) a. Symphony, 2l 2xgats F, MG R, max armor b. Windsor II, 3.2L HMG+MG F, MG R, max armor -brought her home last night. whoop! whoop! c. Pheonix, 4L MMG F, MML R, max armor d. Desert Siren, it's up for sale since I didn't think it was good for anything....and I'm broke ;-( ...repairs are expensive. In my newbie opinion I'd think that the Windsor II would be the best choice to strip down. Not only is it my newest, but it has alot of cargo room (it seems) compared to the Pheonix. I still want to scout. I think my gangs big enough to field a special "courier" car to keep bringing in money. Thoughts? |
||||
|
*Wolfsbane* Posted Feb 16, 2010, 2:54 pm |
1) Yes. You advertise the amount of cargo space you have available and get a list of cargoes offered. I just pick the most valuable one normally.
2) Yes. Unarmed is usually best, as it means you won't be tempted to fight and it means you have less to lose if the car dies. 3) I would use the phoenix. 8 unit tank will get you to elms and leave you 67 units cargo space (I think). The windsor can carry more, but it's also a good combat chassis so I would use it to scout with until I had spares. Plus a 4L phoenix will outrun anything (unless you're unlucky enough to run into a flash). Offroad tyres are a must on that route. Strip off a lot of the armour to keep weight down, especially on the front. My first courier runs were with a 3.2L pickup, but I think the pho is a better choice. They're fast enough to make up for poor driving skill, and common enough that they're easy to replace. Don't expect to make huge piles of cash, but you should make a small profit while you learn the maps and train scout skill. Good luck! |
||||
|
betterlucky Posted Feb 16, 2010, 3:05 pm |
Personally, I'd go with an unarmed 3.2L pickup. I use a size 20 tank which covers trips to Gateway as well as Elms and also covers you if you need to carry something exceptionally heavy. That leaves 135 cargo space, which is good enough. I don't know if it's true, but I've come to believe that if you carry a courier item other than mail, you're more likely to get an encounter. Could just be me though 
The trick with these is not to stick to the road, just go in a straight line cross country at 80mph and nothing will catch you (this is only guaranteeed on the Elms run, there are Gateway maps where you'll end up going off a cliff if you try that... once past Gateway, offroad trips become a lot trickier). What's more, it's very forgiving of flipping or rolling, so great while you're still learning. You may need to patch up the front armour from time to time, but that should be it. One of my pickups is due into Somerset at midnight tonight. If you want it you can have it, I have spares in Elms I can use instead. |
||||
|
*Grograt* gary.r.horder@gmail.com Posted Feb 16, 2010, 3:13 pm |
Both the pickup and phoenix are good first courier vehicles, i myself would say go with the phoenix for the first week, go off road, learn the maps. This will be your biggest advantage over the AI once you know exactly where to run and where not to, then branch out to PU, boxvans and the ultimate courier vehicle the lorry. You wont earn the money in the phoenix but you will gain scout skill and that all important game skill.
Just a little insight 
|
||||
|
Volvo_13 Posted Feb 16, 2010, 9:24 pm |
Awesome, thanks everyone. I kinda figured the Windsor II (which won't be fixed up until 2-19) would be better for combat. Even though the Pheonix looks so sexy...
I'm gonna strip and mod the Pheonix for courier runs. Like grograt said I'll be using this just to keep things flowing. I can scout, do deathraces, and use the courier runs to pump up the skills of the drivers, make alittle extra cash, learn more about this crazy game, and just keep busy. betterlucky I'd be happy to take a pickup off of your hands. Although I won't do courier runs with it for a while (like until I'm really confident about driving solo and surviving) but eventually I will start to use it. Let me know. Thanks again all, see you around. |
||||
|
Groove Champion Posted Feb 16, 2010, 9:57 pm |
I've tried quite a few chassis for trade runs... Symphonies, Phoenixes, Sunrises, Box Vans, Lorries, Mercenaries, Mooses, but the one that always sticks out as the best choice is the Pick Up.
What you'll hear about the PU if you ask around is that it turtles easily and doesn't hold a big enough engine to have real power. Well, despite having access to rare, more celebrated chassis, I consistently choose the PU as my vehicle of choice for running trade. Why? It's common. It's cheap. It's tough. It's fast. It's spacious Common: You'll find PUs are abundant in all towns across Evan, even those with the least amount of global trade and resources. Cheap: Speaks for itself. The NPC market will sell you a PU for very little and they are looted so often by players you'll be able to negociate a very interesting price for one -if you don't find one yourself. Tough: Of course PUs aren't as tough as some of the tanks rolling around in Evan, but the armor isn't paper-thin either like it is on bigger trade vehicles (lorry, carrier van, box van) or muscle cars. Fast: And surprisingly so. With 15 armor on the rear and sides to cover your butt and an exposed 3.2L "under" the hood, you'll find it's possible to outrun most fast interceptors on open ground. You'll smoke them on rough terrain. Spacious: Without going into super rare chassis (Buzzers, BPUs) or trade vehicles that use trucker skill, the PU hold an impressive amount of cargo! You'll be able to make a few thousand dollars (upwards of 5K per PU) running easy routes like SS-Elms, and even more if you're willing to risk Elms-GW or SS-GW. |
||||
|
Togakure Posted Feb 17, 2010, 3:49 am |
I guess I went opposite the "recommended" route when I first started doing courier runs. I was making a fair amount of cash from scouting and events, maybe $30-40k a week profits (not bad for my first couple weeks).
Everyone was telling me the same as they are here, stay away from courier vans or box vans, don't use armed vehicles, go light on the armor, etc. What did I end up doing? I purchased a Courier Van from the shop, threw in a 4L engine, maxed out the armor (B class), tossed a couple spike droppers in the rear, loaded up a 15-unit fuel tank, and had my newest driver buckle up. With that setup I am able to do 275 max bulk in cargo, or up to 7 passengers on taxi missions with the extra bulk space being filled with goods. On average I can pull $8-10k per trip in mail alone, depending on what's available. I've been lucky enough to get nearly $25k on a single trip from combo taxi/mail missions. Do one trip in each direction daily, and I can make anywhere from $16-50k per day in mission rewards. My noob driver has gone from 6 to 38 scouting skill, not bad I guess. And what's the funniest part about this? I've never had a single encounter that I actually had to play out. I have the auto-truce option checked, so my courier runs have either been auto-truced or simply had nothing at all prior to arrival. Sure, some day my luck might run out, but maybe then I'll get to see how well the vehicle setup works. Even if I lose the van, the profits I've made from using it will more than cover the loss. |
||||
|
*Grograt* gary.r.horder@gmail.com Posted Feb 17, 2010, 10:41 am |
Its not the vehicle you should worry about losing, but the gang members you have put so much time real time in training | ||||
|
Karz Master Posted Feb 17, 2010, 12:22 pm |
Hmm I don't know, if I ever lost my Renowned/Famous/Legendary vehicles, I'll be just as devastated too, if not more. With characters, at least I have an excuse to deceive myself, by saying that I'm cloning them again. | ||||
|
*Grograt* gary.r.horder@gmail.com Posted Feb 17, 2010, 1:26 pm |
Fair point on the named vehicles, but i would still rather lose one than a 200 gunner, but of course we are talking new player advice so ganger over a pickup any time , no ? | ||||
|
Volvo_13 Posted Feb 17, 2010, 3:03 pm |
ARRGGGGh!
12 hours over, looked around, adde a bit more armor to the pheonix so I feel safer... had to resize the fuel tank by 1 unit to make it to Elms. 12 more hours to go arrggh! (but isn't that what our day jobs are for? waiting....) Even though I'm growling I really dig this game. THANKS KARTERS KREW!! for the sexy pickup.... |
||||
|
*Grograt* gary.r.horder@gmail.com Posted Feb 17, 2010, 3:17 pm |
Go to somerset market, you will find a phoenix named Pursuit 5 ready for scouting ( just needs a little armour) it is an MFP skin, i would take the weapons off and put on two front Gatling guns or machine guns ill pm PW, gives you another muscle to use in scouts and earn a little cash good luck | ||||
|
Volvo_13 Posted Feb 18, 2010, 3:07 am |
wow..done.
Goin' into the shop for repairs. Thanks Grograt, I really appreciate it. |
||||
|
Parapsycho Posted Feb 18, 2010, 3:28 am |
I've found estates to be pretty good courier vehicles for newbie courier runs. Theyre cheap, light, and with reduced armor, they can outrun nearly anything. Plus, their cargo capacity is pretty big, and they can fire rear weapons, which adds another layer of safety...
Only time I've lost a courier estate is when one turtled in The Maze... but by then, I had earned *many* times it's value in bulk good trades... |
||||
|
JS Posted Feb 18, 2010, 9:58 am |
Size 10 tanks take into account weight and will be fine for SS to EL. I run both Phoes and PUs, 3 Phoes and 4 PUs. I use the Phoes for the brand new guys and the PUs for the scouts who get to 30-40. I find the phoes slightly more forgiving in driving and easier to out run the opposition. With the Phoes I stick to the roads and with the PUs immediately go "Off Road". I've only been playing for a month, so this has worked as a new guy. I can easily run Phoes all the way to FL and SARS. PUs on theother hand have been more dicey. I lost one near shanty. Also relaize you need a larger tank to go south. Armor wise I find 12 ont he sides and 6 on top and bottom is good. 3.2 exposed for PUs and 4L for Phoes. Because I spend freely I am now adding 3.2L V8 to my travel phoes to get the extra 10 bulk. I have not manned up to the vans yet, but I usually get a couple encounters so I'm not too excited about trying to run from things in one of those. I can bring down 20-40K a day with these trips. I've recently added 3x Phoes between SARS and TX to start bringing up scouts down there and they work well there (requires and larger tank so less mail room). Plus, any good taxi missions can easily make it back north with the Phoes. | ||||
|
Arganosh Posted Feb 18, 2010, 1:29 pm |
When sizing a tank, I will load the cargo vehicle with the max cargo bulk I plan on carrying. I use water as it is heavier than food. Then I go to size the tank because it gives you the mileage with the vehicles weight as it sits. "At this weight this vehicle will get 28.6 miles per unit." Then I divide the miles I need to go by this number and then add 1 or two for a little cushion. This keeps me from having to re-size after re-sizing. |
||||
|
Volvo_13 Posted Feb 20, 2010, 2:58 pm |
So I've been running the mail back and forth from Elms to Somerset.
I make a run in the morning, coffee in hand.... sit down after work, beer in hand, process my encounters and make another run back (repeat, repeat) I haven't had a single encounter yet. So far everythings been auto-truced and I haven't had to do anything. Awesome. I guess when I get more cars in the mix and start running larger loads I'll probably get attacked. |
||||
|
*sam* Posted Feb 20, 2010, 3:19 pm |
This is probably because the pirates around SS/Elms are pretty well beaten down at the moment, Volvo. You're meeting traders all the time..
Actually, all those extra trader gangs I added in Elms are surely a major cause of this. More pirates needed methinks.. |
||||
|
FireFly Posted Feb 20, 2010, 3:52 pm |
|
||||
|
*sam* Posted Feb 20, 2010, 5:08 pm |
Yes, there is. Change how NPCs are selected for a combat. Already coded in, just needs a lobby reset.. 
|