' Wrote:1. I think I primarily want to run trade routes, but sometimes I like to mix it up and go blow stuff up. It does not seem like good RP to just change lifelong occupation on a whim. So, am I stuck trading forever?
Not really, you can always make a few different characters. Trading is the most profitable occupation as far as I know, and, besides, it doesn't say anywhere that the trader can't blow stuff up. It's just more difficult.
' Wrote:2. A couple of friends would probably start playing with me. The Discovery universe sounds pretty dangerous, and they like to fly fighters, so they would probably escort me around the galaxy (if we are permitted to travel through the entire galaxy) keeping me alive and I would split the profits with them. Is that allowed, or do we need to join an already existing faction and do what their higher ups ask? It seems at a certain level (40?) you cant just be a civilian cruising planet to planet and have to affiliate with someone.
Yeah, you can take your friends along (or even hire some bounty hunter, mercenary or freelancer) to escort you around Sirius. As for the level 40 not being civillian anymore.. well, you can maybe become a freelancer, or an independent trader, unaffiliated pirate... they all get around pretty much. Zoner as well. And, those are just NPC affiliations, that is, guide lines on how to behave in RP situations.. for instance, a trader is more likely (much more) to pay a pirate than is some mercenary in a heavily armed gunboat.
' Wrote:3. The threads I read mentioned fines of millions of credits, pirates demanding millions of credits, etc. That is a ton of money! I am going to be starting out with 500, right? How am I supposed to get a million credits to pay a pirate ransom if everyone else in the galaxy is already flying a 50,000,000 credit death machine?
Well, for instance, the advanced train, which is the universal cargo transport, carries about 5000 cargo units. And costs 188 million credits. It can make some nice profit, much more than say, 2-3 million that a pirate might rob you of. Also, as I hear, most of the pirates around these parts aren't actually in it for the money, but for the sheer RP value of it. And I think you start with 8500 cash. And a 50M credit death machine would be a heavy gunboat. Try thinking about 895M Capship 8 Armor upgrade (increases hull points by 4 times). The first thing to keep in mind is Role Play comes before PVP, and that some people aren't very much aware of that fact, so you might get frustrated. About learning to role play, if you don't know allready, you might just watch other people do it, read some of the stories on forum, and generally, think about what you're going to do.
Edit: Think what would the NPC do in that situation.
