Logbook entry

A few tips from one novice CMDR to another

1. USE THE FUEL SCOOP!
• Keep a fully upgraded fuel scoop equipped to avoid running out of fuel.
• Never forget your mnemonic for scoopable star types: KGB-FOAM or Oh Be A Fine Guy/Girl & Kiss Me (your choice!).
• Find the 'sweet spot' where the fuel scoop caps out, and sit there in minimum supercruise speed until you're full, or your heat becomes unmanageable (heat sinks will help!).
2. FLY LIKE YOU'RE ELITE!
• Use the gravity wells of planetary bodies to manage speed in supercruise, especially when you're going too fast towards a target closing in quick. Don't get too close to the surface, but learn where that 'sweet spot' is that shaves off just enough speed as you fly by it.
• Buy the best Frame Shift Drive that you can fit on your ship. Consider even getting at least just a few Engineer upgrades for the FSD range (bring the necessary materials to an Engineer like Felicity Farseer at Farseer Inc base on Deciat 6 A -- and be wary of opportunistic CMDRs in the area looking to gank new pilots).
• Fly fast and with purpose to avoid interdictions by pirates, criminals, and bounty hunters. If you can swing it, buy the SCO version of your FSD to access supercruise overcharge, which will get you from Point A to Point B in a mere fraction fo the time it usually takes in regular supercruise. Just watch your heat, and get used to stopping a bit earlier than you'd think.
3. FIGHT LIKE YOU'RE DEADLY!
• If you do get interdicted and don't expect to escape the interdiction (or if you don't want to escape right away), then pull all the way back on your throttle within the first several seconds to minimize the FSD cooldown; this can help you jump back to supercruise or hyperspace much quicker and escape the fight if it's getting ugly.
• In ship-to-ship combat, the basic rotation is to get shields down with lasers, then use missiles/kinetics to damage the hull. For newer pilots, I highly suggest Seeker Missiles over regular "dumbfire" missiles, as well as at least one turret.
4. BECOME RICH & POWERFUL!
• If you want quick credits, buy a Type-9 Heavy, strip it down as much as you reasonably can and fill it with max-size cargo racks, then do trade routes by looking up where the best profit is located.
• You can get a significant bonus to credits per hour if you upgrade the Type-9's thrusters and FSD at the Engineers; I suggest Dirty Drive upgrades for the thrusters, and Increased Range for the FSD.
• For example, my Type-9 has a jump range of ~20ly, with a cargo size of 756. Presently, it seems Bauxite and Cobalt trade with a fairly impressive markup, and at the best markets I earn about 20 million credits per round trip with a full load, usually taking a total of 3-4 jumps round trip. That amounts to 100-120 million credits per hour when done efficiently.
• If you have plenty of credits to spare, then the "Donation" type missions in "Support" on the Mission Board are an easy, renewable way to get reputation and merits (just be sure to donate to the correct major faction; red logo = Federation, blue logo = Empire, green logo = Alliance, white logo = Indepedent).