Privateer: How do you get started?

P

Poulton

Spaceman
I recently started playing Wing Commander: Privateer again for the first time in years, and that got me thinking! How do you guys earn your money? What missions do you do and what systems do you visit? What ship do you buy and when? and so on and so forth!
 
Start by buying a second laser for your Tarsus. Your first couple missions will be kinda tough, depending on what you do.

Run some in-sys missions. Avoid anything with definite enemy contact if you can, until you get a few upgrades. Only get into a fight if you're certain you won't end up as floating, frozen chunks of scorched meat.

Upgrade your Tarsus until you have the following items:

Afterburner
Engine upgrade
jump drive
all systems map
10 missiles (not really an upgrade, but neccessary)
better guns (eventually, you'll want twin tachyons)
Tungsten armor
Memberships to both guilds

After this, you can leave Troy and move to some other system, such as Perry, Oxford, xxn-1927, New Constantinople, New Detroit. When you get relocated, start working patrols, scouts, and attack missions until you can upgrade to a better ship. (I suggest Oxford, doing three patrols at a time).

The best loadout to have when you go for the plot is:

Centurion with
Engine Upgrade 3
Shield Generator 2
Afterburners
Rear turret w/ 2 tachyons
Tractor beam (on turret)
Missile Launcher (10 missiles)
Torpedo Launcher (or another missile launcher, if it'll let you)
Quadruple Tachyon guns
B and S Omniscient tracker system
ECM package 3
Repair droid

That's all I can remember at this point. With those items you'll have a pretty simple time running missions. In RF, upgrade those tachyons to fusion guns, get the shield regenerator, better engine and shield upgrades, advanced repair droid, gun cooler, thrust enhancer, plus whatever other items I can't remember.
 
Start with some low-paying missions within the Troy system, mainly defending bases against Retros and Pirates. Avoid long missions or fighting Kilrathi or Mercenaries in the beginning, because you don´t still have the equipment.

Also, you can make money buying food in Helen and taking it to the mining bases, and buying metals in Hector and Achilles and taking it to Helen.

Before venturing outside Troy, make sure you have some at least decent equipment in your Tarsus (meson blasters, afterburners, engine upgrade, jump drive - duh -, missile launcher with FFs, ecm package).

When you make loads of money and have your Tarsus fully equipped, buy a Centurion to master all other enemies. It is a kick-ass ship. If you´re up for a challenge, though, try the Orion, the funniest to play with.

To make the best money when you leave Troy, join the Merchant´s guild and take goods from Troy to New Detroit and back to Troy. You can make over 30,000 credits in one run. I once took a single, 44,000 credits mission in the Mercenaries Guild, but I never saw one of those again.
 
I tried the orion, but it just doesn't fit my style. I'd have much rather continued upgrading my Tarsus.

Speaking of the Tarsus, it was the model for the 'Black Sun 490' flown by the characters in my Privateer fictions. I think my post in the fanfic section is still up. Go read 'em.
 
To rapidly earn money, a good idea would be to have on the same flight three scout missions (same system, same nav points or almost, but different buyers...) ;)

If I remember well (but maybe you'll call it cheating :rolleyes: ), you can choose a mission, then save your game, then load it, go back to the mission computer and see if it has something like the mission you just chose before saving.
If yes, pick it up, if no, then no problem, reload your previously saved game, until you have three times the same nav points to visit ! :D
 
I wouldn't call it cheating. Capitalising, perhaps. I was doing it before I even heard of the technique from others.
 
Most importantly get a second gun ASAP. Mesnon Blaster would be the best pick. Also get an afterburner.

Get yourself membership in both guilds as soon as possible next as they provide most payment.

Somewhere on the way pick up a second Meson Blaster, and get all the system maps.

I'd not bother upgrading the Tarsus much more and directly go to the Centurion from there.
 
I usually upgrade my tarsus as far as it'll go, simply because you're still building up ship value for trade-in when you upgrade it. Of course, when I was younger, I wanted to really draw out the whole process by upgrading from ship to ship . . . that is, when I maxed out my Tarsus, I bought an Orion. When I maxed out my Orion, I bought a Galaxy. When I maxed out my Galaxy, I was so tired of playing the game that I stopped for a week or two, then, starting back, I bought a Centurion. When I maxed out my centurion, I played the plot missions. Then I transferred into RF and, coincidentally, had enough money to buy most of the upgrades available. Everything except upgrading all six guns to Fusion guns.
 
overmortal said:
Of course, when I was younger, I wanted to really draw out the whole process by upgrading from ship to ship . . . that is, when I maxed out my Tarsus, I bought an Orion. When I maxed out my Orion, I bought a Galaxy. When I maxed out my Galaxy, I was so tired of playing the game that I stopped for a week or two, then, starting back, I bought a Centurion. When I maxed out my centurion, I played the plot missions.
Click to expand...
"When I was younger"? Hey, I still do that. (Although, now I discover it's more efficient to buy a Galaxy first, then the Orion.) I'm just about to take care of Mordecai Jones, and I have over 6.5 million credits in my account. :)
 
Thanks for the input guys! By the way, I am flying the missions for Roman Lynch, still in my Tarsus with dual Tachyon guns, engine 1, shields 1, missiles, the works, and about 70 Grand!
 
Well, my only advice is get REALLY good before you start flying for the ES in Rygannon. Those missions are a bitch, even in a Centurion.

Actually, it's not that they're terribly hard, they're just long and drawn out. And that one puts you up against a lot of Gothri and a Kamekh (sp?) in the middle of an asteroid field. One of the toughest spots in the game, in my opinion.

Man, I hate Gothri. Looks like a dralthi with a nose. And a leathery-tough ass; quite resistant to kicking.
 
"I do say so" OM. :p

Trust me, two particle cannons and a fusion are a huge upgrade from three pansy lasers. Wonder how they upgraded the power plant to cope...
 
Of course I am. New Detroit doesn't sell Dralthi parts. . . not that I know of anyway.

And, am I the only person that spent a month flying around in the kilrathi systems looking for the munitions asteroid?
 
Me and a few friends of mine assumed that it was, but, we all eventually admitted, in our weakest moments, to breaking down and making these long, drawn-out searches for the bloody thing. I think it would have made a great easter egg.
 
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