Stayin' Alive .. Stayin' Alive...
The most frequent question is how to get a ship So I will include that here as well.
One thing everyone needs in the game is a good ship. To get one you have to build or take over a planet and base it. You then can Purchase/Build a ship from the shipyards on the planet. Buy as much ship as you can afford and still leave 1,000,000 credits or so. Ships cost credits and at the start of the game they are hard to get, so protecting your ship is essential. You should have gotten enough engines on your ship to RealSpace (RS) to Sol or to a device Port.
One of the main obstacles in the game is other players. Here are some tips to avoiding the attackers.
These are not in any order as the most important rules are those that apply at the moment.
Rule 2. - Always carry an escape pod. The FIRST thing to do after getting your ship is to buy an escape pod. (Around 10,000 credits). If you get blown up without an escape pod its game over. Almost everyone gets blown up during a game. After buying a ship make your way to a device port and buy an escape pod. While you are there make sure to get Emergency warps and a lot of mine deflectors( you should carry 1 - 10 million).
Rule 3. - Never warp into Sol without a pod if you will get booted. Watch the game clock if you are over the maximum Fed space ship size. If you warp into fed space right before the clock runs out you will be booted to an unknown sector. This might be good if you are exploring, but if you are in a pod or podless it can be death. Trying to get back to Sol without running into a minefield is nerve racking.
Rule 4. - Never enter a sector with more mines than you can deflect. The size if your ship's base hull plus holds will determine how many mines will be attracted to your ship. This is the minimum number of deflectors you should carry. Your deflectors are not guaranteed to stop all mines but should be enough to enable you to survive.
Rule 5. - Scan before moving. This will help you avoid mine fields. you may see a lot of single mine sectors. One mine may not blow up your ship, but it may let another player know where you are. Many players lay one mine and then RS to the sector to attack or track you.
Rule 6. - Know who is online with you. If the player online with you is a known attacker( check Kills stats) you should RS to Sol as soon as possible or be ready to Ewarp away.
Rule 7. - RS through Sol to loose a tracker. At level 300 sensors you can see who was in a sector and which sector they went to from that sector. This warp trail will last for about 48 hours so be careful about traveling to your planets or SG's. you should always RS through Sol before going to a sector you want to keep hidden.
Rule 8. - Stay hidden. By keeping your warp trail away from your sleeping sector or SG you will make it harder to find you. Never sleep in open space. Use the Nav Computer to find any existing warps to your sectors. Use Warp Editors to eliminate warps into your sectors. When your sectors are found, make sure they are hard to get. Build your SG's in areas hard to find or hard to get to. Build a tunnel before building your sleeping sector and defend it all the way in.
Rule 9. - Defense, Defense, Defense. Keep as many fighters in your sector as your planets will support. As you upgrade your planets, add more. Add a few million mines and it could be difficult for someone to get in. The Sector Defense tech level and the Sector Sensor tech level are what determine the amount of fighters, and how they attack. You normally only have to worry about players around the same score as yourself. If you have enough fighters in the sector those way under you won't try to get in. Those way over you can't get in because of bounty.
Rule 10. - Avoid getting a bounty. If you get a bounty from attacking a smaller player or putting a spy on their planet, pay it immediately. Borrow credits if you have to. If you have a Fed bounty on your head you may be attacked by larger players bounty free. If you fail to pay it your ship will be attacked by the federation until the damage is equal to the bounty. You also cannot take a ship out of storage and you cannot trade at ports.
Rule 11. - Check for spies regularly. Always check after taking a planet. Clean planets of spies. Clean your ship before going to your SG. Clean your planet after someone visits your sectors. Maintain a high sensor to detect the spies.
Rule 12.- Watch your alignment. A neutral alignment assures you that only those close to your score can attack you without bounty. If a player's alignment goes evil, Good players can attack them bounty free. If your alignment is good , evil players can attack bounty free.
Rule 13. - Choose your Teammates Wisely. The best team mates are those that are willing to help you and are growing at the same rate as you are. If a teammate is higher in ranking than you are you may be attacked as if you where the same level. In this way those high ranking bullies can attack someone that is easy pickings. They are assured of a capture at no risk as you cannot afford to build defense as fast as they can take it out. Make sure to ask your teammates if they will help you build back up if you are hit too hard. Share info and tips between you so that every one knows whats up.
Rule 14. - Learn from your mistakes. If you do get beat down, blown up, podded, killed, and out of the game then -- wait the 3 days or so and start over! You may find it easier to start later in the game after everyone has mapped the universe. This time you may know a better strategy, or a faster way to grow. Never give up and if you didn't find an answer here don't be afraid to ask someone in the game. Most will be glad to give tips to get started. After all they need someone to compete with or its a violation of ---
Rule #1. - Have fun!
Bounty
The Bounty system is supposed to control larger players from constantly attacking smaller players. A player can only attack others within 25% below their score without getting bounty. This is commonly called bounty range. If a player attacks a player below this range the Federation will place a bounty on this player. Once a player has a bounty any other player in the game may attack them without fear of bounty themselves. The player must pay this bounty amount of money to the Federation or the Federation will either attack their ship to cause damage in the amount of the bounty, or tell others where the player is. The Federation will also block access to all ports by anyone with a Fed Bounty just like with an overdue loan. This means no upgrades, devices or even energy or fighters to attack with. Your planetary shipyard is blocked also. Some recommend getting a loan to pay the bounty to avoid getting attacked. Just be sure you can pay back the loan in 24 hours or you are still blockaded from ports.
Players can see who has a bounty by accessing a planet menu and looking under the Place or View Bounties option.
The star system on the Ranking page denotes bounty range. A player with two Yellow star cannot attack you without getting bounty (exceptions apply), One yellow star means they can attack your planets but not your ship. One Red star means you can attack that players planets but not ship, and attacking a person or planet with Two Red stars will give you a bounty. You may scan a planet and it will tell you if it will be bounty or not. You may not even send a spy to a bounty planet.
Exceptions to the bounty rule.
One way to attack a lower ranked player without getting bounty is if he is on a team with some one you can attack bounty free. If you and the teammate have score's of 100 million, you may attack any player on that players team, even if their score is Zero. The Developers reasoning is that your teammates should help protect you and help you grow. I caution joining any team that is much larger than you. You should stay with teammates that are near you in size.
Another way to attack anyone bounty free is if you own the majority of planets in a sector. If you own 4/5 of planets in a sector then you may attack any player in that sector. This is the only way a larger player can effectively protect his territory.