[TOTAL NEWBIE] ~ Looking for advices and step by step startups.

[Spiegel]

First of all, I wanna know if playing the first episodes of the series is worth my time or if I should actually go straight for the third chapter.

I do like "X-Tension", despite the few 10 minutes experiments I've made didnt bring me anywhere too far, but just the fact I cant map keys freely is a bit frustrating.

If so, if you think I should give "X-Tension" and "X: Beyond the frontier" their time, how the freak am I supposed to start my adventure!?
I've read many hurried pseudo-tutorials that tell me to sell my first ship and buy a carrier (done) so that I can start trading energy cells.
Ok, so, I've sold my ship and bought the carrier. What, where and how, now!? Maybe I somehow skipped a useful tutorial for beginners? All I see is a cockpit and few space stations around me.

Also, I'd like some more in-depth tut's about selling my ship and its equipment separately to earn more money.
And what equipment should I buy back for my new ship?
And once I'm out of the shipyard, where should I go?
I got a mission from a character in a space station (cant remember which one) to bring him to some place outside the current system, but I cant understand if he's already onboard or I have to do something to start the mission properly; and how may I move to the place where he wants me to bring him?

I hate those games that take your hand like a baby to lead you ahead step by step, but I have to say it: this game totally lacks a tutorial because it's not intuitive at all.


Thanks for any help. ^^

[Squig]

X-Tension. This is an Addon for X-BTF. WITHOUT storyline. For free fly.

First: look around. FREEEEEDOOOM! You can explore an universe, fight, trade, upgrade and buy ships, accept and done missions.

You start in Argon Prime. Alone. You have only your ship: Argon Buster. It's midde fighter, M4 class. You have 1MW Shield - smallest in universe. This is symbolic shield, you can die from random asteroid, missile or laser. Your cannons is 2xAlpha IRE - weakest lasers, too symbolic.
And general: you have a 1000cr. It's money.

You can buy and sell wares on stations. For example: Buy 50 batteries with price 6cr on Power Plant and sell its on another station with price 16cr. Your profit: (16-6)*50=500cr. It works with all wares.

You have a profit, so what? You can buy upgrades for ship: stronger shields, powerful weapons, cargo bay estensions and more, more, more. You can buy another ship.
Love trade - buy a transporter (TS).
Love fight - buy a fighter, like a Teladi's Falcon or Split Mamba (M3).
Love explore an universe - buy a faster fighter (M5), like a Argon Discover.

You can buy several ships and send orders for his aboard computer.
For example: Your ship is Argon Discover. You fly cross universe and search a trade possibilities. And you can send orders to your transporters: land to station, buy a ware, fly to another stations, sell ware.

So, where enemies? Fly to pifate sectors. Use GATES. It's big flying rings in space. On radar marked yellow N, S, W, E letters. Fly cross the gate for neighbor sectors.
Red marks on radar - is a enemies. Kill his!

Upgades. Land to Space Docks. Trade. Select a ware and wait - aboard computer tell you about this ware. Listen and you understand, needed this ware/upgrade or not.
Different sectors, different races mean different upgrades on docks.

You can accept a mini missions. After you docked or warped, you can get incoming messages. Read and accept/decline.
If it was a taxi mission, when you accept, just fly to destination - passanger up to aboard when you press accept.

[Squig]

For me, X2 looks like a s.h.i.t. of mammoth. But you can like X2: The Threat, just try.
My first game from X-Universe with a storyline was X3:Reunion. This is good point for join to story. After complete, try xTended mod for X3:R. This is general mod, almost a new another game. Next you can play X3:Terrain Conflict, XTC - xTended mod for X3:TC, X3: Albion Prelude, and X: Rebirth.

Beginning from X2: The Thread, to game added a Script Editor. Mmm, nicy! It's very powerful tool. You can change all. Can code new autopilot scripts, make a cheats, make a ingame utilites and helpers, create custom hotkeys and more, more, more. Exist a big autopilot systems made by other pilots for using big fleets in battles, management a trade empires, optimal guard big ships with turrets and missiles, fleet suppy...

[Squig]

Ah, key mapping! This is big trouble in X-BTF and X-tension. Try use a side soft, like a HotKeyZ, XPadder.
For me, better is a gamepad OCKLICK GP-315M + XPadder. Sure, you must set up gamepad and keyboard settings in game. I recommend clean gamepad buttons from game settings and use XPadder for assign keys to gamepad buttons. Try it:
Set in game "Fire laser" to, for example, gamepad button1. Set all functions to button1 and again set Fire Laser to button1. Then all functions be cleaned, Fire laser set to button you need.
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=141331 can help you.