Ideas for simple, profitable stations or complexes?

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

I've got about 100 million credits in the bank from playing the stock exchange (more, actually, but I'll be spending that on purchasing & outfitting my own TL). What are some simple stations or complexes I can invest in and where would you suggest locating them? I've already put a pair of linked protein paste stations in Uranus that have been turning a small but steady profit. I'm thinking about putting a plankton station or two in Boron space, perhaps in Rolk's Drift. Thoughts or advice?

I've tried solar before. Is that a trap or did I just do it wrong?

[FourGreenFields]

Solar power plants can work, but only if you buy low and sell high. I used them mostly to supply my own factories.

I'd recommend weapon/shield factories, or other high-tech stuff (microchips, etc.).

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

Originally posted by FourGreenFields:

Solar power plants can work, but only if you buy low and sell high. I used them mostly to supply my own factories.

I'd recommend weapon/shield factories, or other high-tech stuff (microchips, etc.).

I suppose the more advanced trader software might be able to make it profitable, then. Shame the Argon* shoot me on sight. Oh well. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look into those. Chips seem like a pretty safe bet. I'll have to see if I can find someplace with a lot of chip consumption in the nearby sectors that doesn't border Argon space (or Xenon and Pirates, for the matter, but the Argon seem like a bigger threat).



*Why now, of all times, did they suddenly choose to add a trading system that's not Teladi-made? I mean it's more realistic but damn, was that frustrating to learn.

[Ketraar]

You need to realize that NPC Traders are not really bound by demand, they will buy anything that looks like a profit and is in their "shoping list". Thus you dont really need to worry about location, just build the stations where its safe and you have close access to resources and you'll be fine.

Mikrochips and 1MJ Shields are money printing stations only rivaled by illegal stuff like spaceweed and spacefuel.

MFG

Ketraar

[Fenris]

Adding to what Ketraar said. A few years ago I built a closed complex that had several stations that produced 1MJ Shields in the Unknown sector right next to Legends Home. It tooks some time, but after awhile I had so much traffic going into that sector that my complex couldn't keep up with demand. There where so many ships going into that sector I stopped flying in there due to lag from the ships and complex. Granted I was playing on a potato at the time.

Don't forget, a lot of products that are illegal in a lot of sectors are legal in Teladi space. I've been meaning to try an "illegal" complex in Teladi space right next to one of the pirate sectors. But 1, sometimes pirates turn hostile for no reason even if you are friends with them, and 2, building complexes in X3 is a big headache for me. So usually I just end up with 20-30 trade ships running around.

[Belteguesian]

What I always do is make a self-sufficient complex with guns or missiles as end product, then have a Transport sell them to a nearby Equipment dock. Cost about 80 mil to set up one and it pays 2 mil in every run

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

Originally posted by Ketraar:

Didn't know that. Though that being said, my reason for picking such areas is that I typically dedicate a ship to picking up products from a station/complex and selling them in that sector and nearby. Though if weapons & shields sell that well on their own then I suppose I don't need a ship to help. Typically I've focused on basic things like food in the past. Usually built up on me without a peddler ship to get it out there.

Originally posted by Fenris:

Yeah. Building complexes was always a chore for me, too. Usually ended up with a tangled mess that lagged the game and into which the idiot AI would inevitably slam like some kind of kamikaze.

Originally posted by Belteguesian:

When you say "self-sufficient", do you mean entirely so or do you still need to buy energy cells? Because my attempts at a truly self-sufficient complex in the past always failed. I always ended up going in circles trying to meet energy, crystal and silicon needs.

[Ketraar]

Personally I dislike fully self-sufficient complexes (closed loop), not only do they require lots of investment, but they also are less profitable. The teladi in me always tries to min-max the profits and as such I prefer small localized complexes, with focus on production. So I might set up a Chipplex in Ore Belt, with say 5-7 Chip Plants attached to one Silicon Mine (placed on one of the two 64 yield asteroids) and buy everything else locally. Later I add 5-7 1MJ shield fabs to it.

2-3 CAGs trained up to logistician and everything works well. I set buy prices at lowest price, except energy, usually I set that to 14 just to avoid CAGs to fly too far away, selling price I set up 1 below average and my storage is always empty with NPC ship waiting in line to get my stuff.

The reason to buy locally is that you wont be able to produce Ore for the same price as NPC that can sell for 53 where you will have to pay 72 for production, not even counting the investment in the mine itself. Same for Ecells, even though one could technically produce ecells for 12 credits if one can buy Cristal at lowest price, which is very hard. Also SPPs are very high investments that are much better spent on more Chip Plants.

Including the local economy is also good in long term, as GoD adds more stations as you rise the demand for production, creating a bigger market for potential profits sell seconday ressources back to NPCs.

MFG

Ketraar

[Fenris]

If your having trouble with self suffcient complexes you can always google "x3 ap complex calculator". If you play around with that for a bit you can come up with a closed loop complex.

Like was said though, they are more expensive, less profitable, and take a much longer time to pay for the initial investment. Even so, I liked mine because once it was running I could completely ignore it and make money while doing other stuff.

As far as the NPCs flying into stuff, that's another reason to not fly into the system once everything is up and running. There is no collision unless you are in the system. And I can't even begin to count the number of times I've come through a gate in an M7 and heard a scream then an explosion from some poor ship I just plowed through. I wouldn't want to do that in a system with dozens of ships trying to buy from me.

[.]

Originally posted by Fenris:

But 1, sometimes pirates turn hostile for no reason even if you are friends with them, and 2, building complexes in X3 is a big headache for me. So usually I just end up with 20-30 trade ships running around.

You can be friend with pirate in sector but they will still be hostle when you are out of sector
My problem with building complex is pulling mines to the right spot.

[.]

I like closed loop complex too. I am making a lot of missles and a few guns to equip my ships and sell the extra mats. It is not very profitable compare with those 1MJ shield factories but Its still making money for me.

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

Originally posted by Ketraar:

A lot of good advice in there. And I definitely understand the preference for a substantially greater profit at the cost of a small amount of work. Part of why I just buy all my energy.

What's GoD, though?

Originally posted by Fenris:

Heh. Yeah, I learned a long time ago to keep my distance from any sector in which I had any ship larger than an M3/TS running ib AI. I swear that being watched somehow cuts their IQ in half.

Originally posted by ZZZzzz:

I've been considering some weapon plants for that very reason. The Terran sectors just can't maintain supplies very well, and while I could probably fill in the gaps with my own factories, I was worried that they'd just turn into money sinks. Think I might try it now.

[Ketraar]

Originally posted by ✦ Officer Hotpants ✦:

What's GoD, though?

This is the engine that oversees the universal economy (with exception to the terrans) and adjusts it by adding and/or removing NPC stations as supply and demand evolves. (with limited capabilities)

MFG

Ketraar

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

Originally posted by Ketraar:

This is the engine that oversees the universal economy (with exception to the terrans) and adjusts it by adding and/or removing NPC stations as supply and demand evolves. (with limited capabilities)

MFG

Ketraar

Ah. I thought it was kind of strange that Terran space never changes in any way. That would explain it. I suppose it makes sense given the immensity of many of their stations, though. Can't be easy to force the AI to place some of them properly. Especially in smaller systems

[DrSuperEvil]

The Dragonfly Missile Factory is a good investment because it makes average 130k profit per hour and is cheap meaning it pays for itself within 7.5 hours. Shadow Missiles are the most profitable at 149k per hour.

As a first complex I usualy build in Harmony Of Perpetuity to supply shields, lasers and missiles for my most commonly used ship types. I then build a 10 lasertower +6 other complex in the unknown sector next to legends home in preperation for the corporate reprisals. I use Savage spur for the PHQ to supply new ships with lasers and shields. Mines Of Fortune, Aldrin 1 and Tkr's Deprivation I turn into M7M missile production.

I also build a small illegals complex in Hatikvah's Faith of L Wheat Farm, Space Fuel Distillery, Dream Farm and Bliss Place for rep 40 km above a gate.

GOD is the game engine for rebuilding and random events.

Look here for templates: https://www.egosoft.com:8444/confluence/display/X3WIKI/Self-sustaining+Complex+Templates

[💖 Officer Hotpants 💖]

Originally posted by DrSuperEvil:

The Dragonfly Missile Factory is a good investment because it makes average 130k profit per hour and is cheap meaning it pays for itself within 7.5 hours. Shadow Missiles are the most profitable at 149k per hour.

As a first complex I usualy build in Harmony Of Perpetuity to supply shields, lasers and missiles for my most commonly used ship types. I then build a 10 lasertower +6 other complex in the unknown sector next to legends home in preperation for the corporate reprisals. I use Savage spur for the PHQ to supply new ships with lasers and shields. Mines Of Fortune, Aldrin 1 and Tkr's Deprivation I turn into M7M missile production.

I also build a small illegals complex in Hatikvah's Faith of L Wheat Farm, Space Fuel Distillery, Dream Farm and Bliss Place for rep 40 km above a gate.

GOD is the game engine for rebuilding and random events.

Look here for templates: https://www.egosoft.com:8444/confluence/display/X3WIKI/Self-sustaining+Complex+Templates

"Corporate reprisals"? The corporatios will attack your stations?

That illegal goods complex sounds pretty good. Might make one of those.