OK< I give

[upfrontmanager]

How do you collect free floating containers? I read I am to get close and press 'o'. Nothing. I press '0'. Nothing. I left click on my ship, and right click the container, and the only options are to mark as hostile, or travel to it. Very frustrating.

[conrado.lacerda]

The default is the letter "O", not the numeral "0", and it should be held pressed (there is a sound cue while the container magnet is working). You can also fly straight to the container and it will be picked up automatically.

[upfrontmanager]

I flew into it. It bounced away. I press and hold the letter 'o'. I can hear the sound, but nothing happens. It's a container of microchips.

Is it because I am in the starter ship?

[Hydra_360ci]

Umm... look inside ur binding and see what... damn... I don't remember what it's called. Should be something about a magnet. The magnet button makes crates move to your ship.
Anyways... it makes a noise when you push the button. Sounds like... idk... a vacumm cleaner or something (whooooo)

In Reunion... the O button would drop your shields to zero and supposively open your cargo bay and you had to slam your ship into crates. In X3:TC and beyond they removed the need of shields going to zero. And in X4.... they give you a magnet.

[conrado.lacerda]

Your ship's storage must be full. Check the ship's info panel, first tab, at the bottom.

[upfrontmanager]

I can hear the 'vacuum' sound. My hold is 132 of 150 micro chips with 6 units. So, i 'think' there is a size limit to each unit within the containers, as well as the containers itself. I will go and try to sell them, see if it clears my hold.

Damn, this game is confusing :P Thanks for the tips folks.

[conrado.lacerda]

Each ware has a size per unit, in case of microchips it's 22m^3 per unit. Check the in-game encyclopedia for more information.

As others have pointed out, it's not profitable to pick up these wares to sell (and you risk making enemies of some faction for stealing their stuff), it's much better to pick up inventory items from battle sites that your character carries around with itself and sell them at stations traders.

[Captain Canard]

Originally posted by upfrontmanager:

I flew into it. It bounced away. I press and hold the letter 'o'. I can hear the sound, but nothing happens. It's a container of microchips.

Is it because I am in the starter ship?

Odds are you don't have room to store what you are trying to pick up. On the HUD, things you can pick up have blue circles around them, whereas things you can't pick up (like missiles if you're full) are light gray / white.

I still don't understand why every ship I shoot is carrying some random missiles, despite not being outfitted with launchers...

[Persony Person]

Originally posted by upfrontmanager:

I can hear the 'vacuum' sound. My hold is 132 of 150 micro chips with 6 units. So, i 'think' there is a size limit to each unit within the containers, as well as the containers itself. I will go and try to sell them, see if it clears my hold.

Damn, this game is confusing :P Thanks for the tips folks.

The container magnet also has limited range depending on the ship you're flying. I think it's:
S ships it's ~1KM
Not sure exactly for M ships, probably ~2KM
L ships it's ~5KM

I'm not sure on the numbers precisely, but the bigger your ship, the stronger your container magnet will be.

[Hydra_360ci]

Inventory items don't seem to have any cap on amount... so you can grab those even when the ship is full.

[PeaceMaker]

1. The others probably answered it already, but it's just an item your ship hasn't the ability to hold due to its type. If it bounced off the ship yet your cargo scoop tractor beam works, then that is the only explanation. It's common, I salvage often and there's always a box or two I just can't cargo scoop and have to leave.

If you have a Freighter, they can usually pick it up... If it's the right kind.

[upfrontmanager]

So many possibilities :(

[Spell]

Is it a lockbox? You need to shoot the small red locks carefully and then loot should pop out.

Edit: It can also be a container that holds ammo, missiles. Your ship could be full on ammo.

[upfrontmanager]

To many f'n thing in this f'n game that has Squat for guides, tools that don't work, missions that just stare at you...

Gonna go chill a bit, maybe refund it.

[Captain Canard]

Originally posted by upfrontmanager:

To many f'n thing in this f'n game that has Squat for guides, tools that don't work, missions that just stare at you...

Gonna go chill a bit, maybe refund it.

Kinda wish you led with this attitude, so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to help.

[Persony Person]

Originally posted by Captain Canard:

Originally posted by upfrontmanager:

To many f'n thing in this f'n game that has Squat for guides, tools that don't work, missions that just stare at you...

Gonna go chill a bit, maybe refund it.

Kinda wish you led with this attitude, so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to help.

+1

As you've already shown OP, if "tools don't work", that's probably on you for not understanding how it works. The container magnet works fine and as intended.

If X4's learning curve is too complicated for you and that's why you want to stop playing it, then fine. But don't resort to lying about it.