BASICS (SP/MP, DEPLOYING & BUILDING, MANOUVERING)

SP/MP
All that you do in SP carries over to MP and what you do in MP carries over to MP
regarding any progress that you make.

The only thing that does not carry over is any object you build/construct.

What you build in SP stays there and what you build in MP stays there. Those tems
are saved on the server side for MP.


DEPLOYING & BUILDING
Deployable Objects

Energy stations fully recharge your main power cells and shield arrays.

Repair stations restore your ship's subsystems and hull armor integrity.

Fuel processors convert energy from your ship into fuel in 5 unit intervals. Boost power to your ship's primary energy system to speed up the refueling process.

Sensor stations provide the location of all ships in the area with twice the range of probes and broacast data too all ships within range rather than being limited to only the ship that deployed it.

Shield arrays can be used to protect large regions of space.

Buildable Stations

Trade Stations are the main trade locations in the game. They provide additional AI threads for new traffic patterns, ship docking, inventory changes, market values, contract objectives, and more.

Constructor stations let you construct items from raw materials.

Research stations provide valuable R&D for increasing the level of technology in a given area. These can improve availability of items while also offering more advanced technology.

Energy stations help support the local energy and navy factions by producing critical energy related items such as power cells, batteries, solar arrays, and direct capital ship refueling.

Ore processors take raw materials from a nearby trade station (which in turn receives the materials from local freelance mercenaries) and converts them into machinery parts, electronics, and other simple items. These stations can help boost local inventories and provide a better range of items.

MANEUVERING (Inertia/IDS)
The basic principle of inertia is that in Space there is no friction to
stop or slow down a moving object.
So once your ship is in motion in space it will stay in motion unless
you aply an opposite force using thrusters to slow you down or change
direction.
Combat comes down to managing your speed, drift and direction to control
your distance and approach angle to your target and there is not one way
since it depends on what your target is using for strategies!
So to give a step by step for each situation would be nearly impossible.

Probably the easiest way to train yourself in using it is to concentrate
exclusively on forward thruster and afterburner.

    * Engage Inertial mode.
    * Pick out an object in space that's stationary.
    * Turn your ship and point at the object.
    * Fire your afterburners until you reach about 1000 kts.
    * Try to keep your nose pointed at the object.
    * After you pass it, fire your afterburners again until your speed is zero.
    * Now repeat, only this time watch the drift readouts displayed
      directly above your radar screen.
    * Turn your ship until those drift readouts approach zero.

To change direction, you first need to apply thrust against your current
direction. Then your ship will begin moving in the new direction. Until
then, you will continue to drift in the original direction, at the speed
you were at when disengaging afterburner.
 
Doing laps around a stationary object, such as a station, with IDS off
is a useful drill to work on these skills. In no time, you'll be able to
do controlled, 3D orbits of the station inside an imaginary sphere.

Another way to practice is to set a Nav Point and turning around the Nav
point in circles trying to keep a very short constant distance between
yourself and the Nav Point with your nose Pointing at the Nav Point and firing
your Weapons at the Nav Point.

APPLYING IT TO COMBAT:
The thing to keep in mind is that when your drifting in a certain
direction at a speed of 1900 that no missile will be able to hit you
since the fastest missile, the Excalibur, speed is 1800! So you have to
know the speeds of your missiles and the speed of your target to know if
a missile is going to be effective and shoot the missile at close range
so that the enemy does not have a chance to deploy counter measures. So
the basic steps are:
1. You set a course for your target if your Target is an AI at a
velocity of 1500 or more for faster approach(because AI do not use
Excaliburs)
2. Once you have your approach angle set switch to inertia at the
desired speed once you get in the desired targetting range for missiles
or weapons fire the desired weapons.
3. Some times a target uses a spiral evasive manuever. The fastest way
to take this one down is to get as close as you can on its six, with IDS
on and using after burner, to 50 to 300 units and maintain this distance
while firing your missiles and or your weapons with energy to all weapons!