Perspective from a complete newbie :(

09-07-10, 01:19 AM

Welcome aboard!
I would suggest that you stop "trying to get your feet wet", and just "dive in".
You do, in fact, have a "life preserver", in that you can begin a new carreer following any "fatal" mistakes. Consider it to be your training period, and you have much to learn.

Just select the highest "Realism Level" you feel comfortable with, and start a (training) patrol. Whether you go to the assigned patrol grid, or not, is entirely up to you, as your objective is to learn.

Learning the basics of safe Navigation and Ship Handling should be your primary goal.
I recommend the Weapons Officer as a fine instructor. Ask him to identify the contact, and provide a solution. Use all the information provided in that solution to decide how to avoid a collision with that vessel (if friendly), or how to evade (if hostile). Write down any questions which may arise, and if you haven't stumbled on the answer by the end of the patrol, post the question here.

Raise the "Realism Level", and extend the training patrol length as you see fit. You'll know when you're ready for the real Patrol 1. Experiment. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's how we all learned.

(I recommend that you not mod your game before becoming familiar with the stock version, and being able to logicaly form a judgement on what more you do, and don't want out of your game.)

09-07-10, 01:19 AM	#6
Snestorm Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Welcome aboard! I would suggest that you stop "trying to get your feet wet", and just "dive in". You do, in fact, have a "life preserver", in that you can begin a new carreer following any "fatal" mistakes. Consider it to be your training period, and you have much to learn. Just select the highest "Realism Level" you feel comfortable with, and start a (training) patrol. Whether you go to the assigned patrol grid, or not, is entirely up to you, as your objective is to learn. Learning the basics of safe Navigation and Ship Handling should be your primary goal. I recommend the Weapons Officer as a fine instructor. Ask him to identify the contact, and provide a solution. Use all the information provided in that solution to decide how to avoid a collision with that vessel (if friendly), or how to evade (if hostile). Write down any questions which may arise, and if you haven't stumbled on the answer by the end of the patrol, post the question here. Raise the "Realism Level", and extend the training patrol length as you see fit. You'll know when you're ready for the real Patrol 1. Experiment. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's how we all learned. (I recommend that you not mod your game before becoming familiar with the stock version, and being able to logicaly form a judgement on what more you do, and don't want out of your game.)