Sat Aug 30, 2003 12:29 am
FLDQ - T-Hawk''s $1 million challenge
In the thread Using the Rhino for missions 1 + 2 and getting rich on the way T-Hawk has proposed a new challenge: complete the campaign with net worth at least $1 million as fast as you can. I am jumping into the breach because T-Hawk is indisposed for a couple of days (vacation or something I hear - my condolences 
).
So, here goes: winner is who has completed the campaign and has net worth at least $1,000,000 in the shortest time. It does not matter whether you complete the campaign first and then start trading furiously, or if you go on a wreck looting spree during the campaign and then go beat the rest of the campaign. Conditions are level at least 18 and net worth at least $1,000,000 (which translates to level 31 anyway).
I think this adds a nice twist to the existing FLDQ mode, which is to beat the campaign as fast as you can (with scores kept per number of battleships killed).
Please post a screenie of your player info screen at completion time, either here or in the main FLDQ thread. I will list the top ten entries on the main FLDQ page (FLDQ == Freelancer Done Quick) under the category FLDQ-M or something like that. If you cannot post screenies please contact me via email and we'll solve the problem somehow. Also, an article describing your campaign, your approaches, and the whys + why nots would be most welcome (preferrably here).
In order to get you on the right track and save you false starts, here are some hints. Obviously, you need to have an idea where most of the $1 million is going to come from. Equally obviously, the answer is probably something like 'Sigma-13'. Have a look at the FLDQ campaign write-ups in the thread Freelancer Done Quick - hints and partial walk-through and also the Rhino thread that I have mentioned already, in order to get an idea what finances look like on a fast run through the campaign and where additional monies can be obtained quickly. Then try to combine all this into a campaign plan and execute it.
If you fly the right ships at the right time then you can earn a lot of money by trading along the path of the campaign, without travelling to other bases (which costs time). On the other hand, flying a mission in a freighter is a tad more difficult & time-consuming than doing so in a fighter, especially a well-equipped one. So choose carefully; sometimes you can even travel + trade (or loot ) using a freighter and then purchase a fighter in order to fly the mission in question.
Also, consider carefully whether you need to hit a particular money source (depot, wreck, trade) or not. It does not matter a pair of dingo's kidneys whether you have $1,000,000 or $1,234,567 - you need to have at least $1,000,000 after the campaign and that's it. Hitting a depot or wreck (or doing a trade) does cost some time and there is no guarantee that the additional money will help you make up for the lost time. If your plan calls for you to have a certain ship and $90k for buying a hold full of some commodity at some place & time then you need the ship and the $90k, but there is no guarantee that having more than $90k will be helpful. In fact, it could be that having only $70k would be enough actually and work just as well in the end. It is probably best if you make your plan so that it contains alternative options for contingencies - additional money-makers in case you are short of the sub-goal you have set, faster options in case you are ahead already.
In order to make a top entry you need two things here: you need to have a good plan, and you you need to execute it well. It might be a good idea to practise by trying a classic FLDQ run first. There is a wealth of good plans for FLDQ runs in the threads I have mentioned already, and there are also plenty of hints for putting them into practice. Also, there is plenty of space in the top listings for new entries - just try it.
Finally, if you have another idea for an interesting challenge/contest, please post it. Getting to level 38 quickly might be an option.
P.S.: it is possible to beat T-Hawk's $1 million challenge very fast by using freighters for missions 4 through 7 and well-equipped fighters for the other missions, if you go on a fast money-earning expedition to Sigma-13 at one point during the campaign. Also, Sigma-13 contains more than wrecks. Just a hint.
P.P.S.: getting net worth to $1 million seems slightly easier than getting 17 registered battleship kills ... OTOH in FL you can make money faster as a trader than as a fighter, so perhaps this is not very surprising.
Edited by - Sherlog on 30-08-2003 02:28:55
).
So, here goes: winner is who has completed the campaign and has net worth at least $1,000,000 in the shortest time. It does not matter whether you complete the campaign first and then start trading furiously, or if you go on a wreck looting spree during the campaign and then go beat the rest of the campaign. Conditions are level at least 18 and net worth at least $1,000,000 (which translates to level 31 anyway).
I think this adds a nice twist to the existing FLDQ mode, which is to beat the campaign as fast as you can (with scores kept per number of battleships killed).
Please post a screenie of your player info screen at completion time, either here or in the main FLDQ thread. I will list the top ten entries on the main FLDQ page (FLDQ == Freelancer Done Quick) under the category FLDQ-M or something like that. If you cannot post screenies please contact me via email and we'll solve the problem somehow. Also, an article describing your campaign, your approaches, and the whys + why nots would be most welcome (preferrably here).
In order to get you on the right track and save you false starts, here are some hints. Obviously, you need to have an idea where most of the $1 million is going to come from. Equally obviously, the answer is probably something like 'Sigma-13'.
Have a look at the FLDQ campaign write-ups in the thread Freelancer Done Quick - hints and partial walk-through and also the Rhino thread that I have mentioned already, in order to get an idea what finances look like on a fast run through the campaign and where additional monies can be obtained quickly. Then try to combine all this into a campaign plan and execute it.
If you fly the right ships at the right time then you can earn a lot of money by trading along the path of the campaign, without travelling to other bases (which costs time). On the other hand, flying a mission in a freighter is a tad more difficult & time-consuming than doing so in a fighter, especially a well-equipped one. So choose carefully; sometimes you can even travel + trade (or loot
) using a freighter and then purchase a fighter in order to fly the mission in question.
Also, consider carefully whether you need to hit a particular money source (depot, wreck, trade) or not. It does not matter a pair of dingo's kidneys whether you have $1,000,000 or $1,234,567 - you need to have at least $1,000,000 after the campaign and that's it. Hitting a depot or wreck (or doing a trade) does cost some time and there is no guarantee that the additional money will help you make up for the lost time. If your plan calls for you to have a certain ship and $90k for buying a hold full of some commodity at some place & time then you need the ship and the $90k, but there is no guarantee that having more than $90k will be helpful. In fact, it could be that having only $70k would be enough actually and work just as well in the end. It is probably best if you make your plan so that it contains alternative options for contingencies - additional money-makers in case you are short of the sub-goal you have set, faster options in case you are ahead already.
In order to make a top entry you need two things here: you need to have a good plan, and you you need to execute it well. It might be a good idea to practise by trying a classic FLDQ run first. There is a wealth of good plans for FLDQ runs in the threads I have mentioned already, and there are also plenty of hints for putting them into practice. Also, there is plenty of space in the top listings for new entries - just try it.
Finally, if you have another idea for an interesting challenge/contest, please post it. Getting to level 38 quickly might be an option.
P.S.: it is possible to beat T-Hawk's $1 million challenge very fast by using freighters for missions 4 through 7 and well-equipped fighters for the other missions, if you go on a fast money-earning expedition to Sigma-13 at one point during the campaign. Also, Sigma-13 contains more than wrecks. Just a hint.
P.P.S.: getting net worth to $1 million seems slightly easier than getting 17 registered battleship kills ... OTOH in FL you can make money faster as a trader than as a fighter, so perhaps this is not very surprising.
Edited by - Sherlog on 30-08-2003 02:28:55
I like a challange, so I accept to it.
The prize is eternal fame, of course. You'll get your very own listing in the 
A typical FLDQ run ends with a net worth around the $100k mark (give or take a couple ten thousand), so you need to raise roughly $900k extra for the $1 million challenge - either during the campaign or after.
)
