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Trade lanes

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Route66

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 11:04 am

Trade lanes

Hi guys. I'm a veteran of the original Elite on the BBC Micro (over 20 years old and still the daddy ...), so I'm gagging to get my hands on Freelancer. I've played most of the modern Elite-alikes (XBTF, Xtension, Privateer 2) in recent years but there's one thing that's got me curious regarding FL.

What exactly constitutes a 'trade lane' in FL? From forums and websites etc, I've heard a lot of talk about 'lane hacking' and 'dropping out of the lane', which all sounds incredibly cool but means very little. Will a trade lane actually be a physical entity in the game that can be flown through or past? Or is it more of a symbolic thing?

I remember Elite jockeys years ago swapping 'trade routes' (God, that takes me back ... anybody remember running Furs to Isinor and Luxuries to Tionisla?), but that was simply a guaranteed 'take product A to planet B and you'll always get X credits' sort of set up and if you were lucky, planet B produced something that could be flogged for a profit at your starting destination.

I can see me spending a vast number of late nights in the grip of Freelancer.

Fear Factor

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 11:16 am

Trade lanes exist physically. They are a collection of rings designed to accelerate and propel the vessels travelling inside them. Lane-hacking means that the software of a certain part of the trade lane is being tampered by outside party, rendering it useless and leaving the travellers inside at the mercy of their own independent propulsion system. When the trade lane is down, it is easier for pirates to conduct their business. Only one certain party is capable of hacking the lane's software. Other lower-tech pirates will have to resort to damaging the rings physically with their blasters. Anyone else, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Route66

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 11:46 am

Sounds cool to me.

I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that it will be possible to pick up abandoned cargo after a firefight. Will there be a method of scanning that cargo to find out what it is before picking it up or is grab and then jettison it if you don't want it the order of the day?

SpiT|Stoned

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 12:30 pm

Can you become a lane hacker in freelancer? or is that only npc's who do that?

Balthazar

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 12:37 pm

I've found the concept of tradelanes very interesting. Excactly how much damage is required to blow a hole in the lane and does the hole recreate itself??

If a hole emerges in the lane, all vessel in the lane will crowd up reaching the junction right..

I'm really confused.. Can someone plz tell me what actually will accure??

Balthazar

ElectricBrain

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 1:08 pm

Scanning the commodity in space is as easily as clicking on it. The name of the good will appear above its bracket. You can jettision anything in your hold which isnt mounted.

You can be a lane hacker by disabling the trade rings by shooting them. People travelling on that route will drop out and you can blow them up and take their cargo/equipment, if any. The trade lane itself doesnt have a ton of health. Just a couple shots will disable it. There are turrets mounted on the trade rings that will shoot back at you but they arnt much of a threat. The trade ring will repair itself over time and it will start working automatically.

Yes, Bal, all those who are travelling on the route will come to the broken segment and drop out of the trade route. Usually those who drop out just hit their cruise engines and fly to the next working trade ring and continue on in their job.

- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

SpiT|Stoned

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 1:14 pm

So you don't really have much time if you disabled a ring to attack and destroy a target?

Godlike Entity

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 6:48 pm

that depends on how far the rings are spaced apart for what i can see from the screen shots and vids its not very far

I rule the world incognito!

Rheinland Destroyer

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 6:59 pm

Yes,since the cruise engine a really hyped-up form of afterburner it would only take a while for the escorst to engage you & for the freighter to escape by going to the next trade lane.

Bargib

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 7:43 pm

Prices are static at each place... But since there is a ton of places, fining good traderoutes is actually quite fun...

SpiT|Stoned

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 8:33 pm

Oh whell looks like i'll just destroy 10 rings in a row then, so i got plenty of time to raid unsuspecting targets :d
Sounds like fun, being on the wrong side of the law for a change :d

Tachyon

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 8:35 pm

Trade lane rings are about 7 KM apart. If you have to go on afterburner (which you should if the pirate has a cruise disruptor like any good pirate does) it will take anywhere from 15-30 seconds to reach the ring, and it might not even be active again by then.

Balthazar

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 8:53 pm

As I get it.. Then the lanerings goes continuosly from departurering to endring obviously, but thats a whole of k's right..

Sounds almost too good to be true..

Balthazar

Balthazar

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 9:06 pm

By the way Tach.. How do you make your ICQ appear like a flower?? 'doh'
So you can see whether the user is online or not?

Balthazar

Rohzcak

Post Sun Feb 02, 2003 9:52 pm

7 KM? Is that kilometers?

If so you're flying at about mach 1.4 on full afterburners.

That's pretty slow for a spaceship

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