In some games the location of the Star Dock is not revealed.
This creates a totally different game than the Classic.
Not knowing where the Dock is means a player can't trade in
the Cruiser, can't buy a Density Scanner, can't put their
credits in the Bank.
Flying around with 100k credits attracts tax. One has to
spend their money, so all one can do is stop at Earth,
buy holds and fighters and shields until they reach the
maximum.
When the player reaches the maximum number of flyer's
s/he has to dump them into a sector, go back and buy
more.
This does allow you to amass a great armada, for if
you are a good trader you'll max out your holds, shields
and fighters within a day or two, so will have to load
a few sectors with fighters and spend your credits
buying more.
Fighters are the only item you can eject, hence, the longer
it takes to find the Dock the more fighters you will have.
The benefit of a Dock not being revealed is that everyone is
virtually equal; flying blind going around and around.
In these games one has to adapt a formula for searching.
Usually one goes from Earth to Sector 2 then explores
each sector leading off from 2 up to about fifteen warps.
So if 2 has five sectors one goes up the first, following
each lead off for about ten sectors, then back to where
they started, then off again.
As you are buying and selling as you go it isn't a raw
waste, but it does become tedious and after two or three
days, (if that long) many players drop out.
Sometimes one is lucky that a couple of sectors have only
one or two connections which are dead ends, so can be
ruled out.
As you are flying blind it would suit you to log on when
no one else is playing. You can learn this at log in or
by typing # from the main game menu.
Considering a bunch of frustrated players overloaded with
fighters, War is usually the name of this game.
If you find the Dock first this usually signifies you will
be the winner. However, remember, everyone else has to
spend their money building an armada.
You have traded the three turns to warp Cruiser for a
two turn Freighter, have a Density Scanner so can see
the others, have bought a Genesis Torpedo and Created
a planet, and are now ferrying colonists. Another player,
who hasn't found the Dock, might have 100k fighters,
so will kill you and take your planet.
Wise players will, after trading out their ship, buying
a Genesis, make contact with another player or two and
ask if they want the location of the Dock.
Of course they do.
So you've made a rough alliance and you've spread targets.
Other players might ask you for the location, and you've
done them a favor so should be fairly safe.
Being the only one in a Freighter makes you lunch.
Do be careful in alliances. Spend some time chatting with
the other players to rule out the psychopaths. Forming a
Corporation with someone you don't know has it's risks.
Some persons are kind enough to use the same Nickname on
all Games, so if you see "Parrot", do not even bother to
log on. This is one character who is definitely off his
meds and will kill his own corpies.
In most games, however, the Dock is listed and as a moth
drawn by a flame, that's your first destination.
