Resource Gathering Hints

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• Keep a log of the systems you've visited. Note those with resource rich planets that are too hostile to land on. You may be able to come back to them later.
• Don't waste time and fuel on gathering common or corrosive metals. They don't earn you RUs so well.
• Get really good at killing Ilwrath and Slylandro. Practice against them in Super Melee.
• The Ilwrath Avenger is a very risky fight, one slip and you face serious damage. For an easier method of gaining RUs through combat, try your hand against the VUX. The Intruder ship is very weak against the Spathi Eluder and the Earthling Cruiser.
• Buy technology from the Melnorme rather than knowledge initally. The technology you get will make it easier to get more credits and thus more technology & knowledge.
• Melnorme credits are much harder to obtain than resources. Manage your fuel so you don't have to waste credits buying it from the Melnorme.
• Invest in thrusters. They affect your flagship in all areas of the game, and can get you from system to system much faster. Turning jets are not as important early in the game, but you should not have below three.
• Outfit your ship for resource gathering so you don't have to keep coming back to Sol for fuel, crew, landers or because you're full. 3 or 4 cargo pods. Plenty of fuel. 2 landers. Maxed out thrusters. 2 crew pods.
• You lose no money selling modules. Its cost effective to convert your ship between "fighting" and "gathering" configurations.
• Notice how the orbits of planets are different colors? Figure out what they mean and it can save you some time.
• Talk to the starbase commander about resource gathering.
• Fuel is expensive. Its more efficient to completely clear a system than to go back twice. If you run out of room and there's still good stuff in the system, consider dumping some of your cheapest cargo.