If anybody has a copy of the Slacker's Guide to TradeWars could you please post it, all the links I have found via searching point to the original site containing the doc, but it is no longer an active site. Thanks much. [;)]

quote:Originally posted by RexxCrow

If anybody has a copy of the Slacker's Guide to TradeWars could you please post it, all the links I have found via searching point to the original site containing the doc, but it is no longer an active site. Thanks much. [;)]


Rexx, Try http://tradewars.fament.com/guardian/man.htm I know part of what you are looking for is there (I think, LOL).[;)]

Oh, that is neat, so Shell is the author if it then? Are you saying that this is not the entire guide then only portions of it?


Basic --------------> Intermediate Evil Play
( Hints and Suggestions for Evils who know how to steal , but still have some problems )

Basic --------------> Intermediate Good Play
( Hints and Suggestions for Goods who know how to trade , but still have some problems )

10 Commandments of Tradewars
( Take a Look and see if you know your Commandments )

Shell's Page for Beginners
( Gives some good information for those new among us )

Shell's Photoning at Stardock Page
( Explains how it is done and some things you may not want to do )

Shell's Miscellaneous
( Some nice Information on this Page )

Shell's Playing Good Page
( Tells about how to get a commission and some planet layout information )

Do realize that most, perhaps even nearly all of that, is obsolete now.

Actually alot of it is pretty handy to know still as it is based on basic game function, structure, and methodology, but that is really beside the point though. I need it to complete my archives section and don't want to see it disappear from sight at any rate.

For the archive... Sure. Gotcha, it's good history.

And I'm not saying there aren't useful things in it. But remember that a large portion of it was written even before Gold came out. So it assumes stock edit. Thus the methodology may be inaccurate or even flat wrong in some cases these days.

Examples...
If you buy a merf in an edit you will many times burn turns. Instead of buying ship X, do a holds per turn calc on each ship and find the best holds per turn (per warp). That way you're atleast setup to PPT. But if you're in a corp and your goal is to pre-scout before a pair trader goes out... then climb into a scout and don't worry about the holds.

Single space warping is just as bad as ewarping. You need to get a mower and use it.

Turning your ANSI off does not speed up helpers very much. Maybe 5% or 10% depending on the function (the figlist and minelist moves much faster, but not all functions do). It also changes the msgs that appear, many trigger texts change so if you're using a script that isn't written for no ansi... it will not work correctly.

If you go to the underground to lose exp you will end up losing your cash. If your alignment is too high you can't even do that. But then again if you plan to go red, which many players do now on day 1, you should go for the most exp you can since you'll be cloaking out anyway.

In many games corbo blasts are small enough to not be a problem. Killing a scout or a pod, if inhabited, will usually eliminate that player for a day and all their turns will have to regen. A 5k or 10k damage blast IS worth that, even if it costs you a pod in the process.

Talking trash can be a very effective demotivator for an enemy corp... especially if timed after a kill (like above).

SSM works great if the ship is 1tpw. Again, edits have changed this. Stock edit... SSM was very turn-expensive in a turns game. Unlims obviously change this too.

Don't use toll figs. Ever. I don't know why anyone would. Leave offensive figs and limpets, makes it very hard to torp under and nail your reds.

SST / SDT around Alpha or Rylos? Do NOT do that these days in a turns game. I'd freak out of my corpies were doing this w/o a good defense. Get a blue to furb.

Don't store your stuff in a 2 or 3 deep DE. There are maybe 500 of these things in a 20k. They are the first thing I usually probe. Tow them back to stardock after extern, that way they are safe.

The SD backdoor... be careful of that. Verrrry easy to trap the backdoor to SD and Terra. Talk to Alexio about his love of the backdoor (stardock, laff) .

Corbo doesn't worry me. I'll eat a pod to take out your reds. Even just to get a good shot at your reds. No hesitation.

Use traitor's planet busting script to bust up @ dock. Using a macro can still get you killed w/ a timed pre-lock kill.

Haggle - Talk to EP. He's the master of blue haggle. Sometimes it pays if you're smart.

Commish - Don't commish if you're out of turns. Save that honor for the next blue so they can furb and stuff.

2-3 deep DEs will get you killed so fast your head will spin. I always have them all explored by day 2 or day 3. I will find you and take your planets. I will then have my red jet the cols (or I'll just eat a pod) and then zdy the planet to keep you from developing mobiles. Sometimes I don't even bother with that, I'll just wait for the planets to get close to mobile and then come back for a visit hoping you've kept wasting your turns on them.

H-O-L... no. Stock edits... H and L. H for ore. L for fast mobiles. SDT for cash, orgs are a waste of time. Other edits... vary considerably.

Make many bases - No. Today people have unlimited time games, so it often-times makes sense to build 1 or 2 bases and defend the heck out of it. Especially in edits with beefed-up guardian ships. Pirates edit... a full Dread Flute is next to impossible to take out early on. Add in auto-IG and a grid defense strategy and you're far better off concentrating your efforts. In a time limited stock edit... ok, 2 or 3 bases will probably be needed until you get a mobile L. Then stick all your figs on it and blow the rest.

Tpad - Always tpad. Fuel or no, it's cheaper on turns to buy a full load of fuel from a port.

Can't block stardock with photons if you're blue and that option is off. There are some methods that can give you a fighting chance tho... The whole section on photoning from stardock was before lawnmowing. Unless you have a realllllly good ping or can slow them down (fig wall) some, or got an anticipation torper (not difficult to write, but there is no public script for dock anti) you will not hit them. That's assuming torping from dock is possible for you. You don't need a macro to pull this off, a decent script can do it all for you. Ignore the captain Z comment, use a scout (xport). Don't be warping around in an ISS. Tip of the ice-berg, there are dozens of different permutations on this. Only works early on, later on they'll callsaveme and nail you when you warp in to claim the kill.

Anyway... the list goes on and on and on and on. Half of it is personal taste, the other half is situation specific. All of it can be spun on it's head by a half-decent player.

That is much good info, thats for all that Sing. [;)]

I have the original. There are about 4 sentences left in the slacker's guide that are still relevant. If I thought it would help anyone play modern TW, I would have a link to it on my site. The same goes for the rest of the old guides.

The only guide that is worth anything is Pagan's. I have it too, and I got permission to update it somewhat. It's coming to a website near you soon.

Like we care about Pagan's guide. How about we see a Traitor's guide? or a Sing's guide? Geez, you newly married and partialy employed people kill me

Sing, you could've nearly written one in the time it took to make that post. Okay, maybe not, but it was a long post

I did like the part where you mentioned me though. Make sure that's in the final draft.

+EP+

laff, now I have some more insight, and hope not to fall completely on my face when I get back to playing, wrapping up the final class work till my break from school. laff

Heh. Seriously tho. Pagan's is one of the better ones, and it's been ripped by quite a few sites. None of which gave her any credit. If you read Pagan's starter guide, then read my site, you would be well on your way to intermediate play. From there you pretty much have to play with or against someone better than you to get the finer points of play.

This I know well Traitor and the site you have does help me refresh my memory a lot, and I will be getting more active in games again now, now that I am taking a break from college for a while. being a full time employee and full time student burns you out, so I had to take a break from one or the other, and the work, pays the bills. So I am taking a break from school for a while.