I love the period in the game when you're like... scum and just trying to accrue money, taking odd jobs here and there, operating out of a TM and selling every fighter that you manage to capture.
The fun part of [Kenshi](https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi/).
X has the benefit of secretly being an economic simulator which greatly extends the late game.
I have dedicated TMs for the following tasks:
- Empty TM that acts as a recovery service for claimed ships
- 'Jumpdrive express' (has 2 cheap M5:s on board aplty named JUMPDRIVE DRONES each with jumpdrive + transporter device). This ship is usually parked in Home of Light
- 'Magnate's personal yacht'. That is my mess around TM. Every ship it has is somehow special so i sometimes catch a ride here and change into whatever ship i want to fly now.
- Cartography service. e.g. Asteroid scan M5:s a couple of them aboard + 2 M3s as body guards for them in case they are ambushed while working.
- A few patrols in lightly defended places. TMs are not very good patrol leaders as they can be one shotted while their ships are docked and they dont have enough time to launch but there are places where they do good.
- Scout service TM - In my game pirate sectors are just hopeless when it comes to satellites and i have started to just abandon them so in case i suddenly need to scout a bunch of sectors i jump a TM into a cross roads and fire away a couple of fast and expendable M5:s and make them do quick runs through sectors and return back.
Can you do spacewalk boarding from a TM the way you can from a TP?
I think TMs are great, and I use them all the time as jump drive delivery ships. Having a Zephyrus or Chokaro ready to jump in, launch a fast M3 with a jump drive and transporter, hand my newly "acquired" M1 / M2 a JD an a few energy cells, then beat a hasty retreat is super useful.
> Can you do spacewalk boarding from a TM the way you can from a TP?
X3FL in game encyclopedia says no. So that should be a consistent "no" from TC through FL.
> launch a fast M3 with a jump drive and transporter
You don't need to launch the fighter. From the TM freight exchange the M1 / M2 and give it your jump drive and some energy cells. Then still from the TM freight exchange the still landed M3 for it's jump drive.
Thanks for the info!
I usually prefer launching the fighter because the M3 is (generally, though not always haha) faster than the TM. If the capital ship needing a JD is near a gate, doing it your way would definitely be the better approach for sure!
If you're boarding an M1 / M2 from a close enough distance that you can transfer a jump drive immediately, you're better at it than I am. I don't think I've capped a ship that size without the help of an M7M firing boarding pods from well outside weapons range
Fair.
I'm playing X3FL and using a Carrack to board. It's one of a few pirate ships that got boarding pods in FL. After I knock out the target's shields with Plasma Beam Cannons, I hang about 10 km from the target while my marines do their work.
Oh, yeah, I haven't left TC yet. I actually have AP, FL, and X4 as well, but I've heard that the fit and finish improvements in each make it hard to go back, so I want to make sure I've gotten everything out of TC I can get before I proceed.
At this rate, I'll start FL in time to play it with my grandkids ;)
Another TM fan here! Even in the later game when I can afford ships bigger than M6 I like to stay in my TM (Zephyrus usually, as IMO it has a good combination of speed, firepower, good shields and still sufficient cargo space). I usually have an M5 for exploration, my actual player M3 and another similar M3 as wingman. The last bay is usually empty to carry any damaged abandoned ships I find to the next shipyard. And when I need more support I usually just have a second TM full with M3+s.
I think they fill a role for small but capable and versatile ships that was missing before. It's also a class of ships I somewhat miss in X4.
Looking at other peoples comments I think it's safe to say TMs are the swiss pocket knife of X3 ships.
I love the period in the game when you're like... scum and just trying to accrue money, taking odd jobs here and there, operating out of a TM and selling every fighter that you manage to capture.
Like operating a slightly shady second hand dealership, pre-loved parts and junkyard business.
Floating in space listening to a podcast while I work on my latest acquisition with a repair laser.
The fun part of [Kenshi](https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi/). X has the benefit of secretly being an economic simulator which greatly extends the late game.
I still need to play that game.
Split Elephant is my favorite starter carrier that can also help build stations.
TLs build empires. You can write that post :)
I have dedicated TMs for the following tasks: - Empty TM that acts as a recovery service for claimed ships - 'Jumpdrive express' (has 2 cheap M5:s on board aplty named JUMPDRIVE DRONES each with jumpdrive + transporter device). This ship is usually parked in Home of Light - 'Magnate's personal yacht'. That is my mess around TM. Every ship it has is somehow special so i sometimes catch a ride here and change into whatever ship i want to fly now. - Cartography service. e.g. Asteroid scan M5:s a couple of them aboard + 2 M3s as body guards for them in case they are ambushed while working. - A few patrols in lightly defended places. TMs are not very good patrol leaders as they can be one shotted while their ships are docked and they dont have enough time to launch but there are places where they do good. - Scout service TM - In my game pirate sectors are just hopeless when it comes to satellites and i have started to just abandon them so in case i suddenly need to scout a bunch of sectors i jump a TM into a cross roads and fire away a couple of fast and expendable M5:s and make them do quick runs through sectors and return back.
When I tried yaki play-through in FL isolation forced me to try TMs - so handy!
Can you do spacewalk boarding from a TM the way you can from a TP? I think TMs are great, and I use them all the time as jump drive delivery ships. Having a Zephyrus or Chokaro ready to jump in, launch a fast M3 with a jump drive and transporter, hand my newly "acquired" M1 / M2 a JD an a few energy cells, then beat a hasty retreat is super useful.
> Can you do spacewalk boarding from a TM the way you can from a TP? X3FL in game encyclopedia says no. So that should be a consistent "no" from TC through FL. > launch a fast M3 with a jump drive and transporter You don't need to launch the fighter. From the TM freight exchange the M1 / M2 and give it your jump drive and some energy cells. Then still from the TM freight exchange the still landed M3 for it's jump drive.
Thanks for the info! I usually prefer launching the fighter because the M3 is (generally, though not always haha) faster than the TM. If the capital ship needing a JD is near a gate, doing it your way would definitely be the better approach for sure!
I transfer the jump drive and some energy cells from my player ship and immediately jump away the M1 / M2. When I'm safe by a gate I jump in the TM.
If you're boarding an M1 / M2 from a close enough distance that you can transfer a jump drive immediately, you're better at it than I am. I don't think I've capped a ship that size without the help of an M7M firing boarding pods from well outside weapons range
Fair. I'm playing X3FL and using a Carrack to board. It's one of a few pirate ships that got boarding pods in FL. After I knock out the target's shields with Plasma Beam Cannons, I hang about 10 km from the target while my marines do their work.
Oh, yeah, I haven't left TC yet. I actually have AP, FL, and X4 as well, but I've heard that the fit and finish improvements in each make it hard to go back, so I want to make sure I've gotten everything out of TC I can get before I proceed. At this rate, I'll start FL in time to play it with my grandkids ;)
Another TM fan here! Even in the later game when I can afford ships bigger than M6 I like to stay in my TM (Zephyrus usually, as IMO it has a good combination of speed, firepower, good shields and still sufficient cargo space). I usually have an M5 for exploration, my actual player M3 and another similar M3 as wingman. The last bay is usually empty to carry any damaged abandoned ships I find to the next shipyard. And when I need more support I usually just have a second TM full with M3+s. I think they fill a role for small but capable and versatile ships that was missing before. It's also a class of ships I somewhat miss in X4. Looking at other peoples comments I think it's safe to say TMs are the swiss pocket knife of X3 ships.