So I've just bought it. Any tips for the noob?
#1. Don't fly without a rebuy. Ships can cost a lot of money and it costs a fraction of that to rebuy the ship if it's destroyed. If you don't have enough money to buy the replacement, you're forced to go back to the free starter ship.
2. Don't speed. Stations have speed limits (should recieve a notification if you're going too fast). If you hit someone while speeding, you're at fault and will recieve a fine.
3. When flying towards a target, the blue area on your speed meter is the safe zone. You can turn fastest in this zone, but you will also not overshoot targets. I tend to go at max speed and then 8s from the target drop to the blue zone.
4. Do not look online to see all the smaller features. The game is at its best when you're just discovering the galaxy. I've played for ~200 hours and there are lots of things that I haven't seen first hand. Also don't use online tools to make money. They are nice for end game users, but as a noob they remove the magic.
5. Be whatever you want. Combat in the game is great but I prefer just exploring at a slow pace. Fighting, mining, trading, cruise ship, bounty hunter, etc. are all valid. There are groups for role playing too. The "fuel rats" will deliver fuel for free to any player that runs out. Cannon research are all about testing alien stuff out and have discovered most alien things in the game. Elite racers have races throughout the galaxy on different courses to see who's fastest. The explorers go off on expeditions all the time to map out the galaxy or reach landmarks. Recently they went on a one way trip to the farthest edge of the galaxy. The game is good on its own, but it's amazing if you make your own fun.
6. Everything takes time. There are 400 billion star systems and it can take months of real world time to get places. Humans only live in a small bubble of the galaxy but as a new player even that will feel huge. Money takes time, becoming allies takes time, powerplay takes time, engineering takes time, etc. On top of this, most mission timers keep counting down if you're not logged in. Playing for short bursts is fine but don't try to rush these longer things. You'll just burn yourself out.
7. Pledge support to Aisling Duval! No gameplay reason but:
https://sorasabi.carbonmade.com/blog/6168812474423312397DId you get Horizons too?