View source for Yoni's guide to not sucking

HE is a difficult server to master. The ION plugin offers a lot of features which can be difficult to learn. Here a re some noob mistakes to avoid 

* Don't pay for levels [while you are allowed to pay for levels which gives you access to bigger ships, having those bigger shifts will be cumbersome and difficult to manage if you don't have the previous experience using the lower tiers. Paying for levels lets you access bigger ships without getting the experience] 
* You can use your hyperdrive in beacon gates [You can't switch certain items or use Hoppers but you can use your hyperdrive and you should]
* Use shift while DC or Cruise [It's a very small speed boost but it gives you a lot more control of the ship] 
* Don't avoid going to au and trench just because they're dangerous [Don't spend too much time there because you can easily get picked off, but there are great places to go mining and salvaging] 
* Always design factories/ industry in creative and then print in survival [getting the pipes and electricity to run just right is a finicky thing which is 10 times easier in creative and worth paying the extra printing costs to get right the first time in survival]
* Never go fight AIs unless your ship is at least a class above their best potential ship [unless you are really really good at ship to ship combat and have mods installed and can perfectly land the 250 block shots, you WILL get killed]
* Don't start making power armor unless you have the materials for the mods ready [You will most likely suffocate in space, but you also might jump off your ship and not have rocket boots on and then fall into the depth of Rubicea and lose your ship]
* You can use the bazaar in trench and AU [It's just as expensive as buying a remote anywhere else and can get your hyperdrive running in a pinch]
* When getting attacked, if you are in a civilian ship, run away by using Cruise [running away is your best bet. They most likely outgun you and in Cruise you stand a chance of getting away from them, especially if your ship is the same tier of class. Example:  A transport with with enough engines should be able to outrun a gunship] 
* In survival, having a functional ship is more important than having a nice looking ship [definitely go make those nice looking ships. This is a game about building after all, but if you have a large ship with a single shield that looks gorgeous, it's going to be gorgeously splattered] 
* Build your own ship of the highest tier you have access to before buying from other people [even Zeke ships with their affordability and full range of features while useful will be confusing, and you won't know what to take advantage of and how if you've never experienced building a ship. Even if your ship looks really crappy and it's just a box or a Dorito it's worth making your own ship so you understand the basics of what they have and how they work] 
* Join a large Nation ASAP [While it's exciting and tempting to make your own Nation from the get-go, even if you have experience with Towny and movecraft and slimefun, And even if you're very politically Savvy, it's worth joining a larger Nation just for the security of not getting ganked constantly. There is also the benefit of learning some industry and efficiency tricks. You can also learn what ships work best in what situations and why. Joining a large well-established nation is the fastest way to learn how to capitalize on the plug-in]