Gameplay - Jobs Overview

You earn money in FPS by taking various jobs/missions. Some jobs are randomly generated by the FPS game economy, while others are scripted to appear when triggered by in-game events. With good flight planning, you can mix and match these jobs to create complex trade routes.

*Note to Editors: These are very basic tips and could be fleshed out more if needed. Depending on how much each section gets fleshed out, some might need their own pages, titled “Gameplay - <Mission Type>” or “Walkthrough - Mission Name”.*

## Random Missions (Cargo)

Most Bases produce and also need certain cargos. What they produce, what they need, and how much you can buy/sell the cargo for varies. Ideally you want to buy a cargo for a low price, transport it across a route that minimizes wear and tear on your aircraft, land and sell it for a higher price, and then repeat the process. Making money this way requires careful use of the Map and Trading system (see Interface - Map and Trade). The general process is:

### Plan The Flight

1. Open the Map and filter for Cargo.
2. Look through the various Bases to see what products they offer and what they need.  Ignore cargos that are too heavy for you to transport.
3. Look for profitable jobs. For example, if Port Estel is selling Fluere Pearls for 4420 CR and Bora needs them for 38,600 CR, this could mean a sweet 34,180 CR profit.
4. However, consider the weight and fragility of the item and your route. A very long flight through hazards, carrying a fragile item that is close to your maximum carrying capacity, is a risky proposition!
5. Select the origin Base (in this example, Port Estel). Then mouse over the destination base (Bora in this example) and right-click to draw a route between the two.
6. If you like, you can repeat steps 2-5 to create a complex route. For example, after you sell your cargo at Bora, you can buy something there for delivery at another port, and so on.
7. Remember to select your first destination as target before you fly.

### Fly The Plan

* **Before takeoff**, know which way to turn to acquire your target Base. Spinning around looking for it wastes fuel. :)
* HUD: Use the Heading Tape with its Route Indicator (blue) and/or Target Indicator (green) to fly toward your target Base.
* Avoid hazards and maneuver carefully. Keep an eye on the Cargo G-load indicator. Damage to cargo affects your profits. **If the cargo is damaged too much, you may end up selling it for less than you paid for it!**
* Land at the cargo area of the target base (the airplane silhouette with the green charging pad) and shut down.
* Important: Do not “unload” the cargo with the menu on the right of the HUD. You need to “sell” the cargo using the Trading Menu.

## Random Missions (Passenger)

Similar to Cargo jobs, Passenger jobs are also generated randomly by the game. Unlike Cargo jobs, you don’t have to pay to pick up Passengers, so they are pure profit (less aircraft fuel/wear and tear). This makes Passenger jobs a good way of making money when you are very low on funds. Passengers also don’t add additional weight to your aircraft. A few key points:

* You can find Passenger jobs in the Map (see [[Interface - Map and Trade]]) by filtering for Passengers.
* In the Map interface, Passengers list their destination and maximum fare they will pay, so you can plan multi-stop routes for Passengers just as you do for Cargo. Note this is a **maximum** fare; this will go down based on TODO: WHAT? DURATION OF TRIP? ROUGHNESS OF FLIGHT?
* You pick up Passengers at a different Base area than where you load/unload Cargo.
* Most Passengers are willing to be dropped off at the Cargo area of their destination Base… but some need to be taken to the Passenger area. Just taxi them over.
* You can make interim stops even if you are carrying a Passenger. If you land somewhere other than the Passenger’s destination, they will ask you if you are dropping them off. You can tell them “no” and they will stay with you. Or you can let them out, but don’t expect much payment!

TODO: A clear image of the passenger loading area might be helpful.

## Scripted Story Missions

Scripted/Story missions are those created by the Razar s.r.o. dev team. They are given to you by people in your "Contacts" list (see Interface - Map and Trade). These missions have specific triggers, success conditions, and rewards. Many proceed from one to the next and some may “bug out” and get stuck if you don’t complete them exactly as the game expects. If you are “self-training” (see Self-Training Challenges) you can ignore many of the early Story missions (e.g.: from Mr. Palm).

See Gameplay - Story Missions for a list of Story missions and some tips on completing them successfully.