After some trading and a few fraighter missions I finally got to 1.3 milion credits.
I know from my last game that building a factory will cost more then you think, so I want at least this much before I consider it. Adding more trade ships is another option, but I decide to go with the station. I will use my original mercury to supply the station while I use my Discoverer to do some other things.
For me first station I want a completely safe sector, with well-scouted surrounding sectors. I decide to go for a complex consisting of 2 wheat farms in Home of light. I frequently visit that sector and that’s where I buy most of the equipment for my trade ships. There’s also some demand for wheat in the sector.
When you build your first station, you need to either buy a transport for it for 28M credits or hire one. The Argon supply Mammoth is in Argon prime, but I seem to have trouble tracking it down sometimes. This time however, I find it fairly quickly.
I have screenshots for the entire setup of a station, but I think I would rather write a guide on that subject, or even make a video.
I order the transport to go to the Argon federal shipyard and buy 2 farms (M) and a complex construction kit. I also order my Discoverer to pick up an advanced satelite to make placement easier. When this is done I order the transport and Discoverer to head to Home of light, I also head there myself.
I put the satelite a bi out of the way to avoid accidents with the heavy trafic in the sector. This enables me to get a more 3D-like view of the sector for station placement. Once the complex is setup I switch to my Discoverer and put my Mercury on CAG duty on the station. To be able to use CAG you’ll need the Bonus pack for both X3TC and AP. I also have a full load of energy cells to get things going.
I won’t be making money on this for a while, but in the long run, I think it will be profitable.
Since I’ve spent most of my time in Argon space, I decided to put up 2 medium wheat farms in a complex there. I currently only have one ship serving the station but hoping to get another ASAP. This seem to be enough to keep energy for the factory, but it doesn’t have time to sell yet (should be getting high enough level to use jump drive shortly).