3304, 18 Jan: While in a thargoid cyclop combat I lost my anaconda and my pilot, due to Swarm attack. The beast was infuriated and my Conda had not speed to escape. (Just a remark: guardian weapons were in game only in Feb that year.) Jasper Curry was with me since Nov. I trained him to Elite, in fact he reached earlier than I did, but we did the way together. When he died I had a sense of loss, was sad for some days. It touched me. A conda with a rebuy of almost 30M at that time was a great loss too. (1033M I had only)

One month later that year, from Feb until July, I had with me Ronaldo Pearson. He got also to elite. He was lost stupidly during an heavy attack to one of my passengenr ships. Again, I had that sense of loss, and was very sad. Since then, I only hired and discared expert NPCs.

3306, 12 July, I hired Ellery Wheeler. She was supposed not to rank, because of exploration. Do you remember expedition Camel Train to formidine? That was the reason! But with time we got friends. We had good and bad moments. I still remember when in an medium gravity she almost lost my explorer conda, but we survived. Time passed by, and I got used to her presence. With me in the ship, or meeting her in the FCs bar 🙂 Millions or billions do not matter for a comradeship, or do they?

3307, 27 Februabry, Today, bravely fighting in Sirius for the Community Goal she got Elite rank :-) Godfathers in wing were my friends Cmdrs Eon Solsen and Hunter_TTC. Long live Ellery, good job!

Few weeks ago I decided to take the challenge to organize a small expedition. Well, the small got bigger. Then I imagined it could have enough participants to be in EDSM. And here we are, in the Camel Train to Formidine Rift. Today our expedition reached Zurara Megaship. It was a fast trip of only two days, but full of excitement and work to do. Lots of new and great friends, great participation and enthusiasm. Some are doing exploration for the first time. That increases their natural excitement. I also believe that the feeling to have always a Fleet Carrier near, gives them more confidence.

I am at Perry Station in LHS 449, to unlock a permit system. I looked at the missions list and one was to Hutton Orbital. Wait! Hutton Orbital? The legendary place where we can get free Anacondas? :-) Surprisingly, I've been in Semotus Beacon but never in Hutton Orbital. What? 6.4M Ls? Why not, lets take some passengers there. And so I did. And after a long supercruise of 1h and an half, I even got a badge in EDSM :-)

The idea wandered in my mind for some time. My alter ego Cmdr Giant Hamster has joined Distant Worlds Expedition 3305 (DW2) and arrived at Beagle Point on the 15th of April. My friend Cmdr Ren Solsen went on joking and saying it was unavoidable, that I could not resist the idea. Soon or later, Cmdr Boni58 would join our companions at Beagle Point. Then, I read about the 48 Hour Challenge (Sol to Beagle Point in less than 48 hours) and also the A Challenge (Sol to Sag+ race). (Additional information about the 48 Hour Challenge and the A Challenge you can find in the bottom of this text.)

After an intense week of preparation with more than 200 neutron star jumps, I decided to use my old and first Asp X to participate in the 48-hour Challenge and run to Beagle Point. I also tried my Jolly Jumper Conda with 75 ly jump (outfitted for this mission) but it showed rather too clumsy for the neutron stars supercharge. I do believe Krait Phantom with more slots is better for long-range exploration (as used by my alter ego) but Asp X was my preferred for this race. Patanyska One is my first Asp X, bought three and a half years ago, still from the time with no engineering. She made my first long trade missions and allowed me to progress in the game. She was also a nice combat ship for my first solo missions. With other Asps in my fleet, dedicated to other functions, I kept my Number One updated with light modules to maximize jump. However, the max jump is not the only characteristic I praise on a fast ship. Due to my preferences, I also like to have good thrusters and boost capabilities. It is a question of game style and personal preferences. The power plant is the heart of a ship. Therefore, an armoured power plant is also my preference for a long-range exploration without near stations. With upgraded thrusters, I bet on manoeuvrability to be able to recover in case of failing any neutron supercharging.

Patanyska One outfitting: https://s.orbis.zone/2tjo

With two 3A class AFMUs, I needed only once to recharge one of AFMUs. Scooping was possible every seven or eight jumps. For a race like this, the plotting of the next neutron star showed to be the best strategy. Trying to plot two or three stars ahead revealed to be a waste of time because I had to wait for the plotting time, that sometimes took a too lo...oong time. So, just marking the next star and jumping was the fastest way for this race.

The first run was from Sol (Galileo Station, close to the Moon) to Sag+ because there is also a time race called “The A* Challenge”. I wanted to get two races for the price of one :-) I knew for a top time close to two hours the Asp X was not enough, but I was pretty happy with the 3h 47min that I got. 165 jumps, almost 29kly, 119 ns jumps, 46 scoops. Logistics were gently supplied by my dear wife. Breakfast with scrambled eggs and cheese bread, and lunch with tomato soup and a sandwich were served in the cockpit because there was no time to lose. Extra caffeine was needed and during the last 30 minutes, sparkling wine was served and tasted soooo good. After a short stop at Sag+ just to gather the photo of proof, my ship headed to Beagle Point. After some jumps, it was time for a rest break. It was a beautiful day and a bike tour on the planet Earth was the best option. Let’s get a clear breath of nature and watch the cows on the prairies of Frisian landscape.

Back to the game, reinvigorated, I intended to make the run from Sag+ to Beagle Point with another resting break around dinner time. Later on, I could see a good chance of finishing the race in one row. And thought it would be possible within 12 hours. However, that was a nice dream! On the way to beagle point, I could not keep the same pace of the morning. The jumps due to fewer neutron stars were shorter, many times under 200ly. In the morning on the way to Sag+ after the first hour (where early jumps with normal stars slowed the process) I could reach 8 kly per hour. On the way from Sag+ to Beagle Point that was not reachable, maybe 6k was a good pace. Who has done this way knows there are some areas where neutron stars are scarce. And I had to make some long runs 10 to 16 jumps on normal stars, with a pace of less than one per minute. Jump-Scoop-Jump, optimizing every second for not overheating. I confess, besides being an experienced neutron star traveller, things not always go as wished and in the complete day I missed few first attempts supercharging (maybe five at most) well recovered with the manoeuvrability of the Asp X, sometimes risking a lot and entering the cones in the opposite way. Yeah, do not tell me I should not try it, but this trip was not a tour. It was a race, a marathon, an endurance run, against time and against our own capabilities. Physically is severe, so many hours in constant play, and full concentration, any distraction can be fatal or make one loose precious time. Fortunately, I didn't get caught by exclusion zones of stars, only once my ship got some overheating that caused minor damage to internal modules. Once again the armoured power plant showed to resist well and kept the 100% integrity. One AFMU got some damage, but with the other unit, I could repair it.

The afternoon session lasted 7 hours, without pause, 45000 ly, 355 jumps, 175 neutron star jumps, and always fuel scooping. Yes, this was a race, sorry guys no time to enjoy the beauty of our Galaxy. Here, behind each jump, the danger was waiting for, and I had to consider that each neutron star type needs a different approach strategy. Coordination is sister of concentration. Here, I needed to fly, plot the next star, open galaxy map, go second monitor, copy the right destiny, come to map, paste and plot, jump, and repeat. And try not to get too little fuel :-) Finally, the arrival at Beagle Point system, recorded time 12h 33min, second best time of the 48 Hour Challenge :-)

That was an adventure! The next one will be to join my alter ego Giant Hamster at Salome's Reach and take a photo with some other friends. One last word to thank my companion Cmdr Ren Solsen who, although only present in spirit, followed my adventure and supported me with his wise comments :-)

https://youtu.be/bMxKpkZW-6Y

Statistics: Start time: 0830 (GMT+1) Sol to Sag+, 3h 47min, 165 jumps, 29k ly, 119 neutron star jumps, 46 scoops, 5 FSD repairs. Sag+ to Beagle Point, 7h 10min, 45k ly, 355 jumps, 175 neutron star jumps. Finish time: 2103 (GMT+1), with one rest break of circa 90min.

Total time: 12h 33min, second best time of the 48 Hour Challenge :-)

(Information obtained from the original sites)

The A Challenge is simple: Fly from Sol (or Wolf 359) to Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy, and record your time for doing so. Of course, this being an endurance run there is a little bit of challenge in that, not least the troubles of plotting routes in the galactic core. The clock starts on launch from Galileo / Lomas Orbiter, and ends upon arrival at Sagittarius A*. The time recorded is total elapsed time, so that includes any breaks, time asleep, at work, whatever. The clock doesn't stop ticking when you're offline.

The 48-hour challenge is as follows: Go from the core worlds to Beagle Point in 48 hours or less. Traditional starts have occurred at Beagle 2 Landing in Asellus Primus; however, for the sake of flexibility, any system with a station within 350 ly of Sol is acceptable.

Disclaimer: Sitting without moving for long periods of time can have potentially hazardous health consequences. Perform this run at your own risk. Please research and understand the risks before making such an attempt, and refrain from making an attempt if it would not be safe for you to do so. Also, please be sure to remain active while piloting, in particular getting up and moving every so often and exercising and moving your legs while piloting, to help mitigate these health issues. That said, how cool is it to run something that requires a disclaimer?

Pilots constantly complain the game is stuck, and it seems some are very bored. I also found myself on last months a bit bored and sometimes stationed my ship for a couple of days. But then came the news about the Guardian Beacons and I hurried to get the Guardians Fighters blueprints, to have all access to all Guardian Technology. Things got interesting. But there was more to come. When I first watched on youtube's ObsidianAnt the mention to the next Gnosis mission, in the Cone Sector, it took no time to decided to join. I did feel really excited with this adventure. In the past I did some solo fights against Thargoids, never so successful, but some time ago have equipped an armoured Anaconda with more than 6000 points in armour, now I upgraded it with Guardian Weapons. So it was time to choose a ship to take to the Gnosis. At first, I thought to take a smaller ship for exploration only. Later decided myself for a Conda multi function. With some module transfer to the Gnosis I go fully equipped also for exploration. I could have saved some credits, however I made it the faster way (maybe not) and travelled with a Jumper Conda (82 Ly) to the closest station with shipyard (PMD2009 48) and transferred my armoured Conda. I prefer not to say how much it costed! Anyway, I still needed to make it lighter to reach the Gnosis. Yesterday, I reequipped the ship with weapons and also some exploration capabilities. As a solo player I expect to do some exploration or maybe I join another group of players and fight some Thargs. We don not know what expects us on the other side of the jump, so let us be prepared!

https://youtu.be/zfDy95u449k

Can someone get elite explorer without leaving the bubble?
Of course, the answer is yes!

I 've been playing for more than one thousand hours and got the rank Ranger almost with missions close to the populated zone. Some few more passengers missions and I should get elite rank in exploration.

However, did I feel a “real explorer”? My answer is no.

For sometime I had the intention to go on to a far destination, to try it, to explore, to be the first to discover some systems and objects and to visit far interesting places. After some visits to the Thargoid Base on Pleiades Sector area I told myself that now was the moment. Shall I go alone or should I take company? I accepted a mission to take a famous explorer to Colonia. This choice is a constrain because of the deadline to return, better was to go alone, so I could stay around Colonia. But the choice was made and I must respect my compromise.

Got my Asp Explorer ready with discovery scanners, opted for a docking computer instead of an AFM module (because I decided to make stops in the known bases).
And lets go! Departed on 17th of July evening.

It is a long long way, a lonely travel, a repetitive jumping action, through the first days I learned how to be more selective with scanning, and found a compromise between scanning and travel not so slow. I chose the Colonia Connection Route, with six known stops. Couldn’t get each branch in one day, and couldn’t play each day but after eight days I am less 20 jumps away from arrival in Colonia. And got the opportunity to do a lot of exploration, without no cash we get no rank point ☺

I am really excited and pleased that I made myself up. On the way to Colonia, I must confess I thought to give up. Such a long way, so many jumps, and there is still the way back. Elite Dangerous can be boring in some moments, but it is up to you to choose your way and get the most of it. It was also a lesson of life, why should I give up and turn back? I had an aim, and decided to go for it.

The fun to explore increased everyday, the learning of being more selective with the objects to scan also. Alltogether I scanned thousands of objects and was the first to discover more than 300. Probably the profit on the way will be around 60 millions of credits. Not so bad. The trip is not dangerous, with low probability to find pirates, the worst enemy may be yourself, a stupid mistake crashing the ship against a sun or planet. And getting bored ☺

Let’s arrive in Colonia safe, do the mission with the passengers and return in time.