Music for a galactic flyboy

It's been a while since I've done a music post !

Time for one that's a little different. I've been enjoying my time in Elite with a restarted character. It's become fresher, there's a sense of much more risk that brings engagement, it's a definitely novelty having to dock with my own piloting for a change and I like the small, nippy ships. Oh and no one in the galaxy knows Cmdr Keela Danne yet, Cmdr Iceangel was quite well known and could get the good contracts.

I should probably say that this is partly intended as a New Player Advice Post !

I definitely didn't have a sense of being Indestructible (Alisha's Attic) in the trusty Sidewinder I started in.

Cute ship. If you can call a box with an engine cute. This is the ship they give you at the start, with 1000 credits and all loaned parts to make your name with. It can hold 10 tonnes of cargo if you take the shields off it, a little more if you run without a scanner too. But that's a bad idea because you can make a little bit of money with the scanner, plus it's very useful for planetary landings on bodies that you actually need to find.

Anyway - Space Dog (Tori Amos) ... or Space Puppy on the move again.

There isn't much option in the little ship to do anything other than moving cargo and letters around. The jump range goes out decently when you get a better hyperdrive but it's very limited in the amount of fuel it can carry.

And a Starman (David Bowie) wants to range far and wide.

I started off in Federation territory, where you can pick up some fairly easy courier contracts (but be prepared to Run) that boost up the money supply pretty well. Quick enough to get that Sidewinder upgraded quite nicely to a longer range hyperdrive. And then ....

The black Hauler class ship called Dignity. That name comes from a track by Deacon Blue which is one of the favourites. There's a fella out there who wants to retire and buy a ship called Dignity. Good song.

That ship didn't end up being a Frequent Flyer (A Camp). I got rid of it after one flight ! It's not actually that much of a jump between the Hauler and the Adder class multirole ship. The black Adder not actually known as Edmund can hold 20 tonnes of cargo with a shield. I've put guns on there now too to chase away pesky Sidewinder pirates.

I think my original Adder was called Starbug. This one is named after a play on its class name. It is the ICV Algebraic (Independent Courier Vessel) after another wonderful song by A Camp, Algebra.

The next step up from an Adder will be the old favourite from the very first Elite, the Cobra Mk3. I'm not quite there yet. I could buy the ship but I'm waiting until I have a good packet of money available for upgrades. It's good to get into that top level hyperdrive as soon as you buy the ship.

Cos you know, that Road To Somewhere (Goldfrapp) can be a Long And Windy Road (Beatles).

Can you believe that this :

Makes this ?

I think I need one.

And then it's up the ship classes into Cobra Mk4 for a while (bigger, more capable), the Asp Explorer, the Python and then maybe .... one of the bigger ships. I'm only intending to fly ships I'll enjoy flying this time around which counts out the freighter type ships. They can make a decent amount of trading cash for their size but they're pretty hateful to fly. It isn't all about the money though. Sometimes it's How High (Madonna) can you go.

One thing about the switching between ships. There's a few very sites for the new and not so new Elite player.
Coriolis.edcd.io (the edcd version is newer) lets you build ship designs, see whether they work in the weight and power limits and ... sends you over to EDDB to show you where to get them.
Elite Dangerous Data Base is invaluable for trading, although you can get caught up with the data being out of date.
And then there is Inara.cz as another site carrying tonnes of info about the game.

If the ship isn't capable of turning that quick, you can't really Blame It On The Moon (Katie Melua) for slowing it down.

A few more quick ones ?
Don't want to get Stuck (Caro Emerald) and dry on fuel ...
I avoid Open mode like the plague cos of Kids With Guns (Gorillaz);
If you Linger (Cranberries) too long, it is a crime punishable by death (Really !);
At some point, I'll be Chasing Pirates (Norah Jones);
The Midnight Sun (Lisa Miskovsky) is especially pretty ... but if I'm seeing suns at midnight that's going to be really bad for my sleep pattern !
I'm definitely in the best ship for Mathematics (Little Boots) at the moment;
I hope the Lifeboats (Snow Patrol) work ...
I'm always hoping for Safe Travels (Lisa Hannigan);
It's wonderful being Under Stars (Aurora);

One last one. One of my favourite albums which doesn't get enough linkage here is Dark Side Of The Moon (oh even more appropriate !) by Pink Floyd with .... Great Gig in the Sky.

Oh wait ! There is the perfect song for any Elite or space game player ... It can only be ... We aim to misbehave, Firefly style.