Martind Forlon’s Blog

Jadimo system, Grzimek Dock medical facility 3302/01/16.

"... who I'm ... where I'm? ... what happened? ..." mind was fading -out and -in and then ... "What you want to do? It is only a few hours since was Your escape pod rescued from Arawere deep space and not too long after this again, this time from space around this station! People from local security were asking many questions, and local unofficial FEDs office was too interested!" My good old friend arrived as fast as he was able to, once he heard about my troubles and now was sitting in the chair beside my bed. "I will be OK, what I need to know now is, if he is still around!" He was looking on me with deep disbelief ... "You must

As a wing member I suddenly realised that ED space offers much more activities as I have ever imagined before. For understanding how it can be possible, could be good have first better idea what it is a "Wing" and what it is so called "Background simulation" (BGS) in ED space. As basic can be said that wing is a group of players which have something common (is not defined what) and decided to fly under the same flag. Here can be at distance used comparison with Freelancer/Crossfire clans but when you will go closer, you will see that there can be (are) quite big differences. One from main differences can be possibility use different mods for play ED (solo, private group, open) which all use the same galaxy. These modes limit players direct interaction with other players, but there is that word "direct" ... thing is, that also "solo" player influences a space around him, and therefore (through that) he can become part of something bigger. Bigger wings consist from hundreds

Horizons, with this new ED season have a lot changed for me. As first ... there are many new places for visit (with countless very nice sceneries), very entertaining flights in low altitude, possibility to leave ship and use SRV (vehicle), and also new mission types and theirs combinations between space and the planets surfaces ... all this multiply possibilities how to have fun. You can spent few hours in Combat zone (CZ), hunt bounties or trade/smuggle and want/need relax, then visit some airless planet/moon and fly at high speed only a few meters above surface in deep canyon, or you can visit some from fortified settlements and tease their air defence, or you can support yours mate which is in his SRV on the surface after he in a hurry leaving guarded settlement after successful infiltration.

Searching a home? ... easy, you have a 400 billion systems for choose! Such a number of systems may cause your searching little longer as initially expected, because on start you will have only very vague idea how should your home system look. For the start you could use a fact, that "home" should be somewhere inside the Bubble, which is a term used for the Humans inhabited part of space in the Milky Way Galaxy in the year 3301. But this will make your search only slightly easier ... like searching Pinhead on the football stadium instead around the whole world. With that in mind I first thought about a place where are some nice ships for sale, but it simply was not going into the right direction. Then I tried use few other ways, thought about joining with some commanders group (like Fuel Rats) and use theirs home system, but also this had all the time the false tones. Finally I gave up and put this decision to the future. But recently I had more and more feelings that the future is

ED space is so huge, you could be there all your RL time, and yet did not encounter any other from hundreds thousands commanders, which can be in space in the same time as you. This offers alot freedom/"safety" on one side, but after some time you may want more as only beat/dealt with NPCs ... and exactly for this were implemented community goals, which often concentrate to very few systems or stations (or only one single station) in by humans habitated space and also offer some nice bonuses ("$") when are theirs goals reached. Now it come when you cannot rely on previously learned templates and if you want survive, is really good idea to be concentrated all the time and watch radar if it not show outlined icon (solid icon = NPC, outlined = cmdr). Also fights are very different, there do not count some "fair" conditions ... if you not have friends and your target will have, you may easily have only "flee" as option how to survive. Same is related to ships used on both sides ...

I had more free time, so decided to gain more experience in mining and was lucky on BB missions with interesting payments ... three places with 6 missions and more as 1M$ for very few units of Painite and Platinum. This time I did preparations and purchased 2B Refinery (

), 3A Collectors limpets controller which give decent operation range and mainly long duration for limpets (

), Prospector limpet controller (

) and cargo filled with limpets. I visited more places with asteroids, which needed allot time, but was not able find the above mentioned requested commodities ... then I have re-read all what we had here posted about mining and one post below which have nice "list " with systems containing PRISTINE mining sites.

After I did changes in my controllers setup, I spent some time in training missions just to be sure that there is at least some basic coordination. It have helped to lower risks in open space, especially when was needed during silent running in a hurry to pass through base's mail-slot ... hit to the stations wall due misclick can be quite costly at times. After I finished few delivery missions arrived message from Moorhuhn with offer to pay a visit the Combat Zone (CZ). When he arrived, we have chosen to try first several fights Cobra vs DBS, where was Moorhuhn clearly better ... but it were mine first PvP on ED and it was for me a good experience. After I have repaired my slightly damaged ship, we moved to system where were confirmed CZs. It was Eravate system and before we arrived there, we have used travel time for testing the wings functions. I was first in lead and Moorhuhn followed me easily, then we have changed roles and I had first opportunity to learn, how to follow

Some basic experience was gathered already during fulfilling first few missions, missions when I used the small and basic sidewinder ship for small private transporting (read as "smuggling deliveries") missions. But this ship started to be too small for me, in my pocket were almost whopping half million credits_ ... just came a time to visit some shipyard which were spotted on more already visited bases, and do there some shopping. This was really exciting when I confirmed a purchase and on landing pad was delivered my new ship, the Cobra_Mk3. Now only add some equipment and ... ohh , only a first look on the equipment dealer prices list was very teaching - it looks like that made my ship kitted only little better will take some time.

How to start, ... well, as first can come some small comparison (if that's possible) between CF and ED. Both these games are about "walking" in space, in both you can play a role, and both games have big addicting potential. But with this may common points end, because ED is in many regards very different (not mentioning graphic, but these games engines have a huge difference in theirs "age"). ED space is much emptier, deeper, bigger and can be seen also as much more ruthless and/or much more "realistic". With this is coming scanty info about game mechanisms, which is only very lightly touched in in-game training missions or manual (rather call it Quick-start guide ). If you want learn more about the game and/or do less bigger mistakes, you have 3 most common ways: