Why oh why is there not a stock racing league?

[LawLetalis]

As the title says, there is a golden opportunity for FDev to add a fun new career track in Elite: Racing.

12 intense tracks, two tracks runs a race every two hours, fits all schedules.

A few tracks on a planet with a low altitude limit. Cross country with hazards, natural and structural

A few in hollowed out Orbis Starports, classic circuit style fast racing.

Fully spectatable.

Stock racers, very fast, pips go to various thrusters for precision maneuvers. (Forward/reverse, lateral/vertical, rotational)

Can be carried on a sidewinder, so any can participate.

Each manufacturer makes their own stylish version, win paintjobs and decals, along with credits!

All racers have same capabilities, 100% fair.

Races are quick, 10 minute cap (might need to trial for optimal time.

CG like Galaxy map icon over next tracks racing for all to see.

Open only? Worth debating.

Why oh why do we not have this already?

 

[Conch]

I rather have planetary bookmarks that i can share with friends and thus setup my own tracks.. also if you dont got a racing courier/eagle/ieagle or viper your a nobody.

 

[Xious]

Interesting idea but it'll never happen.

 

[Vedmo]

You forgot to include mines.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Start your own and run with it. It worked for the Buckyballers.

I wonder how many people actually know what a buckyball is, or that they're also known as Fullerenes, or who Buckminster Fuller was....

But yeah, if you want one, make one. Frontier isn't going to take you by the hand - the only time they want to see your hand is when it's full of money for them.

I've sponsored a few racing events - the Alpha Ring Race at the old Guardian Ruins alpha sites were a blast. Just don't expect there to be a massive community turn out, especially for a first event, and be prepared to deal with buttinskis showing up in Open with the sole intent on blowing up every single racer that wants to participate. Best to post a false public starting point and communicate the real starting location privately to keep those monkeys off your back.

 

[Alec Turner]

Start your own and run with it. It worked for the Buckyballers.

I wonder how many people actually know what a buckyball is, or that they're also known as Fullerenes, or who Buckminster Fuller was....

But yeah, if you want one, make one. Frontier isn't going to take you by the hand - the only time they want to see your hand is when it's full of money for them.

I've sponsored a few racing events - the Alpha Ring Race at the old Guardian Ruins alpha sites were a blast. Just don't expect there to be a massive community turn out, especially for a first event, and be prepared to deal with buttinskis showing up in Open with the sole intent on blowing up every single racer that wants to participate. Best to post a false public starting point and communicate the real starting location privately to keep those monkeys off your back.

Our most recent Buckyball Race finished on Sunday and it was probably the race I worked hardest to publicize. It was featured in the newsletter, on Lave Radio, in Sagittarius Eye, on the Guard Frequency podcast, on an FD livestream, on Galnet News Digest, on facebook, twitter and all over the forum. I started promoting over a week in advance and constantly throughout the week of the race itself and we had a grand total of 25 people who turned up to race! After well over 50 races I'm no longer surprised (and certainly not disappointed) by these numbers, the folks who come to race are all awesome and make the races one of my favourite things in the game. But the simple fact is that I think enthusiasm for racing in the game is far lower than many people believe.

 

[Cervantes01]

Why the buckyballers aren't supported more by FD as an example of emergent gameplay is beyond me. Love the idea OP but I guarantee if FD ever implemented it they would manage to do it in a sucky, naff, half baked and disappointing way that no-one other than Sandro would be pleased with.

 

[Genus]

Short course racing is a great idea. i tend to not be able to schedule in the BB events due to time commitments. To be able to rock up and dig out a few laps sounds fab.

 

[Alec Turner]

Short course racing is a great idea. i tend to not be able to schedule in the BB events due to time commitments. To be able to rock up and dig out a few laps sounds fab.

For what it's worth, the Buckyball Races are typically run as time trial events which run for the course of at least a week and which you can attempt at any time (and as many times) as you like throughout the event so unlike live in-game races where you have to be able to commit to being on-line at a certain time these are much easier to get involved with.

 

[Nerix]

Good idea! Perhaps something for the suggestion section of the forum, will get lost here.

 

[Qohen Leth]

https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteRacers/

 

[Friedenreich Xante]

Elite : MarioKart

Although that's not the Primary Content of the game, it would be a nice distraction. The risk being only that it Ends like CQC.

 

[Genus]

For what it's worth, the Buckyball Races are typically run as time trial events which run for the course of at least a week and which you can attempt at any time (and as many times) as you like throughout the event so unlike live in-game races where you have to be able to commit to being on-line at a certain time these are much easier to get involved with.

I thought the BB races were over large stellar distances?

 

[Alec Turner]

I thought the BB races were over large stellar distances?

Nope, not especially. We run a special ongoing Sagittarius A* race but otherwise our races are over all sorts of distances, typically taking around 30mins to complete (although the last one was an SRV race where the winning time was under 5 minutes while the slowest time was 1.5hrs!).

 

[Dan Bender]

The Elite Racers are also an active group, and may be more like what the OP is interested in.

 

[Genus]

Nope, not especially. We run a special ongoing Sagittarius A* race but otherwise our races are over all sorts of distances, typically taking around 30mins to complete (although the last one was an SRV race where the winning time was under 5 minutes while the slowest time was 1.5hrs!).

Blimey. I'll keep a closer eye on those announcements then ;-)

 

[FoxTwo]

I thought the BB races were over large stellar distances?

Actually the very first Buckyball started as a race from within the beta bubble of 6 systems.. from Magec to Wyrd if I am not mistaken. You can see the distance on the map - not very far.

You probably think "large stellar distances" cuz of the Sag A* run. If there's a strange new thing nobody has ever made a race out of, Buckyballers may just try it! Well back in the day nobody made a race of going to Sag A*... and we did it There was even a "live event" of sorts one of the weekends where they flew 14-ish hour race there.

Short distance races usually requires the racers to plan - there's a total of 10 targets, you must dock/hit 7 of them, come back with the best timing etc etc. Various criteria to make racing more fun...

ps: The "defining trait" of Buckyball Races is probably the "Sidewinder Challenge". It was in-place to cater to EVERYBODY, even day 1, first-10-minutes-newbie who just got into ED. You can race in the sidewinder and you will be in a special Sidewinder Challenge leaderboard for the timings.

 

[PiLhEaD]

FDev need to have a look at what NMS is doing with their upcomming buggy racing update. Quite why something like this isn't in game already is beyond me.

I think time trials with leaderboards is the way to go, but this doesn't preclude people meeting up for a head to head.

 

[Alec Turner]

FDev need to have a look at what NMS is doing with their upcomming buggy racing update. Quite why something like this isn't in game already is beyond me.

I think time trials with leaderboards is the way to go, but this doesn't preclude people meeting up for a head to head.

Incidentally, we did a live in-game SRV event as part of the week long "Falling With Style" time trial which was a LOT of fun and highly recommended for groups of at least 5 commanders in SRVs.

Basically it's like the Gloucester Cheese Run.

Spoiler

[video=youtube_share;V1cwfOfwr7I]https://youtu.be/V1cwfOfwr7I[/video]

So what you do is find a mountain with a top flat enough to land on (the one next to Smith Base in the Beta Sculptoris system is excellent - if a tad HUGE) and then you get the competing SRVs all lined up along a suitable drop-off point along the top (with empty cargo holds). The nominated race marshall then flies overhead in a ship and jettisons a load of cargo down the side of the mountain (limpets are good since you can restock without needing a commodity market). He then shouts GO over local comms (preferably without boosting into all the competitors and skittling their remains across the mountain) and the racers head off down the slope. The winner is the first to the bottom (or the base in this case) with at least one (or two for hard mode) items in their cargo (i.e. they have to find, stop and scoop items of cargo on the way down). It was a bit of a hair brained idea but in fact it really worked as a ludicrously fun event. As can be seen in the following video footage from the race, SRV's were exploding all over the place and it was actually quite a challenge just to make it to the bottom.

[haha]

[video=youtube_share;MmvuKHLC0m8]https://youtu.be/MmvuKHLC0m8[/video]