A Tribute to Core Dynamics - My Journey to Crab Nebula

CMDR Stallan · Jun 18, 2016

...In an Eagle.

Gday all. So after my trip to Sag A* in a Conda, I decided to do something different; taking my Eagle "Brimstone" to Crab Nebula Expedition. (It's like Distant Worlds Expedition, but with closer destination)

My goal of this trip is to meet many CMDRs, enjoy the journey, take as many screenshots as I can, and most importantly... showing my LOVE to Core Dynamics. Therefore, reaching Crab Nebula is just an option - if something bad happens and I have to turn back, that's fine.

Before someone asks, no I haven't gone insane (not yet

), in fact I'm having a lot of fun in this awesome little ship! Such a nice breath of fresh air for me. I wasn't really planning on making forum posts. But seeing how well this is turning out, I felt like sharing my experience.

Also first time posting here. Do let me know if I'm messing it up somewhere, like screenshots not showing, links not working.

Meet the Eagle "Brimstone"

> What's this "CNE"?
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...o-de-stellis?highlight=crab+nebula+expedition

>Updated waypoints info
https://www.reddit.com/r/edex/comments/4hzmax/crab_nebula_expedition_info/

CMDR Stallan · Jun 18, 2016

CMDR Stallan, CNE#284 reporting in. Currently taking the ship for test flight.

Mining laser, check.

SRV, check.

Achenar 3 high G landing, looking good.
Okay so... this Courier decides to scan me... in 6.7G. Of course, it didn't go well for him.
"You're clean. Proceed, pilot. *kaboom* "

WR3ND · Jun 18, 2016

My exploration Vulture, the Ronin approves.

The Eagle is my favorite ship to pilot and I may retire to one after getting Elite in exploration or similar.

—CMDR WR3ND, CNE #99

WR3ND · Jun 18, 2016

Welcome to the forums, by the way.

o7

...

Oh, fair warning though... This is essentially the complaints department section of the forum where a thread like this is likely to be lost in the noise.

I would recommend maybe using the exploration section of the forum for a thread like this. If you want and ask a moderator nicely, I'm sure they'd be willing to move it for you.

Katkon · Jun 18, 2016

I'm sorry OP, you completely threw me off with a positive thread. Reminds me of this forum a couple of years back. Me likey!

WR3ND · Jun 18, 2016

Think I will get the ship kit for the Eagle too though. I've already got a couple of the paint jobs for it.

The Eagle is similar in shape to a stealth fighter jet I designed back in school, plus a couple extra bits like angled vertical stabilizers.

goemon · Jun 18, 2016

WR3ND said:
Welcome to the forums, by the way.

o7

...

Oh, fair warning though... This is essentially the complaints department section of the forum where a thread like this is likely to be lost in the noise.

I would recommend maybe using the exploration section of the forum for a thread like this. If you want and ask a moderator nicely, I'm sure they'd be willing to move it for you.

did somebody moved this thread to the exploration subforum ?

@op - lovely ship. i took an eagle 1000 ly above sol. thinking about one as a planetary explorer.

WR3ND · Jun 18, 2016

goemon said:
did somebody moved this thread to the exploration subforum ?

@op - lovely ship. i took an eagle 1000 ly above sol. thinking about one as a planetary explorer.

Wait a minute... Are you telling me the thread was already moved by the time I posted/edited that? [haha]

Fair play. I might have just seen it again from my subs. [noob]

...

Right, time to get the ship body kit for the Eagle. I'm not usually one for that sort of thing, but the ship could use a few mods if it plans to one day travel more effectively through an atmosphere.

Won't be able to see it for a while though, due to being out on the mentioned expedition and not even currently owning the ship. Going with the jet fighter theme, I hope it meshes well with the urban camo paint job as well.

CMDR Stallan · Jun 19, 2016

WR3ND said:
Oh, fair warning though... This is essentially the complaints department section of the forum where a thread like this is likely to be lost in the noise.

I would recommend maybe using the exploration section of the forum for a thread like this. If you want and ask a moderator nicely, I'm sure they'd be willing to move it for you.

Doh! Yes I was completely unaware of this subforum, much appreciated

Also thank you Mods for pointing me to the right direction!
Now then... Weaving my way through Dangerous Threadnaughts, I'm on the correct forum, back in action.

I've brought with me this 1A fuel scoop, which means I have to scoop for 30 secs after every jump.
It doesn't bother me at all though, gives me enough time to scan the star + plan my next jump. (to make sure it's scoop-able.) Funny enough, this Eagle is very heat-efficient and rarely boils up. She isn't living up to her name!

On my way to Waypoint 2, camping on this lovely rock for a bit.

Arrived at Waypoint 2, Betelgeuse.
At this point I was already behind the main fleet, so I didn't come across any commanders.

Re-visiting this stunning planetary nebula. Last time I came here, I was in a Conda.

The color of this green nebula becomes even stronger when the star is hidden behind the planet.

After short stay at the nebula, I make haste towards the next waypoint. My trip is going too well so far, no sign of pirates.
But not to worry though, a lot happens at the next waypoint, even forcing me to turn around and go back to civilized space...?! To be continued

CMDR Stallan · Jun 22, 2016

Arrived at Waypoint 3, Bluff Point in Barnard's Loop.

There was a massive "scar" near the waypoint, so I decided to help fellow CMDR make his way down to bottom in srv.
I used Eagle's agility to light the way, although he kept getting stuck on terrain literally every 5 seconds. After about 30 minutes we finally made it, and I performed chaff firework show in celebration.

Later I stumbled upon CMDR in a red Courier.
Now imagine 1000+ years ago on Earth, what happens when 2 supercars (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti... you name it) run into each other on the road? They race in order to decide which one is the fastest.

And that's exactly what happened here. Even before we opened comms, we were flying down, into the same scar I talked about, turning it into an impromptu canyon race. Trust me I tried to outrun the Courier... but the other pilot was very skilled. And fast. Eventually the gravity took me and I ran right into the cliff side, ended up damaging the hull.

Well, I decided it's time I headed back to Maia for repairs. It's only Waypoint 3, I can catch up the main fleet in no time. So I bid farewell to CMDR.

I'm curious, does anyone reading this love to fly down the canyon like I do? I so, what ship would you choose for it?

Brother Sabathius · Jun 22, 2016

Yes, I like canyon running

Eagle, Courier, Diamondback Scout are all great for it.

CMDR Stallan · Jun 23, 2016

Wolverine said:
Yes, I like canyon running

Eagle, Courier, Diamondback Scout are all great for it.

I remember going on civ space exploration with DBS, cheap, fast, good jump range.

If it's fully modded with Dirty Drives... I can't imagine how amazing it would be. Maybe when I get back.
Hopefully gathering materials will be made less painful when CNE is over

WR3ND · Jun 23, 2016

Took a DBS to Sgt A and back toward the end of last summer, and while I like the way it handles and think is has a certain utilitarian character and charm, I got annoyed with its slow fuel scooping performance.

Going from an Eagle though, you might not find it to be an issue.

But yeah, especially now, Eagles are made for canyon runs.

Alex Brentnall · Jun 23, 2016

I've found nothing quite compares to an 780m/s Imperial courier that's stripped down to it's shell, no shields, no weapons, just an insane speed and a huge adrenaline rush. Makes flying through RES sites very fun and interesting even if you have no weapons.

That did take a ton of modding in the beta though. Real numbers probably come in about 740m/s or less. Probably still fun if risky, I did loose at least 4 couriers in the beta to my antics

CMDR Stallan · Jun 25, 2016

It feels like, if you don't care about jump range, you can go on exploration trip in ANY ships. And smaller ships with sick maneuverability makes surface prospect easier and quicker!

WR3ND · Jun 25, 2016

Jump range is really only useful for getting places a bit faster and for getting to hard to reach places. Other than that, it doesn't make you any more efficient at exploration. So long as your FSD is sufficient, your fuel scoop is more important, in my opinion.

That being said, I did work for and get the tier 5 FSD range mod on the Ronin for a reason. I likely wouldn't have been able to participate in the CNE otherwise, unless I went with a super stripped down build, which didn't appeal to me. The CNE is a bit different than regular exploration for me anyway, though I am very much enjoying it as well.

CMDR Stallan · Jun 25, 2016

"Core Dynamics, Sierra Tango Alpha. Try not to crash your ship into our station."

Obsidian Orbital. Can't believe I'm back here again. Ignoring what traffic controls had to say, I landed my ship nice and easy like a falling leaf in autumn season. After repairs and short break, I'm ready to go exploring again.

I'm checking out Hind Nebula before I head to Waypoint 5, Thor's Helmet. They say the Barnacles might be found in that system.

Found nothing interesting on these rocks.

Nothing of interest here either. Only crashed nav beacon. Oh and everything is red... very red.
Searching for a few more hours in vain.

With all the permit-locked system around Barnard's Loop, I had to kite my way around.
Very few systems I can jump to... this is intense!

And my first (untagged) ELW discovery on this trip!
I have no DSS, so I checked out planet surface "manually". Well, that's some huge continent right there.

Here's me wondering, how would it be when we can land on these worlds?
I'm looking forward to flying among water/ammonia clouds, rain falling down on cockpit...
Also I'm really hoping we get different kinds of vehicles with better handling, and submersible vehicle... that would be amazing.

Random pic: red ship, red nebula, red gas giant.

I'll be back soon with reports from Waypoint 5 and beyond!

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

WR3ND said:
Jump range is really only useful for getting places a bit faster and for getting to hard to reach places. Other than that, it doesn't make you any more efficient at exploration. So long as your FSD is sufficient, your fuel scoop is more important, in my opinion.

That being said, I did work for and get the tier 5 FSD range mod on the Ronin for a reason. I likely wouldn't have been able to participate in the CNE otherwise, unless I went with a super stripped down build, which didn't appeal to me. The CNE is a bit different than regular exploration for me anyway, though I am very much enjoying it as well.

FSD is the only grade 5 upgrade I bothered to get. I managed to get 25LY w/o jumponium, it's serving me well.

There is one oversight on my ship build though, I only have class 1 fuel scoop. I didn't know there was Bi-Weave Shield that fits in class 1 slot. I said earlier that I won't mind scooping... but seeing there's 2k LY gap to next waypoint, it's kind of intimidating.

The_Tenderizer01 · Jun 25, 2016

As a Distant Worlds explorer who did it in Core Dynamics' best, the Federal Corvette, I salute you.

CMDR Stallan · Jun 28, 2016

Thank you for all the comments so far! Glad people are enjoying this.

[Waypoints 5, 6, 7 - wall of texts and pics]
Made it to Waypoint 5, Thor's Helmet.
Someone managed to carry UA all the way here!

Friendly dogfight with this Python. Funny enough, the python with modded thrusters outran me and kept biting on the back of the Eagle.

Back to surface, piggybacking fellow explorer. We had some mindless fun out here

vvv I forgot where it was taken.. Waypoint 6 (Saeagull Nebula) I think?

On my way to Waypoint 7 Rosette Nebula. I noticed I haven't done much surface prospecting.

Bumped into... no less than 5 escape pods! Unfortunately I had no space for securing any of them.

Also some rock-mining. I enjoyed the sights.

Almost there!

Looking down Waypoint 7.

Not gonna lie, I'm seeing a giant leap to upcoming waypoints, slightly nervous here. whatever happens, I will get back to this thread.

WR3ND · Jun 28, 2016

Chin up, cut through and stay just above or below the brown dwarf plane, and best of luck. Do try and keep up with my Vulture...

But yeah, I know what you mean, I do economic plotting so had a few hundred jumps to look forward to when making it to WP8 yesterday. Haven't checked what's in store for me to make it to WP9 yet...