The Name of the Game....

I spend 85% of my time in Odyssey, and I absolutely love Odyssey... 2 months ago I was So curious about Buckyball Race's, that I just really wanted to give it a try. I was pretty much a full time Supercruise Assist and Docking Computer pilot, scared to death of gankers so I played in solo! What I didn't realize is there is no prerequisite to Buckyballing... All are welcome. I was very nervous, feeling like I will never be able to do this stuff... but Buckyball is more like a school to push you to get better (yes the Alumni and others capable race 'Hardcore', but at the same time they teach us noobs and encourage us to push a little further each day. It was awesome for someone like me who almost always plays in solo, to come out in the station and see all the other fellow racers practicing and crashing like crazy. I had never even considered doing a YouTube video (the official race's are usually uploaded so you can race on your own time)... The events last over 2 weeks, with 1 event a month... I'm now 2 months into Buckyball flying in ways I never would have though I was capable. Learning these skills took me back to Legacy to fly the hardest Moon in the Galaxy Achelous 8a (fdeve please find a way to import this moon into Odyssey as the 1 exceptionally textured planet)... I was out there flying with Elite Dangerous Legends, and it was amazing...

So what am I saying? I'm not sure... come join in on the next Buckyball race? Fly Dangerous? Have fun? I'm mostly just rambling cause I'm so Happy with Elite Dangerous (and I had coffee)

I also found a planet only 43 L/Y from Jameson Memorial that seems to have been mostly ignored but has Canyons that rival Soontill 2a... I'm very happy about that and I'll probably post some pics later (I posted a couple vids in the last Buckyball thread... Tunnel-ish Vision.... The Planet if 5-c in the Wolf 1060 System... I'm make another post about it, it is an amazingly beautiful planet.

This happened for me tonight while Flying with Newton's Gambit, Bronney... and it Just felt right.
And since I recorded my first ever video for the race 2 months ago... I wanted to post this 'Vibe'.... I feel different!


 
That's beautiful @Willyum-71 - even just the rambling 😃 it's hard to put into words what this game can be like when you really dig into it and start to become one with your ship (or SRV) but just flying and savouring every aspect of the flight model ... it's why I make videos too and you've totally captured it with that one - and I love the inclusion of Bronney's words too (I'm assuming that is Bronney and not you?). Either way, so chill, I love it. And I feel massively proud of the Buckyball Racing Club and how it continues to introduce people into a new way of seeing the game as more than just a bunch of different gameplay loops to earn money. If you're dabbling with legacy too then you should go check out planet Kumay in the Chi Herculis system, which remains my all time favourite planet in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Can't wait for the next race (coming soon) and also to hooking up with you again for some more hooning.
 
That's beautiful @Willyum-71 - even just the rambling 😃 it's hard to put into words what this game can be like when you really dig into it and start to become one with your ship (or SRV) but just flying and savouring every aspect of the flight model ... it's why I make videos too and you've totally captured it with that one - and I love the inclusion of Bronney's words too (I'm assuming that is Bronney and not you?). Either way, so chill, I love it. And I feel massively proud of the Buckyball Racing Club and how it continues to introduce people into a new way of seeing the game as more than just a bunch of different gameplay loops to earn money. If you're dabbling with legacy too then you should go check out planet Kumay in the Chi Herculis system, which remains my all time favourite planet in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Can't wait for the next race (coming soon) and also to hooking up with you again for some more hooning.
Yeah that's Bronney... He comes out every day with the lesser experienced pilots and spends hours with us and is very patient... Also, I don't know why I was surprised, but Sanderling is also the same way, he spent hours with me crashing repeatedly and patiently parked his ship planet side while waiting for me to come back from the Rebuy screen. It's a passion for them. He spent so much time with me one-to-one that I secretly asked one of they guys in chat' Is he gonna want to charge me?'... because..... It's Sanderling!!! and the guy was like nah, they just really love doing this.
 
just a bunch of different gameplay loops to earn money.
That's the real catch, and the obstacle to overcome once you reach the point where credits become meaningless if you want to continue playing. For me, VR is a strong motivator, because I don't really care what I do as long as I fly my favorite ships. Something about it sitting in a cockpit in VR and either shooting through space or gliding across the landscape of an atmospheric planet in VR is very relaxing for me.

Lately though I am kind of lost for a purpose in-game; I got my feet wet with AX early this year and learned the basics, and also made an obscene amount of credits, and that kept me busy for a few months. But as I am also a slacker and lazy as freck, I kind of lost the drive when stationary CZs dried up. So lately I am kind of lost what to do, and wondered, among other things, if I should get into buckyballing.

I've been semi-interested in buckyballing, or to be more precise: The techniques the buckballers use. But I am a bit hesitant to "join the club", and I have no real idea how to get into the buckyballing "club" anyway, because in its nature (or the way I perceive it here and elsewhere) it is a competitive activity; heck it is racing, after all, and I'm like the least competitive player you will ever find. Not kidding even slightly ;).
 
That's the real catch, and the obstacle to overcome once you reach the point where credits become meaningless if you want to continue playing. For me, VR is a strong motivator, because I don't really care what I do as long as I fly my favorite ships. Something about it sitting in a cockpit in VR and either shooting through space or gliding across the landscape of an atmospheric planet in VR is very relaxing for me.

Lately though I am kind of lost for a purpose in-game; I got my feet wet with AX early this year and learned the basics, and also made an obscene amount of credits, and that kept me busy for a few months. But as I am also a slacker and lazy as freck, I kind of lost the drive when stationary CZs dried up. So lately I am kind of lost what to do, and wondered, among other things, if I should get into buckyballing.

I've been semi-interested in buckyballing, or to be more precise: The techniques the buckballers use. But I am a bit hesitant to "join the club", and I have no real idea how to get into the buckyballing "club" anyway, because in its nature (or the way I perceive it here and elsewhere) it is a competitive activity; heck it is racing, after all, and I'm like the least competitive player you will ever find. Not kidding even slightly ;).
I've avoided buckyballing for three years assuming with my terrible internet I'd be mocked and laughed out of the league for my pitiful times, both due to lack of technique, and the occasional two minutes I spend staring at witchspace as my game tries to connect me to the next instance. But everyone in the community is so helpful and welcoming, I'm constantly kicking myself for not joining sooner. There's almost no better feeling in Elite than running into fellow buckyballers in Open during a race, that I've discovered.
 
That's the real catch, and the obstacle to overcome once you reach the point where credits become meaningless if you want to continue playing. For me, VR is a strong motivator, because I don't really care what I do as long as I fly my favorite ships. Something about it sitting in a cockpit in VR and either shooting through space or gliding across the landscape of an atmospheric planet in VR is very relaxing for me.

Lately though I am kind of lost for a purpose in-game; I got my feet wet with AX early this year and learned the basics, and also made an obscene amount of credits, and that kept me busy for a few months. But as I am also a slacker and lazy as freck, I kind of lost the drive when stationary CZs dried up. So lately I am kind of lost what to do, and wondered, among other things, if I should get into buckyballing.

I've been semi-interested in buckyballing, or to be more precise: The techniques the buckballers use. But I am a bit hesitant to "join the club", and I have no real idea how to get into the buckyballing "club" anyway, because in its nature (or the way I perceive it here and elsewhere) it is a competitive activity; heck it is racing, after all, and I'm like the least competitive player you will ever find. Not kidding even slightly ;).
You should absolutely get involved. I know it seems "competitive" (and obviously, it's a race, with a leaderboard, so there's that) but honestly (as I'm sure WIllyum will testify) it's friendly competitive, not aggressive competitive and we're far more about personal improvement, having fun, sharing tips and just generally wanting everyone to be the best they can than we are about beating other people per se. The next race ("Double Trouble") is scheduled to start on Saturday 22nd July and will run until the following Sunday (30th July). A forum post for the race will appear in the events section of the forum sometime in the week leading up to that (and I'll be changing my forum signature banner to point to that as soon as it appears). We also have a Discord server and would encourage anyone interested in having a go to come and say hi!


And I totally hear you about losing purpose - it happens to me all the time (going through a minor slump right now). But every time a new Buckyball Race pops up I find that's all forgotten and I'm totally motivated again and up at 5am every morning because I just can't wait to play the game again. And then typically those nine days of racing and being absent from the rest of the goings on in the galaxy leave me feeling like there's new things I want to go and try, and then I'm trying to get into the maelstrom, or trying to dock SLF's with plummeting motherships, or exploring new planets like the one Willyum mentioned above and then before you know it another month has passed and there's another race on the horizon and so the cycle continues (and if I get into a real slump then I'll go off and drive around another planet or set off on a longer expedition or somesuch).
 
That's the real catch, and the obstacle to overcome once you reach the point where credits become meaningless if you want to continue playing. For me, VR is a strong motivator, because I don't really care what I do as long as I fly my favorite ships. Something about it sitting in a cockpit in VR and either shooting through space or gliding across the landscape of an atmospheric planet in VR is very relaxing for me.

Lately though I am kind of lost for a purpose in-game; I got my feet wet with AX early this year and learned the basics, and also made an obscene amount of credits, and that kept me busy for a few months. But as I am also a slacker and lazy as freck, I kind of lost the drive when stationary CZs dried up. So lately I am kind of lost what to do, and wondered, among other things, if I should get into buckyballing.

I've been semi-interested in buckyballing, or to be more precise: The techniques the buckballers use. But I am a bit hesitant to "join the club", and I have no real idea how to get into the buckyballing "club" anyway, because in its nature (or the way I perceive it here and elsewhere) it is a competitive activity; heck it is racing, after all, and I'm like the least competitive player you will ever find. Not kidding even slightly ;).
You only need to compete against the clock ;)
I've been doing this since 3301 and I'm typically mid-table (-ish) in our races. I am a bit competitive but also realistic - I'm not there to win, just to have fun and improve (or re-learn things I have forgotten).
In a small ship you don't need a big credit balance to take part, that's only when you start having multiple Cutter rebuys - which does sometimes happen. The Regulation Cobra class in the races from last year and this also gives you a level playing field so you don't need your ship to be engineered to the max.
Try it and you won't regret it. To the best of my knowledge, no one ever has!
Fly fast! o7
 
You only need to compete against the clock ;)
There's a good chance I fail even that ;).

In a small ship you don't need a big credit balance to take part, that's only when you start having multiple Cutter rebuys - which does sometimes happen.
Yeah I am not worried about credits or rebuys. And I don't fly cutters. I refuse to. Are there buckyballers that actually use cutters? It usually doesn't go where you point it! :)

The Regulation Cobra class in the races from last year and this also gives you a level playing field so you don't need your ship to be engineered to the max.
Try it and you won't regret it. To the best of my knowledge, no one ever has!
Fly fast! o7
Yeah I might pop into the Discord and say hi, but generally I have a hard time participating or even following what is going on on Discord. I hate it.
 
Just to be clear... 'The Clock'... is Your clock! The goal is only to beat Your 'last time'. There is absolutely no pressure to beat anyone else's time. Buckyballing is more of a 'getting in touch with your own inner calm' kinda race.
Yeah I got that ;). I'm not kidding, I am totally the "that'll do" / "I can't be bothered" kind of slacker guy, so trying to beat even my own times... that's not me. Getting in touch with my inner calm though, that's my game.
 
I'll take that bet... nah, I can't be bothered. :D

But even a comment that you don't want to win is in itself a move towards winning... the only way to win is not to play. But by the same logic even not playing is also an attempt to win...

My brain hurts. I'm going to make some tea and think about rescue kittens until I reset.
 
But even a comment that you don't want to win is in itself a move towards winning... the only way to win is not to play. But by the same logic even not playing is also an attempt to win...

My brain hurts. I'm going to make some tea and think about rescue kittens until I reset.


are-you-stupid-my-brain-hurts.gif
 
I can vouch for the Buckyball enthusiasts. They have always been friendly and helpful to me, even though I’m a slow old guy without a racing bone in my body. I’ve enjoyed the races I’ve tried and the camaraderie, despite coming in last or being unable to complete the race.

I also learned a lot about my ships and SRV. It’s definitely worth trying.
 
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