You Know You're A Real Explorer When...

[kastia]

When you don't notice that the HAT switch that you use for thrusters hasn't worked for almost 6 months...

and

when you run your monitor at twice the normal gamma level so you can spot shiney things on the galaxy map easier

 

[Vitamin Arrr]

When you unmap the 4 "set power levels" controls off of dpad and replace them with select next route target, hyperspace jump, max throttle, and zero throttle .. so you can explore with one hand, so you can hold beer in other hand, or post this message

 

[disorganise]

When you forget there there are power pips at all cos the power distributor has been disabled for soooo long to save heat

 

[Scoopy Doopy]

When your accidentally add "planet with no atmosphere" to the end of the sentence "And I'll have Smirnoff Ice"

 

[Hell Razor5543]

When you spend a fortnight running the Docking Tutorial, as you don't want to lose 6 months worth of Exploration data

AGAIN!

 

[virosh]

When you are going somewhere with your car and start thinking how many jumps you need to make...

 

[Martin Afonso]

When you're watching the SG1 team crossing the Stargate to explore new worlds and mutter for yourself about that bunch of aficionados with their base a few steps away. Without cockpit canopies or lost data. Wannabes.

 

[marx]

When you routinely blow up wedding barges so you may find chemical manipulators to mod your FSD's range. (Credits to MattG)

 

[Whitmann]

When you put some water in a pan you used to warm tomato soup and your first thought is "Ah! R CRA!"

 

[MarcusVatta]

When a ground strike reduces you to 12% hull only 1.7 kylies out, and you distinctly go through the stages of grief about heading back for repairs.

 

[Will of the Warrior]

When you see a big rock and want to shoot at it to see if there is anything useful inside.

 

[Vitamin Arrr]

When you find an awesome new foodcart and your first instinct is, "better not post this on social media or someone might snipe the first discovered by"

 

[robbyp]

When your out in the black 65k from anywhere and feel safe as houses

 

[Manticore]

When you know you just have to go and check it out for yourself................

.................... "3, 2, 1, Engage".

 

[CDR Michael Darkmoor]

This is a two fer:
1)
When you went on Distant Worlds, met a bunch of fine people (by the hundreds!!) ... but the week after 2.1 drops, your "Bookmarked Systems" out number them 3 to 1.
.
2)
When, after not seeing another commander within 20Kly of you for two weeks on your way around the Western fringe... you "Hail" and "o7" the first one to come within 2 K and then wonder if they will ever answer back!

 

[Vitamin Arrr]

When Horizons comes out and you have no SRV, so you think, "Time to head home!"

Three days later you wake up on your couch... "Honey, I'm half... way... there..."

 

[Random Task]

When you get up in the middle of the night to use the crapper and think your walking down the steel corridor of your ship

 

[Ian Phillips]

When you get up in the middle of the night to use the crapper and think your walking down the corridor of your house

 

[Boogyman]

..., out of the corner of your eye, you spot the indigo floral pattern on you coworkers white shirt and think: "oh, there's a nice gas giant over there..."

 

[Fenric]

...when you haven't played since Powerplay launched and the one thing that has you thinking about playing again is exploring and deep space mysteries like the Formidine Rift.