Tales from the spacelanes...

[Diziet Sma]

Nice one, Dizzy! Clearly some passengers should come with health warnings ...

Aye.. it certainly rates as the most hair-raising experience I've had to date.. I'm guessing I docked with 5-10 seconds to spare.. I don't recall what prompted me to check the F5-F5 screen just after pulling out of that dive, but I'm glad I did..

[Yah-Ta-Hey]

Been doing a lot of witchspace hunting.. Thargoids and their little buddies are my meat and bread... coup counts and credits come easy with a military laser and ,
El Viejo suggested using a rail gun... so I got a big daddy railgun and started out for witchspace. My spirit counselor came forward and said to hunt at home first.
So out I went and found a 5 ship convoy with a python , fer de lance and 3 MK I cobbies. Targetting a cobby, I let loose the bolts expecting to see an explosion but nothing happened. DUH! forgot to do Shift N and then N to fire the bolts. The first bolt hit dead center between the engine exhausts , the cobbie turned and headed back at me firing a missile. ECM worked and missile went ballistic. Between .5 and .2 KM I fired a total of 25 bolts hitting the cobbie from all angles. I could see the splashes but no signs of leakage or further damage from my attempts to hole the hull. I finally got his six o'clock position and stayed there firing off another 10 bolts before he finally gave me the satisfaction of a kill. In the meantime, the others were hammering away and I had to hit the injectors to save my ship. Lesson learned... I do not like railguns all that much . Thargoids would eat me up and spit out my carcass pronto. Went back to base very humble and humiliated.

[Cody]

It's an acquired taste, is the railgun - good tale though.

Diz - really excellent tale. It's amazing to think that the game can still thrill like that, even after years of playing it!

[Rese249er]

... so I got a big daddy railgun...

Might be your problem. Larger railguns need more reload time. Dogfighting railgun needs a higher rate of fire.
Least, that's my take on it.

[Diziet Sma]

Diz - really excellent tale. It's amazing to think that the game can still thrill like that, even after years of playing it!

Thanks, mate!

Yeah, the AI seems to come up with the most amazing behaviour at times, eh? Think I'm gonna have to come up with a good name for my new taxicab to commemorate this adventure.. Fireball XL5, perhaps..

[Yah-Ta-Hey]

... so I got a big daddy railgun...

Might be your problem. Larger railguns need more reload time. Dogfighting railgun needs a higher rate of fire.
Least, that's my take on it.

You are probably correct. I learned that F=ma so with a big daddy.. I have a heavier bolt so I should have more force as acceleration is a constant for all rail guns. Thanks for the insight.

[Yah-Ta-Hey]

Diz - really excellent tale. It's amazing to think that the game can still thrill like that, even after years of playing it!

Thanks, mate!

Yeah, the AI seems to come up with the most amazing behaviour at times, eh? Think I'm gonna have to come up with a good name for my new taxicab to commemorate this adventure.. Fireball XL5, perhaps..

I wish I was a space man.
The fastest guy alive.
I'd fly you round the ooniverse,
In Fireball XL-5.
Way out in space together,
Compass of the sky,
My heart would be a fireball,
A fireball,
Everytime I gazed into your starry eyes.

We'd take the path to Jupiter,
And maybe very soon.
We'd cruise along the Milky Way,
And land upon the moon.
To our wonderland of stardust,
We'll zoom our way to Mars,
My heart would be a fireball,
A fireball,
If you would be my Venus of the stars.

[Diziet Sma]

Now that brings back some memories.. <grin> man.. I was so young back then..

Hey, Shipbuilder.. here's an idea for you, as you enjoy modelling classic spaceships. The Fireball XL5. It even has a separating nose module.

[Shipbuilder]

Hey, Shipbuilder.. here's an idea for you, as you enjoy modelling classic spaceships. The Fireball XL5. It even has a separating nose module.

I never actually saw this show however looking at the model and the texturing I don't think that it would be too hard for me to put something together, (famous last words ), if there is a demand for it.

[Smivs]

Well, just for once Ooscale won't be a problem...Fireball XL5 was around 300m long
<Hmmmm, detachable nose section.....>

[superbatprime]

Mad props @Diziet for that mental bogey shake, bounce off a planet straight into an injected docking with only seconds left to get paid, all the while under intense fire?

No sweat lol!

Well I guess you can cross that one off the list, Commander I salute your crazy devil may care pilot skills.

I actually whooped out loud when you finally docked in one piece lol.

[Diziet Sma]

I never actually saw this show however looking at the model and the texturing I don't think that it would be too hard for me to put something together, (famous last words ), if there is a demand for it.

So far as seeing the show goes, it helps to have been growing up in the UK in the '60s..

Demand? Probably only every old Brit on the board..

<Hmmmm, detachable nose section.....>

I had a feeling that would get your attention..

Mad props @Diziet for that mental bogey shake, bounce off a planet straight into an injected docking with only seconds left to get paid, all the while under intense fire?

No sweat lol!

Well I guess you can cross that one off the list, Commander I salute your crazy devil may care pilot skills.

I actually whooped out loud when you finally docked in one piece lol.

Thanks man.. I damn-near whooped myself.. the laughing and giggling really happened.. not quite hysterical, but it was a few minutes before I calmed down, and considerably longer for the grin to wear off!

[Cody]

Who bloody mentioned Fireball XL5? I'll have that song in my head all day now, like the last time it got mentioned here!

[Smivs]

<sniggers>

I wish I was a spaceman.....

[Rese249er]

G1: Riedquat

After having flown a Serpent Cruiser for a while, I decided to get back to the basics for a bit. I launched from Lave after selling my one missile and witched to Riedquat for some cheap cargo to take to a nearby industrial. No rich industries near, but an average one should be enough for a profit.

I was met on jumpout by a welcoming committee of one Asp mkIIA, the Lord of Tears III. He seemed to take offense and came after me with what had to have been at least a beam laser. Having no gear save a pulse laser, I engaged in a rather drawn-out game of rabbit. After enough maneuvering, I managed to lose this "Lord's" interest; that other blip must have been more attractive.

After clearing mass-lock, I hit J and cruised along for a bit, only to be mass-locked by a couple of yellow blips at the far portside of my scanner. The Kirin XM: Baroque Egg of Riedquat was broadcasting an SOS, so I initially held my distance. Seeing no laserfire, I cautiously approached, lack of Police IFF making me a bit... cautious. A gradual vector to fall in alongside brought no laserfire, but the XM ship still kept beeping out SOS.

I took it slow for a while alongside, but the unprovoked SOS got on my nerves. I opened the throttle and headed in, slowly pulling away until I could use my Torus Drive. After hitting the planet's mass shadow, I slowed and began orbiting around until an UHU popped on my scanner. I followed him until the aegis symbol popped onscreen.

Never before have I appreciated the kit on Sic Vita Est. Even the ASC would have been so gladly welcomed...

To top it all off, as I approached the Coriolis, a furball was raging outside. I managed to slip in to dock with a few laser pings and some shield-scraping on the dock walls... Needless to say, I'll chill at the bar there for a bit.