We're used to the exploits of space-faring adventurers in MMOs, and this pilot has done something worth the record books in Elite Dangerous. One pilot has made a voyage just shy of 85,000 light years. The catch? They did it without a fuel scoop.
For those who've never played or attempted any long-distance voyage, a fuel scoop is seemingly essential to staying afloat in the vast recreation of our Milky Way galaxy. A fuel scoop lets your ship skim the surface of a star, collecting precious fuel to keep your voyage going.
Flying an Anaconda, Commander Kabbooooom traveled to Ishum's Reach, which is the fartherst known point from our solar system, Sol, in Elite Dangerous. That's on a good day easily 65K lightyears, and remember: this is all without a fuel scoop. In the Reddit thread posted by Kabbooooom, he says the journey was much farther.
"Total distance travelled without a scoop: 84,341.57 light years (due to an accidental detour, I didn't head straight for Beagle. It's a long story, I documented what happened in the logbook)," Kabbooooom said via the Reddit post. The Logbook referenced is the details of the journey as they happened, giving a full account of the commander's exploits.
In the Reddit post, Kabbooooom goes into how they fitted their Anaconda, as well as bit about the plan to make this journey without a fuel scoop completely. This involved using independent carriers, stations and more to make the trip without scooping fuel from a star. With the right planning, Kabbooooom says that the Anaconda he fit could make about 20K light-years on a single tank of fuel.
The whole saga is worth a read on Kabbooooom's logbook. It goes into detail about how he made the journey possible, and what he did those times he got stranded - which happened a few times. As for now, Kabbooooom says on Reddit that they are looking to set the record for the farthest traveled from Sol.
"As I indicate in my logbook there, this isn't the end of my journey. From here, I am supercruising off the edge of the galaxy, in order to firmly set a record (I assume) for farthest distance travelled from Sol without a fuel scoop. By my calculations, I can travel approximately 90 light years beyond Ishum's Reach in supercruise, about 16 days of continuous travel (this will likely take me a few months, with leaving the game on while I do other things every now and then). And I should still have enough fuel left to jump back in one piece."
This story reminds us of the EVE Online player Katia Sae, who traveled the MMO's universe without taking a single combat loss - a monumental a feat as traveling to the rim of the galaxy without a surefire way to keep refueled. Elite Dangerous is currently finishing up its Odyssey alpha test ahead of its May 19th launch. Right now the alpha servers are being prepped with phase 4 of the test, which sees all of the Odyssey systems added into the full game to ensure functionality across the board.
Image via Kabbooooom on Reddit
Class Tuning Incoming - 26 March
Class Tuning Incoming - March 25
