Gavin.irving

So while looking around in the graphics menu, I found the option to change the pilot avatar in the cockpit from male to female. I honestly thought this wasn't even an option, and I never would have thought to look in the graphics menu.

So just letting you know, if you want your avatar to be a female, you can change it(it seems. I didn't try it)

Yes, the poor unloved Orca. Such a shame as its one of the sexiest ships in game, and whatever you do in it, you do with style!

Some people might be aware that i'm currently using mine to explore, and loving it.

So, let's take a look at the Orca's characteristics, and see if we can convince more people to fly this beautiful craft.

And of course, Orca lovers, add your voice here in support of it.

General Characteristics

Price: If you are looking for bang for your buck, then go elsewhere. Its an expensive ship no doubt. 48 million for the basic ship, never mind the upgrades.

Speed: 300 regular, 380 with boost. Not the fastest in game, but one of the best. Its faster than a Cobra without boosting, although can't quite hit the same boost speed.

FSD: One of its weakest points, jump range is limited. Even stripped down you are looking at 17-19LY depending on amount of fuel in your tank.

Cargo capacity: Almost 200 tons is possible. Thats much better than a T6 but less than a T7.

Internal Compartment slots: 1 size 6, 3 size 5, and the rest are 4,3,2,2. Be aware that the Size 6 slot and one of the Size 5 are restricted to Cargo Holds or Hull Reinforcement. No idea why, but it means no size 6 shields.

Shields/Armour: 220/220. Better shields than the Imp Clipper, a little weaker hull. But as i always say, if you are looking to your hull to save you, you are doing something wrong. Also for comparison, the Vulture has 240 shields, which can take a decent pounding.

Utility Slots: 4 so not bad. Already mentioned shields, and you could fit 4 A0 shield boosters and get 80% extra shields... that's almost 400 shield.

Power: A 5A power planet provides plenty of power for most configurations, unless you start trying to fit 3 x beam lasers and lots of other power hungry stuff.

Hardpoints: 1 large, 2 medium. Certainly not bad. Position is a bit problematic, all 3 are below the ship, meaning its weak defensively on the top even with gimballed/turrets.

Size: Large. No landing at outposts unfortunately.

Maneuverability: On the pitch its slow compared to many ships. However, it has one of the best yaws in the game. Roll speed seems fair as well.

Role Fulfillment

So, is it actually usable for different roles? Certainly. It will never be as good as a pure ship for each role, but if you want to do whatever you do in style, then its a good choice.

Passengers: Ok, let's get this one dealt with first. Nope, they are not in game, but as we understand, passenger missions are either going to be limited to passenger ships (Dolphin, Orca, Beluga) or else somehow they are going to be the best types of ships for it. Perhaps VIP passengers will only travel in style.

Combat: For dogfighting they are a bit big and heavy. However, for jousting, with decent shields, good top speed, and 1 large and 2 med hardpoints, its not bad. But if you can learn to use yaw instead of pitch for turning, you shouldn't find yourself at too much of a disadvantage.

Trading: 200 tons... not bad. Expensive ship to fly to do it, for a little more you could get a T9.... but hey, a T9 is a flying brick.

Smuggling: With the right configuration, your heat should be damn low. Maybe you can get it so that you don't even need to do silent running to avoid detection. Also a decent top speed. If you need to get into non-outpost stations, then this is a decent ship for you. Also, while its a big ship, its also narrow... good for darting through that mailslot under boost and with a bit of yaw, dodging any other ships trying to get in.

Mining: Not great for winding between asteroids, but not bad either. And it can pack a punch, lots of cargo space, and room for the upcoming mining drones. A decent choice i would say.

Exploring: Ah, not something that is the easiest, especially if you want to go sightseeing. It will have trouble in areas where the stars are far apart, or large patches of non-scoopable stars. However, as a Pathfinder with many hours of experience exploring, i can say its a decent ship to go surveying, where distance is a lesser concern than quality of scans. On a trip that will take me perhaps 5000LY in total round trip, and apart from having to be careful with route planning and refueling, its not too different from any ship for exploring.

Pirate: While this is effectively combat, its also worth just pointing out that nobody expects to be pirated by someone flying an Orca! Masswise it should be decent as well, allowing you to masslock smaller ships. Pirates beware though... nobody expects an Orca to fight back either! ;)

That's all that i can think of for now. Why not add your support and love for this Rolls Royce of the cosmos?

I went to the club last night to celebrate a friend's birthday. The place was packed. I was the first one there and waiting for the rest of my friends to show up when I noticed a guy eyeing me. When my friends got there, we went in, and I noticed that the same guy eyeing me entered with us at the same time. I didn't really think anything of it, I just figured he was ready to go into the club as well.

The place was incredibly packed. I had a beer and one drink so I was definitely not inebriated. This is when my memory goes bad. The next thing you know, my friends are watching over me as I sit on the sidewalk puking. I kept falling over while I was sitting down and I could barely stand or walk.

One of the girls who had helped me left me her phone number so I gave her a call today to thank her and to try and piece together what had happened and she told me the whole story. Apparently two girls who were in the club had seen me talking to the same guy that had walked into the club at the same time as I did, though I don't remember this. I got up from speaking to him and fell. I had lost a lot of control over my movement and was stumbling like I was drunk when all I had had was one beer and a drink. He helped me up and started walking me out of the club to go god knows where. The two girls who helped me stopped him, took me, and helped me find my friends who tended to me while I got sick. The guy left the club after we exited, cussing out the two girls who had taken me to find my friends. I don't remember how I got home, but I woke up at a friend's house which was a huge relief.

When I was talking to Natalie (one of the girls who helped me) on the phone today, we were both expressing shock at the fact that no one bothered to intervene or do anything about what was happening to me. Security was nonchalant, saying that the man and I were "together" (we just happened to walk into the entrance at the same time, but we did not come together). I still shudder to think what could have happened last night if it hadn't been for Natalie and Joanna.

So please folks, when you see someone, man or woman, not acting right, way more inebriated than is safe, being coaxed by a stranger in such a state, etc. please intervene. The bystander effect is unfortunate, but it seems to be normal.

Hi! I've just written up the first few posts in my beginner's trading guide. If you're just starting out trading in E:D, I hope you'll find it useful.

Fingerbob's Guide to Elite Dangerous Trading

Suggestions, improvements and comments welcome! If I've used any resources without name-checking, tell me and I'll put in the relevant acknowledgement.