Elite roleplay: Q&A and OOC

Bryan Iscariot
31 Mar 2017, 4:04am
M. LehmanI understand what you're saying. The comparison I would make is to point to modern airlines- the big ol' 747 is being supplemented and phased out in favor of smaller, more efficient jets that do the same job for far less overhead to the company. And of course the planes flown by regional airlines are smaller still. I think that a similar model could be applied to the luxury transports the fly the Orcas, Beluga, and Dolphins.


Fair enough. Hadn't thought of it in those terms.
Cartlidge1000
31 Mar 2017, 2:03pm
I always had a headcanon that the reason we don't get certain things until the game updates is because the Pilot's Federation is the in-game equivalent of Frontier, and out licenses are tied to what we can and cannot do in the game's current state.

For example, in my mind, the reason we commanders did not have the ability to carry passengers was because the Pilot's Federation was trying to work with the leaders of the many different powers of humanity (Empire, Federation, etc) to create a universal system for these commanders to work with and be accountable to.

So while a commander could (obviously) still ferry people from place to place, few groups would actually be willing to hire a commander for that purpose because they would not be easily held accountable for it.

Similarly we did not have access to SLFs because the Pilot's Federation had to convince both the Federation and Empire to allow independent pilots to purchase their fighters, and then once that was underway, Lakon jumped ahead of its competition by producing their own fighter.

This is probably dead wrong lore wise but I honestly don't know. I'm a newcomer to the elite universe, relatively speaking.
LordPsymon
31 Mar 2017, 8:00pm
A lot of things that don't exist in game exist in lore though. Do we really think that pilots went hundreds of years not being able to cart around passengers? Now I wouldn't be surprised if you had to have some kind of endorsement on your license to be legally allowed to fly a commercial liner, kind of like here in RL were you need a P endorsement on your driver's license to be able to drive a taxi or a bus.

Instead of saying "the pilot's fed finally lets us take passengers, so I bought a Beluga," you could say "well hell, I'm damn tired of space trucking. I'll see if I can go about getting me that passenger endorsement on my license, because I want to be a commercial passenger liner pilot." That way, you can acknowledge the new feature of the game in the latter without breaking the fourth wall like in the former.

A lot of things appear in game suddenly because of game development process, not because of lore. The safest bet for head canons is to assume that a lot of things appearing in game updates have been around for ages. For example, engineers didn't just pop up suddenly one day because 2.1 dropped and I highly doubt planetary landings have been off limits for the entire existence of the Pilot's Fed, up until 3302. Obviously that doesn't apply to everything  as new ships in-game could easily be seen as a brand new roll out. Although as far as I am aware, the Dolphin has existed in-lore prior to 2.3. Correct me if I am wrong though.

Last edit: 31 Mar 2017, 8:40pm
Nova Cassidy
31 Mar 2017, 8:36pm
Gotta agree with Simon. I believe that most of the things we gain the ability to do in game has actually been possible for a long time in lore, and just not available in game. In my logs, Nova has walked off her ship, walked around stations, and boarded other peoples ships already. Having it so the Pilot's Federation needs to allow us all to do everything first doesn't make much sense, especially when it comes to engineers and planetary landings. Or the Pilot's Fed letting us take our helmets off.

Unless the in game description for the Dolphin says it was released in 3303, I'll assume it's been around for a while.
LordPsymon
31 Mar 2017, 8:39pm
I generally think of the Pilot's Federation as something like the DMV in the USA or the NZTA here, but with a few extra perks like the pilot rankings.
Cartlidge1000
01 Apr 2017, 12:51am
Yeah, the idea really was only even remotely applicable to a few select situations (which obviously didn't include simple things like climbing out of the chair) and as I was writing the post I started to realize how flawed it was. I guess it was just an easy way to deal with the logical errors that would have followed when a dedicated bounty hunter suddenly takes a strong interest in ferrying passengers and such.
LordPsymon
01 Apr 2017, 1:00am
"Well hell, I'm damn tired of putting down crims for a living. I'll see if I can go about getting me that passenger endorsement on my license, because I want to be a commercial passenger liner pilot."
Cartlidge1000
01 Apr 2017, 1:15am
haha fair enough. I think I was still relatively new when I wrote that personal log anyways.
Anna Reid
01 Apr 2017, 6:36am
I swear, if someone writes "the pilots' fed is giving us our faces back," I'm going to shoot someone.
Stryker Aune
01 Apr 2017, 12:51pm
Simon DaturaI generally think of the Pilot's Federation as something like the DMV in the USA or the NZTA here, but with a few extra perks like the pilot rankings.


I agree with the license endorsement idea.

What I don't agree with, is the idea of ranking. I view it a purely game mechanic of "levels." It doesn't make sense in terms of written Things.

"Today I just made Elite in combat..."

Why in the world would the pilots federation keep track of this? And more importantly, for what purpose? As far as I can tell it doesn't serve any purpose. It's not a prestigious thing. It would be a beuracratic nightmare to keep it all straight. A purely game mechanic. Now a CQC pilot or CQC ranking makes sense, since it's entertainment.

Maybe a RL example.

Hey, did you know I just made Elite in cooking!

Well, being Elite in science has taught me....

I just drove my kids to school, and wouldn't you know it, I just made Elite in carpooling......

Now I'm not saying that everyone has to stop referencing their ranking in their RP and things. I just saying that when I see it, I omit it from my characters cannon and conversation.
Cartlidge1000
01 Apr 2017, 2:44pm
Anna ReidI swear, if someone writes "the pilots' fed is giving us our faces back," I'm going to shoot someone.


Seriously, I mean, just why? We can't even look at ourselves in a mirror because they won't let us get up out of our chairs yet.
Luke3107
01 Apr 2017, 4:02pm
I just like to stick to Cartldges way of thinking. The PF is an independent organisation with certain requirements for joining up. (I.e. the tutorial). As they aren't affiliated with any Minor Faction or Major Faction or indeed anything, it seems reasonable they'd have loads of hoops to jump through to gain permits for anything.

Since it seems like a perfectly legitimate reason to me.
Bryan Iscariot
01 Apr 2017, 4:33pm
I like how I made an assumption and everyone else spends the next three days arguing over what is canon is. I've basically turned this site into Tumblr.

Anna ReidI swear, if someone writes "the pilots' fed is giving us our faces back," I'm going to shoot someone.


Ha ha. and when 2.4 "space legs" drops "the pilots federation has sent word that we can, in fact, get out of our pilot's seat and walk around. this news came as a surprise to the dumbfounded galactic population of pilots who had been using wheelchairs to get from one cockpit to the next Spending the minimum amount of time possible outside a ship."
Luke3107
01 Apr 2017, 4:41pm
well, as far as space legs goes, we all write things as though we can do it anyways so....
Isaiah Evanson
01 Apr 2017, 6:00pm
Stryker AuneWhy in the world would the pilots federation keep track of this? And more importantly, for what purpose? As far as I can tell it doesn't serve any purpose. It's not a prestigious thing. It would be a beuracratic nightmare to keep it all straight. A purely game mechanic. Now a CQC pilot or CQC ranking makes sense, since it's entertainment.


Re: Pilots Federation rankings.

In the lore, it's a mark of prestige and distinction. Members of the Pilots Federation are not your average rabble. Elite pilots are supposed to be exactly what their title conveys: the best of the best.

It's also not as simple as taking out a specific number of ships of a certain rank. One doesn't simply become Elite by merely killing a Competent Viper. But killing a notorious Elite freebooter with a reputation? That'll get you some brownie points.

There are numerous references throughout the Elite books and the short story anthology (as well as the lore beacons at Founders World) that describe the process of becoming and being an "Elite" pilot.

'You seek to be Elite, yes?' Kalizar asked. Johanna nodded. 'And you are not far, if my sources tell correct. It is not easy, to become Elite. I know well myself! It needs dedication, yes? You need to be absolutely focussed.' His eyes remained on the terrain ahead as Johanna listened to him.

'But what you are not told, you see, is that it is not easy to be Elite. Many struggle when they reach their goal to find new goals in life. Us hunters especially. We are already rich, we are already famous, we have proven our strength. We are loners, not interested in politics or power or personal relationships. So when we become Elite, what is left? Me, I found God. Others, they are left with a hole inside where once they were controlled by desire.

'Let me tell you something, Johanna that very few know. Half of all bounty hunters who become Elite die or disappear within a year. One year, yes. It is not suicide you see, not in the traditional sense. But they take risks, they chase impossible goals, some even turn to darker deeds. Of the eighteen Elite pilots I have killed, twelve have been former hunters that became bounties themselves. I truly believe they were happy I came for them; they committed crimes because they wanted to die. But some simply fly off into the night and are not seen again.

'So when I hear that the young Johanna Meister is chasing death before she even reaches Elite, it makes me sad. Very sad, yes! What you seek is madness.'

15 authors from around the world. Elite: Tales From The Frontier (Elite: Dangerous) (Kindle Locations 939-950). Fantastic Books Publishing. Kindle Edition.


There's more, but I'd make the post unnecessarily long. But the pilot rankings do matter in the Elite universe.

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