M.U.D.D. MONTHLY ISSUE #5
07 Mar 2023Dripnificent
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Hello again, everyone, and welcome to first issue of M.U.D.D. Monthly for the year of 3309! It's been a rather interesting start to the year, with AEGIS beginning to release the next generation of weapons and safety equipment we're all going to need to defend the far reaches of humanity from the brazen broccoli battalions! We've made many new friends during this ongoing war, and many more are soon to follow! We do hope you enjoy getting to know them in the near future, as they fight bravely to keep your homes clear of the caustic chaos! Stay safe, and Never Fly Alone! o7
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One of M.U.D.D.'s newest members TheKingCaveman has been having a rather interesting time since stumbling upon the fine members of the M.U.D.D. community. Sincerely the warmest of welcomes to, and from, another brave warrior on the front lines!
Given recent events in the bubble, what do you find has kept you the most busy? Do you have any goals in mind as far as equipment modification and deployment are concerned?
Well, most recently I've been making use of my Artemis suit to collect more viable exobiological data, in an effort to make that next big discovery. I've ran from one side of the bubble back to the other, and I'm not done yet.
With that considered, what are your thoughts on some of the fighters you've come across in your new squadron? Do any in particular stand out in your eye, and for what reasons? Who here's going to go the distance against the Bug Queen?
The Drip. I recall fighting one evening with the team while several Hydra went down. Huge payout. I went to sleep and by the time I woke up and hopped back in Drip was still fighting and still racking up Hydra kills. The Drip.
During your travels, has there been anything rather... unusual that you've come across? Any particularly interesting plants or animals you've logged in your journey?
One time, I literally could NOT find the plant I was looking for and realized I'd yet to probe the planet. Turns out that dropping some scanners helps quite a bit! Other than that, there's certainly been no shortage of bacterial discoveries.
Are there any activities aside that you find most endearing and worthy of your time?
The Cantinas. Every planetary port, starport, megaship and mining outpost come with one thing similar but vastly different to each other; The view. You can get lost for hours perusing stocks from across the cosmos at your fingertips while pondering the expanses/vistas one is so lucky to look upon any given time we've earned the privilege to have made it back to the bar.
Or, you can simply get shitfaced and waste some time while the fleet carrier kicks on, see how far you can hurl in hyperjump.
A final question, if you will; What are your thoughts on your new squadron itself? Do you have any advice for new recruits to help ease them in, or is there anything you would like to see more of?
My advice to any new recruits is to keep your head up, stay strong and to persevere as the coming wars are going to be brutal in many senses. Enjoy the camaraderie of the community here, as there is plenty to be found!
o7
TheKingCaveman
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CMDR Big Gair on the bridge of his Fleet Carrier, The USS Gene Roddenberry!
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Latji Tea Race and Brawl event is to take place March 25th. It's a 12 hr event so multiple rounds can occur.
[12pm EST (5pm UTC) - 1159pm EST (4:45 UTC)]
This is event is being brought to you by the following Squadrons and groups:
Squadron Recruitment Center (SRC) discord: https://discord.gg/JD6KwAY9zp
The Code [CODE] - INARA: https://inara.cz/elite/squadron/?param1=279
Latji Militia [LTJM] - INARA: https://inara.cz/elite/squadron/13731/
All information and updates will be found in the SRC discord pertaining to the event.
PvP Event 1 - Cuppa Brawl, Latji 4 Rings: High Res zone Depending on who and how many sign up. Will have either wings or 1v1. The goal is to have a minimum of 1 tea cargo on your hold to fend off NPC pirates while duking it out. No build rules just make sure you can fit 1 tea commodity in your hold. If you lose your tea cargo to a Pirate, you're automatically disqualified. You may also try to steal your opponents tea to win if you dare!
PvP Event 2 - Cuppa Derby, Location Latji 4b (-13.8269*, 150.5867*, 0.09g) in Latji. Scarab SRV only! It is a destruction derby to the SRV death, for TEA! Players will race around the crater to collect dropped Tea cargo from a ship hovering above (volunteers to drop cargo are welcome!). The first player/team to have the most Tea canisters and survives, wins! When the derby starts there won't be any drop-in participants until the round is over.
PvP Event 3: Latji Cuppa Marathon. Safely haul 150 tons of Tea from Latji to Orrere in any build you can make. Real pirates will be notified of this race taking place to try and pull you over at your final destination. The final destination is to be announced a week before the event occurs! It's up to you to manage a build to haul and defend yourself or boost away for your cargo's livelihood! The team with the most Tea deposits to the FC wins! You may pull someone over if they're in front of you too!
PvP Event 4: Latji Cuppa Sprint Same as the marathon rules wise, except all in system. Pirates will be notified and will pull you over as you race with 150 tons of Tea from an FC by the primary star to a TBD destination (will be announced a week before the event occurs!) in system. You may pull someone over if they're in front of you too!
Rules:
This is a sanctioned pirating and PvP event in Open mode only. No law enforcement is needed here. There will NOT be any clogging or menu logging allowed. Turn crimes against me off! No griefing or unnecessary ganking. If that occurs expect all participants to chase you out of the system.
Prior to PvP, members may discuss when to stop PvP (whether until someone says GG in chat or until rebuy) prior to the brawl. Participating members may 1 v 1 or wing v wing as they see fit. FCs are welcome to our system. Please coordinate with The Code [CODE] if you plan to park an FC in their system for the distance hauling race. Leave in game Powerplay and Fed vs Imp vs whomever politics out of this event. This is purely for everyone's enjoyment.
Currently, until I coordinate with someone willing to let us use their carrier to deposit enough tea in their FC this is a BYOT (bring your own tea event). If anyone would like to offer or volunteer please let me know ASAP so we can coordinate FC parking and tea hauling endeavors and inventory. Or another option is to BYOT in your own FC to sell to participants. All veteran and new players are encouraged to participate, no matter your allegiance! If you participate and unable to defend yourself from a pirate who pulled you over, they WILL NOT send you to a rebuy screen if you parlay. Just RP along and they'll move along their merry way. If you decide to try and run or attack them expect yourself to be shot at by pirates trying to get their Tea!
Lastly, do not hire Mercs or outsiders to escort you if they're not hauling tea themselves to defend you in the races. It's dishonest and not honorable. For more information read The Code [Code] handguide on their ethics when it comes to pirating. The goal of this event is to encourage and instill confidence in CMDR's to play in open mode while hauling or doing other missions while having fun and embrace/build up the ED community.
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The Orion Spur Federation Association (OSFA) is an inter-squadron organization that works to promote peace, security and prosperity for its member groups. The OSFA is a federation of player factions and squadrons that work together in order to ensure the security of their respective territories. It is based on the principles of collective defense, mutual cooperation and support in times of need. The OSFA works to provide its member nations with a platform to come together and discuss solutions to issues such as military cooperation, economic development and trade. The OSFA also encourages its members to develop strong diplomatic relationships with each other in order to ensure the stability of their respective regions. The OSFA is committed to creating a more secure, peaceful and prosperous galaxy for all its members.
https://www.rfov.co.uk/the-orion-spur-federation-association/
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CMDR Big Gair on the newer layouts!
I don't like it. It's not user friendly. I didn't have difficulty at all navigating the old one, but nothing is where it needs to be on the new one. I've often wondered if anyone has made a youtube video on how to make navigating the new shrunken, categorized menu systems a little easier, but for now the current INARA has left a sour taste in my mouth, and is relatively non user-friendly in my honest opinion.
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CMDR Xarionn of the AXI joins us at the local rest station to give us a look inside his perspective relating to the bug war!
My thoughts on the war? I have a couple I can talk about if you want.
From a purely RP & lore standpoint, the war is a great addition and has a lot of potential story-wise! Humanity has been at "war" with the Thargoids for a while, starports being attacked and megaships destroyed were already a common occurrence before the first Maelstrom even shown up so, I think a larger scale conflict (like the current one) was inevitable and only a matter of time. Salvation had the ambition to settle the score once-and-for-all, a noble goal if I may say so! His super-weapon early days were great, systems were being cleared after a single pulse, no drawback, no nothing and then of course came the time of the Proteus Wave, a much "larger" version of the super-weapon that would use a Thargoid site to amplify its effect.
It's now common knowledge that the Proteus Wave failed, triggering an aggressive reaction from the xenos which evolved into the war we currently know. I'm honestly surprised by the total lack of preparation on Humanity' side, we knew it was only a matter of time and yet people looked the other way, ignoring what was coming. We now are in a "desperate-struggle" phase of the conflict where we lose more than we win, the weapon stabilisers from Azimuth are great addition but won't solve anything on their own and the reformation of the defunct-organization Aegis is too little too late.
I still think that we will ultimately win this "phase" of the war, not by recapturing all systems but by destroying all 8 Maelstroms which will lead to the Thargoids retreating from our space even though, I'm a bit concerned by their attempt to sieze all Barnacle sites again, it proves that they're planning long-term. In the end, the Maelstroms are just a vanguard in my opinion, just the "beginning" but I sadly can't predict what will follow; will they double down
and send more Maelstroms? Will Humanity go on the offensive? Will the galaxy change forever?
On a gameplay standpoint, I have mixed feelings, some aspects are very well made and enjoyable but some others are.. not. Invasions containing large installations are great, being able to fight / rearm / fight / rearm etc... Is awesome, being in super-cruise alone already gives off a weird vibe, a mix of dread and despair, truly a frontline where people are fighting for their home. Alerts, recaptures, recoveries... On the other hand are all lacking a little something, I think they'll get better in the future as Frontier is clearly testing things and seeking feedback. Overall, this war is requiring a lot of planning on my personal level as I work with Vader and Grim to decide which systems will be prioritized and which won't be, that means working with other squadrons to be aware of each others' targets to coordinate as best as we can.
I hope we will see more system states in the future like "prepared" after a successful recovery, for example.
With all considered, are you hopeful that the current community goal's engineering hopes, these "anti-corrosion sinks" etcetera will make enough of a difference to the war effort? Might it be too little too late when their caustic chaos is certainly not a new discovery! Your thoughts?
I would certainly agree to say that the caustic sink is a step in the right direction but I don't think it's quite enough yet, some of us (myself included) already explored the Maelstroms extensively, looking for new clues and materials which, we were indeed able to discover. The major "road block" isn't the caustic as it stands, it's the massive energy surge that prevents us to access deeper parts of the Maelstroms so, yeah, the caustic sink will help, there's no arguing this but it won't change everything as we still need to find a counter to the "wind" passively pushing us out and the massive surge.
Another question, if you will; The Thargoid backlash system to system has been incredibly heavy, yet humanity stands as ready as it ever has in its combined efforts to not only protect their own homes, but often fleeing safety in droves to ensure the survival of others! With such fine squadrons as Lavigny's Legion, The HIVE and many others holding steadfast, what are your thoughts on the fine warriors standing beside you on the battlefront?
That's quite an interesting question as people tend to think that the AXI is doing most of the of work which is understandable given our size (about to reach 18,000 members on our server!) but the reality is that it's a teamwork, what we're achieving is the result of our cooperation. Our goals may differ from time to time but I still want to thank them for doing what they do, regardless of their respective sizes.
On a personal level, I can tell you that's it's a lot of work, you may already know Vader & Grim and their (almost daily) posts in #defense-target but we have a private thread (reserved to us 3) where we discuss everything war-related such as next targets (obviously), theories and strategies. I would like to add that we are keen to consider "calls for help" to give our actions an even greater meaning.
Final Thought; What do you believe lies in the Maelstrom? Have you a favorite ghost story relating, or is this considered classified information? With all seriousness, the readers are quite literally dying to know!
I certainly detain some "classified" information I won't reveal here (I don't want to spoil anyone) but the Maelstroms are the keys to repel the current invasions, some people think they are wormholes but on this I have to disagree, the word "Maelstrom" designates the "cloud" itself but what lies within is called a "Titan" (that's all I can tell you) and the fact that these Titans are all located above ammonia worlds isn't due to random luck.
Your readers probably won't be very satisfied with this information as it isn't much but let me tell you ; This is just the beginning.
And there you have it, folks! An inside perspective from one of the AXI's finest! They'll most certainly be on the front line until the time comes to push forward unto the maelstroms, and we'll all be right alongside them!
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Hello everyone, my name is Sharkyballs!
I've had this gamertag for close to 20 years now so why change it. I will also respond to CMDR Balls or Mr. Balls in some circles. I'm in my mid 40s and I take gaming seriously, as insincerely as possible. Normal game times are central standard time after dinner to bedtime. I started Elite on Xbox but I've migrated because I enjoyed the game. I'm primarily a console gamer because I already have a job, and I don't need another. I run a discord for destiny 2 with a decently large group of people I've been gaming with for years, but I enjoy other games like Elite that I can loose myself in from time to time.
I like to focus on combat. I'm really enjoying the Thargoid war, but I don't mind a little grinding and exploring just to have a laid back time. Most of all I like co-op playstyles. I'm almost always up to join a group in game to complete a task. I've really enjoyed in the last 7 to 10 years, that gaming has moved in more of a teamwork direction that the PVP confrontational only model that most games had way back in the day of online gaming.
I think that's about it. I'm a little crazy at times and you'll learn learn not to take me too seriously, so thank you for welcoming me into your squadron!
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CMDR Gosht of The HIVE
The Book of Gosht - by Phrack
Way back in the primordial soup of early expansion, in an out-of-the-way electromagnetic watering hole featuring a red star, two mining bases and a prison barge, Commander Gosht, sole surviving operative of the Black League, managed to escape being interrogated by Corporate Scum after he was Hyperdicted by Thargoids during an intergalactic jump. Using the last erg of power in his implanted intergalactic communicator, he summoned a pirate ship to break him out by using an old Mentat trick he'd learned as an apprentice Lifter on Ardathia during an hypnotic teach process on The Meld. The program, is called; "survival-of-the-weirdest" for reasons lost in the mists of time and it is only accessible to those who can interface with the Corpus Digitalis. To do this a medical procedure called Zhrava is performed in Pehnryn Pyramid by the neuro-medicians of the Black League on Ardathia, home base of The Black League. During the Zhrava procedure, the left and right brain hemispheres are joined by a tiny crystalline structure. This purportedly enables the survivor of the procedure to communicate telepathically, if not somewhat erratically. As could be expected, Lifters are few in number in the known Galaxy.
Our story contines:
After making his way to the Pleiades in a stolen sidewinder, a visit to the bar at Titan's Daughter convinced him that the Taygeta system had the best onionhead he'd had since his last furlough on at Nektar, an estuary city on Ardathia he'd once called home. Taking a room on the 117th level, he started flying missions for the station and after successfully completing a few of those he was invited to fly with the Hive. Starting off he was initially responsible for Hive Radio, which provided vital tactical data and live combat reporting of Thargoid activities in the Pleiades, but after the 'The Event' he was propelled into a leadership role which he holds to this day. He remains committed to defending humanity and also with re-establishing communications with his counterparts at the Black League in a nearby Galaxy, or is it an alternative Universe? He can never be sure. But neither can you. What's on Salome's disc? Is she really dead? Is Salvation really dead? Who came before the Guardians? What is the meaning of Xanctu? Do you want to know more?
"It's always Judgement day!"
JUMP!
Copyright: CMDR Gosht 2023
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CMDR Kishimina, Squad Leader of M.U.D.D.'s newly formed Mother Wing gives you the details on his current operative goals!
How to put the M-Wing, or Mothership wing, into words. One of the many difficulties with arranging such a thing will be meeting the requirements as well as building and maintaining a ship fit for it. This is quite the strenuous thing to pursue. As a result, the selection of candidates and participants willing to join is meager at best. Motherships are surely some of the most difficult things to handle and coordinate. Heavy behemoths outfitted for supporting other combat-oriented wings are not a beginner-level job, that much is certain.
However, no matter how many people wish to assist me in forming such a wing, and no matter its cost, no matter what we must learn, there’s one constant: For humanity’s continued survival, we must take the fight to the Thargoids into the gaseous abyss that is the Maelstrom. For such a feat to even be remotely and feasibly possible, the M-Wing is practically a necessity. We humans as a race are inherently very adaptable, able to live on just about any planet, moon, or even asteroid we can find. If we can live in such terrible conditions, then we can adapt to fight in even worse ones.
Join me, my brothers and sisters in MUDD. Join me, you mercs willing to jump into the captain’s chair of such large ships. Join me, all that are able. Let’s kick these bastards so hard they not only flee out of our systems but that they flee out of the ones they’ve stolen from us. This is a turf war, and one I hope none of us plan on losing. I know I sure don’t.
o7
CMDR Kishimina
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The Beetle is back, and he is RICH!
Not to brag, but I have recently achieved 1.8 billion in my credit balance. AX really makes a lot of creds. After that, I decided to roam the bubble. Not long after, I found my ships scattered around the bubble after smoking a particularly strong bit of Onionhead. Shoot, did I overdo it? FDL in Alliance space, Type-7 in MUDD territory, Asp Explorer at my AXHQ, Krait in Empire space, and my Python wasn't even registered with Inter Astra anymore! As for myself, I was in some random system with earth-like worlds 100 LYs from my nearest ship.
After that eventful episode, I decided to stay away from Onionhead for now. Too much of that stuff can't be good for you anyways. Instead, I bought an Imperial Eagle and immediately realized how cool it was. 577 m/s boost speed?!? And that's without engineering! It was so good that I decided to grind some Empire rank right away. For what? For this. The Imperial Courier. With enhanced performance thrusters and G3 dirty drives, this thing goes 681 m/s. That's fast. Fastest ship I've ever owned. Ship review coming soon on my logbook! Check my Logbook page for details.
As for real life... I have a new ship in the making. Sorry, not new ship. New PC. I will finally be able to run Odyssey on my own PC at playable frame rates. At the same time I've also been a little busy, so unfortunately I may not be very active on Elite the next few weeks. But stay tuned for updates, and Thargoid Crusade 2 will be ready any moment now. o7, Beetle out.
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Over the past several months, MUDD's esteemed and well-travelled Warlord Big Gair has been holding the front-lines against both human and thargoid threats alike! Let's check in and catch his perspective!
With next to no breaks between the warfronts, how would you say the commanders you've come across compare to our enemies on the foreign front? Does humanity stand a chance, or do you feel we are throwing our species finest into the fire?
Boy, I don't know, I think a lot of players are burning out or are burnt out right now. Maybe they're on hiatus and they'll jump back in soon, that's what I'm hoping. But yeah, when everyone's here and working together we kick ass!
Can you recall any events in recent history where the combat became challenging or any wars where an enemy might have made realistic counter-play? Have you and the MUDD mercenaries faced much trouble at all during your combat contracts?
No!!
Next question; With so many settlements being directly attacked by the Thargoids over high-gravity planets, have you any advice
to our newer pilots relating to ship handling in such high-risk environments?
Hmmm... You're going to have to learn to fly all over again.
Final Thought; What do you believe lies in the Maelstrom? There are many ghost stories floating through the community, and ideas are being thrown around on several fronts. Your take on what the Maelstroms might be, and what may rest at their cores?
Boy, I'm sort of on the opinion of "Wait and see." because a lot of this is just anybodies guess, and it's purely water-cooler gossip until anything happens.
CMDR Big Gair in the Goid Getter III
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THE ISHTAR SOVEREIGNTY
The Ishtar Sovereignty is an alliance created through the union of Gilgamesh Corps, Arbor Caelum and Ishtar Sovereignty Spec Ops. GLGC and ARCM were both founded independently in June of 3305 and very shortly discovered that their paths and ethos were aligned, Ishtar Sovereignty Spec Ops was made January 3307 as additional wing in TIS . To foster a space of growth and support for every pilot that seeks a home. To project an ever present beacon of knowledge, curiosity and passion for all of the wayward seekers to find. Together, the three squadrons are greater than the sum of their parts. The Ishtar Sovereignty shines like a jewel on the Orion Arm.
ISHTAR SOVEREIGNTY SPEC OPS
From the ranks of the Ishtar Sovereignty, during some of the most turbulent times of the year 3307, a group of specialist and Elite pilots formed a Special Ops squadron to protect and assist in the expansion of Ishtar territory. Where our sister squadrons focus on trade, diplomacy and exploration (and conquering) of the galaxy, we at ISSO focus on blowing stuff up! We exist, to protect the innocent (and the not so innocent) members of The Ishtar Sovereignty alliance. Whether it be fighting CZ's to prevent some rebel faction from keeping the territory that our friends want, or storming a settlement to rid it of scavengers who think they can steal from the Sovereignty, what we stole from someone else...
We also engage in dog fights around the galaxy where we feel it's necessary to put someone back in their place. You know the type, some pilot gets in an FDL and takes it to Tod McQuinn, then thinks he's a sharp shooter and starts murdering traders in T9's, or explorers in their Asp Exploder. Then of course there's the odd disagreement among friends and we'll occasionally have a rum fueled battle with our ships to settle the argument, obviously where possible, we avoid the regeneration fees when it's against a friend... it's just not always possible.
These activities aren't free of course, so sometimes it's necessary to engage in a little erm, 'freelance trade' out in the black. That's happening less and less these days though, times are hard. We're always recruiting new pilots, so if you're reading this and you like blowing stuff up more than you like clicking the plus and minus buttons in a station, sign up today!
Ishtar Sovereignty Spec Ops - https://inara.cz/squadron/9675/
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What a start to the new year! Many allies both new and old are coming together to hold the line in an ever-shifting battlefield. Who's to say what systems will be liberated (and which will fall...) come a month's time? One thing you can be absolutely certain of, however; If the community continues to come together as they have been thus far with focused targets and goals, and if they can continue to fight with the ferocity that has been prevalent amongst the commanders fighting on the front lines, I certainly feel humanity has more than a chance. No, I feel we'll win. Stay safe, everyone, and never fly alone!
o7
Dripnificent
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