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aburka 🫣

@danderson are many players full time rats? If so how do they support themselves and buy fuel to give out, is it like a collective? Or do they have wealthy patrons? Or are the rats more like independently wealthy players taking on-call shifts when they aren't out pillaging noobs or prospecting for space gold or whatever you do to make a living normally?

6 comments
Dave Anderson replied to aburka

@aburka I believe many fuel rats do the thing as a primary reason to play the game, yes. Rats provide their own fuel, once you're past the very early stage of playing the cost of fuel is effectively zero so it's not much of a hardship, the trouble is just being in a location where you can buy/scoop the stuff.

So, more like experienced players (== fairly wealthy, owning fast ships that are ideal for ratting) donating their time and resources to give a leg up to others.

Dave Anderson replied to Dave

@aburka At least back in the day, very new players were common clients of the fuel rats, because if you're newer to the game your jump range and fuel capacity is lower, and you've not yet internalized the reflex to manage fuel properly. And so, new players run themselves out of fuel fairly frequently. I used to think of the fuel rat volunteers as people who experienced that back in the day, and are giving other players the leg up they got themselves from the fuel rats back in the day.

Len replied to Dave

@danderson I have to say, I bounced off Elite Dangerous when I tried it. If I got to do this kind of thing, I think I'd probably give it another go. Though it sounds like you'd need to already have played for quite a while first to have the resources and know-how. If there was on-the-job training I think I'd sign right up. It sounds like fun!

Beko Pharm replied to Len

@Hyperlynx ED has a thing named "tele presence" where you can join another crew virtually to help out or ask for a mentor without the need to travel there yourself.

Most just go with a Wing though looking up a group beforehand and since the Odyssey DLC you can walk into a friendly ship too. These "guilds" usually run their own mentoring programs.

@danderson

Len replied to Beko

@bekopharm oh nice! I did find it very boring and sterile solo.

Ripp_ replied to aburka

@aburka I think most people go into fuel rattery after getting a sutiable setup. Fuel is also very cheep in elite dangerous, and actually free if your ship is equiped to scoop it from stars (which any ship planning to travel outside the small amount of inhabited space know as the bubble will be)

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