What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

You may find this hard to believe but my story with Elite started some 1,323 years ago. I was a lonely, young boy back then. With dreams of becoming a CMDR. Armed with a Commodore 64 and a tape deck I set out to test my mettle. But alas, both I and the Elite training program were too young to truly begin exploring the galaxy.

“It’s not ready… I’m not ready.”
Vexed I made a decision. A drastic decision that I would not have undone. So, late that night, when everyone else slept, I descended into our dark and dusty basement. As I crept down the steep wooden planks, that served as stairs, the furnace hissed and crackled throwing a warm glow on my cheeks. I didn’t know it then but that would be the last bit of warmth I’d feel for more than a millennia. My eyes strained in the dark searching for our Regal deep freezer. There it was, in the corner, it’s hulking rectangular mass already stained yellow by the passage of time. I pushed a soap box up against the freezer’s side, stepped up, flipped the lid and climbed inside. One last look towards the light spilling from upstairs—then darkness and cold.

I can’t tell you what happened next. I can only tell you that I eventually awoke to the sound of water slapping up against the walls of my… chamber, prison, tomb? I had made a grave error.

“NO, not like this!”
I kicked out at the lid as it splashed down onto the wet sand. Cramped, I clawed my way free of the freezer and out onto the beach. My hands large, weathered, marked by time. But how? Where was I? What happened to me? Later the Federation doctors would tell me my aging processes had been slowed but just slowed. I now had the body of a 47-year old man (a mighty handsome body) but the mind and spirt of that little boy who crawled into a deep freezer so, so, so, long ago.

The year is now 3306 and my first experience with this new Elite was again plagued by my rash and impulsive young mind.

“CMDR kenzenichi! COMMANDER! You are leaving the tutorial zone! You’re not ready!”
I had waited long enough. Governments had risen and fallen, wars had been fought, species discovered, worlds explored, it was my turn. Tutorial be damned. I wanted to fly. My bow pointed towards the unknown. Full pips to engines. Dare I say it? “ENGAGE!” Pinpoints of light stretch out into lines leaving all my mistakes behind me. Unfettered I jump. I jump again. And again! AND AGAIN! AND AGAI… “Frame Shift Cancelled: Insufficient Fuel”. What the fudge? I had climbed into the proverbial deep freezer again—then darkness and cold.

But, like the sudden rush of fresh warm air that comes from kicking open the lid of a long sealed deep freezer, I once again was saved. This time it was not by my own foot, or my will to live but by… “Incoming Fuel Limpet”. It was a Fuel Rat. I matured a little that day. I learned the dangers of striving to be Elite, the importance of a fuel scoop and most importantly of the existence of the benevolence of strangers. It was then, in that moment, that I realized I was not alone out here. That I didn’t have to be that lonely, young boy from 1984. That I was amongst a unique community. That we are Elite together and that’s what keeps me in the game.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

That story hasn’t been written yet. 😉

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

My Imperial Courier (S.S. Iridium Star) can land on a dime so it’s my go-to for planet side farming. My Phantom (S.S. Aluminum Star) has a max jump of 78LY with all the comforts one needs out in the black. My Conda (S.S. Bronze Star) get’s me around the bubble with it’s 80.08LY jump. And my Vette (S.S. Tin Star) has never let me or it’s shields down. For any one of these reasons each of these ships deserves to be my favourite. But they’re not.

From the age of five my mother had me on the road, hitchhiking and exploring all old Earth had to offer. Over the years I moved more than 40 times. Attended dozens of educational institutions, held numerous jobs, committed an unfair amount of offences, while still holding out a helping hand to any in need. But I’ve never had a place to call my own. For that reason the S.S.C. Morning Star (my fleet carrier) has become my favourite ship. Not only does it hold all those wonderful ships I mention above (and more) but out here in the black, it has become the home I’ve never had. The early morning light to which I point all other ships.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

To be honest I almost didn’t joined The Fatherhood. At first I thought the name was a little to patriarchal for my taste. I’ve never been one for locker talk, jokes targeting women/wives, cat calls, or even calling my fellow man, “bro”. (I found a little of that in ED but I recon those CMDRs will side step me now.) But upon closer examination it became clear that The Fatherhood was none of these things. I joined The Fatherhood for their stance on ganking, their willingness to help others and their love of all things nerdy, dorky, quirky, and fun. So here I am. Floating on the edge of space, by the seat of my pants, the skin of my teeth, while white knuckling it under the 7726 FOXTROT banner.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)? (What times and timezone are people likely to find you online so they can wing up with you?)

I’ve held a lot of jobs. I’ve been a chef, a security guard, an English teacher, a painter, a farm hand, a quality control officer, a human resource manager, a waiter, a writer, a karate instructor, a journalist, even a caretaker for a graveyard but my actual career of 20+ years is that of a professional photographer. These days all my clients are in NYC and San Fransisco but so since moving back to Canada I’ve been on hiatus. My wife is a model and is the one bringing-home-the-bacon, so outside of taking care of her and the pets, my time is my own. What times can you catch me in the black? Any really. I’m a bi-phasic sleeper that only sleeps for 3-5 hours in the morning with a 20-40 minute nap in the evening. So, I’m almost always around.

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

I’ve been in various martial arts since I was 8-years old. I’ve even managed to win a few national title. So it should come as no surprise that I subscribe to quite a few martial art precepts. Ken Zen Ichinyo is a Japanese term loosely translated as: ken = of the fist/of the body, zen = of the mind, ichi = one/as one. Therefore, kenzenichi = mind and body as one. Also my irl name is Kenn, so, there’s that.

Invitation to wing up

I’m kenzenichi across the entire wired world. Some call me kzi for short or Kenn for ease.

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Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

If you want to get the most out of Elite don’t hesitate to look to your squad while you’re reaching for the stars. o7 CMDRs!

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

I vaguely remember seeing promotional material featuring the sidewinder a few years back and was very interested in Elite, but I neither had a suitable PC or console to play it. A few years later in 2020, I saw the base game on sale in the PSN store and decided to give it a go. Within a week I bought the Horizons expansion and was hooked.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

Cmdr. Phantom had organized the ‘Scavengers Bliss’ SRV Race around the Thargoid structure on Planet A 4 E A in the HIP 18909 system. We must have had something like 12 or so members in the instance including the news van. It was the first large wing-up I participated in, and it was a total blast.

We had a few races, explored the alien structure, and activated the Thargoid Machine to witness an incredible lightshow. I also recall one commander’s SRV had run out of oxygen and then exploded in spectacular fashion, the charred chassis performing at least a double backflip.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

I was in a wing with Commanders Aequfire, Kenzenichi and Solyce massacring pirates. We had decided to finish thoroughly demoralizing the Jet Gang and turn in our stacks fairly close to midnight local time. After turning in missions at Godwin, Murray and Baturin, I was ready to turn in for the night but still had to turn in just one more mission at Reiter.

Well I guess I got a little too comfortable on the flight over; not long after I docked I must have dozed off for what sounds like a fair amount of time, snoring comfortably before snapping awake to a chorus of laughter and ribbing. I sheepishly turned in the remaining missions and feigned being awake and alert for the remainder of the wing session.

In my defense, putting down pirates is tiring work, and this pilot’s chair is just too comfortable.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

It’s tough to narrow it down, but I would say that my Asp Explorer ‘Valkyrie’ is my favorite, or at least the one I’ve spent the most flight hours in. I took it on a solo tour of the various Nebula within a 8kly radius of the bubble early on to see the sights.

I prefer the Asp over the Diamondback as a starting long-distance explorer vessel due to its Class 6 Optional for a Fuel Scoop, and just enough room for all the essentials. All that said however, I’ve become really partial to flying both the MKII and Phantom as my primary ships lately, and just finished engineering an Anti-Xeno Chieftain…

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

A couple months into playing Elite, I was browsing the PSN Communities for commanders to wing up with. The Fatherhood logo popped up, and the logo motto made it a no brainer. I applied to Foxtrot and have been winging up with great people ever since.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)?

I work in the life-safety and building automation sector verifying that Fire Alarm Systems are installed to local and provincial codes and standards for newly constructed buildings. Thankfully I don’t travel too far from home most the time and can focus on my main job of being a dad and husband.

Game-time usually takes a back seat to everything else, and is typically reserved for the end of the evening. I’m in British Columbia (UTC -0700), so typically you can find me online from 0400 UTC (In Game Time) or 2100 Pacific Standard.

If you are on PS4, what is your PS4 account name?

SojournerN7 on PSN, CMDR SojournerN7 in the Fatherhood Discord. Let’s wing up! I do a bit of everything from Exploration, Combat, Mining, Powerplay and Anti-Xeno.

Send a friend request to SojournerN7 on PSN to wing up.

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What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I prefer the outdoors: Hiking, camping, fishing, biking, paddling, skateboarding, snowboarding, that sort of thing.

I like to take on small projects to learn new or improve existing skills: Woodworking, Web Design, App Development, electronic repair/modification.

Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Play in Open and find a good group to wing up with. The best experiences you can have in Elite are with other players at random or in a squadron. It’s disappointing that the typical response to instancing with another player is for one commander is to log out immediately out of fear of being attacked. Stay logged in, fly cautiously, and take a chance on a great experience by engaging with other players in roleplay or chat and help build this great community.

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

My first experience with E:D was watching CMDR’s on YouTube bounty hunting in a Haz Res. I tend to do various things in E:D and I find that keeps me from getting burned out on the game.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

I would have to say my participation in the Dove Enigma Expedition was a highlight for me. Here were CMDR’s from 3 different platforms all working together to do something to honor a CMDR none of us personally knew.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

Early on, the best way to make money was by doing wing source and return missions… we could get 50 mil a mission! I would use 3rd-party apps to help us find what we needed at the lowest price and in enough quantities to do the job. I tended to fly with the same CMDR’s when doing this and they joked about me using a white board to keep track of where everyone was/what cargo tonnage we all had, etc. Over time they decided that my efforts deserved a C/S and “Logistics” was given.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

I love the T10. I own 3 of them, TFS Badger is setup for mining, TFS Collaevo is my AX support ship, and TFS Fragmentum is my CZ/Bounty Hunting wonder toy!

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

I was following E:D on YouTube since 2015. I purchased E:D in 2017 when it came out for PS and was working through learning the game when I saw TK’s Facebook post about starting The Fatherhood. I joined 14 Aug 2017 into the original PS squadron and I haven’t looked back since!

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)?

I am a wire harness assembler as my main day job. I have weekends and holidays off so I am able to put in a few hours a week into the game. I play EST either 7pm on weeknights or 9am on the weekends.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I will have served in the Canadian Military for 30 years this Sept. (Full- and part-time combined)

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

I have used this gamer tag since the mid 90’s when I played Mechwarrior by direct dialing my buddy who also had the game. I tended to power down and ambush him on a regular basis so the “Phantom” part of it worked… The “rw” was to keep it unique to me.

Invitation to Wing Up Together

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Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Play how you want to play and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked.

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

Preferring to commit to career games that can be played for a long time, I had been looking for something like Freelancer. It was clear Star Citizen was no where near ready (4 years later that’s still the same), and Elite was already out and receiving content updates. I keep playing Elite for the opportunity — some would say requirement — to invent your own gameplay and personal challenges. Engineer a crazy build and see if it works, make a special cargo run to a certain port, back an in-game faction, they’ve all got my own silent narratives in them.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

Bumped into a trio of quite new players while in a starport. Chatting in game we agreed to do some bounty hunting together in a nearby RES. None of them had much experience, and were keen for someone to show them the combat ropes. They had poorly built and unengineered Cobras and Vultures, so once we got them outfitted properly we headed out. I had an engineered FDL and just flew it like a madman. Their reaction in the game’s voicechat to seeing that ship zipping through the asteroids and pulverising pirates was hysterical.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

The Fatherhood had been featured in the Elite newsletter, so when they announced their Lost Souls expedition I joined up. After a stint of neutron-boosting I stopped to repair the ship. With that complete I returned to supercruise and began scanning the system. About 7 minutes later my ship exploded and in my disbelief I turned to my new squadmates for the explanation. They informed me I had failed to turn my life support module back on.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

That would be Vulture Guts, my Mamba. It gets the name because it literally has the same modules fitted as a Vulture: powerplant, thrusters, distributor, FSD, shield – all so that it maintains it’s peak performance while delivering maximum firepower. Sure the defences are somewhat compromised, but you can’t have everything.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

I laughed out loud the first time I read “When the kids go to bed we go to space”, and less than a week after signing up to Lost Souls I applied to join the squadron as well. Joined Alpha as soon as in-game squads were a thing, and took over admin of Charlie squad so our leaders could start Delta and Echo. As Charlie filled up I founded Golf squadron for our fellow CMDRS in the Asia/Oceania region.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)?

My day job has me travel all over work with the aviation industry, so you may find me on at weird times or not available at all. When I’m at home I usually have a couple hours in the evenings. Sometimes play Saturday mornings so I can meet up with our members in the USA on their Friday night.

Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Engineering makes you very powerful, don’t put it off. Hit up The Fatherhood’s discord channel #ship-crafting and our helpful team will eagerly offer tips for gathering materials, as well as helping you fine-tune your machine.

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

I have long been a sci-fi nerd. I grew up watching Star Trek (The Original Series) mostly because of my mom’s love for it. I read a lot of the novels too. Although I’m also a fan of Star Wars, the Ron Moore BGS, and The Expanse. But it was Star Trek that most captivated me. TNG and DS9 are my favorites (#youcantchangemymind).

I wanted to play a space game and heard the buzz around No Man’s Sky from the interwebs. It scratched a little of the space-itch, but I wanted more realism and had gotten tired of the limited mechanics.

I was browsing the PlayStation store and came across Elite: Dangerous entirely by chance. I decided to take the plunge and bought it without Horizon. That was my biggest mistake. I should have done both from the beginning. I was immediately captivated! There was so much to learn. It had technical realism I appreciated. The flight mechanics were at once frustrating and incredible. The rendering is so beautiful and gave me a visceral sense of awe and wonder. It consumes, and likely will continue to consume, about 90% of my gaming time.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

There are so many great moments. I think the moment that really sinks in is my first wing up with folks from The Fatherhood just after I joined. I learned so much so quickly, most of it from Phantom_rw. He’s still one of my favorites to wing up with because of the easy-going, humble way he shares his knowledge and experience. He’s a truly great guy to know among the many that I’ve met in The Fatherhood.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

For almost a record amount of time I avoided earning one. Then I got two just about back-to-back.

The first one I earned for bringing a personal army of collector limpets while mining for fleet carrier credits. I was winged up with CMDR “Iceman” Azzbo and CMDR “Wiki” M-O-T-O-R. Each time they scouted ahead and began mining a rock I’d swoop in and my swarm would vacuum up the fragments in a few seconds. For that I was awarded the callsign “Hoover”, which I despised, which is exactly how any good callsign should be.

The second I earned on merit for designing and developing the website. It was awarded for something about controlling the matrix or some such. It’s an honor to carry the “Morpheus” callsign, but even more so to be trusted to steward such a public face of the squadron. It was entirely a labor of love, both for the game, and for The Fatherhood.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

My first love was the Python for its versatility. It can become pretty good—but not quite great—at most anything you spec it for. But my all time favorite is the Krait Mk II. The speed, the maneuvering feel, the all important boost sound, and viewport design is hands down my favorite flying experience.

I also have an Anaconda that I use for exploration. I spent a large amount of time in that boat.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

I had been playing Elite: Dangerous for a few months and was engrossed in it, I just wanted folks to talk to that had the same appreciation for it, and perhaps to learn from.

I went through a lot of squadrons on Inara reading all of their descriptions. Something about the vibe of The Fatherhood’s description kept me coming back to it. As a graphic designer I appreciated the thoughtful humor of the logo. As a busy working professional and father of two great kids there was something that I resonated with in the squadron’s founding principles. But I think in the end it was the part of me looking for an active, thriving community and a cultural ethos I align with that is ultimately what did it.

I joined in July 2018. It was hands down the best choice for my Elite: Dangerous journey. I fly alongside an solid community of chill folks that give tirelessly to others.

The Fatherhood, I salute you all. o7

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)? 

I work in web technologies for a rather well known fruit company. My role in part is community building, so it suits my efforts in helping The Fatherhood stay on course and keep its guide star in view as part of Wing Council. That is another role in which I’m honored to have been asked to serve.

Family/work/gaming balance is tricky. There are ebbs and flows as one demands more time than others. The trick for me is to simply go with the flow and not get frustrated when work steals more time or family demands I step away from gaming for awhile. I try to think of it in terms of focusing on “first things first”. Gaming is the dessert at the end of tackling the rest of those things. When I get to a burnout point, gaming elevates to a “first things first” for my mental health. Being successful in those areas is all about balance – not too much and not too little in any of those areas.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I’m an aspiring writer. I wrote an Elite: Dangerous novel called Elite: Resistance. I’m working on getting published and hoping FDev will work with me on it. I’ve retained an editor of some prominence to help me shape it into a better story than I could write on my own. I’d love more Elite: Dangerous readers to tell me how I can improve. If you have access, feel free to DM me on The Fatherhood Discord.

Elite: Resistance

A personal vendetta intersects powerful political forces as a solitary pilot goes up against a galaxy to find his mentor’s killer. In a remote region of space known as the Hyades Cluster, Lee Sollinger ekes out his existence smuggling to dodge tariffs. His only goal: to prepare his ancient Asp Explorer for an inevitable confrontation with fate.

A pitstop in the right place at the wrong time forces him to run for his life from the authorities with a passenger and wingman he never asked for. Together they must uncover the secrets of a mysterious experimental prototype and its part in an interstellar power grab.

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

Well my PlayStation Network account handle is based on the word “solace” (a comfort), because that’s what gaming is to me. But, of course, you can’t use dictionary words and expect to get it. I found ”solyce” had at least a similar sound. 

Invitation to wing up together

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Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Here’s what I know that’s as true in life as it is in the game: If you want to fly fast, go alone. If you want to fly far, go together. Community is important. Find a good squadron like I found in The Fatherhood and go farther than you ever could have imagined.

But—and here is the important part—it doesn’t stop at joining. To experience community, to belong, you need to push yourself to get involved. Find wings, chat with folks, experience the game alongside others. You get out of your squadron—your community—what you put in.

Fly together CMDRs. o7

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

My first experience was seeing images on articles online. I saw it was available for PlayStation, and it took me a year to finally find it in a GameStop. lol. I play today, simply because sometimes you just wanna fly something, and Space is my wheelhouse. I’m a Star Wars junkie.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

Blowing up Soantii. I don’t know which time is my favorite. I maintain it was his fault.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

I got my name because the old camera system before the update that included the FSS and supercruise module and whatnot allowed you to pass through the station wall and also peer into the hangers other commanders were parked in. I would take screenshots of Phantom and other commanders and send it to them. I also followed HighTide and Phantom through like 10 systems trying to wing up with them but I thought they were ignoring me. 🤣

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

Thats a difficult one. The Orca and the Clipper are my two favorites. I love the Orcas look and its jump range, but the Clipper is the sexiest ship in game, hands down. The engine pods are the best. If I could have a 50+ ly Clipper with the same modules and speed of my Orca, I’d never use anything else. My Clipper is the TFCV Astra Vigari (“star wanderer” in Latin) and the Orca is the TFCV Stella Ignis (“Star Fire” in Latin.) TFCV stands for The Fatherhood Cartography Vessel.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

PS4 Original, and I was drawn because I’m a dad, and this was a dads group at first. The people were awesome on the boards and Twitter. I’m now in Delta though, since I switched to PC.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life?

I’m an at-home call center agent — for now.

And balance? I play when I can. My wife also games so its not a big deal for us. I am in the US central time zone and typically play around 8 or 9 PM to maybe 11. I’m off Mondays and Tuesdays now, so i’ll get more time in then.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I dont know, honestly. Im a regular guy, living life as much as I can.

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

Revyn is a play on the Star Wars character Revan. He’s my favorite because he dived deep into both sides of the force for good reasons. He wasn’t a Sith. He wasn’t a Jedi. He was the closest approximation to a Grey Jedi that exists in Legends. Hunter is the name I chose for my book characters last name in a book I wrote in high school.

Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Always pay attention to what you are doing. You never know when you might accidentally be about to land on a planet with gravity too strong, or get too close to that sun you’re fueling off of.

Exploration is the most beautiful aspect of the game, but it can kill you as surely as a Beam Cannon. Pay attention.

What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

My first (what I’d call) notable experience was the sinking of my first Anaconda. It was also where I received my first callsign and later to be my player name. At a star I don’t even remember the name of anymore. Running cargo for a community goal. It was late, I was tired but I kept pushing. Jump after jump, I had gotten careless and inattentive while exhausted, jumping the same four White Dwarf stars over and over and over again. I finally slipped and one caught me. It had me. There was no escaping, but I didn’t stop trying. For well over an hour I was repairing my ship replenishing my oxygen trying to scratch for the hopeful moment I could stomp my FSD box into lighting up just one time. Members of the squadron were trying to help pull me out, all dying in the process of trying to rescue me. The TFS Jorgmudr finally gave up and she sank there. Slowly crushed into oblivion.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

Sometimes our favorite moments in this game are more based in the realism of an event than the actual enjoyment of the situation. The time that is invested to make it to Sag-A or Beagle Point. It’s not just some thing you tackle in a weekend. It takes time and patience; careful planning along the entire way. It’s not just the trip to the destination either. The return trip can be just as difficult if not more so. The true dangers of a mistake can ruin months of hard work.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

At this point I’ve had a few now. “Tubs” is from my wife who thought it would be funny to throw me under the bus.

After ferrying my thoroughly sloshed self home from beach pub hopping. That included the incriminating evidence of me drinking margaritas from buckets. I had 2, which was 2 too much.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

For me it’s almost always been the Anaconda. For what I do the most of, exploration, it’s always been the most sensible choice for long term expedition’s. Sometimes I’ve spent 6 months to well over a year in Deep Space. When you are out for that far, for that long, your vessel has to be absolutely self-sustainable. Sometimes I’ve forgotten how long it had been since I may have seen another commander or a station. Sometimes if only for a a scrub down and refit, barely long enough to turn around and break for the sky again.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

Actually, I’m one of the longest serving members of our fleet. Long before we even called it Alpha Squadron. Originally I started in Green Alpha until my console tragically caught fire one day. Even worse we were in the early Stages of what was the Distant Worlds 2 Expedition. We had a PlayStation that was relatively new at the time. So I scrambled to try to get it in working condition. And it took the collaboration of many of our finest in Blue Squadron to pull off absolute madness. To get downloaded, started, quickly mass the finances to purchase a new Annie, fit her for exploration, material grinding, and engineering just to make her space worthy. Then I had to run her as hot as possible for two weeks just to catch up with the fleet that was steadily and daily on the move.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life?

For the most part I’ve always been a mechanic. Now I’m a parts and service advisor for the company I’ve been with for 7 years now.

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

The name of my commander is actually the first callsign I received with The Fatherhood. When I had to make my transition to Blue Squadron. It’s just what to me seemed to fit best.

Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

There is no true ending to this game, so don’t be in a hurry to find one. Take your time weigh your options. The only thing that happens quickly in this game is a rebuy.

Invitation to Wing Up

Send a friend request on PSN to wing up with Cmdr_Neutron.

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What was your first experience with the Elite universe and what keeps you playing it today?

I was completely flabbergasted as Commander “Morpheus” Solyce allowed me to try and dock and launch a ship from an Orbis starport. I couldn’t believe that not only did you not have a singular base but that you could explore the entire Milky Way Galaxy at your leisure.

I keep playing because there is always something new and incredibly beautiful to explore. I have honed my skills particularly in the area of taking screenshots to share with other commanders of the beauty of this game.

Tell a quick story about your favorite moment in Elite: Dangerous.

I outfitted and prepared a Krait Phantom TFS Ventus (which means wind in Latin) on PC though I mostly play PS4 to deliver a Hutton Mug and Centauri Mega Gin to Sagittarius A* in honor of my uncle who passed. It took nearly 6 months and it was incredibly fulfilling to say goodbye to my uncle in a way that I could honor him.

I released the Gin and Mug from my hold at Sagittarius A* and watched them head toward the event horizon.

How did you come up with the name of your Commander?

Well, My whole life I have been called Master Of The Obvious and MOTO was already taken. So, M-O-T-O-R fit well on the PS4 console and it stuck. I like it honestly. It’s pretty great when people call me “Motor” over comms.

Tell the story of how you earned your callsign.

There was a lively discussion in the PS4 channel on Discord about the brightness of black holes. I profusely and scientifically described why they are actually not bright but rather their event horizon is what is bright. CMDR Revyn laughed and said thanks “Wiki”.

I had a callsign within 24 hours.

Tell us about your favorite ship in the game.

The Alliance Chieftain. Not long after I started the game I ended up getting interdicted in Sothis by a Chieftain. I did not even know they existed at the time as I hadn’t even heard of Coriolis or EDDB yet. I knew I was going to have to get one because it was amazing. The TFS Xenomorph is my Shieldless AX Interceptor fighter. It can turn and roll like no other and it is so much fun. It was the first ship I ever fought a Thargoid scout in and I did that with Gauss cannons because I didn’t know better. Now I use it to fight interceptors. My second favorite which must be shared is the Type 10. The TFS Hagrid is my scout annihilator in Celaeno and the reason I won my most recent screenshot award in Blue Squadron.

What drew you to join The Fatherhood?

Commander Solyce invited me. The community and camaraderie won me over. I don’t have enough time to play regularly but play when I can. I love the casual gaming and great attitude across the group. It is a lot of fun to help others learn their path as well in the game.

What’s your day job, and how do you balance your home, work and gaming life (or do you)?

I am a Math teacher. I play when I can and have no set day or time but usually evenings after 9:30 PM west coast USA when I can (-8 or -7 UTC depending on the time of year)

What is one thing most people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I love to hunt and fish. I really like the outdoors and would prefer to be in the mountains or lake any day than at home.

Any fatherly advice for new CMDRs trying to make their way in Elite: Dangerous?

Don’t be afraid to ask. I couldn’t have survived without the guidance and help of others and tutorials. If you are getting bored or frustrated, search out an answer in The Fatherhood Discord as we are all here to help. If you are afraid to try something, ask for a wing and we will do all we can to help.

Invitation to wing up together

Send a PSN friend request