I think it has to be from when I first started in the days before docking computers as standard. I had done my very first trip in my brand new sidewinder and I came in to dock at the station.

I didnt realise I was facing the wrong direction. I kept trying to touch down on the pad and nothing was working. Eventually I ran out of fuel and died.

I can give you 400 Billion reasons why I play Elite Dangerous. It's that huge explorable Galaxy. I have travelled over 2 million light years in search of beautiful vistas and unrecorded biology.

It's extraordinary how it all works. None of it exists until you see it. There is no big database in Cambridge that catalogues the entire galaxy. It's all (mostly) generated algorithmically from a tiny numeric seed. It reminds me of my relationship with the cold uncaring universe. I am less than dust in the grand scheme of things. When I get tired of exploring there are lots of other activities I can do in the same galaxy before the wanderlust hits me again.

Another reason I enjoy Elite Dangerous is because of all the things I can do outside the game. I've written third party software used by thousands of players. I search through the player submitted catalogs to find cool places to visit. I taught myself python and other technologies to work with crowd sourced data. I've taught myself the basics of Kepler's Laws of Planetary motion just so I can predict when and where planets will collide. I catalog data, plan expeditions, make comedy sketches and music videos and have performed them live. I even had Norman Lovett autograph a script I co-wrote. I've been interviewed on live streams including Frontier's Elite Dangerous stream.

I've made friends online and then met them face to face at places like Lavcon, ECM and Pittcon.. yet unaccountably we are still friends! Its a huge creative outlet and I get to collaborate with wonderful people. I have received some of the most wonderful gifts from people, like some insults from John Delancy, a meter wide neon Canonn logo and a Hutton Mug.

Basically Elite is my life now.

Bill Turner's recruitment advertisement has perhaps a little too much information.

• Verified

• 

  

  Well, this is awkward. I went for an Eva but forgot the keys.

I think that the obvious crossover would be with Frontier's Jurassic World franchise :)

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to step out of your spaceship and punch a dinosaur?

Maybe not actual dinosaurs but perhaps some alien creatures.

I'd really love to know how to get better performance out of the camera suite.

I can't seem to get smooth panning.

This is a duet performed by myself and Kaytee Khaos to the tune of Baby it's Cold Outside by Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews.

Note to self. Start making the Chrismas video in February!

Despite improvements to workflow this will still a ton of work to do, but nobody cares how hard it was.. right?