Especially in an online game, you have to be careful not to fall for players who want to pull a prank. This was also experienced by an “Elite Dangerous” player.
The promise of receiving a cool new ship called Anaconda for free prompted the Elite Dangerous commander SpeedyBebop to embark on the long journey to the Hutton Space Station. This journey took him six hours!
Free Spaceship? Just a Joke
The flight lasted six hours because SpeedyBebop struggled with internet issues. The flight was interrupted repeatedly.
Finally, he arrived at the station. But there wasn’t even a dock, let alone an Anaconda. He had fallen for a prank – and he’s not even the first. Many players of Elite Dangerous are currently pulling such pranks.
It has developed into a running gag in the game to lure others with promises of free ships to places where there is nothing to be had.
Player Believed in Free Ship – Running Gag in the Community
The joke was convincing enough. Other players responded to the supposed offer, saying that the ship wasn’t free at all, but that one would have to pay 1,000 credits at Hutton – which is still a bargain for an Anaconda, as it is one of the best ships in the game. Therefore, this offer gave a rather genuine impression.
Apparently, half of the Elite community is in on this insider joke about the “free ship” and has been playing along for over a year whenever someone pulls the prank. The victims are gullible pilots who set off.
SpeedyBebop fell for it because Frontier Developments had previously given away skins for the ships, and he believed that now there would be a free spaceship.
SpeedyBebop is taking this somewhat embarrassing situation in stride now. After all, it brought him some fame within the Elite Dangerous community. Additionally, he received a lot of positive feedback for the story, which is why he doesn’t feel like an “idiot”.
Currently, there is a war against the alien Thargoids in Elite Dangerous, even though many players actually seek peace.
