UA Mystery thread 4 - The Canonn

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Ok so now I've diverted UA research funds into Adrenal Sciences, I've found the cash to add a module to the AdSci Diploma course.

SUNDAY 13TH DECEMBER

FightClub.jpg


http://canonn.science/2015/12/05/fight-club-sunday-13th-december/

If you can't see the post in the link, you're not a member. Fix that here

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First round of fighty fighty pew pew will be 1 on 1 against your allotted opponent, the winner is the one who is not staring at the rebuy screen.

Second round of education through the medium of violence will be shieldless 1 on 1 against your allotted opponent, until one of you is dead, dead, dead.

Third round of scientific hull disassembly will be team matches, up to 4 per team.


THIS MODULE IS MANDATORY FOR THE DIPLOMA IN ADRENAL SCIENCES COURSE
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And don't forget...

This Sunday (tomorrow) it's

 
So I finally made it to Merope for some first hand scientific work.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r176/EAGLE_5_shares/ELITE DANGEROUS/Screenshot_0741.png

Time to roll up my sleeves.... well nevermind they are airless moons after all.

I've passed my last few days on Merope Moons... just for fun: while on Orbital Cruise, reach the dark side from the bright one. You'll be surprised by one of the best views in game so far!
As the main star disappears below the horizon, you discover that the dark side is not in fact dark: the Nebula shows up filling up the whole sky, illuminating the planet with an awesome reddish dusk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ShAxd36bE0
 
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I've passed my last few days on Merope Moons... just for fun: while on Orbital Cruise, reach the dark side from the bright one. You'll be surprised by one of the best views in game so far!
As the main star disappears below the horizon, you discover that the dark side is not in fact dark: the Nebula shows up filling up the whole sky, illuminating the planet with an awesome reddish dusk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ShAxd36bE0

Got you covered. What's amazing is when you "put down" for the night and wake up in a completely different planetscape.

This is what happened when I shut it down for the night in one of the Pleiades Sector Systems....

Evening.
Screenshot_0729.png


Morning.
Screenshot_0731.png



It never ceases to amaze me!
 
Got you covered. What's amazing is when you "put down" for the night and wake up in a completely different planetscape.

This is what happened when I shut it down for the night in one of the Pleiades Sector Systems....

Evening.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r176/EAGLE_5_shares/Screenshot_0729.png

Morning.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r176/EAGLE_5_shares/Screenshot_0731.png


It never ceases to amaze me!

It has to be said, the game is absolutely gorgeous :)
 
One thing all of these infected stations have in common is that the shipyards are still available. Has anyone purchased a ship from them?

The only reason is technical and practical: if a player left a ship in an affected station, before it was affected, imagine him not being able to play the game anymore... ;)
 
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The only reason is technical and practical: if a player left a ship in an affected station, before it was affected, imagine him not being able to play the game anymore... ;)

Yeah, 64 Arietis has been home for a long time and I came back from a few kLy out exploring to make sure my other ships were still there. They seem still to work ok...
 
The only reason is technical and practical: if a player left a ship in an affected station, before it was affected, imagine him not being able to play the game anymore... ;)

Exactly, there was backlash when the devs shut down shipyards during the Cerberus thing. They are keeping shipyards open out of kindness, no other reason.
 
A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge, has a mavolent superintelligence called the Blight that can take over electronics as well as organic beings......

.....firmly putting my tin foil hat on, is it possible that this is what is happening right now in stations? These pods spread the virus, and start harvesting our technology?

Does it also mean some people / characters might not be totally human?
 

That's insane... is the star INSIDE the ring system? that has to be a glitch of some sort...


Speaking of glitches and bad design... [RANT] I really hope FD does something about their random crap generator when Horizons goes live. Exploring one of the more remote moons of Merope I ran into anything from nodes (not sure what to do with those) to full blown mining pads all replete with automated defense systems etc.... I'm expecting out there to be a little more... you know? out there! As is these places have more activity than some towns in East Texas [/RANT]
 
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Operation: Dunky Thing Doo-Dah
Date – Sunday 6th December
Venue – Not Solo (Mobius as primary)
Platforms – PC/Mac & Xbox
Time – 1600hrs to 2200hrs GMT (come for six, come for fewer, RL allowing)
Target System – Timocani
Objective – UA Convoy and/or Medical Convoy
Prizes – 2 x EGX Skins (1 raffled, 1 discretionary)

Hosting Note
As ever, Biscuit Barrels are hosted by The Canonn but this is by no means a Canonn-only exercise. The more, the merrier, and everybody’s welcome to pitch in. In fact, I doubt I’m alone in hoping that some of the previous Barrel’s non-Canonneer participants will again join us. Always good to see you.

Modules Overview Kinda Stuff
All Ships
A Cargo Scanner is a must. If you hit on a Strong Signal Source and none of the usual tell-tale comms chatter is giving away the presence of a UA Convoy or a Medical Convoy, will you want to blithely take the chance that the convoys have changed their behaviour? There is, after all, little documented difference between a UA Convoy and a Hafnium Convoy – and telling a Hafnium Convoy from a far more vanilla Navy Convoy comes down to the use of a Cargo Scanner.

Role - Blocker
That line I mentioned elsewhere? About getting shot at? A lot? Yeah. Blockers have few other baseline purpose. Sure, they can fit Frameshift Wake Scanners and, like the rest of the wing they shall need to have Cargo Scanners fitted, but… hey… Get shot a lot. And don’t die. And while you’re busy not dying, spread your fire across the other escort targets to confuse the little bleeders. And still don’t die.
Indifference Protection Systems are required. Nothing you won’t already have in mind or already have. Armour. Hull Reinforcement. Shield Boosters on all the utility modules you have spare. Shield Cell Banks to burn off like crazy. (The fix is in on these soon enough; for now, they’re simply prudent to carry on a Barrel if you’re playing El Blocko.)
Which Armour is best? Buffered it I know. It’s a crapshoot picking in advance, not knowing which convoy you might run into. For what it might be worth, I’ll be fitting Military to cover the bases in a more generalist sense. You might prefer otherwise. Fair play to you.

Role - Extractor
Basically, think Blocker Wot Hits The Freighter’s Hatch So The Scooper Has Something To Scoop, probably just after getting its shields down. Clearly, the most dangerous role in the wing since it paints a target on your canopy from the weapons hot get-go. Getting the shields down could, of course, be handled by another Blocker or, indeed, all of you but it’s not strictly advised.
Often, the Nilreb Nudge technique will suffice for getting the shields down. It works. You bump the freighter in the convoy and while it might get a little frisky it does not lead to big booming incoming bullet type things. Odd, but true. Still, you and your wingmates may prefer to overlook this mechanic on the part of the convoys and play it out as heisting somebody who isn’t suffering from Abject Idiocy Syndrome in the pursuit of their cargo protection duties. Perhaps you’ll want to just go in with the guns blazing once your wing is in position. It’s up to you. Just, as with so much for a Barrel, ensure you have it squared with each other before engaging.
Anyway! While fitting out as a Blocker in all other respects the Extractor will also need a Hatch Breaker Limpet Controller and ample limpets to ensure cracking open a navy-fit Type-9 or Python. By ample, I mean several. You won’t want to be the one voxing something like “I ballsed it up and now I’ve got to try and do it with Multi-Cannons for the next ten minutes, we’re all going to die unless we boogie out with nothing to show for all this fuss” will you?
Better to need and not have than have and… no, wait. Got that backwards. Whatever. You knew what I meant. Still, you’ll be needing to fit a Cargo Bay, too. Another reason why the larger ships are far better for this role.
If you’re not used to using Hatch Breakers, a simple practice session can be had in a Nav Beacon zone. You know all those shady traders you scan with Cargo Scanners or Kill Warrant Scanners and they try to bolt when they then show up as Wanted? Hatch Breaker target practice right there. Note, though, that the Shady Traders don’t tend to be flying in navy-fit wings or in ships that are built to melt your ship while laughing, but it’s still a good practice run for the basics. (Total eggsucking note: get the shields down before firing the limpets.)

Role - Scoopers
Well, you’re going to need an Auto Field Maintenance Unit. In case you end up with a snotbox in your hold. Oddly enough, a Cargo Bay is pretty much all you’ll need after that.
While Collector Drones can do the job of scooping, there’s such a thing as over-automating. Smaller ships also have fewer module slots, so there’s that consideration as well. Besides, there is still some lingering mistrust regarding the drones and their compatibility with certain ships. Asps come to mind, and since it’s expected that Asps are likely to be in reasonable supply, best mentioned. (Perhaps you can confirm that Asps don’t have the same problem they were having with drones but, hey, point stands: take an AFMU and a Cargo Bay and you’re golden… so long as you’re familiar with how your ships scoops and you are totally assured that you won’t waste a heist’s efforts by delaying things every scoop because they pop after each use.)
Avoid coming in with an unfamiliar ship. Practice scooping if need be.
Get your escape run plotted early and you’ll have less to worry over once you close that cargo scoop.

Note on Frameshift Wake Scanners
You might wish to tail either type of the targeted convoys as they bimble about the general neighbourhood of their sighting. See where they’re going, perhaps be able to document some new behaviour. For that, Frameshift Wake Scanners. And fuel, of course. But, honestly, I wouldn’t suggest concentrating on following a Convoy through its various jumps out and away from Timocani if you’re also looking to get its cargo.
In the case of a UA Convoy, frankly, we don’t need the UA. We need any other intel we might be able to glean, so in their case getting any sighting of them in the Bubble is a Big Win for the Barrel’s brand of field sciencing. Getting any new comms traffic? Icing on top. Getting the UA? Not exactly as sexy as it once was, so if you want to follow one, cool beans.
What’s that? What’s that you say? “Nick, you dolt, if we find a UA Convoy, perhaps the UA is different?” Ah, good point. Maybe it’s different. Only one way to find out. And that’s not dithering with following the Convoy and hitting it sooner rather than risking losing it later. Again, as ever, a decision for you and your wingmates to make ahead of time.
Other Stuff & More Words
Fuel
Best to start with a full tank. Better to have and not need than need and not get this twee saying right on the second attempt. You get the point.
Not flying a big ship? Seega Port can refuel you. But Timocani doesn’t have large pads. Neighbouring systems do. If you aren’t going to be carrying a Fuel Scoop, ensuring a lot of fuel in your ship’s belly still won’t be a problem.

Wosserface Winters!!
I don’t know what’s worse. Being the Federation’s President for all of sixteen minutes or however long it was, or having become it knowing that nobody can really take seriously the 3iC of a previous administration that was dippy enough to put the previous president and vice president on the same ship AND send it out of Federation space AND publicise it so massively. Still. What do I know? I’m just a bloke padding out a post here. But, still, Winters is a factor in this Barrel since Timocani is part of her privateering territorial blob of space.
So. If you’re pledged to a non-Fed Power, take note. You will almost certainly face interdiction by some Winters pledger gink or other. Not so much of a problem for those who are happy to slaughter them, but this is not actively advised since it will get you a week long mention in the Naughty Book and who needs the fuss?
I myself am pledged to a non-Fed Power. I expect to be interdicted. It happens. In fact, it’s par for the course for a Barrel in Timocani since Winters seems rather comfortably entrenched in that part of space. (And fair play to the sour-faced also-ran, basically. Bless ‘er.) But it doesn’t happen that much and it’s a simple enough matter to simply high-wake out of the interdiction and hop back to Timocani. Doesn’t take too long. Seems to confuse them for a fair while, so back to business I’ve gone without much further thought or worry.
Sure, you could try evading the interdiction except you’ll be spending the greater chunk of your time sitting at minimum speed in supercruise. For Winters’ Federal Agents, it’ll look like interdicting fish in a barrel* with those of us applicable to interdiction just lolling about begging for it.
Basically, as with any other hiccups that’ve cropped up during these exercises, we’ll deal with it if we need to. Just thought I’d best mention it here.
Plus side? It’s not a Control System (could be wrong, could have changed, not a bit concerned here) so it’s not like it’s covered in a space-faring wintry rash of Federal Agents.

Why Timocani?
Why not comes to mind. With no other reported/relayed sightings inside the Bubble for some time, there’s no better place to go than ‘Old Faithful’ Timocani if we’re sniffing for a UA Convoy. It’s not just that it’s kind of like a tradition for these Barrels, because the system itself isn’t one we need over-sentimentalise, but where better to follow a trail we’ve let go cold (if it’s still there)?
If after some time we have not had a sniff of a Medical Convoy, the proximity of other systems might be taken into account for a mass redeployment.
Besides which, I can make a rubbish joke about Who The Hell Is This Tim O’Carney fella? What? Oh, that was supposed to be at the top. Ugh. Blew that, didn’t I?

Why Wings?
Not a fan? I don’t know so much. Sure, that ancient Scouse bard Lord Macca O’Beatles wasn’t exactly always firing on all cylinders after about 1872 or whenever it was but some of it isn’t total bol… shevic twaddle. (Nearly!) Oh. Yeah. Those wings. Right. (London Town is a shameful waste of good vinyl, though. Just to say it.)
Well, why not wings? You’d be absolutely right to point out that it has been proven possible to heist Navy Convoys on one’s own with the right ship and the right plan. Indeed, I doff my RemLock to those that have done so. But, Barrelling is a collective thing. Not only because it affords us the opportunity to wing up – when some of us are rusty or a little new to it. But also because the more commanders we can get camping out in Timocani for this the more compounded our wrestling with the RNG shall be.
More commanders, less time required. None of this 100+hrs on one’s own horror. And if more commanders, well, wings.
*Pun either intended or not? Even I can’t tell. I’m just typing this guff as it comes to mind.



Totally different topic: "Powelllll" :)

*Puts on his best Glibly Honest Face, which is sickeningly well-practiced, addresses the public*

powelltothepeople.jpg

The Varati Star was a well-known organ (yes, I chose that word especially) of the Varati Independent Union's oppressive hegemony over the system, blighting millions of lives and selfishly preserving a singularly tyrannical form of corrupt patronage. Decades of misery and now they've finally been ousted. Sod 'em. Sod 'em in the face with their economical sabotage, pulling money out of profitable businesses to fund their futile civil war squabbles with others. Bringing forward foreclosures and scarpering with the deeds now they have proven that they are incapable of accepting the will of the people. Better off with so many of them fleeing the system with their cash-stuffed suitcases and their hollow threat to return. Idiots. The people of Varati know the truth. The people of Varati know this for what it is. It doesn't take a genius to see this. Trust me. I can see it and I'm no genius. I leave that to other Canonneers, me. I just make myself useful, like so many of you are doing.
Economic mismanagement? Like muck. What the Star so deftly avoids pointing out is the fact that without the slavery which propped up the VIU's smug regime every Varatine family is at last free to see their sons and daughters grow in a democracy which assures them their freedom from such tat. Yes, tat. I can't swear. There are kids watching. You know what I'm saying.
As for allegations relating to my time in office with the Canonn Council, well.... well... uh... Oh yeah! (Thanks Tams, saved me there.) I can now guarantee any suitably diligent investigators will only discover the truth. The reinvigoration of Varati's economy is in hand and monies previously believed to have been, uh, misaligned are now suitably documented as having been forwarded to the education system and the System Authority which continues to protect our trade routes from Ringer filth. Yeah. Ringer filth. What are they going to do? Sod them, too. Who's for a pint? Oh, the camera's still on? I meant, pint of... Well, beer. You got me. I've got nothing to hide and it's been a long day. Can't a bloke have a beer? It's a democracy! It's not like I'm flying tonight. Right. Pint. Vote Canonn. Ta. Pint? Pint. How do I get off this stage? Who are you? No, I've never met your fiancee. Zita? No, not ringing any bells. Get off! KNIFE!!! Oh. Did you need to shoot him? I had him. No, I had him. Okay, I didn't have him. Jeez. This shirt's ruined.
 
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