UA Mystery thread 4 - The Canonn

madbilly · Jan 7, 2016

I got my first UA today. I forgot to check for all the already observed things but did notice a few things which maybe some of you can clarify:
- When I first picked it up I got toxic cargo damage almost immediately, but the second time I picked it up it took longer. Is the damage interval related to some other interval, like the period between certain noises or something?
- When I first dropped it, it seemed to sound angry! Well, less happy than it was before I picked it up. Anyone else agree?
- I had class 4D hull reinforcement in my DBX and it was only taking 2% off most modules with each piece of toxic damage. It took ages until the cargo hatch starting getting hit but then it got hit three times in a row. Anyone else noticed an "improvement" in its ability to escape over time?

I took it to Jones Dock in Achenar, I was too late for the unofficial CG and I thought why not make use the permit I still have left over from the gifts for the emperor CG! (not that I ever took slaves, but everyone got the permit anyway).

Iridium Nova · Jan 7, 2016

Duckfather said:
I did exactly the same when I realised that the 'Conda that I'll be taking on the Distant Worlds trip is no good for viewing planets at low level and is way too cumbersome for detailed studying. I'm now in my Asp explorer from my Sag A* trip way back, now equipped with an SRV bay. The visibility between my feet is perfect for studying the surface

I fly my Cobra upside down when doing visual surveys of surfaces. Works pretty well. Probably looks a bit odd.

CMDR John Casey said:
Hi guys, I had an idea and I'd like to know if anybody tried it already.

The SRV scanner makes different noises according to what it is "sensing". So, did anybody try to put an UA on a SRV and check if the scanner does some strange sound? Maybe the UAs can point the scanner towards their "mates"...

Already did that over the course of the last few days. UA's seem to have no beneficial effect on any ship or SRV systems. And yes, I did specifically test the wave scanner. I didn't notice anything different, nor did I find any POI's out of the norm. I also tried dropping the UA in different places to see if it did anything different. It didn't do anything obviously different, but I have a theory that if you drop it on a planet with something it can detect, it will change its sound the closer it is to it. Sort of like a metal detector. So far, I have been unable to test this theory.

Crassus said:
As I cannot participate, I at least want to give some thoughts:

In my opinion the hint with the nebulae gives us two informations: where we need to look and what they are looking for.

From my restricted knowledge, nebulae are the result of super nova explosions. Higher grade elements solely come to existence in super nova explosions, wherein simple atoms are processed to higher grade atoms.

This let's me think, they are looking for special metals. I looked at the metals you need to boost your frameshift drive. Niobium is the only element, that is needed for both FD boosts (50% and 100%). Funny enough it is used to create high strength low alloy steel and might be important for the creation of meta alloys ...

It's difficult to find on earth, although the wikipedia article mentions, that there should be much more to find than actually is. The reason seems to be, that Niobium is mostly found inside the planets core.

Regarding all this and the hint, saying that "meta alloys are exceedingly rare", I would search in deep craters, where asteroid impacts might have thrown the deep buried Niobium onto the surface, or in deep crates or canyons. The latter would fit to what we saw in the trailer.

Happy hunting,
Crassus

BTW: I suddenly wonder, if Palin is interested in UAs at all. The Antares incident and the likes might just be unproper use of FD boost materials ... maybe Palin dissassembled UAs, found their frameshift drive and now just wants to develop a new frameshift drive?

Maybe the aliens should be going after pirates. Pirates seem to have an obsession with gold, which, IIRC, is a supernova product.

CMDR Runcible Shaw · Jan 7, 2016

Dommarraa said:
It cant point itself at Merope unless it knows where it is. If it knows where it is, it knows the distance to Merope already.

Gotta disagree with you on this. The UA may be performing a search, perhaps for the Merope's spectral signature, and then using it to orient itself.

squiggsy · Jan 7, 2016

CMDR GTR2014 said:
i think theres a hint

somewhere in the nebula we will find it, right now the only people that i think can get us a hint would be the "outta fuel" explorers.... thats what i will be doing right now...

Yeah I feel like there is more information in game actually that will narrow it down a lot for us, I fail to believe MB think's well find them with just "in the Pleiades" as a hint. I mean, we probably will find it, but its going to get boring eventually.
So Mr. Brookes could you possibly at least confirm whether there is more in game information we have yet to find pertaining to more specific barnacle locations?
because if so I think you've hidden it a bit TOO well

John Stoutbeard · Jan 7, 2016

No no no, we already got enough clues.
Please allow us to search, this is part of the gameplay for some of us.

CMDR GTR2014 · Jan 7, 2016

Panzertard said:
No no no, we already got enough clues.
Please allow us to search, this is part of the gameplay for some of us.

i think there will be a clue IN GAME somewhere

MadDogMurdock · Jan 7, 2016

Even narrowed down to the nebula, this is still pretty frustrating.
Several hours on one planet and I've barely covered a fraction of it, and with no surface mapping there's no systematic way to do it.

You could put every commander with a ship and SRV there and still not find it.

squiggsy · Jan 7, 2016

CMDR GTR2014 said:
i think there will be a clue IN GAME somewhere

exactly that's what I'm thinking that's all I'm asking, is a yes or not as to whether there is because I find it hard to believe there isn't the information in game. Funnily enough though it's just as much of a mammoth task to try and figure out where that information is as it is to figure out where the barnacles are

Allant Doran · Jan 7, 2016

I genuinely think people are overthinking this.

We know they are in the Pleides, thanks to Michael Brookes. So what SUPER PROMINENT directions have we been given within that nebula for months? The UAs.

I think if we all focus are efforts on the moons of Merope we will find something. It will be rare to find but that is literally the system we have been pointed to all along. I sincerely believe it is there we will find something.

Lumpus · Jan 7, 2016

How is it that kerrash told us to get together and use lat/long and we are already saying every commander in an arc wouldn't find it?

ATrifleMiffed · Jan 7, 2016

Hello, casual explorer here. I just received a mission from Watts Installation in 63 G. Capricorni to look for those meta-alloys. They're offering almost half a million for one meta-alloy, and the mission text talked about them being needed for a breakthrough in the mission-giver's research. I suspect the mission might end up spawning them if I look in the right place, so tomorrow I'm kitting out a cheap explorer and heading out to the Pleiades. I haven't been following the thread all that closely, but I suspect they might appear in a PoI after all, under the right conditions.

Screenshot of the mission:

B3D7139DB2E47BF01F0CEAEE6DAB7C89BD5EB6BF

Colonel Kenney · Jan 7, 2016

MadDogMurdock said:
Even narrowed down to the nebula, this is still pretty frustrating.
Several hours on one planet and I've barely covered a fraction of it, and with no surface mapping there's no systematic way to do it.

You could put every commander with a ship and SRV there and still not find it.

If I could give you rep again I would

I think it would work if the actual sensors were useful. Very much like the post that someone made showing how the POI's should be mapped out on the planetary map.

Personally I think POI's shouldn't be minerals, meteorites or outcrops... we should just continue to let them be random and use the wave scanner. Only make POI's man made or unusual readings. Make it detectable from orbital cruise .. and color coordinate the types. Make anything static and very large one color, unknown and random types other colors and allow us to narrow down the 10km wide circle by landing and using the wave scanner.

Allant Doran · Jan 7, 2016

Epicthetrumble said:
Hello, casual explorer here. I just received a mission from Watts Installation in 63 G. Capricorni to look for those meta-alloys. They're offering almost half a million for one meta-alloy, and the mission text talked about them being needed for a breakthrough in the mission-giver's research. I suspect the mission might end up spawning them if I look in the right place, so tomorrow I'm kitting out a cheap explorer and heading out to the Pleiades. I haven't been following the thread all that closely, but I suspect they might appear in a PoI after all, under the right conditions.

Screenshot of the mission:

I highly recommend Merope as a starting point as that is where the UAs have been pointing all along. Given that we still haven't found out why, them pointing to the system location of the barnacles is the best bet we have right now.

Colonel Kenney · Jan 7, 2016

Epicthetrumble said:
Hello, casual explorer here. I just received a mission from Watts Installation in 63 G. Capricorni to look for those meta-alloys. They're offering almost half a million for one meta-alloy, and the mission text talked about them being needed for a breakthrough in the mission-giver's research. I suspect the mission might end up spawning them if I look in the right place, so tomorrow I'm kitting out a cheap explorer and heading out to the Pleiades. I haven't been following the thread all that closely, but I suspect they might appear in a PoI after all, under the right conditions.

Screenshot of the mission:

http://images.akamai.steamuserconte...046/B3D7139DB2E47BF01F0CEAEE6DAB7C89BD5EB6BF/

1 alloy is worth way more than .5 million.. I'm willing to bet someone would give you billions to be the first to find one

Ruashua · Jan 7, 2016

Drop UA's on that tea settlement, or has that already been done?

yoda711 · Jan 7, 2016

Do any of the 3rd party tools track historical supply/demand numbers for station markets? I know eddb.io shows a historical plot of price, but I don't see a way to do the same thing with supply/demand. I'm thinking maybe we can find out which resources Obsidian is "burning through" to keep it operating... Specifically looking for a commodity that has a spike in demand.

EAGLE 5 · Jan 7, 2016

Epicthetrumble said:
Hello, casual explorer here. I just received a mission from Watts Installation in 63 G. Capricorni to look for those meta-alloys. They're offering almost half a million for one meta-alloy, and the mission text talked about them being needed for a breakthrough in the mission-giver's research. I suspect the mission might end up spawning them if I look in the right place, so tomorrow I'm kitting out a cheap explorer and heading out to the Pleiades. I haven't been following the thread all that closely, but I suspect they might appear in a PoI after all, under the right conditions.

Screenshot of the mission:

http://images.akamai.steamuserconte...046/B3D7139DB2E47BF01F0CEAEE6DAB7C89BD5EB6BF/

I think there may be a hint right there on the mission screen.

I may be way out of left field on this one but the target is...... a planet.... not a moon.

This goes back to what I said earlier when talking tidally locked "planets" not moons because planets in systems with one star will always have one side facing away from the star unlike moons which could turn their back to the sun if the planet they orbit is in the right spot in its orbit.

I think when I get home I'll start combing for standalone planets in the pleiades region that are in a one star system preferably tidally locked ones.

squiggsy · Jan 7, 2016

Colonel Kenney said:
If I could give you rep again I would

I think it would work if the actual sensors were useful. Very much like the post that someone made showing how the POI's should be mapped out on the planetary map.

Personally I think POI's shouldn't be minerals, meteorites or outcrops... we should just continue to let them be random and use the wave scanner. Only make POI's man made or unusual readings. Make it detectable from orbital cruise .. and color coordinate the types. Make anything static and very large one color, unknown and random types other colors and allow us to narrow down the 10km wide circle by landing and using the wave scanner.

POI's ARE only for man made things, mineral, meteorites and outcrops DO only show up on the wave scanner

ATrifleMiffed · Jan 7, 2016

Allant Doran said:
I highly recommend Merope as a starting point as that is where the UAs have been pointing all along. Given that we still haven't found out why, them pointing to the system location of the barnacles is the best bet we have right now.

Roger that, I'll start looking there. I don't suppose 63 G. Capricorni might have something to do with the whole UA and alloy thing lore-wise? I highly doubt this is the sort of thing that'd just pop up randomly at the background sim's whim.

Edit:

I may be way out of left field on this one but the target is...... a planet.... not a moon.

AFAIK all moons apart from THE Moon (aka Luna) are considered planets by the game, presumably due to Stellar Forge not really caring about the relevant IAU definitions.

yoda711 · Jan 7, 2016

Colonel Kenney said:
Personally I think POI's shouldn't be minerals, meteorites or outcrops... we should just continue to let them be random and use the wave scanner. Only make POI's man made or unusual readings. Make it detectable from orbital cruise .. and color coordinate the types. Make anything static and very large one color, unknown and random types other colors and allow us to narrow down the 10km wide circle by landing and using the wave scanner.

POI's always indicate something artificial. Sometimes it's just cargo canisters or something small, but if you're only seeing minerals and rocks inside a blue circle, you haven't found "the POI."