Buckyball Racing Club presents: The Art of Pandemonium! (15-23 January)

[cookiehole]

That looks a lot like the little b*gg*r that dropped me on my Token Ring run! (I was too busy shouting COME ON!, spamming boost and staring at the FSD countdown as it painfully ground its way back down to zero to actually take note of where I was at the time).

My attempts on the Black Sheep today gave me the opportunity to take another one (ok, this time it may have been my fault, right in the center with 10c). Also I might be Lakon's most active repeat client for the Type 6.
At least I got one run in, again with some time lost to that earthlike and to the second of the insurance screens. I should definetly practice flying a bit, I know even less what I'm doing than in previous runs this time.

Spoiler

 

[Orange Sheets]

Been waiting the whole day to be able to race! And now I don't feel like it anymore, after the first attempt for proper time with Viper. That darn oversteer and the fact that the ship is 100% cop magnet.

Oh and did the extra-challenge: turned off life support. D-classes 7,5 minutes is plenty. Even on the longest bit, no sweat. Makes the sounds great too. Helps to get focused on the racing mood. Try it!

On the approach to Radian V (the 2000+ ls one) naturally got interdicted by navy cutter just 10Mkm from station. Of course. Naturally. If it's not the pirates, then it's the cops. Is it the ships I fly, or just me?

On approach to Lambada pad I overshot it, overhost it again, touchdowned and on launch saw that this was the easiest pad to launch from. Aligned, saw ship coming towards me, so may have made a slight mis-adjustment as I hit the boost button. Boost engaged at the precise moment when I hit the edge of the slot.

Good bye 'Pinkie Torpedo', hello insurance-replaced 'Squeeze My Viper'. Completed the run anyways (thanks to the previous Cookiehole Ruling), and probably will be down there at the bottom of the board.

(Video of the best bit coming up.)

 

[furrycat]

AkenBosch on the course!
A T9 in the slot!
AkenBosch not on the course!
[video=youtube;xC5dwZ7Fnu8]https://youtu.be/xC5dwZ7Fnu8[/video]

 

[AkenBosch]

This has been a most troubled evening, every attempt where I didn't screw anything has been plagued by all kinds of bug or other unplanned delay...the only good sidey run I was making (steadily behind furrycat's trail) has been thrown in the bin by a UI bug at the very last stop before returning to Pandemonium (time submitted anyway, even with more than three minutes between closing and returning to the game)...the one just before, stopped at the first stop by a stuck "Docking Request" bug...attempted a Cobra run again, one stuck exiting frameshift, the last one slowed first by an obscured target, then completely wasted by the umpteenth patrol interdiction...pretty sure my neighbour heard my ragequit quite clearly!

But in all of this...this moment and this video made my day, thank you a lot furrycat for allowing me to see my blazing death from the outside.

Does it count as an out of body experience?

(as usual, the rep tank must be leaking from below, take some virtual one until it's replenished for good)

 

[cookiehole]

This has been a most troubled evening, every attempt where I didn't screw anything has been plagued by all kinds of bug or other unplanned delay...

I feel like there are much more bugs and server issues plaguing me in this race than in any of the previous events too, and I had quite a few moments where I was just short of pressing the reset button of my pc aswell.
It shouldn't really be a period of galactic instability now, but it seems that all the 2.x builds have messed up much of the stuff that's important for racing (and fuelratting too).

 

[AkenBosch]

The UI bug is a pesky one in particular, hoping they'll get rid of it in one of their next builds...I've also experienced several freezing and CTD's while financing my racing expenses in RES...still, I've no excuses for all the failed attempts where the glitch was between the chair and the joystick.

On a side note...they should really paint all those T9's in yellow and glowing pink stripes...they have this bad habit of blending with the background and suddenly come out of the black right at the slot...

 

[Esvandiary]

The race is on...

One new entry in the Short Circuit's unlimited class today, with Orange Sheets sailing the newly-minted Squeeze My Viper neatly in front of my Corvette. For now, I will resist the urge to squeeze it...

In the Sidewinder Challenge we've had an entry from Aken B., who has been marred by technical glitches all over the place. My personal theory is that the cookiebots have infected Aken's ship, preventing him from completing a clean run. Either way, he's temporarily propping up the board for now!
The same cannot be said for furrycat, who has improved his time to slipstream ever closer to Cookiehole's top spot. Is the cat just playing with its food, or will the cookie tough it out? Three days to find out!

Over in the Black Sheep, we have a couple of surprises. First up, Cookiehole has completed a run that doesn't put him in the lead; perhaps he's mortal after all!
Further up the board, one of our latest members Kastar has catapulted himself straight into second place in the highly affordable Volvo Pls. With her pilot already scheming on how to shave some more time off and apparently prepped for another run, we could be seeing more from this little Hauler!

Finally, over in the Token Ring Alec Turner has made up for being dethroned elsewhere by sending The Fokkest Uppest flying past Cookiehole's Trusty Trader into the lead. With rumours of other pilots honing their skills ready for this run, it looks like the longest of the routes could continue heating up as we head towards the weekend.

Finally, in the Staging Area we've gained Terrorsidic, ready to compete in the Asp Explorer Asp and the Sidewinder Sidewinder. Excellent naming convention I say, very easy to remember. (Lookin' at you, Xiao Xiong Mao )

Now, what will today bring?

 

[Makc]

CMDR Real Life interdicted my plans the last day or so, but I had another shot at the Sidewinder Challenge tonight. Mid-race my navigator checked the structural integrity of the door frame with his lower lip. The importance of knowing where your towel is should be predicated by "not around the feet" and as the resident "not afraid of blood" guy, duty called. I will take another shot tonight when the nav gets bunked down. He's a trooper.

Pre-doorpocalypse, I was dropping in at Acquired Taste and saw a brief altercation where the party of the first part vehemently opposed the stalwart defense of the party of the second part; court was then adjourned.

[video=youtube_share;KXnL4InaL8o]https://youtu.be/KXnL4InaL8o[/video]

EDIT: No luck tonight. Missed the first loop on Radian V, and then dropped with a connection error on the second. "Yeah, we're just going to scrub this for you. Try again tomorrow." - the server. Ok .

 

[furrycat]

I feel like there are much more bugs and server issues plaguing me in this race than in any of the previous events too, and I had quite a few moments where I was just short of pressing the reset button of my pc aswell.

It's frustrating on an intellectual level knowing that there's a jump to be saved if only the 10% refuel button worked. That frustration is tempered slightly by the knowledge that cookiehole would save the same jump and thus still be ahead in the race - but only slightly.

An excellent start to a run this morning was wasted when my builders, who I thought were not doing any work today, showed up and wanted to chat about the work they did indeed have lined up, just as I was approaching Big Harry's.

 

[Alec Turner]

Finally, over in the Token Ring Alec Turner has made up for being dethroned elsewhere by sending The Fokkest Uppest flying past Cookiehole's Trusty Trader into the lead.

Wooo hooo!

Spent the entire morning attempting to better my Black Sheep time but was clearly distracted by the above news and kept making rookie mistakes such as (but not limited to) ...

- forgetting to plot route
- forgetting to engage hyperdrive
- forgetting to point at targeted star
- forgetting to check scanner and evade interdiction
- forgetting how to planetary brake
- forgetting to deploy landing gear

Oh, and I flew right through the heart of Kvenland's second star and nearly melted my new bobblehead ...

[video=youtube;QnTb0M9kp1o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnTb0M9kp1o[/video]

P.S. interesting fact - I once traced my family tree back to 160AD and it turns out I'm a direct descendant of Fornjotur, King of Kvenland!

Edit ..

Further up the board, one of our latest members Kastar has catapulted himself straight into second place in the highly affordable Volvo Pls.

Hang on ... what? who? how? welcome to the BRC.

 

[racer1]

I managed another sidey run last night. First attempt aborted due to early SC drop. Second attempt was going well until I messed up my fuel stop and had to make another one

Only shaved 5 mins off my first/exploratory run.

Will submit my results later.

I'm heading back off on DWE now as I want to join them at WP5 11kly away on the 31st and have a lot on in RL between now and then, plus jump range of 22.8ly.

See you all in May lol.

 

[AkenBosch]

Going to try my luck in The Black Sheep course as soon as I can.

Ship name: Bucket Of Bolts
Ship type: Diamondback Explorer
Class: The Black Sheep

And another shot at the Sidewinder challenge will be mandatory, after the unpleasant outcome of yesterday...

 

[superflyguy]

After a rather poor landing on a 2g world my battered hull is back in the bubble! I'd journeyed out to around 5kylies and spent most of yesterday's game time blasting back to the bubble - a little over 2 hours of corona surfing fun. I am very tempted to have one more blast around the Black Sheep before I go back to the Lagoon.. and beyond. this time taking more care and trying harder to remember that DW is NOT a Buckyball!

fly sparky
<-lightspeed->

 

[Alec Turner]

I am very tempted to have one more blast around the Black Sheep before I go back to the Lagoon.. and beyond.

You don't want to do any more racing, you want to go to the lagoon nebula ...

[video=youtube;olwfIBnis5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olwfIBnis5g[/video]

... these aren't the droids you're looking for!

 

[furrycat]

We have two more races back-to-back after this one. Truly it is a golden age of Buckyballing.

To miss out would be a shame. More so when your SRV spontaneously combusts 50kLy from home.

 

[Kastar]

Well, first complete run done - and only two ships lost in the process! (I've learned lessons about trying to maneuver while boosting out the slot)

I'm pretty sure I can improve my time here and there, so be careful Raiko - I'm coming for that top spot!

I wasn't anticipating how long the Token Ring would take, so I think I'll leave that until later.

Kastar

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

You don't want to do any more racing, you want to go to the lagoon nebula ...

Oh, I suspect several of us will be making that and similar runs in the next couple of days - myself included. The only thing is... debating doing the touristy thing and joining the expedition, or just heading off on my own and seeing how fast I can make it. And, right now, I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

[Kerenn]

Oh, I suspect several of us will be making that and similar runs in the next couple of days - myself included. The only thing is... debating doing the touristy thing and joining the expedition, or just heading off on my own and seeing how fast I can make it. And, right now, I'm leaning toward the latter.

You're looking at 22h minimum, 30 hours more likely.
Yes, This Is a challenge >

 

[superflyguy]

......... Truly it is a golden age of Buckyballing.......

Distant Worlds can wait. I can always catch them up at Sagittarius A* and make that my 'Challenge' entry. (not that RL will allow me 12 straight hrs of game time)


flying fast
<-lightspeed->

 

[freedom4556]

As much as it saddens me, I'm going to have to drop out of this one. Real life work commitments have conspired against me, and I won't be able to get my run in on-time.

See you in out there CMDRs. o7