UAs, Barnacles & More Thread 6 - The Canonn

[Yaffle]

Welcome to the new Unknown Artifact (or artefact) thread!

The old one reached an event horizon where the forums would no longer cope with it, so we have a lovely new thread for you with plenty of room.

The first thread is here - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038, the second is here https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998, the third here https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726 the fourth here - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=195658, and the fifth here - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=222049

There is also wiki - http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Unknown_Artefact and a whole website at http://canonn.science/

Now over to rizal72 who will be your host, and who chose the title. So blame him. I'd have gone for Hotel California myself...


yes it's spelled canonn here, as a nod to Arcanonn who started this...

 

[rizal72]

:NOTE:
Everything that is UNDERLINED is a link.

BREAKING NEWS (most recent on top)

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Barnacles found in Witch's Head Nebula as well!

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First Barnacle found outside Pleiades Nebula: in California Nebula!

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BARNACLES STATUS UPDATE, LINK TO THE CANONN SITE.

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During the 2.1 launch AMA, David Braben said: "Barnacles are genetically engineered based on an earlier life form... ;-)"

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Meta Alloys are officially the cure to the Station's plague:
META-ALLOYS CURED OBSIDIAN ORBITAL!!!
An updated list of all the STATIONS INFECTED BY THE UA PLAGUE, from Galnet.

**********************************
Strange unknown ships are being reported at Obsidian Orbital, according to the latest Galnet news:
a DBX with an unknown signature (s6: 7) has being spotted while trying to scan the Station itself.
CMDR AluminiumAlloy spotted a DBX named s8: 9 in a distress call signal source, hoax? (HERE)

**********************************
BARNACLES HAVE BEEN FOUND (read the Synopsis below for details: credits to CMDR Octo86).

• >>>CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED SPREADSHEET WITH ALL THE LOCATIONS<<< (Courtesy of NetSlayer)
  Submit your Barnacles coordinates by filling THIS FORM, and SEE HERE for further details.
• >>>CMDR ENTIM is building AN AMAZING SITE to provide visual 3D representation to the UA Shell and Barnacle sites!<<<
• A Spreadsheet to record all the other Nebulas being scoured > submit your data here (Courtesy of M. Volgrand)
• A Spreadsheet to keep a database of the Barnacles Audio/Video recordings > submit your data here (Courtesy of M. Volgrand)
• Barnacles - A chemical Analysis (Courtesy of DMAster)

**********************************

OTHER NEWS:
A new exhibition of Simulacrae's masterpieces, titled "Outdated Research Archive", was just opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Varati. COME VISIT IT CLICKING HERE!

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SHORT SYNOPSIS (For a more detailed one see post #3)

• Previously, Unknown Artifacts (UAs for short) were discovered pointing towards the star Merope in the Pleiades Nebula (Pleiades are also known as The Seven Sisters). Currently they can be found in systems that are between 135 and 150 Ly from Merope, with Merope being the center of what we now call "The Shell".
  If deployed INSIDE Merope System, the UA keeps pointing to the center of the star itself. The UA scans your ship and, using morse code, it makes a rough drawing of it. If deployed from SRV it morses the name of the Planet and it does not decay like it does if deployed from Ship. (see post #3 for details on UA)
• There are strong suspicions that, selling huge UAs quantities to Stations' Black Markets, causes them to shut down eventually.
• To facilitate exploration, a station (Obsidian Orbital), was built in Maia for explorers to have a safe place to refuel and repair.
• Even Prof. Palin (the official in-game UA researcher) has issued the urge to build a brand new research outpost on Maia B1BA: a CG was set up for that, and completed. We are still waiting for the Outpost to show up.
• With the launch of Horizons, the latest things to hunt are the so-called Barnacles. They have been discovered RECENTLY!
  We believe UA and Barnacles are somehow linked. (see BELOW for details on Barnacles)
• Michael Brookes confirmed that Barnacles could be found in some exceedingly rare random POIs, with a preference for Nebulae. He also confirmed that a few have been manually placed in the Pleiades Nebula, as persistent POIs. Persistent POIs could not be visible on Sensors and Scanners, so spotting them visually could be a thing. They are not visible at Orbital Heights.
• FIRST BARNACLE FOUND ON MEROPE 5C (reference). Thanks to a GalNet post, others have been found later in other locations.
• Some unknown use of Meta-Alloys seems to have cured Obsidian Orbital from the malfunctions.
• Prof Palin issued a CG with the purpose of studying Meta-Alloys properties.

Michael Brookes recent COMMENTS/HINTS about Barnacles/Meta-Alloys
*For easy reading, now in reversed order: MOST RECENT FIRST!

Spoiler

22/06/2016 3:02 PM
About Jaques Station vanishing:

Jaques being stuffed with UAs didn't help his jump attempt

Michael

08/02/2016 5:18 PM
Q: So my question is why do the UA's point us to Merope, should they have been pointing to Pleiades Sector JC-U b3-2 1 ?

They are pointing where they are supposed to.

Michael

27/01/2016 6:57 PM

It looks like we've figured out what's causing barnacles (and other surface goodies) not appearing consistently and there should be an update with this fix early next week.

Michael

22/01/2016 10:28 AM
Q: about taking meta-alloys to Palin or not: is the story somehow written already?

That's not true, it would continue, but along another path.

Michael

19/01/2016 12:46 PM
*About his previous comment:

I'm afraid not - the nebula that they can be found in relates to their origin and I can't talk about that.

Michael

*he corrected himself:

I meant nebulae.

Michael

13/01/2016 7:16 PM

One of the POIs appears to be a bit crashy, but it's not the barnacle - not that we've seen from the crash reports so far at any rate.

Michael

14/01/2016 6:31 PM
Q:Now that one has been found, can you be a little more candid with your responses?
What other nebulae are they found in? And is Lagoon nebula one of those nebulae?

I'm afraid not - the nebula that they can be found in relates to their origin and I can't talk about that.

Michael

12/01/2016 5:51 PM
Q: Maybe could this mean that they only spawn when you're in a SRV? If that person who said they found one and died on Pleione 6 is telling the trust.

They can spawn in either.


Michael

12/01/2016 10:46 AM

The barnacles are too small to be noticeable at orbital height.


Michael

12/01/2016 5:12 PM
Q: But the fact that these barnacles can be found in other nebulae, that more than one location has been hand placed, etc. proves that the UAs are not pointing at Merope because of the barnacles. The barnacles are another clue in the big puzzle, not the end of the puzzle. There is still no logical reason to focus the barnacle search in Merope. Every landable planet in the Pleiades has just as much chance of containing the hand placed fixed POI as the planets in Merope, and Merope has already been searched the most.

This is good thinking.


Michael

11/01/2015 6:09 PM
Q: When you say "placed", do you mean that if you show up in that particular place you are 100% sure to see one, or is there still a random element to whether it will actually appear or not when you arrive?

You are guaranteed to find them if you are in the right location.


Michael

11/01/2015 4:31 PM
Q: Mike already hinted at plural in an earlier post. Its not specifically Seven Sisters.

True - although I know for certain that there are some placed in that nebula.


Michael

11/01/2015 3:39 PM
Q: Yeah, he did actually say meta-alloys were "exceedingly rare" towards the end of the last thread. People then started pointing out how similar his wording was to a post he made when UAs were first introduced.

I did indeed say they are exceedingly rare - much rarer than UAs. ALthough unlike the UAs there are some that have been physically placed by us, although they are generated in certain areas of space.


Michael

11/01/2015 1:38 PM
Q:What if that was a barnacle, but there was just nothing interesting about it? Maybe we've found what we were looking for this whole time and it was so underwhelming we just ignored it and kept looking?

I think you'll notice one if you're nearby.


And to those asking why nebulae - it's quite logical if you think about it


Michael

08/01/2016, 10:59 AM
Q: MB also said that Barnacles are randomly found although some have been placed in certain systems.

This is correct.




Michael

07/01/2016, 6:41 PM
Q: @MB Question, say that if the Explorers on the PC find these 'Barnacles' and said Barnacles have a certain effect on the Galaxy/ED itself.
Will that effect transfer to the connected universe on Xbox?

It's the same galaxy on the Xbox One as PC and Mac.




Michael

07/01/2016, 6:26 PM
Q: @MB as your about at the mo could you clear something up for me please.
When a player submits a Galnet post what is the criteria for getting one on.
does it have to be just well written or does it have to be something that will not take us in the wrong direction? or both?

Well written helps, not contradicting the fiction is also required and sometimes the story just doesn't fit.




I'm not going to comment on specific stories.




Michael

07/01/2016, 6:08 PM
Q: I would focus search on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celaeno - Note Cuthulu. MB is rather fond of Lovecraft's works.....

I didn't place them




Michael

07/01/2016, 4:15 PM
Q: Does it make a differance whether one looks in Open, Private Group, or Solo modes?

No.




Michael

07/01/2016, 2:58 PM
Q: Barnacles grow on rocks, so have you tried planetary rings and asteroid belts? In particular around planets with no atmosphere?

There's no landing on asteroids, so you wouldn't be able to collect it.




Michael

07/01/2016, 1:11 PM
Q: Thanks Michael, we appreciate narrowing the search.
I think for the purposes of continuity and those who don't follow the forums it'd be useful if this snippet of info was revealed in game through a Galnet article.

It'll be newsworthy when someone discovers them




Michael

07/01/2016, 12:08 PM

Nebulae are good places to look, especially the one with the seven sisters in it.




Michael

07/01/2016, 11:58 AM

Would you be interested in knowing a region of space that is likely to contain barnacles?




Michael

05/01/2016, 6:15 PM
Q: Soo, does this mean we don't need the mission to find them?
Or any other special requirements (like an UA in the cargohold)?

No mission needed.




Michael

05/01/2016, 5:30 PM
Q: Unfortunately the article on galnet was written by a player so it still most likely is just lazy POI placement.

Not really, some are randomly generated, but others have been specifically placed to be found.




Michael

05/01/2016, 3:48 PM
Q: Which released version though? Vanilla or Horizons.

Horizons.




Michael

05/01/2016, 10:31 AM
Canonn 4 - Meta-alloys

I can confirm that the meta-alloys can be found in the released version of the game.




Michael

05/01/2016, 10:39 AM

I can confirm that meta-alloys can be found in the released version of the game.




Michael

04/01/2016, 1:53 PM
Q: FD - Are Meta-Alloys bugged?

They are exceedingly rare and should be working - however I am getting that double checked, just to be sure.
Michael

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BARNACLES AND META-ALLOYS

In-game description:
Meta-alloys have a complex lattice structure with large internal voids. They are cellular in nature, and formed organically. They are incredibly strong - much stronger than foamed aluminium for example. Many elements form the structure so technically they are alloys, but the composition is different in different parts of the cell walls for strength. They are good thermal insulators, and have a high melting point, but if they are melted they lose all their special properties and become a conventional alloy. They are easily machined, but as yet cannot be manufactured, only found in space. They are associated with recently discovered alien entities nicknamed 'Large Barnacles' by interstellar explorers. These appear to be common in certain parts of space, although no-one is certain why. This material has been heralded as the next step in materials technology. It is ultra-light and stronger and more versatile than most commercially available alloys.

The official canonn.science article about the Barnacles: everything you need to know.

Barnacle's image:

Spoiler

So, now that we have found them, here some TRUE SCIENCE! (Thanks to locastan):

Spoiler

Spoiler

And this more recent analysis, always from locastan:

Spoiler

[IMGUR]4Xbwo[/IMGUR]

Here's a nice recap + some clever speculations (Courtesy of Turjan):

Spoiler

The spikes are a wonderful mashup of visual design elements : texture like mussels growing on a worn pier support -

- but when you see the 'mussels' up close, they're not sea creatures at all, they're fruits!
The 'unripe' ones look like cocoa pods growing from a tree trunk, but as they ripen, they look more like cape gooseberries (physalis) wating to open.

The skin of the pod is more like snakeskin though - not unlike the salak fruit in fact -

It's clear the metal-bearing pods ripen as the 'tree' grows, and the ripe pod contains meta-alloys.

Which leaves the barnacle - what is its purpose?
I believe it's a combination of hopper and control centre. First, the barnacle is planted, then it causes trees to sprout around it. The trees mine metals, refine them, then combine them in the fruit pods.

Finally, the barnacle collects the ripe meta-alloy fruits and stores them in the armoured central structure, waiting for the farmer to return and collect the harvest.

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BARNACLE FACTS

Obsidian Ant's video about the Barnacles:

Spoiler

[video=youtube;ZgjEpliAj6E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgjEpliAj6E[/video]

• According to MB, they have a preference for Nebulae.
  A local Nebulae map:
  
  Spoiler

  
• They are being found close to crashed ships sites.
• They seem to prefer those standing-out colored area (yellow, green, red) common on some planets (Mineral deposits?).
  See for reference:
  Spoiler

  
• So far, They seem to like Low-G Planets, whose temperature is between 194 K (-79.15 C) and 379 K (105.85 C).
• They do not produce a POI circle on the ship scanner, so far, so they have to be spotted by eye.
• here is how they show on the SRV Wave Scanner:
  
  Spoiler

  
• They are made by a central structure, very Earth Barnacle-like, plus 17 spikes around it, with glowing green seeds/pods attached to them.
• The central structure has a very peculiar SYMBOL marked on it: some are speculating it represents the Barnard's Loop, others are speculating it could represent the Large Magellanic Cloud. But The Pleiades Nebula viewed from a particular angle could be the easier guess.
  
  Spoiler

  
• Looking inside the central structure a pattern made of some green patches can be seen:
  
  Spoiler

  
• Two of the 17 spikes hold a Meta-Alloys seed: shooting them they release a maximum of two Meta-Alloys "pods/seeds".
• The other spikes release any kind of materials included the very rare ones (Detailed Chemical Analysis).
• They emit very weird sounds, some of them VERY SIMILAR TO THE UA, the purrs are exactly the SAME: and when sped up we can hear the same Tuba Notes we already heard on the UA:
  
  Spoiler

  [video=youtube;OEhgTFPx3lw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=81&v=OEhgTFPx3lw[/video]
• They emit a RUMBLING SOUND like something is happening underground, below them.
• The central structure and the two Meta-Alloys spikes, produce a green cloud/smoke very similar to the UA.
• The central structure and the two Meta-Alloys spikes, produce the same sparkles/fireflies as the UA.
• THERE IS NO MORSE in the Barnacle's sound as far as I can hear.
• Deploying an UA close to a Barnacle doesn't seem to have any effect.
• In the crashed Anaconda site, some crates were found: they had some mysterious company name written on them:
  CAINE-MASSEY, could it be associated with the C shaped symbol seen on the Barnacles:
  
  Spoiler

  
  Anyway, those crates are present in any anaconda crash site found so far, so it's highly unlikely that they could be somehow linked to the Barnacles.

BARNACLE UNKNOWNS

• Everything else

BARNACLE AND UA CONNECTIONS

• Barnacle's Low Purrs are IDENTICAL to a free floater's.
• The blue fireflies effect is almost the same.
• The green cloud/smoke is very similar.
• The green markings on the central structure have similarities with the mayan like markings on the UA pods.
• Meta-Alloys seem to heal the troubled Stations (Prof. Palin confirmed that UAs are causing the malfunctions).

THEORIES

• Barnacles could be an Alien version of our Mining Facilities/Extraction outposts, with meta-alloys being a product of their mining activity. They collect standard material to produce Meta-Alloys.
• The UA could be produced by them, then sent to space, to look for other places to colonize/reproduce: a Probe/incubator then.
• Tinfoil WARNING: The Barnacles could have been "sent" in various Nebulae by their "creators": but each nebula could have a different Barnacle MARKING, depicting that nebula viewed from their creators' HomeWorld.
  Finding more nebulae, and using their unique Barnacles Marking, we could be able to triangulate their HomeWorld location.
• Barnacles could be an evolution of the UA, another stage of it.

DISPROVED

• Shooting a barnacle with beams, makes it glow suspiciously
  DISPROVED HERE by Jmanis.
• Barnacles purrs could contain "binary" morse code
  DISPROVED HERE by Badben.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE BARNACLES SOUND
An interesting analysis from bitstorm:

Spoiler

Well folks here we go again?

Give it a listen.

Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/bitstorm-1/merope-5c-large-barnacle-20

This is the Merope 5C barnacle audio at 20x.

Here is the original 12 minute version if anyone wants to play with it : https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8ck-2ELKOuLeEZjb3VzdXNqTkk

The purrs are perfectly regular, and they high/low.

Do we have another code?

I am transcribing this as : 0110110101011010011011001010100101010

It looks like it's a very similar pattern to the UA, in that there's never any triple repeat (we never figure out why).

We never decoded the UA purrs. And well it seems whatever pattern the UA is using, the barnacle in principle does the same.

it could be meaningless, I think we hit a dead end and felt that was the conclusion with the UA, but well maybe it's not. =p

THE META-ALLOYS MISSION (Courtesy of squiggsy)

Spoiler

It turns out the Strange Alloys mission is a lot more complex than I originally thought, after finding some Meta Alloys I got a message from the security forces of the system I recieved the mission in offering to pay me double to turn the meta alloys in to them:

Then, after completing this section of the mission it triggered another mission, which offered to pay a LOT more (I don't remember being offered this much for anything other than a smuggling mission before) the mission asked me to kill the person who originally gave me the mission:

I got this message after assassinating the target:

Then someone showed up shortly after who was listed as a mission target (an expert FDL), took him out and now nothing.
I have no received the 6 million reward so I assume it was bait to get me to accept, they never intended to pay me they just wanted to kill me once i'd served my purpose.

Anyway, CMDR Nydo_Horth, was able to complete the full mission rounds, being rewarded correctly.
FULL STORY HERE

Meta-Alloys mission - known systems (see HERE the related Thread)

Spoiler

-Shriver Platform - Ovid
-Baker's Prospect - Asellus Primus
-Nelson Works - Dahan x3
-Creamer Dock - Chias Vega
-Serling Town - Ngalia
-Herreshoff Prospect - Gliese 868
-Vittori's Progress - Theta Indi
-Laveykin Observatory - LHS 215 x2
-Drummond Installation - Tewi'xilak
-Carr Terminal - Meliae
-Paweiczyk Depot - Tegidana

NO RANK required.

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USEFUL TOOLS TO HUNT BARNACLES

System Map shots of the 16 systems in the Pleiades Nebula (Courtesy of Zenith)
The Spreadsheet with all the Planets and their datas for everyone to update (Courtesy of NetSlayer)
Another Spreadsheet with useful data on landable bodies inside the nebula (Courtesy of Kalearne)
A collection of all the signals on the Wave Scanner (Courtesy of CMDR Shellstrom)
A Spreadsheet to record all the other Nebulas being searched > submit your data here (Courtesy of M. Volgrand)
Barnacles - A Chemical Analysis (Courtesy of DMAster)

Most important stars in the Pleiades Nebula

Spoiler

Atlas - Class B + F - 3 of 6 planets are landable (high metal) - 1 landable moon(rocky) - good
Electra - Class B - 3 of 8 planets are landable (metal rich) - good
Maia - Class B + Black Hole - 1 of 12 planets are landable (high metal) - 26 of 36 moons are landable - good
Merope - Class B - 13 of 14 moons are landable (rocky) - good
Taygeta - Class B - 2 of 13 planets are landable (metal rich and high metal) - 9 of 17 moons are landable - good
Pleione - Class B - 2 of 11 planets are landable (metal rich and high metal) - 19 of 23 moons are landable - good

Alcyone - Class B - no planets found - discarded
Celaeno - Class B - no landable planets - discarded
Asterope - Class B + F + T - no planets found - discarded
Sterope II - Class A + F - no planets found - discarded
18 Tauri - Class B + A + G - no planets found - discarded

Official Canonn Discord channel for live chat (previous TeamSpeak Server has been shut down)

 

[rizal72]

THE UNKNOWN ARTEFACT (UA)

In-game description:
Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.

One of my imgur UA galleries, for reference:

Spoiler

[IMGUR]V99Xv[/IMGUR]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UA RESEARCH NOTES (Courtesy of RedWizzard, edited by RiZ@L72)

WHERE TO FIND A UA
Since 1.4 was released UAs can be found in systems that are between 135 and 150 Ly from Merope, with Merope being the center of what we now call "The Shell". There is a list of confirmed systems in the Canonn Scientific Data Archive: 1.4 UA Spawn Systems. In these systems a single UA will appear as salvage in most Strong Signal Sources. Usually a SSS will appear within a few minutes of arrival in the system but it has been known to take up to about 30 minutes. Our recommendation is that if you don’t find a UA (in a system that is the correct distance from Merope) within 10 minutes then try another system.
Prior to 1.4, salvage (aka “free-floating”) UAs could be found in systems near (or in) the Pleiades nebula, though they were much rarer than they are now. It would regularly take eight hours or longer to find a single UA. These salvage UAs were only confirmed in 1.3 but may have also existed in 1.2. Exactly which systems they appear in was difficult to determine due to their rarity. In both 1.2 and 1.3 UAs could also be found in heavily armed convoys found in SSS in systems in the bubble. These convoys were easily identified by the distinctive local comms chatter broadcast by the Type-9 carrying the UA.
UA carrying convoys have been recently sighted in Horizons, in system HIP 15609.
After 2.1 release, they now drop an Unknown Fragment (one of the 12 pods, to be precise), if blown-up.

WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN TO DO

Spoiler

• The first thing you may notice is that they scan your ship. This happens as soon as you close to within 1000m of the UA (which may happen as soon as you drop into the SSS).
• The UA will orient itself so the that the spherical/bulbous end points towards Merope system (and Merope star when inside the system). A UA that is bumped will reorient itself. There have been a small number of cases where a UA has been seen not oriented toward Merope; it is unknown whether this is significant behaviour or a bug.
• UAs broadcast a complex audio signal. Part of the signal has been decoded. It is a highly stylised Morse code transmission consisting of blocks of 6 letters. When each pair of letters is taken as coordinates and each block is interpreted as a triangle the resulting diagram is a primitive drawing of the just scanned (i.e. your) ship.
• When scooped you’ll notice that UAs are toxic cargo and cause damage to the internal components of your ship. If not mitigated they will corrode the cargo hatch to the point where it fails and then fall out. This damage increases if multiple UAs are carried.
• UAs are illegal throughout the bubble but can be sold at black markets.
• Free floater UAs do not decay and produce a very clear and neat sound: 1st Howl, morse chittering, 3 Purrs, 2nd Howl -> repeat. After an UA is scooped and then jettisoned again, it starts decaying and the sound becomes different in some parts: there is a loud high pitched Background noise, most probably linked to its decaying state, making the morse harder to spot, and the Purrs become 5/6. Near the UA end, around 10% health, the BG sound disappear, and the UA sound is again similar to the free floater's. Then the UA dies screaming, in a very peculiar explosion, showing some kind of very fast jet shooting from it, in the direction of its axis.
• If deployed from SRV it morses the name of the Planet and it does not decay like it does if deployed from Ship.
• After 2.1 release, they now drop an Unknown Fragment (one of the 12 pods, to be precise), if blown-up.

TIPS FOR OWNERSHIP

Spoiler

Generally a single UA is quite easy to care for, but you will have to be careful carrying more than a couple. The primary concern is the internal systems damage. Here are some tips to handle this:

• First and foremost keep an eye on your cargo hatch. If it fails in normal space you can usually recover any cargo that falls out, provided you notice. However if it fails in supercruise then you are out of luck.
• Carry one or more Auto Field-Maintenance Units. You need to keep your cargo hatch above 75-80% to prevent malfunctions.
• Carry some additional (less valuable) cargo so that if your cargo hatch does fail you won’t necessarily lose the UA.
• Have a lot of modules. The more modules in your ship, the more the damage will be spread out and the less your cargo hatch will suffer.
• If you’re travelling long distance, jump quickly. From the time you arrive in a system you have 30 seconds until the first damage occurs. If you can scoop fuel (if necessary), find your next destination, and get to the jump countdown before the damage triggers, then you will avoid all damage in that system and get a new 30 second window in the next system. UAs have successfully been taken to Sagittarius A* this way.
• If you’re carrying 3 or more UAs, you need to be lucky. More than two UAs hitting the cargo hatch simultaneously can cause it to malfunction even if it was at 100%.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HISTORY IN BRIEF

• Existence of the UAs was foreshadowed in the trailer for 1.2: the point-of-view character was allegedly transporting one to Leonard Nimoy Station in LHS 3006 (though note there were no signs of module degradation as would be expected if a UA was actually on board).
• Arcanonn (whose name “The Canonn” is derived from) started a thread about the various mysteries and hints that appeared around 1.2. The thread quickly focused on the UAs. Michael Brookes asked if we had “listened to them”.
• After much searching we managed to find UAs being carried by large, heavily armed convoys found in Strong Signal Sources in various systems. The Type-9 carrying the UA in these convoys broadcast unusual chat messages about the UA.
• The first UA was recovered from such a convoy in Timocani and we immediately noticed it’s odd appearance, the distortion and particle cloud effects, it’s unique audio, and the damage it does to internal systems (apparently identical to toxic waste canisters). Through most of 1.2 and 1.3 UAs were recovered from these convoys at a rate of about 1 per week or two.
• Much effort was spent trying to figure out if there was any sort of message to be found in the audio. Eventually (after 1.3 was released) it was confirmed that one of the audio components was Morse code for the name of the nearest celestial body.
• Towards the end of 1.3, right when a debate was going on about the Seven Marking on the UA being a possible hint to the Seven Sisters (The Pleiades), an XBox player found a UA floating as salvage in a SSS in HR 1185 (which is near the Pleiades nebula). It quickly became apparently that these “free-floating” UAs were much easier to find than the convoys. UAs were being recovered at a rate of one every day or so.
• The 1.4 beta revealed new behaviour which has been since confirmed in 1.4 proper: UAs in space now orient themselves to point towards Merope. If they are nudged they will quickly turn to realign themselves. They also scan ships that approach within 1000m.
• Near the end of the beta it was discovered that systems near Aries Dark Region GW-W d1-52 produce free-floating UAs at a much higher rate than previous seen. Typically a SSS containing a UA will be found in that system within minutes of arrival. This also occurs in 1.4 proper.
• A couple of Galnet articles announced the creation of a Federal research programme under Professor Ishmael Palin to investigate the UAs, and then the termination of said programme only days later. Apparently the Federation knows something about these things and isn’t interested in sharing. The Empire and the Alliance have both been suspiciously silent.
• In 1.4 we discovered that the Morse code broadcast by the UA had changed. Instead of a celestial body name it was a series of semi-random letters. The signals are coordinates defining 2D triangles that make up a crude line drawing of the ship that the UA just scanned.
• The systems known to spawn free-floating UAs have been found to form a shell around Merope, between 135 and 150 Ly from that system.
• Galnet reported technical difficulties plaguing first the Warkushanui system and then 49 Arietis as well. The articles suggest the UAs may be the cause though this is currently unconfirmed.
• Galnet reported that Professor Palin has restarted his research program independently of the Federation at Christian Dock in the Nganji system.
• A CG made a Station on the Pleiades a reality: Obsidian Orbital in Maia.
• Elite Dangerous: Horizons released. Something mysteryous and added in game.very Alien-like is briefly shown on the launch Trailer.
• Meta-Alloys are a new and very interesting commodity added in 2.0 - Barnacles are first mentioned in their description.
• Prof. Palin announced the wish to build a brand new research outpost on Maia B1BA
• UA carrying convoys sighted for the first time since 1.3, in system HIP 15609.
• Michael Brookes pops up in the fourth UA thread asking if we would like to have some hints on Barnacles location, being them “exceedingly rare”.
• Barnacles have been found in three Nebulas so far: Pleiades, California, Witch's Head.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS and USEFUL TOOLS

The MORSE

- The complete collection of the UA morse chittering alphabet

- The complete list of all the decoded signals for each ship (updated to 2.0, courtesy of myself ):

Spoiler

[B]Adder:[/B]
BTCQEQ BTEQFQ BTFQEU 
BTFQDV BTDVCV CQCNDM 
CQDMDQ DMHIMG DMGMDQ 
DQGMFQ EUFQHP EUHPKN 
EUKNPM EUPMIU EUIUGV 
EUGVDV FQGMHP GMHIJH 
GMJHNF GMNFPF GMPFJL 
GMJLKN HIIGJH PJLKN[B](N)[/B] 
IGLEMF IGMFJH IUPMQO 
JHNFNF JLPFPG JLPGSG 
JLSGKN KNSGPM PFQDPG 
PGQDSD PGSDSG PMSGVH 
PMVHVM PMVMQO SDTBSG 
SGTBTF SGTFVH VHXGVM 
VMXGYI XGYEYI 

[B]Anaconda:[/B]
NALBOB JGLBMG KIJGKM 
HPKMJS HTKSIW HWKSJZ 
JZKSMZ MTPZPS MZPSPZ 
KSNJLB LBOBNJ OBSPQS 
NJOBRT RSSTSV NJPSOZ 
SVQZPZ NJPSPLS 

[B]Asp:[/B]
AODJHM AOHMQT DJFIHM 
EHHHII EHIIFI FIIIHM 
HHJGKG HHKGNG HHNGMH 
HHMHII HMIILI HMLISR 
HMSRQT IIMHLI KFNGKG 
LIMHWQ LIWQUQ LIUQSR 
MHNGOG MHOGWQ OGVIZN 
OGZNYO [B](S)[/B]TSRST [B](U)[/B]RUQST 
STUQUR UQWQWR UQWRVS 
UQVSUR WQYOYP WQYPWR 

[B]Asp Scout:[/B]
AJGFGJ AJGJEK AJEKBL 
BLEKBM BMEKFL BMFLCO 
COFLHL COHLDR DRHLMP 
DRMPRU EKGJHL EKHJFL 
GFKFNI GFNIGJ GJNIHL 
HLNIMP KFOGNI MPNIRU 
NIOGTI NITIRU RUTIXQ 
RUXQVV

[B]Cobra:[/B]
FCAJBM FCHHBM FCLBHH 
BMHHHO LBHHQP HHHOQP 
[B]BM(LB)[/B]QPVL QPVLWP 

[B]Corvette:[/B]
AJHFAC BNDMCO CJHFFJ 
CJFJGK CJGKDM CODMTV 
DMGKHL DMHLIL DMILTU 
DMTUTV FJHFII FJIIGK 
GKIIJJ GKJJJK GKJKIL 
GKILHL HFMFII IIMFQI 
IIQIJJ ILJKTU JJQIJK 
JKQIWP JKWPZT JKZTWV 
JKWVTU MFNFQI QIXOWP


[B]Cutter:[/B]
AGBFBJ AGBJAH BFCGBJ 
BJCGCH BJCHCI BJCICJ 
CHGFCI CIGFHI CIHIGJ 
GENHKI GEKIJM GEJMHI 
GEHIGF GJHIJM JMKILJ 
JMLJML JMMLNP KINHLJ 
LJNHOI LJOINK LJNKML 
MLNKRO MLROPP MLPPNP 
NGOGQI NGQIOI NGOINH 
NKOIVP NKVPUP NKUPRO 
NPPPSS OIQIQJ OIQJVP 
PPROUQ PPUQTR PPTRWU 
PPWUSS QJVOVP ROUPUQ 
TRUQYU TRYUWU UPVPVQ 
UPVQUQ UQVQYU VOWPVP 
VPWPVQ VQWPYU WPYSYU

[B]DBS:[/B]
BUCQEV BUEVEX BUEXBW 
CQFNFR CQFREV EKIIGJ 
EVFRHT EVHTHV EVHVEX 
FNGKHL FNHLIO FNIOFR 
FRIOIQ FRIQHT GKIILM 
GKLMHL HLLMKM HLKMIO 
HTIQIT HTITIW HTIWHV 
HVIWHW IIMGNK IINKLM 
IOKMIQ IQKMIS ISKMLM 
ISLMMR ISMRMS ISMSIW 
IWMSLV LMNKON LMONMR 
MGTDSF MGSFRH MGRHNK 
MRONOP MROPMS MSOPPP 
MSPPPR NKRHPM NKPMON 
ONPMPO ONPOOP OPPOPP 
PMRHVK PMVKZP PMZPXS 
PMXSPO POXSPP PPXSPR 
RHSFVF RHVFYI RHYIYJ 
RHYJVK VFXEYI 

[B]DBX:[/B]
BOCMCQ BOCQCS BOCSBQ 
CMFKDO CMDOCQ CQDOFP 
CQFPGR CQGRCS DOFKGL 
DOGLHN DOHNFP FKHIGL 
FPHNJO FPJOJP FOJPGR 
GLHIKK GLKKHN GRJPJR 
HIMGKK HNKKNM HNNMJO 
JONMNN [B](J)[/B]ONNJP JPNNNP 
JPNPJR KKMGOI KKOINM 
MFPEOG MFOGOH MFOHMG 
MGOHOI NMOIPK NMPKPN 
NMPNNN NNPNOP NNOPNP 
OGPESE OGSEQI OGQIOH 
OHQIOI OIQIPK OPPNQO 
PEUDSE PKQIXI PKXIWK 
PKWKZN PKZNWQ PKWQQO 
QISEXI SEUDVE SEVEZH 
SEZHXI UDVCVE VEXEZH 
XEZDZH XIZHZI 

[B]Courier:[/B]
AQHLHM AQHLHM AQGOHO 
AQGOMO GKGJHL GKCKEJ 
BJCICK CIIGGJ IGKFLG 
JHLGKH GJKIMJ MJSHVK 
SHVIVK LLMJVK BRLLMO 
BRMOLQ LLVKMO LQMORP 
LQQRRP PTPVQU PTXPYR 
QUYRXP PVPVXS QUYQXS 
QRRPVQ RPUOVQ MOVKYM 
VKXJYM MOUOYM 

[B]Clipper:[/B]
AQBPDN ARFQGR CQDOEP 
DNKKHN FLNIGM FLFJNI 
FJFINI FIHHJH CICHDH 
CHFFDH DHFFIF FFIEIF 
HHIGJH KKRHRI KKRIMN 
MNRISJ FQMNGR GRMNLQ 
LQTLPP LQPPOR ORTLQS 
QSTMRS SSTMTT TMULUM 
URVSTT SVTUTV TUXRYS 
TUTVYS XRZSYS TVXUZS 

[B]Eagle:[/B]
CMCRKO DRKNMY KNLDMK 
LDMAOD ODMKQN MKMYQN 
MYQNXR QNXRXM 

[B]Dropships:[/B]
AOFKHK FKFIHK FIHHHK 
HKHHKI HHJGLI JGNGKH 
FMGKJN HKLIJN JNLIRH 
GNFQHO IPJNJP GTIPJT 
IPJNMS INNKMT MTNIYR 
NKZPYS NKRHZP 

[B]FdL:[/B]
ATKIJM KILGMI JMKINH 
NHPFOI OITIQJ TIVITJ 
VIXGWI UKUIWI UKWIWJ 
ROUJXL WLZMUO BUROWO 
BUIMTJ BUTKRO KLNNRJ 
NIQNQJ 

[B]Hauler:[/B]
ASAOHP AOEKHP DKKLAO 
DKJGHK JGKFLG JGNGHK 
NGRHHK RHKLHK RHSFTI 
RHRNKL TIVMZN VMSPRN 
KLRNFQ CSRNSP ASHPCS 

[B]Kellback:[/B]
BOCNCP BOCPBQ BQCPCR 
CNEMEO CNEOCP CPEOFQ 
CPFQFS CPFSCR EKGJGN 
EKGNEM EMGNEO EOGNHP 
EOHPFQ FQHPIP FQIPMS 
FQMSHS FQHSES GJJIIK 
GJIKIN GJINGN GNINHP 
HPINIP HSMSIT IKJIJK 
IKJKIN INJKJL INJLIP 
IPJLMM IPMMMN IPMNOO 
IPOOMS JILJJK JKLJOJ 
JKOJMK JKMKJL JLMKMM 
MKOJNK MKNKMM MMNKMN 
MNNKOM MNOMON MNONNO 
MSNOTQ MSTQPS NKOJOM 
NOONTP NOTPTQ OJSJTP 
OJTPOM OMTPON PSTQTR 
SJVKTP TPVKWO TPWOWP 
TPWPUQ TPUQTQ TQUQTR 
UQWPVQ VKWKWO WKYMWO 
WOYMYO

[B]Orca:[/B]
CDFCFE CDFEEF CDEFGK 
CDGKCF CFGKEI CFEIDH 
CHDHEI CHEIDI EFFEGF 
EFGFIH EFIHIJ EFIJHK 
EFHKGK FCIDFE FEIDGF 
GFIDKI GFKIIH GKHKJM 
HKIJJM IDNHKI IHKIKJ 
IHKJIJ JKJJM[B](O)[/B] JMKJOM 
JMOMTT JMTTTU JMTUTV 
JMTVPS JPLPPS JPPSLR 
JMPSLP KINHOM KIOMKJ 
NHRLOM OMRLUQ OMUQTT 
TTUQVU TTVUTU TUVUWW 
TUWWTV UQVQXT UQXTXU 
UQXUVU VUXUWW WXXUXW 
XTYVXU XUYVXW 

[B]Python:[/B]
AHG GAICHG HAMFHC 
ICMFJE JEMFKG JFKGJG 
MFNKRM NKRMTS LKTSPP 
PPTSTU PPTURX PPRXNU 
NURXOZ NUQZMX JPPPNU 
HGMKLO MKPPLO HGLOIP 
GHKPIP 

[B]Sidewinder:[/B]
ACNALC LCNAPC NAZCPC 
ACLCDL DLNAWL PCZCWL 
LEPEMG 

[B]T6:[/B]
CIEGON CIONEL CIELCO 
COELIP COIPHR COHRCQ 
CQHRHU EEEFGG EEGGFG 
EEFGEG EGEFON ELONIP 
FGGGON HRIPKS HRKSKT 
HRKTHU HUKTJV IPONOQ 
IPOQKS KDKLKF KFLDMF 
KFMFQH KFQHMI MFRFXJ 
MIQHQM MIQMON ONQMSQ 
OQSQSS OQSSRT QHXJUL 
QHULQM QMULSQ RTSSUS 
SQULVP SQVPVR SQVPSS 
SSVRUS ULXJXM ULXMVP 
XJYKXM XMYKYO 

[B]T7:[/B]
BVARGV ARAOEJ EJQIJL 
EJKHQI LMMGNG MGPERE 
NGRESF MHSFQI SFUFVG 
SFVGQI TIVGTJ JLTISK 
SKVIUL ULVIYG ULYGI[B](P)[/B] 
JLSKKO IOJLKO GQIOKO 
ETGQMT ETMTGV KOMQLR 
LRRRMT LRRPRR RRSPVR 
SPWPVR RPUNSP TNWLWN 
WNWLYN WLZMYN ULVIYG 
ULYGYI 

[B]T9:[/B]
ANDPBP AMBLDN BIGKCK 
BIQNGL BICFGK CFGELH 
IFLELH LFPILH LFOHMH 
PHPFSG SGVGSH SHVGZN 
PHSGUL TGZNVJ MHIJLK 
MHQHPI LHPILK LKPIUL 
LKULQO ULYNYR TMYQUT 
YRYTVU VTYRVU RNVUPT 
MORNPT IPMOPT MRPTNU 
JPNUKT PBIPKT 

[B]Viper:[/B]
ANCKEL ANELEP CKEHEL 
EHJKEL EHFGJK EPJKVU 
JKWTVU FGOLON OLONRP 
RPTPVS QLYQWQ YOYQQL 
FGGFQL FGQLOL HGIFQL 
IFKFQL KFQLYO KFOFYO 

[B]Viper MKIV:[/B]
BNIGDQ DQIGHL DQHLJM 
DQJMHO HLIGMF HLMFKK 
HLKKJM HOJMJP HSJPMN 
JMKKMM JMMMKN JMKNJP 
JPKNMN JUXMXO JUXOXQ 
JUXQKU KKMFQH KKQHRI 
KKRIMM KNMMMN MFRFQH 
MMRIMN QHRFTG RITGVH 
VHXJXM XJYKXM XMYKYN 
XMYNXO

[B]Vulture:[/B]
APCJKR APKRER APERDR 
CJDIGJ CJGJPN CJPNKM 
CJKMKR ERKRLS ERLSGT 
FGGFHH GFKCOJ GFOJQL 
GFQLHH GJHHPM GJPMPN 
HHQLPM KCNDOJ KMPNMN 
KMMNKR KRMNNS KRNSLS 
MNPNQO MNQOSQ MNSQNS 
NDQGOJ NSSQOT OJQGQH 
OJQHSL OJSLQL OTQLVT 
PMQLRM PMRMQO PMQOPN 
PUVTVU QHTISL QLSLRM 
QORMUO QOUOSQ RMSLUO 
SLTIUI SLUIYN SLYNWN 
SQUOUR SQURVT UOWNYQ 
UOYQXR UOXRUR URWSVT 
VTWSWT VTWTVU

- The online tool to draw the signals (Thanks to Anjin)
- Just an example of my personal MORSE visual decoding method, using Sonic Visualizer
- The Site I use for easy morse translation, once morse is acquired.

The UA Shell
- RedWizzard’s 3D visual tool for visualizing UA Shell System’s location in Space
- RedWizzard spreadsheet with all the UA spawning Systems so far

UA Files
- bitstorm's awesome online tool for keeping track of all the relevant posts in our Mega-Thread.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The UAs are the subject of the largest ever thread on the Frontier forums (yes, even bigger than the Open vs Solo flamewar), over 50,000 posts in five (and now six) threads:
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part VI
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part V
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part IV
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part III
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part II
The Threadnaut aka Megathread aka “I’m not f’n reading all of that”, Part I
The UA Wiki page has a lot of useful information, though it is not updated as diligently as it once was.

The Canonn group was born among the posts of this huge mega-thread.

There is an official Discord channel (previous TeamSpeak Server has been closed):
https://discord.gg/0ooDe5o9G3qVAsjv
By clicking the link, CMDRs will instantly be added to our Discord roster.

There is a Reddit for UA discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnknownArtefact (but it's full of Trolls!)

And...
Mr Michael Brookes is more or less one of us. Honoris causa.

 

[Patau82]

yay new thread! \o/

 

[t3l3c0n]

When does the meta alloy CG end? I haven't been able to get on for the last couple of days but I have a hold full I want to drop off before it ends.

 

[Demonoroth]

Lets see how fast we can fill this one up with the power of science shall we

When does the meta alloy CG end? I haven't been able to get on for the last couple of days but I have a hold full I want to drop off before it ends.

The CG ends in a day.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Hello \o/...

 

[Z.Brannigan]

The name "UAs, Barnacles & More Thread 6 - The Canonn" fits perfectly

 

[Han_Zen]

Just saying hi, to get the subscription.

@ Spocs. Repost your video in this thread.

 

[slashgoh]

I think that FD put Darnielle's Progress planet port because Obsidian Orbital will become unavailable soon, due to its assimilation by alien forces, pushing us to use meta-alloys for repair station's damages.
So... bye bye Obsidian Orbital...
It will probably become the door for the Tharghoid invasion

 

[RollinStoner]

H guys, just a quick question, probably of less relevance now the CG is ending soon and definitely a question that should have occurred to me earlier. I read there that the barnacles could be found in persistent POIs and that these do not show the blue circle on the sensors. My question is then, do the rare POIs produce this circle on the sensor? I have been flying past a few of these because my (mis?)understanding has been that barnacles do not produce them at all?

 

[TinyPwny]

I think that FD put Darnielle's Progress planet port because Obsidian Orbital will become unavailable soon, due to its assimilation by alien forces, pushing us to use meta-alloys for repair station's damages.
So... bye bye Obsidian Orbital...
It will probably become the door for the Tharghoid invasion

Or Darnielle's Progress is the outpost promised earlier? Current patch notes say Darnielle's Progress has been "fixed", suggesting it should've shown up earlier but didn't.

 

[Nutter]

I'm off out and away for the distant worlds expedition, can I confirm that currently Barnacles have only been found in 1 nebula? I will scout around a bit while I'm away in other nebula though.

Nutter

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Just saying hi, to get the subscription.

@ Spocs. Repost your video in this thread.

Good point, Here it is:

[video=youtube;PLEBPftJ8Rs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEBPftJ8Rs&feature=youtu.be[/video]

The original post is here:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=222049&page=623&p=3487311&viewfull=1#post3487311

The point is that during the night, a green dot is visible from barnacles (or at least this one) for up to 10km. The video probably needs to be at 1080p to actually see this, and I haven't noticed it at other visits to barnacles (but there was always daylight at then).

Edit: I haven't been able to see at from this one in the daylight either, and the other 2 nearby failed to spawn on this visit.

 

[Snooch leBooch]

Quick question, anyone know if the spawn issues have been solved? Trying to find new sites while not knowing if i might be bugged just feels 'not right'. I seem to have a problem with a permanent site i found on Pleione 11a yesterday (0,81 |175.6).

 

[slashgoh]

Or Darnielle's Progress is the outpost promised earlier? Current patch notes say Darnielle's Progress has been "fixed", suggesting it should've shown up earlier but didn't.

Maybe, but this doesn't change the idea: a part from following the story plot on Galnet, what is the reason for having two ports on the same system, same planet (one on surface and one on orbit) at 300 LY fom civ space? I think that the reason is that soon we will loose Obsidian Orbital and all docked ships will be forced to run away. Than Darnielle's will become the first line facing the Tharghoid front.

 

[KellyR]

Is any of the writing on the Caine-Massey crates legible?

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Is any of the writing on the Caine-Massey crates legible?

Spameroo posted something on this in the last thread:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=222049&page=590&p=3470136#post3470136

Hah, coincidentally, I spent at least 15 minutes last night in debug cam trying to read the tiny tiny text on the side of the Caine-Massey crates... Turned out to mainly consist of messages along the lines of "why are you close enough to read this text? Don't you have anything better to do?"
The reason I was trying, though, was partly because I'd noticed that what I'd assumed was a copyright symbol after the Caine-Massey logo above the text looked an awful lot like the barnacle brand. I'll post a screenshot or two later; I'm on my iPad right now. I still think there might be something to the similarity, but it's definitely not meant as a clue pointing us to the text underneath it

Which reminded me of that scene in the Red Dwarf episode: Backwards played forwards:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=222049&page=590&p=3470176#post3470176

 

[rizal72]

about the Caine-Massey thing.

as you can read on the FP
...anyway, those Caine-Massey crates are present in any anaconda crash site found so far, so it's highly unlikely that they are somehow linked to the barnacles.

 

[who?]

Just saying hi, to get the subscription.

@ Spocs. Repost your video in this thread.

FYI, you don't need to post to subscribe, you can subscribe via the Thread Tools drop-down above. Not that we're running out of space or anything!