The Formidine Rift - Part 2

[Jaiotu]

I do not believe that the formadine rift exists, as a 3rd party author, not frontier, created it.

You are welcome to believe whatever you want. Meanwhile those of us vested in the search are welcome to believe whatever we want. We'll continue the search while you go and do whatever it is that you enjoy.

Fly safe Commander

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Forgive my noobish question: What and what not exactly do sensors display?
Do we need to fly with active sensors to find signal sources?

If you run without sensors active you don't see other ships, stations, etc. I'm honestly not sure if it will leave you blind during supercruise to USS/SSS/WSS, etc. but it will certainly make it near impossible to find anything or scan anything once you drop in on one of those signal sources.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Just looked you up on EDSM. Looks like you have another Rift and an Arm to go before you hit the edge. Oh the horror !

Edit: But not according to the real Gal Map

Yeah, I've noticed that about the EDSM map, and not sure what's supposed to be going on.

In other new: I've fully scanned that system and trying to see how close I can get to that last waypoint without further FSD boosts (only have one premium left, and will likely need it on the return unless I find a slightly better path... even then I'll probably need my lesser boosts). There has been some limited route plotting further out now, and there were some systems beyond DRYO AEB AX-E C11-0 that had already been tagged and trilaterated... but not DRYO AEB AX-E C11-0 itself.

Also, I'm really not liking all this exploring in an Anaconda. I normally avoid it, but I knew I'd feel like pushing the range on this trip.

 

[Purafire]

Maybe by "who," he meant, it needs to be someone who actually scans stuff and pays attention to sounds, etc.

In reference to Drew's comment "who goes looking" I have been thinking along the same lines. Remember the Prism system has a very long supercruise flight to reach the planets/station. It is possible that the object/planet in question is very far out from the primary star. The "who" he mentions just may be a reference that it will need to be someone committed to scanning full systems regardless of how long the supercruise distance is, instead of just scanning the closest objects to the jump in point. Unfortunately, thus increases the time commitment substantially, and makes the haystack that much bigger.

I know Drew has said that with the Prism system it was a chosen design to have the long supercruise flight to dissuade people from infuencing the system/background simulator to much. But it could also have been in thier mind when they hid this object out in the rift also.

 

[crushdepth]

Not a bad idea. Here is the version of the clue list I use :

Tinfoil clue :

• At some point, Drew made a puzzle arround eb, p => ro, c via a Rot13 hinted by an sequence of dots read in unary (13,1,26 IIRC)
• In reclamation, coordinates are supposed to be at the end of the message, but there are none. Message ends with "Good luck, and ... right on, Commander." which could be seen as three coordinates separated by commas. Using unary format as in "eb,p => ro, c" Drew puzzle (counting characters) it gives : 44 , 3352, 10

Re. the ROT13 thing, Drew elsewhere said there would be clues in galnet and "we needed to learn how to read them". When the cipher was figured out he basically said that our training was complete. The point of the exercise appeared to be to get us prepped to look for cryptic stuff rather than a piece of the Formadine rift mystery itself.

On the coordinates, I doubt that the "right on commander" was anything more than the traditional thing. If the old lady was trying to conceal the coordinates she wouldn't have said "you'll find the coordinates at the end of this message". And when the old lady's video fades leaving them with "just the text", Kahina and Hassan don't appear to be confused at all or trying to interpret coordinates out of the message, it's just ok lets go.

A few critical things to add there - it's not said anywhere that it's on the other side of the rift - only that you reach it and keep going to where the stars thin out and the galaxy is just hanging there.

It is implied though, the old lady says "once you reach the rift you're going to have to plot a way across".

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Just looked you up on EDSM. Looks like you have another Rift and an Arm to go before you hit the edge. Oh the horror !

Edit: But not according to the real Gal Map

I'm now probably as close as I'm getting to that last waypoint. I travelled through:

Dryo Aeb BZ-S d3-2

Dryo Aeb HE-K c8-0

Dryo Aeb LK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb FF-R d4-0

Dryo Aeb PQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb OQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb TW-E c11-0

Dryo Aeb UW-E c11-0

Dryo Aeb QQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb RQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb NK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb GF-R d4-2

Dryo Aeb MK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb GF-R d4-1

Dryo Aeb NK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb HF-R d4-0

Dryo Aeb HF-R d4-1

Dryo Aeb OK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb PK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb UQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb QK-I c9-0

Dryo Aeb VQ-G c10-0

Dryo Aeb IF-R d4-2

The top of those systems is 304.06ly from DRYO AEB NG-Y D1.

 

[Jaiotu]

Does it mean that even in supercruise I won't see any ships on my scanner with sensors switched off? If true then the common practice of flying with sensor deactivated (for long range explorations to keep our ships as cool as possible) would be highly questionable. We would have blinded ourselves all the time and limited the number of options in a possible encounter with an alien ship to just 2: If the alien ship is hostile we'll very likely very dead before we even can see it. Or, in the case of a passive alien scout, we never even would have known.

Honestly I didn't realize that running without sensors active was common practice. Seems like you'd miss anything unusual.

 

[Saool]

it will need to be someone committed to scanning full systems regardless of how long the supercruise distance is,

But what do you mean by 'scanning full systems'? An advance discovery Scanner will scan a full system. Done.

Or do you mean more like the Voyager Probes: a special form of signal source?

 

[CMDR DancingLemur]

I have been watching this thread for quite some time. Very interesting stuff. Even bought the book for my Kindle. Here are my few thoughts on this.

1. I remember something like this posted from the author... "ahem...it's out there". I translate this like, yes it's out there in the galaxy in the game and opposite meaning...yes it's in there - the book.
2. Now to the mentioned training and how to read hidden messages. I think that this apply to Galnet and the book as well. In book - cargo signature - letters and numbers, ships signatures /ID's - the same. I'm only at 32% in the book, but these things has looked "suspicious".
3. Take for example the names - Hassan and Salome - H/S....maybe a hint for Heart and Soul nebulae? Octavia at Basilica station....OB star system?...or is number eight somehow significant?...This kind of thinking.
4. The connections with Greek mythology is all very nice, but I don't think that this has something to do with solving this mystery.
5. My bet: the crumbs are mainly in the book and Galnet.
6. Currently on my way to H/S nebulae.

Thoughts?

 

[Saool]

I have been watching this thread for quite some time. Very interesting stuff. Even bought the book for my Kindle. Here are my few thoughts on this.

1. I remember something like this posted from the author... "ahem...it's out there". I translate this like, yes it's out there in the galaxy in the game and opposite meaning...yes it's in there - the book.
2. Now to the mentioned training and how to read hidden messages. I think that this apply to Galnet and the book as well. In book - cargo signature - letters and numbers, ships signatures /ID's - the same. I'm only at 32% in the book, but these things has looked "suspicious".
3. Take for example the names - Hassan and Salome - H/S....maybe a hint for Heart and Soul nebulae? Octavia at Basilica station....OB star system?...or is number eight somehow significant?...This kind of thinking.
4. The connections with Greek mythology is all very nice, but I don't think that this has something to do with solving this mystery.
5. My bet: the crumbs are mainly in the book and Galnet.
6. Currently on my way to H/S nebulae.

Thoughts?

I don't see how the connections with Greek mythology (which I agree are probably just for style, there are lots of such references in imperial space and culture), are any different from suddenly deciding Drew means the opposite of what he said or that two letters in names are the same and two letters in some nebula. There all as vague and plucked out of the air as anything else. H and S are also found in HIP whatever and Sol, or Sirius, or HR whatever.

It all just feels like tenuous guesses.

My bet: the crumbs are mainly in the book and Galnet.

Drew has explicitly said this himself.

Indeed I think far too many people are over thinking this far too much. It like the UAs all over again.

Of course I have nothing better to offer. Other than an idea that the book and Gal net will point to an area and then it will be brute forcing that area, and hoping you don't have to be triple Elite (or something equally as fudged) for whatever is there to show up.

 

[Crom Dubh]

Ranking is not important according to Drew - and I hope it's not about brute forcing it - so dull!

 

[VampyreGTX]

With all the rampant speculation, and trying to take things at face value and direct correlation... don't forget this post by Drew (listed in the collections of post one on this thread:

#660 - (Thanks for pointing this out, Vihear)All the of Galnet articles about Lady Kahina were written by me. She has been on a series of exploration trips in the last nine months or so, but they may come to an end before long, so keep an eye out for her return. That may provide further insight.

In terms of the Rift itself, do bear in mind that this story was finalised in the gamma phase of the game. As I mentioned before, it does not require Horizons and you do not need to have read my book to take part (Though reading the story may help with the immersion, the clues from the book are all available on-line in these forums now).

From what I can see though, some basic assumptions about the characters involved have been made, which you may wish to reconsider. Remember I am primarily a 'character' writer, I like twists and misdirection.

Right on, Commanders.

Drew.

Read the part I bolded above... So all the clues in the book have already been posted in these forums. He isw mainly a character writer, but he likes twists and 'misdirection'....

 

[CMDR DancingLemur]

I don't see how the connections with Greek mythology (which I agree are probably just for style, there are lots of such references in imperial space and culture), are any different from suddenly deciding Drew means the opposite of what he said or that two letters in names are the same and two letters in some nebula. There all as vague and plucked out of the air as anything else. H and S are also found in HIP whatever and Sol, or Sirius, or HR whatever.

It all just feels like tenuous guesses.



Drew has explicitly said this himself.

Indeed I think far too many people are over thinking this far too much. It like the UAs all over again.

Of course I have nothing better to offer. Other than an idea that the book and Gal net will point to an area and then it will be brute forcing that area, and hoping you don't have to be triple Elite (or something equally as fudged) for whatever is there to show up.

I didn't state any facts with the names, merely pointing the direction of thinking. Yes the names of the main characters could be pure coincidence. I was only hinting at focusing more attention on what's written in the book, not only the "evergreens" from the Old Lady.

 

[Trukrr]

You have to SC below 30c to see SSS and other signals

 

[Arjin]

I still firmly believe the old lady's story contradicts itself. There are only two possible locations where she could have seen the "serious stuff"

1. The Perseus side of where we believe the Rift to be.
2. The far side (edge) of the Outer Arm.

Why does it contradict itself? Because she states she only made it AS far as the Rift, she didn't cross it. Yet she then states that we need to plot our way across.

You see the edge of the galactic arm mentioned a few times, surely she knows exactly where the edge of the galactic arm is, it's 2016 and we know exactly where the edge is...only two possible locations....

EDIT: keyword here being galactic.

EDIT: #2 I also wonder if we players have jumped the shark a little bit and the narrative to find whats out there wasn't really ready to be implemented by FDev until 2.1 came out so that we can then modify our ships like Kahina did.

 

[Crom Dubh]

Unless the old lady was talking about the Orion arm? Unfortunately I got distracted by NGC 7822 on the way out so forgot to check

 

[Arjin]

Also, I'm really not liking all this exploring in an Anaconda. I normally avoid it, but I knew I'd feel like pushing the range on this trip.

I know it's to each his own but why? The Conda out here just feels like a big deep space explorer, a giant research vessel if you will, I personally love exploring the Rift in mine. Plus the range got to love the range!!

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

I know it's to each his own but why? The Conda out here just feels like a big deep space explorer, a giant research vessel if you will, I personally love exploring the Rift in mine. Plus the range got to love the range!!

It's the turn rate and the view. If you want a wide view in the conda, you need to switch to classified camera mode. With the asp, you get a great view without all that faffing about... and it doesn't take half an hour to turn around .

The travelling part is good in the conda, but not the activity when you get there.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Volunteers Required for Rifter Data Collection Mission:
The summary Sub Sector list is getting done quicker than I expected, and at this rate will be complete by time anyone on DWE returns, so we are looking for a brave volunteer to fly the RR Line using the 500ly Way Points, recording all the Sub Sectors you pass through. (You can use the Form Provided, or I can give Write Access to the Sheet if you find it easier)

Start Point : Far side of Rift, approx PHA AEB WN-W
End Point : Edge of Galaxy, approx DRYO AEB NG-Y
Distance : Approx 8 Kylies

(multiple volunteers could break the job into smaller sections of the RR Line)

Jump right in, its dark out there

I decided to risk one more level 1 boost outwards which led me to:

Dryo Aeb AZ-S d3-2
Dryo Aeb AZ-S d3-1
Dryo Aeb AZ-S d3-0
Dryo Aeb GE-K c8-0

Even with boosts, I don't think you can get much closer. AZ-S comprises of just those 3 systems, and it is completely scanned now. I will be trying to make my way back into the arm next.

 

[lorrad]

But what do you mean by 'scanning full systems'? An advance discovery Scanner will scan a full system. Done.

Or do you mean more like the Voyager Probes: a special form of signal source?

He means scanned with the Detailed Surface Scanner, which switches the displays from unexplored to whatever it's name is.
The honk of the ADS just finds objects in a system, the DSS explores them. And yes keep an eye open for SS's and PPOI's.

If you just honk you wont pay attention to that odd little rock but when you fly up to it and wait for the DDS to finish and it lights up "Raxxla" and your info window say "Raxxla discovered. You WIN, you are now Supreme Ruler of the Galaxy with Ultimate Power!"

Perhaps something else.

 

[Sikeksis]

This thread and the UA barnacle thread have been great reading. Love the mystery and the great minds working through the clues and non-clues. I might have missed this after reading but I thought I might throw it out there for the fun of it. When he says, "...right on, commander." Is there a chance that the meaning is, "right, on commander." As in, turn right at *this point. As an additional wacked out theory, maybe commander is a 3 point coordinate, com...man...der.

Anyways, I'll keep reading with bated breath until the Thargons or whomever turn up.