So you want to know about the Formidine Rift? (Part 3)

Jaiotu · Jan 21, 2017

Here are the transcripts for the Hawking's Gap Gamma settlement. I'll PM them to Zach so he can add them to his summary post (nice to keep everything updated in one tidy and easy to find spot):

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 1/4

Expedition Log: 30/08/3270

"Beautiful part ofthe galaxy this, really dense clusters of stars, pretty much halfway to the core. Been one long trip though. We're out here dropping off a series of beacons. Randomius knows what for, but they're paying, so no questions asked!"

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 2/4

Expedition Log: 12/09/3270

"Funny Thing is, I've asked a few of the other hands about this mission and no one seems to know who's behind it. We all picked up bulletin board adverts promising big credits for a long haul and kind of just ended up on board. Not sure it it's the Feds, the Imps or the Alliance. Still, credits are credits!"

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 3/4

Expedition Log: 18/09/3270

"Arrived on site today. Bunch of guys had to go EVA to drop off the beacons. We're jumping around a bunch of systems here in the gap. One of the Beacons activated all on its own, started squawking some weird code before it got switched off. We were told we hadn't heard anything."

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 4/4

Expedition Log: 01/10/3270

"I'm logging this, but I shouldn't be. Bunch of guys were talking about the beacons yesterday and then there was a mysterious accident in the airlock - they're all dead! Feeling aboard is mutinous. Just want to get back home. I ain't doing no top secret missions again, that's for sure."

crushdepth · Jan 21, 2017

Jaiotu said:
Here are the transcripts for the Hawking's Gap Gamma settlement. I'll PM them to Zach so he can add them to his summary post (nice to keep everything updated in one tidy and easy to find spot):

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 1/4

Expedition Log: 30/08/3270

"Beautiful part ofthe galaxy this, really dense clusters of stars, pretty much halfway to the core. Been one long trip though. We're out here dropping off a series of beacons. Randomius knows what for, but they're paying, so no questions asked!"

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 2/4

Expedition Log: 12/09/3270

"Funny Thing is, I've asked a few of the other hands about this mission and no one seems to know who's behind it. We all picked up bulletin board adverts promising big credits for a long haul and kind of just ended up on board. Not sure it it's the Feds, the Imps or the Alliance. Still, credits are credits!"

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 3/4

Expedition Log: 18/09/3270

"Arrived on site today. Bunch of guys had to go EVA to drop off the beacons. We're jumping around a bunch of systems here in the gap. One of the Beacons activated all on its own, started squawking some weird code before it got switched off. We were told we hadn't heard anything."

Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission 4/4

Expedition Log: 01/10/3270

"I'm logging this, but I shouldn't be. Bunch of guys were talking about the beacons yesterday and then there was a mysterious accident in the airlock - they're all dead! Feeling aboard is mutinous. Just want to get back home. I ain't doing no top secret missions again, that's for sure."

Some extra stuff from the datapoint - I don't know if this is just random RNG stuff you get from any access point or part of the plot. But it gave me this in addition to the intel package:

Classified scan databanks
Security protocols engaged...
Security locks disengaged...
Data access granted...
[Data bank dump]

Specialised legacy firmware
Operator mode override...
Password locks bypassed...
Firmware located...
Encryption detected...
Decrypting
Instantiation of [Legacy firmware patch] confirmed...

Tagged encryption codes
Failed two factor authentication...
Determining secondary credential...
Correct credential applied...
System access confirmed...
Downloading [Encryption codes]...

These kind of sound like someone accessed (hacked?) the system, installed a new OS / firmware and copied all the data.

Baton · Jan 21, 2017

Nodus Cursorius said:
Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission - Site found.

Great news, congratulations Commander

So the one that's left in Hawking's is Beta, any suspicion which part of planet we need to look for it?

drew · Jan 21, 2017

Congratulations on the finds Commanders! It seems to always be happening overnight from my perspective at the moment, but fascinating to wake up to and read up on your progress.

Cheers,

Drew.

Momijisu · Jan 21, 2017

Nice tweet Drew:

Drew said:
'Who watches the watchers'

https://twitter.com/drewwagar/status/822724991523364864

Tinfoil theory - the Rift mystery is 'time locked' to how long you're in the Rift for.
A lot of the logs give timescales for how long they were there.

Momijisu · Jan 21, 2017

drew said:
Congratulations on the finds Commanders! It seems to always be happening overnight from my perspective at the moment, but fascinating to wake up to and read up on your progress.

Cheers,

Drew.

Drew, when receiving the reward for finding a Dynasty site, the reward mentions Federation data package - is this related, or just part of the 'game system'. Given that the above logs from the Gamma site suggest that who the mission is for is meant to be a mystery.

Jaiotu · Jan 21, 2017

drew said:
Congratulations on the finds Commanders! It seems to always be happening overnight from my perspective at the moment, but fascinating to wake up to and read up on your progress.

Cheers,

Drew.

Lately it seems like each new breakthrough is coming 'round just about when we're all starting to get a little discouraged ... which means things are happening at the right pace. Looking forward to the next discovery as I continue plodding along in my Sidewinder on the way to the Conflux.

crushdepth · Jan 21, 2017

Riedquat - intresting departure point. Keep an eye out for the Riedquat Corporation, maybe. Might be worth trying to sel the intel package there to see what happens.

JesusRocks1988 · Jan 21, 2017

Looking at that image of the Gamma Site location on the system map, it looks like it's in a completely innocuous area from orbit, and not somewhere very easily spotted. ._.

Zeeman · Jan 21, 2017

drew said:
Congratulations on the finds Commanders! It seems to always be happening overnight from my perspective at the moment, but fascinating to wake up to and read up on your progress.

Cheers,

Drew.

It always seems to happen when I am away from my PC for extended periods... Glad it's moving along though!

Z...

CMDR_Mogriax · Jan 21, 2017

Hmm im definitely seeing things now, whats this guy doing here a long way from home. i thought these ships only showed up in populated systems?
http://imgur.com/a/TFNJk

Nevermind this looks like random poi junk to me. still gave me quite a shock when i started seeing tech on my scanner.

Assimilator1 · Jan 21, 2017

I think those are just random NPC spawns, I seem to recall others mentioning those in random parts of the galaxy, does seem to be rare though.

Nodus Cursorius said:
Hawkin's Gap Gamma Mission - Site found.

System: PLAA AEC TT-B B41-3
Planet: B2
Coordinates: -9.3229, -103.8591
Functionality designation: Farming or agricultural (reoccurring forked-road theme with all bases that also grow crops)

Planetary view: http://imgur.com/CBuBsxg
5k view: http://imgur.com/MJ7bBiv
1k view: http://imgur.com/EA6xBGV

Expedition logs: 4x - http://i.imgur.com/c16XKfE.jpg
Data Points: 1x - reward of ~9 million credits

Additional images
Cabbage - http://imgur.com/a/BEFyB
Gamma Site, upon Dathmora's Scar, for star's angle - http://i.imgur.com/RAvptAr.jpg
Low graphic settings at 5k - http://i.imgur.com/LLeMgRv.png
Low graphic settings at 10k - http://i.imgur.com/ljnJRoQ.png
Dathmora's Scar, mountain range and end navigational marker - http://i.imgur.com/SynPui9.png

Sidenote: This confirms our suspicions within CoR, that the "food" sites are always found on the sunny side of planets that are tidally locked to a star. Never with the star too high in the sky, never too low.

Congrats!

Jaiotu · Jan 21, 2017

crushdepth said:
Riedquat - intresting departure point. Keep an eye out for the Riedquat Corporation, maybe. Might be worth trying to sel the intel package there to see what happens.

In Altera when the Old Woman is returning (presumably from the Rift) to the Core Worlds she looks down at the course that she plotted. Here's the text from Drew's short story:

She looked down at the scanner, seeing the hyperspace routes she had laboriously plotted; a track across the stars to the edge of the galactic arm. Thousands of jumps traced all the way back here to the old worlds.

Riedquat. Hope I never have to visit that godforsaken system again.

Note: She wasn't fly to Riedquat. Her destination was to Tionisla. This makes me think that her origin point had been Riedquat. Of course the story also suggests that she hadn't found anything during the journey (which took place in 3270 incidentally) but, we find out a few paragraphs into the story, she had already wiped her own memory at this point. She might have found something and then chosen to forget it.

Habster · Jan 21, 2017

Baton said:
This is all about team work, I'm checking the planet with radius of 1300 km , acording to my rough estimates it would take 460 hours to scan, so 100 pilots will find it in one day if they coordinate. There must be hundred explorers out there don't you think?

Right now probably everyone chcecks the same crater over and over

Did anyone already set up a spreadsheet for EAFOTS G2-Y E2 6 where all CMDRs can enter the coordinates they already checked? I think we need some systematic approach for this big planet...

I am currently at -71, 116 flying toward the south pole. No luck so far...

Barking_Mad · Jan 21, 2017

JesusRocks1988 said:
Looking at that image of the Gamma Site location on the system map, it looks like it's in a completely innocuous area from orbit, and not somewhere very easily spotted. ._.

Yeah, my heart sank a bit when i saw it wasnt somewhere immediately geographically interesting.

Alex Ringess · Jan 21, 2017

Momijisu said:
Nice tweet Drew:

https://twitter.com/drewwagar/status/822724991523364864

Tinfoil theory - the Rift mystery is 'time locked' to how long you're in the Rift for.
A lot of the logs give timescales for how long they were there.

The translation of "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" is not exactly "who watches the watchers" but closer to "who guards the guardians". A custodian is closer to "guardian" than "watcher".

Sterlino · Jan 21, 2017

Alex Ringess said:
The translation of "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" is not exactly "who watches the watchers" but closer to "who guards the guardians". A custodian is closer to "guardian" than "watcher".

disquieting

Gypsy12 · Jan 21, 2017

Jaiotu said:
This may have already been pursued but, after watching Obsidian Ant's video that Drew posted above, I'm wondering if we've been going about the search all wrong. Not the search for the surface settlements. The main search.

I've been flying around looking for something for almost a year now but I haven't taken a lot of time to listen.

From the Formidine Rift Alpha site: "Could have I heard some weird voices in the last jump".

In spite of all the issues, bugs, "lack of content", etc. that Elite: Dangerous has been accused of the one thing that has almost universally applauded has been this game's audio. Could there actually be something hidden in the audio track of hyperspace sequence? My ears are damaged from decades of mistreatment from loud music and machinery so it all sounds the same to me but could I be missing something that others can hear?

Been thinking about Ob's video too. What if what we are looking for - is the ships beacon? There might be some signal hidden on the bases perhaps? That we can use to triangulate the ships final position?

Just speculating here.

Gyp.

kenworth · Jan 21, 2017

Jaiotu said:
The keyword of "Exodus" always had me suspicious because the Book of Exodus from the Bible played a key role in the conclusion of Drew's Oolite Saga. Could be a hint or could just be an Easter Egg.

And there is also a connection with Exodus and Dynasty, specifically the Egyptian Dynasty. Not sure that means anything at all, but considering we have a keyword of Exodus associated with a Dynasty mission...who knows?

Codger · Jan 21, 2017

Jaiotu said:
This may have already been pursued but, after watching Obsidian Ant's video that Drew posted above, I'm wondering if we've been going about the search all wrong. Not the search for the surface settlements. The main search.

I've been flying around looking for something for almost a year now but I haven't taken a lot of time to listen.

From the Formidine Rift Alpha site: "Could have I heard some weird voices in the last jump".

In spite of all the issues, bugs, "lack of content", etc. that Elite: Dangerous has been accused of the one thing that has almost universally applauded has been this game's audio. Could there actually be something hidden in the audio track of hyperspace sequence? My ears are damaged from decades of mistreatment from loud music and machinery so it all sounds the same to me but could I be missing something that others can hear?

Interesting thought, and quite possible. I don't play with the sound up very loud, myself, just because it annoys me. When I do occasionally turn things up, it's quite complex and interesting. There's just a bit too much of it for me to keep it up loud all the time. I'd go nuts

Still, it's certainly possible that there are audio clues. In fact, I'd say it's likely.