Community Event / Creation Buckyball Racing Club presents: On The Rocks 20-27 August 3304

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
There was another late entry last night, not long after the leaderboard update was published, but as it's the only one so far I will leave the update until later tonight.


I won't be running in this race, though - I'm currently on the Gnosis, preparing for the jump into the Cone sector.

The Gnosis doesn't jump out of reach for another few weeks, you've got plenty of time! I'm going out to meet it at HD 51502 next week :D

Just completed the bottom part of my letter 'C'. Reading this thread is keeping me sane. :p

Who'd have thought a Buckybal Race would be a beacon of sanity huh?

[haha]

I thought that all Buckyball races were sane... Or maybe we only think they're sane because we're about as sane as they are...
 
So yo jump as soon as doing so wouldn't spike your heat over 100%?

I normally charge for a jump while still scooping, while trying to find the right zone that'll keep my fuel tanks fueled up without taking too much system damage, heat be damned. As long as I can finish a race without suffering an FSD failure, or as Alec mentioned above, a cargo hatch failure, I'm good. :)
 
100% be damned - this is Buckyball Racing! As soon as your FSD is recharged start charging the next jump. If your heat doesn't go above 100% then you're probably not trying hard enough!
:p
The only issue in a race like this one (where you need to carry cargo) is to keep an eye on cargo hold damage - if it goes much below 80% then all your valuable cargo is gonna fall out.

I normally charge for a jump while still scooping, while trying to find the right zone that'll keep my fuel tanks fueled up without taking too much system damage, heat be damned. As long as I can finish a race without suffering an FSD failure, or as Alec mentioned above, a cargo hatch failure, I'm good. :)

*blink

You people are nuts.

I can see I have a lot of habits to suppress to be competitive at this.
 
That number sounds suspiciously like you're only running regular 3A thrusters. Swap them for Enhanced and do a bit of Engineering - this would be the racing loadout of Midnight Tango. Even got one ton to spare in the budget, so could add an ADS without too much of a penalty.
I won't be running in this race, though - I'm currently on the Gnosis, preparing for the jump into the Cone sector.

Ummmmm, utter noob question here, Enhanced Performance Thrusters? is that a PP thing?

Edit: Nevermind, found them on the Wiki.

I have a trip to make...

Edit the second: Well, G3 DD on a set of enhanced thrusters and stripped down (no weapons, no shield boosters, slightly modded thermal resist 3C biweave) Goez Fasta hits 485 normal, 658 on boost. with a current jump range of 31.69ly.

Dear lord this is gonna be scary flying her now. :O
 
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*blink

You people are nuts.

I can see I have a lot of habits to suppress to be competitive at this.

You know the really great thing about losing 7 or 8 ships during a Buckyball race? It makes death by griefer an utterly irrelevant and laughable experience.

I used to be sooo damn precious about my ED ships .... Buckyballing totally cured me of that.

[yesnod]
 

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
*blink

You people are nuts.

I can see I have a lot of habits to suppress to be competitive at this.
Edit the second: Well, G3 DD on a set of enhanced thrusters and stripped down (no weapons, no shield boosters, slightly modded thermal resist 3C biweave) Goez Fasta hits 485 normal, 658 on boost. with a current jump range of 31.69ly.

Dear lord this is gonna be scary flying her now. :O


I find slowing down to be the hardest thing to do, hence my earlier advice about using the station/control towers to slow you down :)

As the others have said, yes we're regarded at first by outsiders as slightly nuts, but believe me once you realise there is no spoon so many things will open up to you and by far improve most aspects of your flying.

I've lots counts of the dozens and dozens of ship explosions I've had and all but 3 of them have been from Buckyballing :D But the things I've learned have fundamentally changed the way I fly, for the better.
 
PSA:

For those who haven't realized it yet (like me): splattering yourself against an incoming Beluga will count as a crime. You will be transported to the nearest detention facility. Without your beer mats.
 
After experimentation just managed to exit at 758 m/s and enter at 380 m/s...now if I can find those brake thingies!

And I have graced a prison dock many times....occupational hazard!
 
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I have already my ship ready...
Ozric, I have a question about the equalizer... Can I unload fuel after taking the "Full fuel tank"/"Actual Jump Range" picture? (this implies retiring and adding again fuel tanks after the picture...)
 
I just spent way to long building a spreadsheet and figuring out the optimal route for the lowest number of total jumps.

*shakes head and wanders off
 
I just spent way to long building a spreadsheet and figuring out the optimal route for the lowest number of total jumps.

*shakes head and wanders off

You have only begun to spreadsheet.

When you start building spreadsheets analyzing the minutia of each run, where you lost time, and where you gained it, that's when you've reached Spreadsheet Nirvana. :D
 
You have only begun to spreadsheet.

When you start building spreadsheets analyzing the minutia of each run, where you lost time, and where you gained it, that's when you've reached Spreadsheet Nirvana. :D

I can't believe I'm actually pondering doing a dry run of the loop

I'm gonna blame you, you imperial siren you! :)
 
I can't believe I'm actually pondering doing a dry run of the loop

I'm gonna blame you, you imperial siren you! :)

One of us! One of us! :D

In all seriousness, I do recommend a dry run if you can spare the time. I have a rare "weekend" where I don't have anything out of the ordinary I have to do, so I could afford to do a dry run with Slave of the Empire, weighted down (that seems so weird!) so it has a jump range of 35.00 light years. With my current route filters and jump range, there's a couple of stars that are just too hot to do a hot jump from (my cargo hatch was at 79% by Othime) and with the Slave's current configuration, I simply can't afford not to scoop from them.

Just logged out for supper, and I have a couple modules on the way that should bring my jump range up to just under 40. Add in a tweak to my route filters, and I'll give it another dry run before doing a proper run tonight.

Also, Bucky?

Your beer mats seem really popular with the local pirates. I had two of them "come a long way" just for the opportunity to steal some from me. :rolleyes:
 
Those aren't pirates, those are the Buckyball Fan Club :D

Some fervent fans that we have, don't we? :D

Hi cmdr Inga, nice to read your stories again! And a general hello to everyone old and new.
I was really looking forward to this race but it looks like Real Life (TM) had other plans in store for me :(. Not to say I could still find a bit of time for it later in the week, or at least so I hope if things improve at least a little...
 
The only consolation to discovering that the video of my first run seems to be corrupted, is that it was a pathetic first run. You'd think after all this time, I'd still be used to the quirks of my Warthog, but the way I was docking, you'd think I was drunk... crashed into a planet during a planetary braking maneuver... missed the mail slot several times... and I think the extra jump range I got by installing a fuel tank barely big enough for one jump wasn't equal to the amount of time I lost due to having to wait an extra six seconds to have enough fuel to actually make the jump.

On a positive note, at least my new route filters didn't cook Slave of the Empire too badly. Both the FSD and the Cargo Hatch stayed above 90%. *\o/*
 
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