A little ravine excursion

[HAMM3R]

Came across this rather large crater and inside it a strangely rectangular ravine formation. Decided to go down and take a closer look in my SRV.

SYSTEM: EOL PROU AC-K D9-1269
BODY: 1 B

Overview of the ravine from 12km:

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The approximate route I took in the SRV:

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Starting my initial descent into the ravine. These were still relatively gentle slopes.

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Reached the edge of the "first bottom" and began the steep descent to the very bottom of the ravine.

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Yes, it was pretty steep, lol. The bottom was relatively flat apart from the rugged section seen near the center of the image, dividing the bottom into two separate sections.
The rugged patch doesn't look like much but if there was an SRV in front of it,it would be just a speck if visible at all.

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After clearing the rugged patch and exploring the end of the second section it was clear I couldn't continue straight. The terrain got so rough and rose at such steep angle I decided it wouldn't be wise to try traverse it. So I made a left and headed towards a much smoother slope. Found somewhat level ledge and had a little coffee break. For scale, my tracks can be seen in the lower right corner.

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After wiggling myself out of the ravine I continued following the edge. Here I'm stopped at the "corner" of the ravine. The crater right at the edge of the cliff is where I ended my route.

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A wider shot from the previous spot. The part of the ravine visible in the image is approximately 2km deep.

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At the edge of the crater, which was the edge of the cliff as well. Had to be careful not fly over the edge when coming up from the crater.

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Final posing at the far edge of the crater before recalling my ship. The dark, flat looking surface in the distance, right of the SRV is the area I came up from the ravine.

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[Caramel Clown]

Oh, I love these. Every time I run across a lovely canyon like this while exploring I cannot resist the urge...Meaning no exploration trip of mine ends up with ship returning unharmed
However, you are doing it wrong Commander. Now, get your butt in the ship. Get low. Go fast. Permission to buzz the tower granted

 

[HAMM3R]

However, you are doing it wrong Commander. Now, get your butt in the ship. Get low. Go fast. Permission to buzz the tower granted

I actually do that quite a lot This time however, I wanted to take the SRV for a proper drive.

 

[LordFerret]

I have a bad habit of landing down in ravines (investigating Geo POIs), then going for a ride in the SRV and going too far away from the ship that it dismisses itself. When I recall the ship, it usually picks a new place to land up top of the ravine. The worst such episode was a ravine nearly 4km deep; I spent half the afternoon dismissing and recalling the ship before I was able to reach it and board.

 

[LordFerret]

While I'm thinking about that, that's a feature FDev could add with regard to ships and SRVs... a return marker. Pick a preferred landing spot, land, drop a marker, dismiss, and when you recall the ship it returns to the marker.

 

[HAMM3R]

I have a bad habit of landing down in ravines (investigating Geo POIs), then going for a ride in the SRV and going too far away from the ship that it dismisses itself. When I recall the ship, it usually picks a new place to land up top of the ravine. The worst such episode was a ravine nearly 4km deep; I spent half the afternoon dismissing and recalling the ship before I was able to reach it and board.

Been there, done that

I was once stuck in an icy ravine, several km's deep. The ship always landed either on top of the ravine or it found a little ledge in the middle of untraversable terrain. I think I eventually ended up driving about 100 km in the ravine until I finally came across a ledge deeper in the ravine, which I could reach and the ship could land on.

While I'm thinking about that, that's a feature FDev could add with regard to ships and SRVs... a return marker. Pick a preferred landing spot, land, drop a marker, dismiss, and when you recall the ship it returns to the marker.

That would be great.

A pick up option would be nice as well. Instead of landing the ship would just come hovering few meters above the ground. You could then hop in and leave. Like in the aforementioned icy ravine. There was plenty of room for the ship to fly/hover around eventhough the ground was too bumpy to land on.

 

[Nick Sticks]

A pick up option would be nice as well. Instead of landing the ship would just come hovering few meters above the ground. You could then hop in and leave. Like in the aforementioned icy ravine. There was plenty of room for the ship to fly/hover around eventhough the ground was too bumpy to land on.

This has been known to happen:

New SRV boarding mechanic?

So I have glanced through the patch notes for the most recent minor update, but I didn't notice anything about this. I was down on a planet in a pretty mountainous area and recalled my ship. I expected it to go land somewhere a ways away where it was flatter, but instead it came almost...

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[HAMM3R]

This has been known to happen:

New SRV boarding mechanic?

So I have glanced through the patch notes for the most recent minor update, but I didn't notice anything about this. I was down on a planet in a pretty mountainous area and recalled my ship. I expected it to go land somewhere a ways away where it was flatter, but instead it came almost...

forums.frontier.co.uk

It does indeed happen. It's just that it's something you don't have control over. The times it has happened to me, the ship never homed in on me but rather some random spot it then hovered above, regardless if I could actually get under the SRV bay or not. Like, in the icy ravine I mentioned in my previous post. It did come down hovering, just that it hovered at such height at such angle that it was impossible for me to get onboard. The way it happens make it seem more like a bug rather than intended behavior.

The pickup option I was thinking would have the ship home in on the SRV.

 

[Alec Turner]

Fantastic! great screenshots too. Don't suppose you've got the coordinates in case I fancy giving that one a go myself?

I'll swap you ... there's a really terrific little narrow canyon you can follow on Kumay (actually there's an entire planet's worth of fantastic SRV adventures to be had there but that's a whole other story: http://buckyballracing.org.uk/kumay.html). It's not as extreme as yours but I just really enjoyed followed this one all the way to the end (where it finally flattened out and led up onto the plains beyond).

Chi Herculis / Kumay / somewhere around -8.8,-57.1

Oh hell, maybe a few more from Kumay while I'm at it (sorry, I've got hundreds of these)

Spoiler

The Lithops Mesa

Blue Vein Valley

Both of those locations can be found on the Kumay interactive map above.

 

[HAMM3R]

Don't suppose you've got the coordinates in case I fancy giving that one a go myself?

Didn't thought of taking the coordinates. But it's a small moon (466km radius) and the crater is pretty much right at the equator. The three* craters in the picture are the only large ones on the moon. *Third just barely visible near the south pole.

That slab of mountains, just SW of the crater, is also a good visual guide. They're strikingly white (and borderline glitchy looking) and stick out of the surroundings like a sore thumb.

Oh hell, maybe a few more from Kumay while I'm at it (sorry, I've got hundreds of these)

No problem, haha! Those are fun to watch.

 

[LordFerret]

@Alec Turner
I'm amazed at how little damage your SRV takes. When I'm flying across stuff like that I usually pay dearly for it. I'm going to guess you use a stick (HOTAS), which must make life a lot easier. My driving is radical, keyboard..... I'm going to have to dig out my stick.

 

[Alec Turner]

@Alec Turner
I'm amazed at how little damage your SRV takes. When I'm flying across stuff like that I usually pay dearly for it. I'm going to guess you use a stick (HOTAS), which must make life a lot easier. My driving is radical, keyboard..... I'm going to have to dig out my stick.

Low damage impacts are all about landing nice and level, facing the direction you're going and front wheels slightly first. I do use a HOTAS (which I love) but actually, some of the best SRV drivers I'm aware of (including, I believe, the undisputed champion of the Pomeche Ridge Challenge you see in my sig) use mouse and keyboard.

 

[HAMM3R]

Here's a short video of a drive through a narrow ravine. Thought it might be something down your (v)alley, @Alec Turner

It's the end leg of a longer drive I did. The place itself is a part of a larger network of canyons and ravines, with interesting route possibilities. I'm planning to take a closer look at those as I'm still on the planet.

 

[Alec Turner]

Here's a short video of a drive through a narrow ravine. Thought it might be something down your (v)alley, @Alec Turner

It's the end leg of a longer drive I did. The place itself is a part of a larger network of canyons and ravines, with interesting route possibilities. I'm planning to take a closer look at those as I'm still on the planet.

That really is a nice canyon you've found there ... alas (having just checked the galaxy map) a bit too far from the bubble for me to pop over and take a look myself.