Having just kitted out a shiny new Cobra mk IV as a USS raider, I decided to try my luck with a few missions that I'd been avoiding because I thought they might have combat in them. The first one I tried was a very lucrative-looking planetary scan mission.
So having no idea what I was doing, I took my Cobra out of dock and jumped to the next system over. I refused to look at the guides and stuff because I wanted to figure it out myself. So I started wandering from planet to planet, getting close enough to let things proc, and I was all the way out to the 8th one before I realized that I only really needed to buzz planets that could be landed on.
Well... I never said I was a genius.
Anyhow, there were two landable bodies, both moons, so I chose first to look at the one that was currently closest, which was a moon of the furthest planet out in the system. Seeing nothing there, I decided to find out just how much of an idiot I really was, and made a trail towards the moon of the very first planet in the system.
And... yep. Sure enough. One slow orbit of that first moon later, I found the thing I'd spent an hour combing the entire system for. All I'd had to do is check out the moon of the very first planet I buzzed.
Derp.
Well after I turned my head back on, and found the planetary target, I turned my nose towards it and dropped into glide mode and was just about to drop my landing gear...
and it moved. What?... Oh. Apparently we are emulating a "vague directions" mechanic. OK, the new target's only 12 k away, so no need to get exotic. So I hit boost and booked it over there only to find out the new beacon target was literally 2 km underground.
Oy...
I had to actually land before the beacon moved again... and then a third time, since apparently my being on the ground triggered it twice. Well, that was fun. So I pulled up my gear again and settled about a kilometer away, and deployed the SRV.
... then to realize that I didn't get the beacon target at all when I was in the SRV. Inconvenient, but not unsolvable. So I headed out in the general direction of the nearest high band signal that was not my ship, figuring that was likely to be the base...
about 15 mins later I reached the high band signal point and found 6 canisters of random salvage.
Wellp.
Scanning around the area didn't reveal any other high band signals so I recalled my ship and found to my chagrin that I'd travelled 5 km in exactly the wrong direction.
This was not going well.
OK... turned around, and this time parked on a hill overlooking the beacon base, with visual contact. It was a bit of a bumpy landing on rough ground, but I was down, so I climbed into the SRV, and prepared to drive on to the base...
And found that I'd dropped in a shallow basin and I couldn't actually drive out from under my ship.
These things are just going to keep happening aren't they?
This problem was easily solved by dismissing the ship of course, and soon I was merrily on my way. Unfortunately since I did deploy into a shallow basin my plan to drop in with clear view of the beacon I was supposed to visit were scuppered. Well the worst case scenario is I have to try again... again. I chased high band signals again and this time they were actually the beacon I was supposed to be travelling to.
OK, slip into the base, kill the wanted turret, target the beacon transmitter, scan the....
pew pew, ping ping.
OK no part of the mission actually called for me to SHOOT the beacon. Sooner or later I do need to get my controller commands sorted out, they're still the default and I messed with my ship commands, so they're not compatible. Fortunately the beacon's plot armor held, and I was able to get the signal I needed. I figured I could tell my employer that the bullet holes were all the fault of the illegal turret, so after accidentally shooting the beacon AGAIN while trying to turn around and head out of the base, I called my ship and it landed on a little rise, I drive in, and park.
As I'm loading into my cockpit, the first thing I hear is "UNDER ATTACK."
Yeah. Apparently nobody told me about the OTHER wanted turret, and that thing proceeded to put some holes in my poor long-suffering Cobra as I frantically upped gear and accelerated out of firing range.
Well, after many misadventures, at least the mission was successful, and if anyone wants to question the three or four bullet holes in the transmitter beacon, the illegal turret is right there, just waiting to take the blame, Time to report in and collect my money.
So having no idea what I was doing, I took my Cobra out of dock and jumped to the next system over. I refused to look at the guides and stuff because I wanted to figure it out myself. So I started wandering from planet to planet, getting close enough to let things proc, and I was all the way out to the 8th one before I realized that I only really needed to buzz planets that could be landed on.
Well... I never said I was a genius.
Anyhow, there were two landable bodies, both moons, so I chose first to look at the one that was currently closest, which was a moon of the furthest planet out in the system. Seeing nothing there, I decided to find out just how much of an idiot I really was, and made a trail towards the moon of the very first planet in the system.
And... yep. Sure enough. One slow orbit of that first moon later, I found the thing I'd spent an hour combing the entire system for. All I'd had to do is check out the moon of the very first planet I buzzed.
Derp.
Well after I turned my head back on, and found the planetary target, I turned my nose towards it and dropped into glide mode and was just about to drop my landing gear...
and it moved. What?... Oh. Apparently we are emulating a "vague directions" mechanic. OK, the new target's only 12 k away, so no need to get exotic. So I hit boost and booked it over there only to find out the new beacon target was literally 2 km underground.
Oy...
I had to actually land before the beacon moved again... and then a third time, since apparently my being on the ground triggered it twice. Well, that was fun. So I pulled up my gear again and settled about a kilometer away, and deployed the SRV.
... then to realize that I didn't get the beacon target at all when I was in the SRV. Inconvenient, but not unsolvable. So I headed out in the general direction of the nearest high band signal that was not my ship, figuring that was likely to be the base...
about 15 mins later I reached the high band signal point and found 6 canisters of random salvage.
Wellp.
Scanning around the area didn't reveal any other high band signals so I recalled my ship and found to my chagrin that I'd travelled 5 km in exactly the wrong direction.
This was not going well.
OK... turned around, and this time parked on a hill overlooking the beacon base, with visual contact. It was a bit of a bumpy landing on rough ground, but I was down, so I climbed into the SRV, and prepared to drive on to the base...
And found that I'd dropped in a shallow basin and I couldn't actually drive out from under my ship.
These things are just going to keep happening aren't they?
This problem was easily solved by dismissing the ship of course, and soon I was merrily on my way. Unfortunately since I did deploy into a shallow basin my plan to drop in with clear view of the beacon I was supposed to visit were scuppered. Well the worst case scenario is I have to try again... again. I chased high band signals again and this time they were actually the beacon I was supposed to be travelling to.
OK, slip into the base, kill the wanted turret, target the beacon transmitter, scan the....
pew pew, ping ping.
OK no part of the mission actually called for me to SHOOT the beacon. Sooner or later I do need to get my controller commands sorted out, they're still the default and I messed with my ship commands, so they're not compatible. Fortunately the beacon's plot armor held, and I was able to get the signal I needed. I figured I could tell my employer that the bullet holes were all the fault of the illegal turret, so after accidentally shooting the beacon AGAIN while trying to turn around and head out of the base, I called my ship and it landed on a little rise, I drive in, and park.
As I'm loading into my cockpit, the first thing I hear is "UNDER ATTACK."
Yeah. Apparently nobody told me about the OTHER wanted turret, and that thing proceeded to put some holes in my poor long-suffering Cobra as I frantically upped gear and accelerated out of firing range.
Well, after many misadventures, at least the mission was successful, and if anyone wants to question the three or four bullet holes in the transmitter beacon, the illegal turret is right there, just waiting to take the blame, Time to report in and collect my money.
Last edited:
