Done it all? Try the Buckyball Braben Star-to-Shining-Star Memorial Trophy Dash
The "Buckyball" Braben Star-to-Shining-Star Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as The Buckyball Run, is an unofficial, unsanctioned spaceship race run from Xiaoguan Hub in Magec to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system. The first run was not a real competitive race, as there was only one team running, but was intended both as a celebration of the Federation Interstellar Star Route System and a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time.
As it was found out, the newly imposed 9.8c relativistic limit imposed by the Federation Maximum Velocity Law (imposed as an energy conservation measure) was actually slower than the quickest average velocities of point-to-point travels of Commander Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben (no relation) in the first half of the 32nd century. In 3102, Braben flew the route in a Cowell-MgRath model 57 Sidewinder, averaging greater than 12.5c, setting a 32 minute record that stood for nearly 140 years.
Another motivation was the fun involved...
So what is it?
The Buckyball Run is a point-to-point rally race from the system of Magec to Wyrd within the navigable "bubble" of space in the Elite Dangerous beta, chosen so that anybody with a base Sidewinder can measure their best time from start to finish. Commanders with more advanced vessels can make the run as well, though to be fair times should only be compared with other ships of the same class. Even then, it might not be speed or range that ultimately determines the best time.
Sounds interesting. What do I have to do?
Navigate and dock at Xiaoguan Hub in Magec, then get to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system as fast as you can.
That's all? What are the rules?
To quote Dr. Dealgood, "I know you won't break the rules... There aren't any." Actually there's one teeny-weeny little rule, but it's a simple one. Take a screenshot as you sit on the launch pad at Xiaoguan and another upon landing at Vonarburg at the finish that show the time and location of your docked space ship. The difference in times will be the official time of your run. Post them here, along with the specs of your ship. Then sit back and enjoy the glory and admiration showered upon you by your fellow pilots. For added flavor, post your route, your control rig, and tell us a little about what happened on the way.
Here's a simple format to follow, showing the route of the intrepid Commander Braben in 3102.
Commander Name: Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben
Ship's Name: Shotgun Shine
Ship Class: Stock Sidewinder
Armaments/Loadout: 2 pulse lasers
Route taken: Magec, Ovid, Opala, I Bootis (Refueled at Chango, interdicted) Eranin, Asellus Primus, Dahan, Morgor (Docked at Romanek's Folly for fuel, interdicted on the way), BD 47+2112, Wyrd (Docked Vonaburg Co-Operative to finish)
Solo/MP: Solo
Time: 00:32:15
Do I have to use a Sidewinder?
Only if you want to run a "pure" Buckyball Run. Any class can be used, though you should only compare your times with the same class. Obviously long range ships will have an easier time of it, and it will become a contest of who can launch and dock the fastest.
I fly an Eagle. I can't reach those systems.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry. Wait for the next upgrade.
UPDATE - BREAKING NEWS - WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
Buckyballer Extraordinaire Jackie Silver proved that if you strip an Eagle of its weapons, thermal insulation, life support and fuzzy dice, the Eagle can make the run in fine style! The Buckyball Run tips it's hat to Commander Silver and his British Racing Green Eagle, Goodbye Princeton!
Do I have to race against other people?
This is a rally race, so you're racing the clock and comparing your time to others. Actual live racing would be difficult at this stage of the beta.
Do I have to play online then?
No, but you should just for the heck of it, and you should definitely note if your time is in solo mode because it does make a difference. Sure, multiplayer adds lag and a bunch of traffic but that's part of the unpredictability life brings. The added complexity of getting in and out of a crowded station also makes it much more challenging, and separates the separates the rocket aces from the future smoking craters. So let's see how fast you can get that big fat Nine of yours into the slot, chum, between the Anaconda loitering in the middle and that Sidewinder squeezing out the opposite side!
How do I take screenshots?
To take a screenshot press 'F10' to put a screenshot into The Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous folder in your 'My Pictures' folder.
How do I post a screenshot?
First you have to have a place to store it online. I recommend imgur, a free picture storage site. Registration is free. All you have to do do is upload it to imgur.
Once uploaded, look for a link to copy into your message here on the ED forum using BBCODE. It will look something like IMG http://i.imgur.com/26GLlho.jpg?1 IMG. When you post that in your message, it will show your screenshot. Or, alternately, click the little postcard-looking icon on the message editor menu and paste in your URL.
I forgot to take a screenshot when I launched/landed.
Bummer. We'll name the next run "There and back again" in your honor.
What do I win?
All the virtual groupies and fans you can imagine and the accolades of your fellow commanders on this board.
No, I mean, what do I win that's TANGIBLE?
What, like prize money? A trophy? This is an unsanctioned event run off of a message board, so I got nothing. Not only that, but people will may be posting new times for as long as this remains interesting, so odds are a winning time won't stand forever. Plus the different classes of ships make direct competition more difficult. We'd have to start sorting winners by class, cost, skill level... That's too much work. This is supposed to be fun, remember? I might put up a leaderboard somewhere, if there's enough interest.
What you can get out of this is better skills at navigation, docking, collision avoidance, and interdiction avoidance. Under the gun to make a good time while trying this out, my docking went from "easy, easy, OH GOD STOP" to being able to do an uninterrupted velocity landing through the slot down to the pad. Not only does it make you feel like a stud, it's a skill that will stick with you.
Your stories will also help other commanders learn from your experience. And, you get to do something that makes the ED universe a litte more alive. Plus, it's fun. You like fun, don't you?
I don't like fun.
Give this this game a shot then.
I didn't get anywhere close to a winning time.
Post it anyway, and try again. This is for fun, remember?
I had to stop and get fuel. Does that count against my time?
Time waits for no one, and neither does the Run.
I had to pay for it, too. This is costing me money!
You'll definitely want a few hundred creds in the bank for fuel. You can always trade along the way, but that clock is ticking...
I got interdicted. Waaaaaah!
See "I had to stop and get fuel" above. Hope you got away!
I lost my ship. Waaaaaah!
Three words: In. Sure. Ants. By simply reading this post you agree to hold me blameless for any losses incurred during the race. P.S. Don't risk what you can't afford to lose.
I've got fines/have a bounty on my head now, thanks to this stupid race. Waaaaaah!
Shame on you. You should feel bad for whatever you did. But that's the game, isn't it? That poor sucker in a hauler with a full load you rammed going through the slot has every right to put a bounty on you for wrecking his livelihood. Don't be a jerk and remember to ask for clearance and you should be okay in the future.
Anything else I should know?
Yeah. Have fun and don't cheat. There's no need to cheat because what would that prove? If you have a bottomless bank account, you can snapshot yourself in a Sidewinder, switch over a bigger ship, jump to the end and switch back to a Sidewinder and grab a snap in the end. What a stud. Or, you could play in Solo mode for loading speed decrease and say you were playing live to shave off a minute or two. Again, for what? Don't be that commander. Nobody likes that commander. In the real life, earth-bound Cannonball Run, "there was a gentlemen's agreement that the vehicle entered would be driven the entire distance, not having it transported on another vehicle, nor having an identical second vehicle hidden near the finish, etc." That's the spirit of this little exercise. How fast can you go, using the ship you've got. Beyond that, if it's in the game, it's legal. I think it's incumbent of anyone who posts a "holy cow!" run time to explain how they did it, or run the risk of being labeled "That commander..."
So... Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. You may launch at any time. I'll be waiting right here to gather your times. Good luck!
The race may be over but anyone can still make the run!
Post your screenshotted times and they will be recorded.
The record stands at 6 minutes, 34 seconds. Can you beat it?
And if you've already completed the run, take on the Buckyball Run 2, now launching at a station near YOU.
Race times for the first Buckyball Run will continue to be registered on a separate leaderboard, but will not be considered in competition for the run. But by all means, the top time should be beaten! Post your results (screenshots) in this thread and they will be displayed for all to see.
Now with HOT STEAMY VIDEO ACTION! Three Buckyballers have made their runs available for streaming:
FoxTwo: http://youtu.be/WgpeKD6dqHI
SpacePirateCaine: http://www.twitch.tv/spacepiratecaine/c/4875729
Vargur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9pBc3npSvA
Stay tuned for details for the second Buckyball Run, coming to a spaceport near YOU!
Post your screenshotted times and they will be recorded.
The record stands at 6 minutes, 34 seconds. Can you beat it?
And if you've already completed the run, take on the Buckyball Run 2, now launching at a station near YOU.
Race times for the first Buckyball Run will continue to be registered on a separate leaderboard, but will not be considered in competition for the run. But by all means, the top time should be beaten! Post your results (screenshots) in this thread and they will be displayed for all to see.
Now with HOT STEAMY VIDEO ACTION! Three Buckyballers have made their runs available for streaming:
FoxTwo: http://youtu.be/WgpeKD6dqHI
SpacePirateCaine: http://www.twitch.tv/spacepiratecaine/c/4875729
Vargur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9pBc3npSvA
Stay tuned for details for the second Buckyball Run, coming to a spaceport near YOU!
The "Buckyball" Braben Star-to-Shining-Star Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as The Buckyball Run, is an unofficial, unsanctioned spaceship race run from Xiaoguan Hub in Magec to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system. The first run was not a real competitive race, as there was only one team running, but was intended both as a celebration of the Federation Interstellar Star Route System and a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time.
As it was found out, the newly imposed 9.8c relativistic limit imposed by the Federation Maximum Velocity Law (imposed as an energy conservation measure) was actually slower than the quickest average velocities of point-to-point travels of Commander Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben (no relation) in the first half of the 32nd century. In 3102, Braben flew the route in a Cowell-MgRath model 57 Sidewinder, averaging greater than 12.5c, setting a 32 minute record that stood for nearly 140 years.
Another motivation was the fun involved...
So what is it?
The Buckyball Run is a point-to-point rally race from the system of Magec to Wyrd within the navigable "bubble" of space in the Elite Dangerous beta, chosen so that anybody with a base Sidewinder can measure their best time from start to finish. Commanders with more advanced vessels can make the run as well, though to be fair times should only be compared with other ships of the same class. Even then, it might not be speed or range that ultimately determines the best time.
Sounds interesting. What do I have to do?
Navigate and dock at Xiaoguan Hub in Magec, then get to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system as fast as you can.
That's all? What are the rules?
To quote Dr. Dealgood, "I know you won't break the rules... There aren't any." Actually there's one teeny-weeny little rule, but it's a simple one. Take a screenshot as you sit on the launch pad at Xiaoguan and another upon landing at Vonarburg at the finish that show the time and location of your docked space ship. The difference in times will be the official time of your run. Post them here, along with the specs of your ship. Then sit back and enjoy the glory and admiration showered upon you by your fellow pilots. For added flavor, post your route, your control rig, and tell us a little about what happened on the way.
Here's a simple format to follow, showing the route of the intrepid Commander Braben in 3102.
Commander Name: Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben
Ship's Name: Shotgun Shine
Ship Class: Stock Sidewinder
Armaments/Loadout: 2 pulse lasers
Route taken: Magec, Ovid, Opala, I Bootis (Refueled at Chango, interdicted) Eranin, Asellus Primus, Dahan, Morgor (Docked at Romanek's Folly for fuel, interdicted on the way), BD 47+2112, Wyrd (Docked Vonaburg Co-Operative to finish)
Solo/MP: Solo
Time: 00:32:15
Do I have to use a Sidewinder?
Only if you want to run a "pure" Buckyball Run. Any class can be used, though you should only compare your times with the same class. Obviously long range ships will have an easier time of it, and it will become a contest of who can launch and dock the fastest.
I fly an Eagle. I can't reach those systems.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry. Wait for the next upgrade.
UPDATE - BREAKING NEWS - WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
Buckyballer Extraordinaire Jackie Silver proved that if you strip an Eagle of its weapons, thermal insulation, life support and fuzzy dice, the Eagle can make the run in fine style! The Buckyball Run tips it's hat to Commander Silver and his British Racing Green Eagle, Goodbye Princeton!
Do I have to race against other people?
This is a rally race, so you're racing the clock and comparing your time to others. Actual live racing would be difficult at this stage of the beta.
Do I have to play online then?
No, but you should just for the heck of it, and you should definitely note if your time is in solo mode because it does make a difference. Sure, multiplayer adds lag and a bunch of traffic but that's part of the unpredictability life brings. The added complexity of getting in and out of a crowded station also makes it much more challenging, and separates the separates the rocket aces from the future smoking craters. So let's see how fast you can get that big fat Nine of yours into the slot, chum, between the Anaconda loitering in the middle and that Sidewinder squeezing out the opposite side!
How do I take screenshots?
To take a screenshot press 'F10' to put a screenshot into The Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous folder in your 'My Pictures' folder.
How do I post a screenshot?
First you have to have a place to store it online. I recommend imgur, a free picture storage site. Registration is free. All you have to do do is upload it to imgur.
Once uploaded, look for a link to copy into your message here on the ED forum using BBCODE. It will look something like IMG http://i.imgur.com/26GLlho.jpg?1 IMG. When you post that in your message, it will show your screenshot. Or, alternately, click the little postcard-looking icon on the message editor menu and paste in your URL.
I forgot to take a screenshot when I launched/landed.
Bummer. We'll name the next run "There and back again" in your honor.
What do I win?
All the virtual groupies and fans you can imagine and the accolades of your fellow commanders on this board.
No, I mean, what do I win that's TANGIBLE?
What, like prize money? A trophy? This is an unsanctioned event run off of a message board, so I got nothing. Not only that, but people will may be posting new times for as long as this remains interesting, so odds are a winning time won't stand forever. Plus the different classes of ships make direct competition more difficult. We'd have to start sorting winners by class, cost, skill level... That's too much work. This is supposed to be fun, remember? I might put up a leaderboard somewhere, if there's enough interest.
What you can get out of this is better skills at navigation, docking, collision avoidance, and interdiction avoidance. Under the gun to make a good time while trying this out, my docking went from "easy, easy, OH GOD STOP" to being able to do an uninterrupted velocity landing through the slot down to the pad. Not only does it make you feel like a stud, it's a skill that will stick with you.
Your stories will also help other commanders learn from your experience. And, you get to do something that makes the ED universe a litte more alive. Plus, it's fun. You like fun, don't you?
I don't like fun.
Give this this game a shot then.
I didn't get anywhere close to a winning time.
Post it anyway, and try again. This is for fun, remember?
I had to stop and get fuel. Does that count against my time?
Time waits for no one, and neither does the Run.
I had to pay for it, too. This is costing me money!
You'll definitely want a few hundred creds in the bank for fuel. You can always trade along the way, but that clock is ticking...
I got interdicted. Waaaaaah!
See "I had to stop and get fuel" above. Hope you got away!
I lost my ship. Waaaaaah!
Three words: In. Sure. Ants. By simply reading this post you agree to hold me blameless for any losses incurred during the race. P.S. Don't risk what you can't afford to lose.
I've got fines/have a bounty on my head now, thanks to this stupid race. Waaaaaah!
Shame on you. You should feel bad for whatever you did. But that's the game, isn't it? That poor sucker in a hauler with a full load you rammed going through the slot has every right to put a bounty on you for wrecking his livelihood. Don't be a jerk and remember to ask for clearance and you should be okay in the future.
Anything else I should know?
Yeah. Have fun and don't cheat. There's no need to cheat because what would that prove? If you have a bottomless bank account, you can snapshot yourself in a Sidewinder, switch over a bigger ship, jump to the end and switch back to a Sidewinder and grab a snap in the end. What a stud. Or, you could play in Solo mode for loading speed decrease and say you were playing live to shave off a minute or two. Again, for what? Don't be that commander. Nobody likes that commander. In the real life, earth-bound Cannonball Run, "there was a gentlemen's agreement that the vehicle entered would be driven the entire distance, not having it transported on another vehicle, nor having an identical second vehicle hidden near the finish, etc." That's the spirit of this little exercise. How fast can you go, using the ship you've got. Beyond that, if it's in the game, it's legal. I think it's incumbent of anyone who posts a "holy cow!" run time to explain how they did it, or run the risk of being labeled "That commander..."
So... Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. You may launch at any time. I'll be waiting right here to gather your times. Good luck!
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