Buckyball Racing Club present: Thargoid Structure Scramble

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
I also think the folks running the newsletter deserve some appreciation for putting it on #311, without which I'd not have known anything about it
It is nice indeed, but it would be nicer if they would put it in the day before the race starts, rather than 2 days before it ends :)

Forgot to mention, but during my prospecting visits I tried to enter a structure without sensor in SRV and it worked. So the bug remains in game.
There is the issue for it here. https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/18034

Please feel free to contribute. In fact everyone who has done this race could well contribute to the bug, then we could get it above 10 confirmations :)

Edit ninja'd by Alec
 
It is nice indeed, but it would be nicer if they would put it in the day before the race starts, rather than 2 days before it ends :)


There is the issue for it here. https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/18034

Please feel free to contribute. In fact everyone who has done this race could well contribute to the bug, then we could get it above 10 confirmations :)

Edit ninja'd by Alec

Consider it done :) Just added my confirmation to the reported issue!
 

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
So the race is finally over. A huge thank you to everyone who took part, I'd hoped that this might make for a good race and it really seems to have done so. There's been lots of entries in both classes which pleases me immensely ☺

The race itself was seemingly getting harder as the week went on. People were reporting more and more Hyperdictions and I think the Thargoids were getting more than a little annoyed at this group of reckless racers buzzing around some of their structures. Not to mention that another group turned up for the last couple of days. And some lunatic is encouraging people to try and hitch a ride on a Thargoid... I am a little disappointed though that there was only one death.

I think I managed to go through all of the most recent runs from those in the unlimited class to show which systems were used. It's not surprising to see OD-S B4-1 used so often, in fact it was used by all except one person :)

Pleiades Sector OD-S B4-110
Pleiades Sector IH-V C2-36
Pleiades Sector JC-V C2-94
Pleiades Sector HH-V C2-133
Pleiades Sector EB-X C1-22
Pleiades Sector EC-U B3-01
Pleiades Sector HH-V C2-61
Delphi1
MEL 22 Sector UE-G B11-01
MEL 22 Sector SK-E B12-11
Pleiades Sector LX-U C2-21
Pleiades Sector JM-W D1-521
HIP 149091

Unlimited was where most of the action took place on the final day so I will update the Regulation board first. There was only one entry and that was from Cmdr. Epaphus who clearly wanted to improve their time as it had been slipping down the leaderboard while they were focusing on the Unlimited class. After replacing their navigator (they didn't comment on how the other was disposed of...) there were a few incidents at surface structures getting stuck around and inside them, but they still managed to improve to a sub 40 minute time to move them up off the bottom of the leaderboard.

So the final podium is:
First place: Cmdr. Alec Turner with a time of 34:40
Second place: Cmdr. Bob Dubrovnik (Coslany) with a time of 35:35
Third place: Cmdr. Sulu with a time of 38:40

wj3kO5mh.png


There were six entries in the Unlimited class on the final afternoon/evening. Cmdr. Cheetah managed to improve their time and they broke the 40 minute barrier 👍 Cmdr. Terrorsidic took a break from some crazy shenanigans at the Thargoid Structures with the Elite Racers, to have a run of this and he made it around the course in a very creditable 35:23. Cmdr. Boni58 took to the course for the first time too, and despite a Hyperdiction and an Interdiction they got round just 2 seconds slower that Terrorsidic! Though they didn't realise this, they went for a second run didn't get interdicted this time (still a Hyperdiction) and managed to break the 35 minute barrier. Then we had Cmdr. Sulu have another crack at the course hoping to try and make a podium in both of the classes, and although he managed to improve his run he unfortunately just missed out. The last entry of the race, was Cmdr. Bregil Maur who managed to shift the route around and find one without obscured jumps. The distances were greater and so they compensated with synthesis and also managed to improve their time and cement their place at the top of the leaderboard, with a frankly ridiculous time over four minutes ahead of their nearest rival 👏

So the final podium is:
First Place: Cmdr. Bregil Maur (Shaye) with a time of 22:37
Second Place: Cmdr. Kyloe (Sgurr) with a time of 26:45
Third Place: Cmdr. Alec Turner with a time of 28:27

goXiaZPh.png


So Alec does also manage to get a podium in both classes, which is something to be commended.

A huge thanks to you all again for being so awesome!
 
Thanks for organising an awesome, interesting, frustrating and fun race Ozric, and congratulations to all participants. Very interesting to see the different routes chosen even if most of us seems to have aimed for the same thing, less time in supercruise.

My route ended up primarily being this but obscured jumps was a big problem:
Pleiades Sector HH-V c2-13 A 1 c (866,83 ls from main star, 60,48 ly from HIP 17403)
Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a (59,88 ls from main star, 39,94 Ly from first site)
Pleiades Sector OD-S b4-1 2 a (308,75 ls from main star, 80,04 Ly from second site, 20,67 Ly from Merope)
Total of 7 jumps.

On the final day after having waited patiently for Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a to turn around since tuesday (I must have missed a window on friday due to sleep/work) I eventually came up with this alternative route. This one have almost 500 ls more time spent in supercruise which I countered with one of very few FSD boosts available to my commander on the last jump:
Pleiades Sector OD-S b4-1 2 a (308,75 ls from main star, 26,51 Ly from HIP 17403)
Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a (59,88 ls from main star, 80,04 Ly from first site)
Pleiades Sector JC-B c2-9 1 a (1232,12 ls from main star, 40,17 Ly from second site, 52,92 Ly from Merope)
Total of 6 jumps.

I got lucky with the Thargoid interference compared to some other racers and the problem of targetting the crash site resolved itself like others have said before.


Winning run (1440 not done processing just yet):
Source: https://youtu.be/wOY0rMw1LcM
 
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Thanks for organising an awesome, interesting, frustrating and fun race Ozric, and congratulations to all participants. Very interesting to see the different routes chosen even if most of us seems to have aimed for the same thing, less time in supercruise.

My route ended up primarily being this but obscured jumps was a big problem:
Pleiades Sector HH-V c2-13 A 1 c (866,83 ls from main star, 60,48 ly from HIP 17403)
Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a (59,88 ls from main star, 39,94 Ly from first site)
Pleiades Sector OD-S b4-1 2 a (308,75 ls from main star, 80,04 Ly from second site, 20,67 Ly from Merope)
Total of 7 jumps.

On the final day after having waited patiently for Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a to turn around since tuesday (I must have missed a window on friday due to sleep/work) I eventually came up with this alternative route. This one have almost 500 ls more time spent in supercruise which I countered with one of very few FSD boosts available to my commander on the last jump:
Pleiades Sector OD-S b4-1 2 a (308,75 ls from main star, 26,51 Ly from HIP 17403)
Pleiades Sector EC-U b3-0 4 a (59,88 ls from main star, 80,04 Ly from first site)
Pleiades Sector JC-B c2-9 1 a (1232,12 ls from main star, 40,17 Ly from second site, 52,92 Ly from Merope)
Total of 6 jumps.

I got lucky with the Thargoid interference compared to some other racers and the problem of targetting the crash site resolved itself like others have said before.


Winning run (1440 not done processing just yet):
Source: https://youtu.be/wOY0rMw1LcM

Those planetary approaches are a thing of beauty!

Totally this ^^^.

A complete revelation to me, utterly different to the "optimum" surface approach vector that I've been working on for years. I now recall that Shaye (and others) had a faster way of approaching a planet surface that they perfected during "Signs of Life" but of course I completely ignored it and ploughed on doing it my way. I really need to practice this new approach ... it's soooo much faster. Also worthy of mention is how you managed to scan the Thargoid device while simultaneously turning your SRV through 180 degrees so you were all ready to drive back out when it finished. I thought you were wrong to be using turret view ... until I realised what you were doing! 😲

When I saw the times Shaye (and later Sgurr) were posting in Unlimited I confess I ran for regulation class and stayed there. With the methods I was using there was no way on earth I could shave that many minutes off my time to catch them. I knew part of it was scooping the sensor with the ship (beautifully illustrated in Shaye's video there) but even with that and maybe a saved jump or two I still could not understand where the extra minutes were coming from ... until now. A true Buckyball master at work ... I totally take my hat off to that run, sublime! (well, apart from the fumbled drive in to the first Thargoid base ... but that at least makes you human! :LOL:)

o7
 
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Those planetary approaches are a thing of beauty!
I agree, but am now seriously conflicted cause when I compare Shaye, Alec and myself I realise I'm doing the same thing as Shaye in roughly the same time, and I just can't call my approaches a thing of beauty :oops:

Anyway some numbers, from system entry to crash site glide end:

Shaye - 2:34
Sgurr - 2:34
Alec - 2:50

I couldn't ship scoop the sensor so with a lower boost speed and srv pick up from station launch to boost away from crash site we were:

Shaye - 3:57
Sgurr - 5:14
Alec - 5:20 (regulation substracting 1 jump's time, 6:04 otherwise), good srv scooping o7

So Shaye, fast and best tactics = winner o7

My route went down to take in 2 systems with sites <60ls from the star plus the popular B4-1. I used synth to cut out 2 jumps on my final run, but also had an obscured jump costing ~1:30 that I didn't have on earlier runs.
Edit: and luck on that run with no hyperdictions

MEL 22 Sector UE-G B11-01
MEL 22 Sector SK-E B12-11


I would've done things quite differently on my main with its engineering, but I also loved running the Scout around and feel really pleased to have taken AkenBosch to 2nd in some form :D

Awesome race @Ozric , thanks again o7
 
Totally this ^^^.

A complete revelation to me, utterly different to the "optimum" surface approach vector that I've been working on for years. I now recall that Shaye (and others) had a faster way of approaching a planet surface that they perfected during "Signs of Life" but of course I completely ignored it and ploughed on doing it my way. I really need to practice this new approach ... it's soooo much faster. Also worthy of mention is how you managed to scan the Thargoid device while simultaneously turning your SRV through 180 degrees so you were all ready to drive back out when it finished. I thought you were wrong to be using turret view ... until I realised what you were doing! 😲

When I saw the times Shaye (and later Sgurr) were posting in Unlimited I confess I ran for regulation class and stayed there. With the methods I was using there was no way on earth I could shave that many minutes off my time to catch them. I knew part of it was scooping the sensor with the ship (beautifully illustrated in Shaye's video there) but even with that and maybe a saved jump or two I still could not understand where the extra minutes were coming from ... until now. A true Buckyball master at work ... I totally take my hat off to that run, sublime! (well, apart from the fumbled drive in to the first Thargoid base ... but that at least makes you human! :LOL:)

o7
Totally this!! Shaye, I doff my cap to you, amazing! But Alec, isn't that type of entry to the site normal? That's the only bit I can emulate from Commander Shaye's run!
 
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