Community Event / Creation Buckyball Racing Club presents: The A* Challenge

[robinjb]

Good to see you crazys still going for this. especially the one sitting guys.
ive got less time these days than I used to, but once I get back to grinding up the money for a conda and a big scoop. ill make another trip.. I can maybe handle 9hrs.. but not more.
my first asp attempt still gives me the heeby geebies when I think about it. so much time lost calculating routes in the core before magic numbers were found.

 

[Rankaze]

Good to see you crazys still going for this. especially the one sitting guys.
ive got less time these days than I used to, but once I get back to grinding up the money for a conda and a big scoop. ill make another trip.. I can maybe handle 9hrs.. but not more.
my first asp attempt still gives me the heeby geebies when I think about it. so much time lost calculating routes in the core before magic numbers were found.

Yeah.

Before someone went and did it sub-11 hours, I had been plannimg another Hauler run, because I'm sure I lost at least an hour ro route plotting issues... in fact, I'm pretty confident I could have done it in less than 12 hours.

Getting less than 11 in a Hauler seems like it would require a sort of ruthless precision I just can't sustain for that length of time, though.

I have to admit that's also part of why I didn't try again. It's very hard to make myself invest that kind of block of time (12h there + 12h back) into an endeavor where I don't think I'm capable of being competitive.

Oh, I'd have done it the first time regardless, just to do it. But once you've climbed the mountain, "because it's there" isn't enough reason anymore.

 

[Esvandiary]

Getting less than 11 in a Hauler seems like it would require a sort of ruthless precision I just can't sustain for that length of time, though.

Not going to lie, "ruthless precision" was pretty much my first thought on seeing Rusticolus and drakhyr's current Asp times.
I might hold the record, but they're the most impressive times on the board in my book... (Only slightly ahead of Takaru Minari's Orca time - that's real determination )

I know the feeling though, I might have to go again at some point but it probably won't be soon (and not only because I'm currently on my way there at a somewhat more leisurely pace, heh)

 

[Rankaze]

Not going to lie, "ruthless precision" was pretty much my first thought on seeing Rusticolus and drakhyr's current Asp times.
I might hold the record, but they're the most impressive times on the board in my book... (Only slightly ahead of Takaru Minari's Orca time - that's real determination )

I know the feeling though, I might have to go again at some point but it probably won't be soon (and not only because I'm currently on my way there at a somewhat more leisurely pace, heh)

The one thing I can think of that might get me back out there is if I decide to repurpose my second account as a dedicated explorer (so I can have my exploration without cutting myself off from the rest of the game.

The run to A* is much less daunting if you're in no hurry to get back.

 

[Raiko]

The one thing I can think of that might get me back out there is if I decide to repurpose my second account as a dedicated explorer (so I can have my exploration without cutting myself off from the rest of the game.

The run to A* is much less daunting if you're in no hurry to get back.

An A* run is an excellent way to begin an expedition, once you're there you've not got much choice but to plan how to get back! (Unless you're on a one-way trip).

I'm going to make another Asp run, but it's unlikely to be before Christmas as I need it to be on a long weekend, and I've no time off work before then.

I'm 100% sure that I can beat my own time, because I made a few mistakes and I was too tired (me Rusti and Drakhyr had a three-way challenge sort of going, so I just had to go!).

So as it's so close ahead of me, I think that I can at least climb the table a little, but I agree that Drakhyr and Rusti's times are pretty awesome - there's not a lot of room for mistakes (or breaks!) in those times.

 

[mw_aurora]

Cmdr Name: Retmoc
Ship Name: The Sentimental
Ship Type: Imperial Courier
Total Race Time: 14 hrs 4 mins 55 secs

Nice one Retmoc! Glad to see you did the run, and a cracking time too!

- - - Updated - - -

I'm wondering whether this is like doing a marathon. Immediately afterwards you say that you'll never do it again but then after a while you start thinking about the next run. Asp, DBX or maybe the FDL

Hehe, that about sums it up for me

 

[Esvandiary]

I feel like I should post my Spreadsheet of Doom™... I think some people on the Fuel Rats IRC have seen it before, but I just realised I don't think I ever posted it in here before...

BEHOLD!

Bear in mind: those times are theoretical best - no breaks, no long witchspace trips, no extra time scooping, no replots (in fact, no time allocated for plotting at all). Oh, and no scanners.
Basically, you shouldn't feel bad that your times aren't close to these. My own current record time is about 40 minutes behind what this spreadsheet says it should be.

The only things that are realistic rather than "absolute best" are the jump ranges (that's why the "likely" jump distance column is there). There are also jump counts and times based on the maximum jump distance, but they're hidden because they're pretty much meaningless.

This was basically borne out of me thinking "hm, I wonder how fast X Ship could do it?," and the rest is just the result of inevitable feature creep...
Hope it's helpful for people... Oh, and you can ignore the "Current" column on the right, that's just me tracking my hope that eventually every ship in the game will have made it to A* in under 24 hours (paging Takaru Minari...)

 

[Rankaze]

An A* run is an excellent way to begin an expedition, once you're there you've not got much choice but to plan how to get back! (Unless you're on a one-way trip).

I'm going to make another Asp run, but it's unlikely to be before Christmas as I need it to be on a long weekend, and I've no time off work before then.

I'm 100% sure that I can beat my own time, because I made a few mistakes and I was too tired (me Rusti and Drakhyr had a three-way challenge sort of going, so I just had to go!).

So as it's so close ahead of me, I think that I can at least climb the table a little, but I agree that Drakhyr and Rusti's times are pretty awesome - there's not a lot of room for mistakes (or breaks!) in those times.

It's the lack of room for breaks that is actually more daunting than the lack of room for mistakes. I do not have the most comfortable of chairs to pilot from; there is a reason my quote is what it is on the board!

I really need to buy a better chair before I even consider doing something like this again. And while I love my new rudder pedals (MFG Crosswind), they only make the not-good chair more apparent.

As such, not being able to get up every now and then is a major deterrent.

Also, looking at CMDR Alot's spreadsheet, each line from the Vulture to the bottom can be summed up in one word: NOPE.

Oh, and also... the gap from theoretical to real is going to be larger on the Courier than most ships. You're going to have a very hard time scooping to full on a single pass on certain star classes.

 

[Esvandiary]

Oh, and also... the gap from theoretical to real is going to be larger on the Courier than most ships. You're going to have a very hard time scooping to full on a single pass on certain star classes.

The time calculations do account for long scoop times as shown, but yeah there's no specific variation for each ship... I'm guessing it's heat that makes the Courier more problematic than other ships that take a long time to scoop?

Also, looking at CMDR Alot's spreadsheet, each line from the Vulture to the bottom can be summed up in one word: NOPE.

Not going to lie, it'd take a very special case for me to have a go at runs that long too... Serious kudos to those that have!

 

[Rankaze]

The time calculations do account for long scoop times as shown, but yeah there's no specific variation for each ship... I'm guessing it's heat that makes the Courier more problematic than other ships that take a long time to scoop?


Not going to lie, it'd take a very special case for me to have a go at runs that long too... Serious kudos to those that have!

Yeah, the Courier 's heat issues while scooping make other hot runners like the Hauler and the Fer-de-Lance seem very tame by comparison. It's not as insane as when it was in beta (scooping was not safe at all!), but it still builds heat considerably faster than anything else I have flown. It's bad enough to get dangerous very quickly if you aren't mindful of it.

I have heard some people say that the Impy Eagle is even worse, thiugh.

When I made my run in the Hauler, I turned every nonessential system off to save heat. Cargo hatch? Off. AFMU's when not in use? Off. Power distributor? Off. Sensors? Off. Would definitely have to do the same in a Courier and I'm still not really confident I'd actually make it without burning up if I was pushing the envelope for speed.

I think I'd have to use an A powerplant even at the cost of jump range. Of course, I did that in the Hauler, too.

 

[Esvandiary]

I think I'd have to use an A powerplant even at the cost of jump range. Of course, I did that in the Hauler, too.

Definitely - an A power plant is a must for me... Especially when the difference between the 2A and the 2D is 0.3T...

 

[Macros Black]

I know the feeling though, I might have to go again at some point but it probably won't be soon (and not only because I'm currently on my way there at a somewhat more leisurely pace, heh)

OMG, you're planning an EEA - Extreme Explorer Anaconda (41.43Ly) Sgr A* trip...
You're such a big che..errh planner! - I only got halfway there in the beta before they closed it, so have to do it 2 more times, one for the continued plot planning and then the actual 'official' trip. The smuggling missions has been very good to my credit balance, can now afford 2 suicide trips.

Agree on awesomeness of Rusticolus & Drakhyr - they are off of this world

 

[Esvandiary]

OMG, you're planning an EEA - Extreme Explorer Anaconda (41.43Ly) Sgr A* trip...
You're such a big che..errh planner! - I only got halfway there in the beta before they closed it, so have to do it 2 more times, one for the continued plot planning and then the actual 'official' trip. The smuggling missions has been very good to my credit balance, can now afford 2 suicide trips.

Haha... I'm not actually planning routes for a run; since I'm planning to go all the way to 65k out, I figured taking the 32T tank was probably for the best. Obviously I'll have to run half-empty to make the longer jumps once I get there, but I'd rather have the flexibility in case I need to do more than two jumps in a row.

 

[Macros Black]

Haha... I'm not actually planning routes for a run; since I'm planning to go all the way to 65k out, I figured taking the 32T tank was probably for the best. Obviously I'll have to run half-empty to make the longer jumps once I get there, but I'd rather have the flexibility in case I need to do more than two jumps in a row.

Funny really, how quickly you get used to the "Main fuel tank empty" on every single jump. Knuckles no longer going white, and seat no longer getting grabbed hard, and I don't mean with your hands. However, landing on a non-scoopable despite your careful planning, then it's back to "omg - now I'm dead!"

Enjoy your trip, Cmdr.

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

Which brings me to my time. I calculate it to be 14 hrs 4 mins 55 secs which means, provided that this is confirmed by the Cmdr Drakhyr, the Courier can get a sub-24 hour time next to its name. Here are the full details: Cmdr Name: Retmoc Ship Name: The Sentimental Ship Type: Imperial Courier Total Race Time: 14 hrs 4 mins 55 secs

Wow. Excellent time! And it feels really good right now to be back in the black. Had to step away for a few weeks to take care of RL issues, which resolved yesterday. Back to farming; suspect I'll be ready to make a planned run around American Thanksgiving.

 

[Raiko]

Wow. Excellent time! And it feels really good right now to be back in the black. Had to step away for a few weeks to take care of RL issues, which resolved yesterday. Back to farming; suspect I'll be ready to make a planned run around American Thanksgiving.

Any idea what you might be running in? Since your Asp time is so closely ahead of mine, I'm definitely hoping to overtake you (and hopefully Robin's Conda time). Although I said that I'll be running at Christmas, I could probably make sure that I save up enough flexi-time at work to take a long weekend at thanksgiving. I'm in the UK, but make my A* Runs overnight, so we could possibly arrange to make a run at appoximately the same time.

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

Any idea what you might be running in? Since your Asp time is so closely ahead of mine, I'm definitely hoping to overtake you (and hopefully Robin's Conda time). Although I said that I'll be running at Christmas, I could probably make sure that I save up enough flexi-time at work to take a long weekend at thanksgiving. I'm in the UK, but make my A* Runs overnight, so we could possibly arrange to make a run at appoximately the same time.

Anaconda. You want to beat my time, and that's understandable. I want to beat Esvandiary's. I'm currently in the middle of neutron star farming; I've had previous farming sessions that netted about the amount I need for a 7A fuel scoop. That said, Thanksgiving is generally a long weekend in and of itself; in other words, waiting until Saturday of that week is certainly doable.

 

[mw_aurora]

Funny really, how quickly you get used to the "Main fuel tank empty" on every single jump. Knuckles no longer going white, and seat no longer getting grabbed hard, and I don't mean with your hands. However, landing on a non-scoopable despite your careful planning, then it's back to "omg - now I'm dead!"

I take it you are still looking at the 1 jump 'conda for top spot?

 

[Macros Black]

I take it you are still looking at the 1 jump 'conda for top spot?

More than looking, so far I've plotted a viable route 12kylies out.
Top spot will still be a challenge, most jumps must be close to flawless.

 

[Raiko]

More than looking, so far I've plotted a viable route 12kylies out.
Top spot will still be a challenge, most jumps must be close to flawless.

Have you considered a 10t tank for a little extra cushion, and so you shouldn't ever need to wait an extra second when the cooldown finishes? I'm assuming 2t would be enough for a 20-25ly jump in a "racing conda", so you'd be able to get out of jail if you accidentally jumped into a T-Tauri system, rather than hitting the rat-signal or self-destructing.

- - - Updated - - -

Anaconda. You want to beat my time, and that's understandable. I want to beat Esvandiary's. I'm currently in the middle of neutron star farming; I've had previous farming sessions that netted about the amount I need for a 7A fuel scoop. That said, Thanksgiving is generally a long weekend in and of itself; in other words, waiting until Saturday of that week is certainly doable.

Nice one! Good luck.

I'll aim to make my next Asp run on the Thanksgiving Weekend then, maybe there'll be a few of us in Sadge at the same time. I'm not sure whether I'll ever have an explorer conda, so making another attempt to regain the Asp record is best I can manage in the near future.