Community Event / Creation The Buckyball Racing Club presents: Seven Sisters Speedway Remixed 17th - 27th June 3308 (Magic 8-Ball Championship, Race 5)

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Buckyball Racing Club presents: Seven Sisters Speedway Remixed
(Magic 8-Ball Championship, Race 5)
Ohm Horizons (HIP 29312) 17-JUN-3308 to 27-JUN-3308


>SUBMIT ENTRIES USING THIS GOOGLE FORM<




FINAL STANDINGS

Regulation Board.png


Unlimited Board.png




Welcome to Round-5 of the BRC Magic-8-Ball Championship - Seven Sisters Speedway Remixed: An edited rerun of a BRC race originally run in 3305, which was itself a reimagining of one of the earliest BRC events; take off from Ohm Horizons in HIP 29312 near the edge of the bubble, and take a whirlwind tour around some of the stations and installations of the Seven Sisters in the Pleiades Nebula, then race back to Ohm Horizons.

Last time alongside the main event, the most crazy daring commanders could earn time bonuses by flying fast through checkpoints, with the lowest adjusted time claiming Nuk's Kamikaze Cup. This time the shenanigans are incorporated into the main event, but not for the top three positions - they'll use unadjusted times. So do you gamble that you're fast enough for the podium, or do you take part in the shenanigans to maximise your bonus and go for a crazy fourth place?

Either way, both the race and the shenanigans begin at 00:00:01 UTC Friday 17-JUN-3308.
The race finishes at 23:59 UTC Monday 27-JUN-3308.

The Seven Sisters are:
  • Asterope
  • Atlas
  • Celaeno
  • Maia
  • Merope
  • Pleione
  • Sterope II
Classes:

As with all rounds of the Magic-8-Ball Championship, the Seven Sisters Speedway has the following classes:
  • Open Unlimited Class
  • Regulation Cobra Class
Regulation Cobra Class:
For this class, you must use the following build:

https://s.orbis.zone/hy-2

For regulation runs:
  • During a run repairs are only permitted at Obsidian Orbital in the Maia System.
  • Similarly refuelling is only permitted either by scooping from stars, or at Obsidian Orbital .
  • Jumponium synthesis is BANNED
  • White dwarf / neutron star FSD supercharging is PERMITTED, but pre-charging is BANNED
  • Rebuys, Wing Nav Locks, Fleet Carrier Jumps or anything else that allows you to skip ahead without flying part of the course are all BANNED

Open Unlimited Class:

For this class, you may used any build, subject to the rules below:
  • During a run repairs are only permitted at Obsidian Orbital in the Maia System.
  • Similarly refuelling is only permitted either by scooping from stars, or at Obsidian Orbital.
  • Standard & Advanced Docking Computers are BANNED
  • Supercruise Assist is BANNED
  • Heat-sinks and Shield Cell Banks are BANNED.
  • Engineering is PERMITTED including pre-engineered items (e.g. CG rewards)
  • Guardian Tech is PERMITTED
  • Jumponium synthesis is BANNED
  • Use of limpets is BANNED.
  • White dwarf / neutron star FSD supercharging is PERMITTED, but pre-charging is BANNED
  • Rebuys, Wing Nav Locks, Fleet Carrier Jumps or anything else that allows you to skip ahead without flying part of the course are all BANNED

The Course

Begin the race docked at Ohm Horizons in HIP 29312.

Visit the following eight locations in the Pleiades Nebula in any order:
  • Asterope – Dock at Copernicus Observatory (83ls)
  • Atlas – Hip Hop only!
  • Celaeno – Dock at Artemis Lodge (46ls)
  • Maia – Dock at Obsidian Orbital (635ls) - This is the only station where refuels and repairs may be performed.
  • Merope – Dock at the Glorious Prospect megaship (3003ls).
  • Pleione – Dock at Stargazer (1072ls)
  • Pleione (again) – Make a tunnel fly-through at the Squirrel's Nest space bar (265ls)
  • Sterope II – Hip Hop only!
Then return to dock at Ohm Horizons in HIP 29312.

Notes:
  • Start time – Your start time is the displayed time, on the landing pad at Ohm Horizons, before you select launch.
  • Finishing time – Your finish time is the displayed time and date, on the landing pad back at Ohm Horizons, after you land at the end of your run.
  • Hip Hop only! – No docking required, scoop some fuel if you like, and then head for the next destination.
  • Tunnel fly-throughs at Squirrel's Nest – There are several tunnels at the installation, fly through one (or more) and then engage your FSD. If flying through extra tunnels as optional shenanigans, then you cannot use the same tunnel twice in a row.
  • You can visit both Stargazer and Squirrel's Nest in a single visit to Pleione, or you can visit the system twice.

The Leaderboard

The leaderboard will be divided into three sections: The podium (positions 1-3) is the "No Shenanigan Zone," positions 4-9 make up the "Shenanigan Zone," the rest of the leaderboard is "The One Point Club."

The No Shenanigan Zone (Pos 1-3):


The podium is sacred, the optional shenanigans will not affect the podium spots at all and the three fastest unadjusted times will take positions 1, 2 and 3 on the leaderboard. So, if you think you're fast enough, complete the route as detailed above and claim your place in the No Shenanigan Zone.

The Shenanigan Zone (Pos 4-9):


Okay, so everyone loves a few shenanigans, some commanders even love to find ways to register negative times for their runs. And no one loves a few shenanigans more than long time Buckyball fans Antony "Fat Tony" Lonnigan and Enoch "Little Nuk" Lonnigan - aka The Lonnigan Brothers.

And so, for this rerun of the race the Lonnigans have thought up a fresh set of shenanigans to slow you down, or make you "nearly" explode your ship in search of some bonus seconds and a big negative time.

Positions 4 to 9 on the leaderboard will be ranked in order of adjusted time, so if you're not confident of grabbing a top three place, then grab as many bonus seconds as you to bring your adjusted time as far below zero as a flaming space bear.

The One Point Club (Pos 10+):


Positions 10+ on the leaderboard will also be ranked using adjusted times, but everyone gets one point and no one cares, that's why the One Point Club is the happiest place to be.

:) Have fun, fly fast, or slow, do some shenanigans, or don't, but nobody leaves empty handed in the One Point Club. :)

Optional Shenanigans:


The List of Shenanigans is:
  • Tony's BBQ Challenge
  • Xeno Baiting
  • Listen to this!
  • Tourist Trap
  • White Rabbit
  • Zen Archer
  • Like an Elite Racer
  • Thread the Needle
  • Ida Haul
  • Nuk's Coup de Grâce
Complete any or all of the Shenanigans to gain time bonuses that are deducted from your time as long as you're not one of the three fastest.
Each shenanigan can only be claimed once per run.

Tony's BBQ Challenge:
Fat Tony is back, and so is his favourite challenge, roast your ship during the run!
To claim this bonus, note the maximum temperature achieved during your run with the final FSD countdown active (ie at point where the jump cannot be cancelled). Remember that heat-sinks are banned, so make sure you've time to cool down again without exploding...

Time bonus is 1 second for each percentage point of temperature - e.g. 240% = a four minute bonus.

Xeno Baiting:
Introduce our Xeno friends to Buckyball racing, target any Thargoid ship for a 300 second bonus - fly within 100m of the targeted Thargoid for an extra 100 seconds of bonus time.

This bonus can be claimed either anywhere in one of the Seven Sisters systems, or during a hyperdiction if you're lucky enough to have your own personal Xeno-fans. Hopefully this will help out commanders who are regularly hyperdicted.

Note: If, like me, you're not equipped for Thargoid encounters then the Xeno that you target will appear as "unknown" on your display. That's fine, and it still gives you the range to the contact.

Listen to this:
Fly within 100m of any Listening Post outpost in the Seven Sisters a 300 second bonus.

Tourist Trap:
Fly within 100m of any Tourist Beacon outpost in the Seven Sisters a 300 second bonus.

White Rabbit:
Boost through the tunnel at the Squirrel's Nest space bar for a 100 second bonus, you must be traveling faster than your maximum non-boosted speed to get the bonus. You may fly through up to two extra tunnels to increase this bonus to 200 or 300 points, but you can't fly through the same tunnel twice in a row.

Zen Archer:
Fly into a station backwards
- ie you must be facing out of slot as you fly in through it - for a 100 second bonus.
Combining this with the start of Like an Elite Racer is cool, combining it with Nuk's Coup de Grâce is spectacular.

Like an Elite Racer:
Prior to docking at Obsidian Orbital, enter the slot, then exit again and fly all the way around the back of the station, passing through the habitation rings and directly around the reactor at the back of the station, then through the habitation rings again, back in through the slot and finally land on the pad for a 300 second bonus.

Thread the Needle:
Fly through at least one habitation ring at the Glorious Prospect megaship in Merope for a 100 second bonus.

Ida Haul:
Purchase up to 8 tons of either Power Generators or Computer Components from the commodities market at Artemis Lodge in Celaeno for a bonus of 100 seconds for each ton that's survives the trip back to Ohm Horizons (so a max of 800 seconds). Probably best not to combine this with a BBQ challenge attempt on the way home, the cargo hatch is always the first to go!

Nuk's Coup de Grâce:
Nuk dares you to risk it all right at the end - boost into Ohm Horizons with your shields offline for a bonus of 1 second per m/s of velocity (e.g. 15 minutes for 900m/s).
To claim the bonus, your shields must be offline - recharging is okay, but they must be still down - and you must be inside the slot or the docking bay heading in at the time that you claim the bonus (you can be outside when you actually boost). The recorded velocity must be greater than your ship's maximum unboosted velocity.



What is Buckyball Racing?


Quoting from the BRC website:

The aim of Buckyball-style races is to be as inclusive as possible. The features of these races are:
  • In systems accessible to all - no permit-locked systems
  • Can be run at any time - time-trial / checkpoint-style races, that can be run at any time within the race period, and thus open to those in all time zones
  • OK to run repeatedly - part of the excitement is trying to improve on your time!
  • Open to any ship - this normally means no outposts as that would rule out large ships, but certain events will include outposts and thus cannot be run with larger ships; check the rules of each event
Events run by the BRC are inspired by the Buckyball Run, a series of point-to-point time trials organised by Commander Electric-Z and Bucky, the fastest kangaroo in the galaxy.



Intent to Race!


Is it customary (but not required) for Buckyballers to declare their intent to race before doing so, in something like the following format.

Intent to Race
CMDR Name (forum alias if different)
Ship name (ship type)
Race Class

Example:
Intent to Race
CMDR Raiko
The Nomad (Asp X)
Open Unlimited




Proof and Submissions:


>SUBMIT ENTRIES USING THIS GOOGLE FORM<

One of the form questions is to give you Top Speed (no boost), this is an optional answer and is only really needed if you're submitting screenshot evidence for the White Rabbit and/or Nuk's Coup de Grace shenanigans - with video it'll obvious that you boosted.

In the past, screenshots were classed as the best and easiest way to submit your run, but in these high-bandwidth days uploading or streaming a video of your run to YouTube, Twitch or a similar service is the recommended way to submit your run.

If you choose to submit screenshots, then use a service like imgur to create an album of your run, make sure to provide your loadout (including thruster stats, for unlimited runs claiming shenanigan bonuses), a screenshot showing your starting time, one shot of each docking (on the pad), one in the tunnels at Squirrel's Nest, a Galaxy Map shot for each Hip-Hop visit, and a screenshot showing your final time docked back at Ohm Horizons.

Video evidence is highly recommended if you are performing the optional shenanigans, if you choose to submit screenshots, then ensure that you provide enough shots to prove you meet all the requirements of every shenanigan bonus that you are claiming - eg within 100m of a targeted Thargoid, or your peak speed during docking, with shields offline inside Ohm Horizons.




P.S. Why not join us in the BRC Discord for live chat before, during or after making a run!

buckyballdiscordlogo.png


 
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Frequently Asked Questions


Here is a set of FAQs to help out:

I did this last time, is it the same route?

Changes to the route, are as follows:
  1. The listening post waypoint in Merope has been replaced by the Glorious Prospect megaship, which wasn't present last time.
  2. Only one tunnel run is now compulsory at the Squirrel's Nest space bar.
  3. The only station where repairs and refuels are allowed is Obsidian Orbital.
How many times can I enter?

You can make as many runs as you wish during the race week, but only your best valid run will appear on each leader board. So the most leader board spots you can have is two, one-each for Open Unlimited and Regulation Cobra classes. If you are in contention for the podium, then you might want to make some runs with shenanigans as well, otherwise you might slip off the podium straight into the One Point Club.

Are Shenanigans only for Open Unlimited, or for Regulation Class as well?

Shenanigans and the split leaderboard are used in both unlimited and regulation classes this time.

All these shenanigan rules are too complicated, is there an easier way?

Yes, just make a run around the normal route, ignoring the optional shenanigans. If your time is one of the top three unadjusted times, then you'll claim your podium spot, otherwise you're probably doomed to finish in the one-point club, but everyone's happy there anyway!

Quoting from another post in this thread, here is my philosophy for structuring the leaderboard and rules how I did:
I've been thinking of trying a system like this for a while, but haven't had the opportunity to host a Lonnigan Bros race recently.

In the past I've kept my "silly stuff" - which began with Mrs Lonnigan's Spa Challenge at the very first full length BRC race - separate from the main leaderboard.

Indeed back then in 3301 I received an angry email from "the Old Kligg" himself, telling me it's okay to include silly things like that, as long as serious racers aren't expected to join in!

I definitely wanted to include Lonnigan shenanigans this time though, and didn't want a seperate non-scoring leaderboard for them.

So, my philosophy is:
  1. The fastest run should always win the race - in this case I extended that to all the podium/medal spots.
  2. I realised that for anyone (like me!) who is always happy to just finish in the #onepointclub, it really doesn't matter whether you attempt the shenanigans or not. Just race whichever way you find most fun. :D
  3. Rather than making optional bonuses where you need to work out if you can do them quick enough to be worth the bonus, I made them so that they're ALL always worth doing, even if you're slow, but the key is to find ways to do them fast to maximise the bonus.
  4. I kept in Tony and Nuk's traditional BBQ and Suicidal Docking challenges from my past races, and made sure the bonuses were big enough to make you really want to risk damaging your ships for (they made me do it, honest! 😇).
  5. I like the jeopardy of the mixed leaderboard, although I appreciate it's not ideal if you don't fancy the shenanigans at all and wouldn't expect a podium finish. That wouldn't have been any different if shenanigans had been used for every position though. I'm interested to see how 3rd and 4th place work out.

What is required for the Like an Elite Racer shenanigan?
  1. Enter the slot at Obsidian Orbital (if you do this backwards it also counts for Zen Archer).
  2. Exit the slot again.
  3. Fly towards the back of the station, passing through the habitation ring.
  4. Fly directly around the back end (reactor/engine) section of the station.
  5. Fly back towards the front of the station, passing through the habitation ring again.
  6. Re-enter the slot.
  7. Land on your designated pad.
If using screenshots, rather than video evidence, then please try to capture evidence of 1, 3, 4, 5 & 7 in your screenshots.

Here is a brilliant example by @Alec Turner of how to claim Zen Archer and Like an Elite Racer at the same time:


I've never dealt with Thargoids before how do I find them?

Neither have I to be honest, before scouting out for this race.
Other than by being hyperdicted (which happens lots to some commanders in the Pleiades, and never to others), Thargoids can be found at Non-Human Signal Sources which are abundant in the Seven Sisters systems.
Here is a guide to what can be found at the various threat levels.

Won't they destroy me easily?

The various Thargoid interceptor ships can initially be approached easily, but the scouts attack immediately.
However, in my test the scouts were easy to escape from in an unshielded, unengineered (other than FSD) hauler - even though I'd accidentally deployed my cargo hatch and couldn't boost. So it shouldn't be too dangerous for anyone to just make a quick flypast of a Thargoid ship.

I'm on console, is this just for PC cmdrs?

No, Buckyball events are open to cmdrs on all platforms. The nice thing about our time-trial format and the shared universe, is that runs are generally balanced across platforms, time-zones and play-modes.

So is Open Unlimited class for open mode only?

No, it's open to all ships with a few module restrictions. You can play in any game-mode, but we do encourage participants to give open mode a go for our events. Most BRC regulars race in open-mode and it's nice to meet fellow racers out on the course. Most of us have destroyed so many of our own ships crashing into stations, that we're not worried about other cmdrs shooting at us, and pvp attacks have been very-very rare during our events anyway .
(Unlike those pesky npc 'griefers' who never fail to spoil a personal-best run with an interdiction attempt 1.1Mm from the last station!)

Which modules are allowed?

In Regulation Cobra class you must use the build specified. In Open Unlimited class the following modules are banned: Docking Computer, Advanced Docking Computer, Supercruise Assist, Heat Sinks, Shield Cell Banks. All other modules are legal. This includes pre-engineered modules that are given as CG rewards.

What about Guardian Technology?

All guardian tech, including the FSD Booster is legal in Open Unlimited. Ships with an with FSD boosters will be noted though, so it's still worth entering open-unlimited even without access to guardian technology.

Can I use FSD fuel boost synthesis?

No, FSD synthesis is banned before and during a run.

Can I boost using white dwarfs / neutron stars?

Yes, FSD supercharging is allowed, so if there's a dead star in a convenient location, dive in there and get a boost. You are not allowed to begin the race with a "pre-charged" FSD though, so these singularities can only be visited during your actual run.

Can I repair / refuel at stations?

No, apart from at Obsidian Orbital in the Maia system, where repairs and refuels are permitted.

Can I dock at Obsidian Orbital more than once to repair?

Yes, you can dock there as many times as you like.

Can I swap ships / modules during a run?

No the ship configuration you begin a run with must remain unchanged during that run.
 
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I'd intended to post the race thread at least a week before the race, but illness meant that I didn't have time - and had to postpone to start this weekend rather than last weekend.

To make up for, and help out anyone for whom this is a bad week, I've added an extra day to the beginning and end of the race compared to a normal 9-day BRC event.

There are probably a few errors in the original post, I'll read through it again in the morning and fix any mistakes that I spot.
 
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Imperial Space
Fotla
Penzias Dock

Chief of Staff Gyeong Castro frowned at the unsettlingly greenish glowing crystal seated within the labyrinth of machinery and circuitry, which sat below an open access hatch of an Imperial Courier, docking bay 12B. Despite her background as a ship's technician, much of the equipment was completely, and often literally, alien to her. "So... this is the magical device I've heard so much about."

Commander Inga Stevenson rolled her eyes at her friend and founding employee of Stevenson Whirlwind Adventures. "It's hardly magical. It's adapted from Guardian Technology."

"Does anyone truly understand how G.Tech works yet?"

"Not that I know of..."

"That's because it hasn't been sufficiently analyzed yet." Gyeong smirked at her employer. "And you know what they say: 'Any insufficiently analyzed technology is indistinguishable from magic!'"

"Whatever. Just install it into the Virtue. Since I was here, I also bought a few others as well." Inga glanced at her still frowning friend. "But just in case, let's not install it on most of the company's ships. Just the ones I usually fly. No sense taking unnecessary risks with the day-to-day business." She paused, before adding, "But not Slave of the Empire. We're lucky that a modern FSD is even able to work on that ship, so let's not push our luck any further."

"Roger that. Let's get the little lady ready for the upcoming race!"




I have finally unlocked access to the Guardian FSD Booster. I would've done it much sooner, but I had hoped that Frontier would have added Guardian Odyssey content before now, and I'd had plans of exploring more of Guardian space once Frontier had done so. I guess I finally got tired of waiting. :D

Intent To Race:
Commander Inga Stevenson
Elegance of Virtue (Imperial Courier, Open Unlimited)
Ship of Theseus (Regulation Cobra III)
 
Oh boy - this one looks extremely, err, well, Buckyball!

Totally picked the wrong time to go on a ten day holiday but I'm going to try damn hard to get something on the board before I head off on Saturday morning.

Note that I'm not back until June 28th so there'll probably be a delay at the end before I get to publishing the latest championship standings.
 
Hmmm... ok, now where did I store that OBSStudio stuff - and will it work with the NAS?

Intent to race:
CMDR Azzie Elbub
Regulation Cobra Mk.III 8-Balls of Fire

My carrier R. Buckminster Fuller should currently be somewhere around - if it isn't in FC60, I'll (try to) move it thereabout this afternoon/evening, to jump into the Pleiades area (preferrably HIP 29312) around noon-ish UTC on Friday, 17th. No shipyard equipped (I'm cheap), but docking/refuel/repair/restock available to everyone. So if you don't want to lug your race boat to the Pleiades on foot, you can come along.
 
Oh, and btw. - anybody tested WD boosting recently? I've seen a couple of posts claiming that WD boosting would be broken since update 11.
 
Intent to race
CMDR Edelgard von Rhein
Unlimited
ship: TBD
I'll be running in Odyssey only, as my laptop does not have the largest SSD and I don't want both Horizons and Odyssey on it.
As for ships, I have my Imperial Courier ready but my Dolphin should also be close to race configuration (I had it rigged for passenger transport last I looked). I'll give my DBX Hermes a rest.
 
You could have told us...

HIP 29…Astero…AtlasCelaenoMaiaMeropePleioneSterop…
HIP 29312263.52272.28269.01274.50271.37271.83271.36
Asterope263.5212.035.7011.459.1811.528.26
Atlas272.2812.038.605.584.900.706.11
Celaeno269.015.708.606.424.458.283.93
Maia274.5011.455.586.424.285.523.33
Merope271.379.184.904.454.284.853.87
Pleione271.8311.520.708.285.524.855.72
Sterope II271.368.266.113.933.333.875.72
 
one question: "...with your shields offline for a bonus..." is it enough to "switch" them off with silent running shortly or do I need to have them offline all the time?

😎

Yes that would be fine. They just need to be offline in the combat message sense, where it says "shields offline " and "shields online. "

So even the powering up timer state is fine, as long as they're not actually "online " at the moment when you claim the speed bonus.
 
You could have told us...

HIP 29…Astero…AtlasCelaenoMaiaMeropePleioneSterop…
HIP 29312263.52272.28269.01274.50271.37271.83271.36
Asterope263.5212.035.7011.459.1811.528.26
Atlas272.2812.038.605.584.900.706.11
Celaeno269.015.708.606.424.458.283.93
Maia274.5011.455.586.424.285.523.33
Merope271.379.184.904.454.284.853.87
Pleione271.8311.520.708.285.524.855.72
Sterope II271.368.266.113.933.333.875.72
Well we have run this course twice before. ;)

But, yes HIP 29312 is a little distance away from the Pleiades.
 
Ooh, this sounds like it's gonna be expensive fun! I shall be there, vigorously attacking the bottom of the leaderboard.

Intent to say "Now then", maybe even "Ey Oop" to a thargoid
CMDR Martinjameson
Regulation Cobra: There Goes Me Whippet
Unlimited: Dunno yet, something with Whippet in the name. I'll be very surprised if I can get the Courier around with the same number of pieces at the end as it started with...
 
So, attempting BBQ on the way out and Ida on the way back, with a repair in Obsidian Orbital inbetween should be fine.
And - can you dock more than once at Obsidian for repairs during one run?
 
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