RACE DESCRIPTION
With the dawn of colonisation, being able to visit a variety of supply stations and return back to your own system as quickly as possible has never been more important. But the large number of commodities required also means that commanders must be able to realistically estimate the time required to complete the task lest they overestimate their abilities and end up forfeiting the claim.
To this end the Buckyball Racing Club have been asked to take part in a time and motion study.
The event will run from Friday 28th March until Monday 7th April inclusive.
The race begins at Somerset Station in the I Carinae system. You must take off and fly to each of the following stations (in any order you choose) before returning back to Somerset Station to finish.
- Lawhead Reach on Ennead B 2
- Qureshi Enterprise in the Khaka system
- Harrison's Cradle in the Mikir system
- Shosuke Horizons on Sesuang A 3
Before commencing your run you must decide exactly how long you think it's going to take you to complete your run and post this in the local chat just prior to launch. For example, if you reckon you can complete a run in 18 minutes and 30 seconds then post "18:30" in local chat (note this is the elapsed time and NOT the finish time). You must do this in the final seconds before launch so that your starting screenshot (which includes your start time just before take off on the HUD clock) also has your predicted time still showing in the local chat window.
If you manage to complete your run within your predicted time (e.g. 18:25) then you will receive the predicted time (18:30) for your entry. However, if you are slower than your predicted time then you will receive your predicted time plus twice the amount by which you missed it. For example, if you complete the run in 18:45 (15 seconds slower than predicted) then your final time would be 18:30 + (2 x 15s), so 19:00 exactly.
The idea is that you want to set yourself as fast a time as you believe you're capable of (as that will be the best your submission can be) but don't overestimate your abilities because you will be penalised if your run is slower than that.
RACE CLASSES
There are two classes you can enter for this race (you're allowed to enter both).
Regulation Class
The idea with this is that it's an affordable ship with no engineering (and is therefore available to all who wish to give this a try) and provides a race where everyone is on an equal footing as far as equipment is concerned. For this race we will be using the venerable Cobra Mk III from previous years with the one exception that the old 4A FSD has been replaced by a 4C SCO FSD.
The loadout for this ship can be found here: https://s.orbis.zone/qQPm
Unlimited Class
For this class pretty much anything goes. Choose whichever ship you fancy (as long as it's available for in-game credits at the time of your run) and apply whatever modules and engineering you like, with the following exceptions:
- no docking computers
- no supercruise assist modules
The following are NOT allowed:
- synthesis of any kind (including repair and FSD injection)
- pre super-charging the FSD (yes it's possible, no it's not allowed)
- navlock (i.e. locking on to a team mate and dropping at their beacon is not allowed)
- dying at any point between initial launch and final landing back at Somerset Station
- time travel
SUBMITTING YOUR RUN
Once the race has started you will be able to click on this letterbox to submit your run via a Google form.
You will be required to provide evidence. If you wish this can be in the form of a URL to a video of the entire run uploaded to YouTube but note that you MUST include timestamps for the key moments (see below) in the description of the video for it to be accepted. Alternatively you can supply the URL for an album of screenshots (typically on Imgur) of the key moments.
Screenshots are preferred (and much faster for you to upload) and note that you can always video the run and then capture the screenshots from it afterwards.
The key moments you must capture are:
- Your ship outfitting (a series of screenshots capturing all the modules in your right hand panel is usually the easiest way to do this).
- A start line shot taken just BEFORE launch with your ship still on the pad, the current time showing in the top-right of the HUD, and the local chat window with your predicted time still visible in the top-left. Note that if you're using VR and can't fit both in at once then I'll accept two screenshots.
- A shot taken just after landing at each of the four intermediate stations showing the station name and the time in the top-right of the HUD.
- A finish line screenshot taken just AFTER landing back at Somerset Station.
Predicted time (elapsed): 17:45
Start time: 17:13:00
End time: 17:31:00
Run took 18 minutes exactly which is 15 seconds slower than predicted so final time for the leaderboard will be 18:15.
Start time: 17:13:00
End time: 17:31:00
Run took 18 minutes exactly which is 15 seconds slower than predicted so final time for the leaderboard will be 18:15.
Note that you can submit as many entries as you like throughout the duration of the event. The whole point of Buckyball Racing is to try and improve your time and position on a global leaderboard which will be published at regular intervals throughout the course of the race.
SIGNING UP
There isn't really a formal requirement to sign up for this race, just give it a try whenever you fancy. That said, do please feel free to state your intention to take part, ask questions, and otherwise continue to engage with this forum thread. Part of the fun of a Buckyball Race is the communal banter before, during and after the event.
FAQ
Q) Which game mode do I need to use when racing?
A) Strictly speaking you're free to use any mode you like. That said we do tend to advocate racing in Open as there's always the possibility of running into other racers out on the track and it's always an added pleasure when this happens. Also, in the EXTREMELY unlikely event that you run into a griefer out to cause mischief, if you're doing this properly then they won't be able to catch you anyway!
Q) I flew to the starting system but can't find Somerset Station and seem to be 500ly from the other systems in the route!
A) Ahhh, well done, I wondered who'd be the first to spot that. Yes, there are two I Carinae systems, don't go to the one that's 500ly from the other systems in the route!
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