UA Mystery thread 4 - The Canonn

[Jorge]

There's still one thing that bugs me. I find it hard to believe that FD would have made a mystery that necessitates recording audio and/or video, and then going out of the game to use software to analyse said audio/video. I understand they can add things like morse that draws ships because it may make sense for whatever the background story may end up being, and because it's very much in line with their style to have deep-level mechanics that "make sense", even if no player is ever supposed to discover them.

But I would have thought they would have made it so that it would be possible to solve the mystery within the game. I mean, people play this game in the Xbox too. Can they even make recordings? And even if they can, are they then expected to have to export those files to a computer so they can run them through a sound analysis program in order to solve the mystery?

I just wonder if we are missing something much more simple that can be solved without external tools.

Edit: For example, figuring out that the UA always points to Merope is something that makes sense they could expect us to solve. However, having to record the coordinates of where dozens (hundreds?) of floating UAs were found and then having to code a program that would take those coordinates as an input to make a visual representation so that we could then find out the UAs are forming a shell 135 to 150LY from Merope... I find it a bit hard to believe we were expected to have to solve that.

 

[Dommarraa]

There's still one thing that bugs me. I find it hard to believe that FD would have made a mystery that necessitates recording audio and/or video, and then going out of the game to use software to analyse said audio/video. I understand they can add things like morse that draws ships because it may make sense for whatever the background story may end up being, and because it's very much in line with their style to have deep-level mechanics that "make sense", even if no player is ever supposed to discover them.

But I would have thought they would have made it so that it would be possible to solve the mystery within the game. I mean, people play this game in the Xbox too. Can they even make recordings? And even if they can, are they then expected to have to export those files to a computer so they can run them through a sound analysis program in order to solve the mystery?

I just wonder if we are missing something much more simple that can be solved without external tools.

It is perfectly possible to read the Morse in game. I cant, but I am not morse trained, there are a few that can and have in the past.
Not sure they could have read the ship images 100% accurately, but probably enough for us to get the jist of if. I have the feeling we got the ship images quicker that FD expected after all the headless chicken escapades of 1.3

 

[LordZoltan]

There's still one thing that bugs me. I find it hard to believe that FD would have made a mystery that necessitates recording audio and/or video, and then going out of the game to use software to analyse said audio/video. I understand they can add things like morse that draws ships because it may make sense for whatever the background story may end up being, and because it's very much in line with their style to have deep-level mechanics that "make sense", even if no player is ever supposed to discover them.

But I would have thought they would have made it so that it would be possible to solve the mystery within the game. I mean, people play this game in the Xbox too. Can they even make recordings? And even if they can, are they then expected to have to export those files to a computer so they can run them through a sound analysis program in order to solve the mystery?

I just wonder if we are missing something much more simple that can be solved without external tools.

Edit: For example, figuring out that the UA always points to Merope is something that makes sense they could expect us to solve. However, having to record the coordinates of where dozens (hundreds?) of floating UAs were found and then having to code a program that would take those coordinates as an input to make a visual representation so that we could then find out the UAs are forming a shell 135 to 150LY from Merope... I find it a bit hard to believe we were expected to have to solve that.

I take your point but, in fairness, it is possible to hear the morse clearly in-game, you just need to get good at hearing it. The 'shortcuts' people like Riz uses,' are just ways of getting a translation turned around more quickly.

 

[Jorge]

I

It is perfectly possible to read the Morse in game.

Yes, but even that I find a bit of a stretch, having to know morse in order to be able to solve the mystery. I think it's there for depth, sure, but I still wonder if the whole key is something much simpler that requires logic and observation skills, but not very specialised knowledge (such as morse).

Edit: By the way, I still think what some of the people in here have done in order to figure out the morse and the ship drawings is stellar work and I'm not suggesting that line of investigation should be dropped. It's just that I wonder if we are missing something much more obvious.

Anyway, I probably should shut up until I actually have an alternate theory to offer. My Merope mirror-coordinates one is not yielding much in the way of results (will post more about that later).

 

[PaulR]

Gotcha.. I was under the impression that they recently referred or encouraged us to review the trailer.

On another topic.. has anyone revisited the Peregina system, with the 1.4 UA? Specifically, wondering if bringing a UA to the quarantined moon would trigger any missions or odd signals

Yes I ve sold 3 UA a Talos 2 . I did play with a UA outside one of the station, but I only have a ASP so I don't think It will draw the station. Also I have bumped into medical convoys in SSS in Peregrina

 

[rizal72]

I
Yes, but even that I find a bit of a stretch, having to know morse in order to be able to solve the mystery. I think it's there for depth, sure, but I still wonder if the whole key is something much simpler that requires logic and observation skills, but not very specialised knowledge (such as morse).

Edit: By the way, I still think what some of the people in here have done in order to figure out the morse and the ship drawings is stellar work and I'm not suggesting that line of investigation should be dropped. It's just that I wonder if we are missing something much more obvious.

Anyway, I probably should shut up until I actually have an alternate theory to offer. My Merope mirror-coordinates one is not yielding much in the way of results (will post more about that later).

The first MORSE decoding, and the followings (until recently), were all made by ear.
The first drawing of the triangles that depicted the ships drawings, was made by hand, with pencil and paper.

Yes some of us had to learn or improve their MORSE knowledge, but let me say that some of my friends had to learn English to play ED properly.
I'm calling it "a price to pay" for having fun

 

[Jorge]

Well, I'm now on my way back from my exploration trip. For those of you that don't remember/know, I decided to figure out the approximate coordinates of Merope and then "mirror" them using Sol as the centre point (0,0,0) and see which system was closest to the mirrored coordinates, then check if that system has a UA shell around it as well (if you still don't know what I'm on about you can check out post #739).

By my calculations, Merope's mirror system is HIP 77177, so I headed over to that area. Unfortunately, after dropping into every SSS I came across (and more than a few USS, WSS and wrecks) I didn't find anything too significant. Most of them were the medical convoys other commanders have already reported running into. Also there were a few ambushes and the occasional skirmish between cobras, pythons, vultures & FDLs. Due to one of those my DBX is now limping back towards the bubble with only %39 hull integrity. Hopefully I'll manage to make it back in one piece.

The most interesting things I came across were a star with planetary rings (never saw one of those before) and an unusual incident at a savageable wreck. I dropped out of supercruise to inspect the wreck and there was a destroyed T9 and a single canister of survey data. I was about to scoop it when I get a warning that I'm being scanned. I look at my radar and there's nothing other than the canister so I'm sitting there in confusion wondering where the scan is coming from. All of the sudden a FED viper shows up right next to me and scoops up the canister. Then just leaves without a word. So it was either a glitch, or NPCs are now running in silent mode, which is a behaviour I hadn't observed before.

Anyway, not really relevant to the UA mystery, but I thought it was interesting. Signing off for tonight after leaving my banged up DBX parked in the black.

Fly safe commanders.

 

[rizal72]

Here is the jettisoned UA, Bond Hub, in armed Asp, to its (accidental) death.

https://youtu.be/MsVSqGq5e7Q

Asp Drawing.

 

[Dommarraa]

Uhh it's hard to see but the destination is leonard nimoy station and where the trailer takes place is california sector hw-w c1-7

For the sake of completeness, I took an Asp, got a UA from Wolf 211 (Beware it is a pretty close binary, you might get unlucky) and headed out to "california sector hw-w c1-7"
Did a complete DSS of the entire system keeping at eye out on the Nav. Not a single SS (not surprised), not even a SW (a little surprised)

I took video of the UA until death, but it sounded like drawing to me, might upload tomorrow if I get the time.

 

[knowles2]

It is perfectly possible to read the Morse in game. I cant, but I am not morse trained, there are a few that can and have in the past.
Not sure they could have read the ship images 100% accurately, but probably enough for us to get the jist of if. I have the feeling we got the ship images quicker that FD expected after all the headless chicken escapades of 1.3

I don't think so, Brookes was monitoring this thread as soon as we got the 1.4 update and was encouraging us to find the answer by promising a prize to the first person that did it.
They wanted us to crack the morse code quickly and short of giving us the answer did everything to encourage us to find it quickly.

 

[clavain]

Another free-floater for the Red files - MEL 22 SECTOR DB-X D1-12

Also, an interesting behavioural note (which may already be known, but I have not seen it mentioned) - the free-floating UA does not broadcast ANY Morse AT ALL if you do not target it, until you come within 1km of it and you get scanned. If you back off beyond 1km, it stops broadcasting Morse after its last sequence finishes, and remains silent other than honks and purrs, AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT TARGET IT IN THE HUD. As soon as you do that, it starts broadcasting Morse again with the next honk sequence (of the system, I believe, when you are > 1 km away). Video upload to follow at some point. There, I did a Rizal, WITH CAPS AND EVERYTHING.

I am wondering if you come within 1km of it without targetting it in the HUD if it broadcasts any Morse at all, about to check that.

- - - Updated - - -

OK, so when you come within 1km of it, without out it being targetted in the HUD, it starts to broadcast again, but it seems short so I think it may just be the system. So it only stops broadcasting completely if you do not have it targetted in the HUD, and are > 1 km away.

Video confirmation of all this to follow at some point, probably not tonight though.

 

[Dommarraa]

Another free-floater for the Red files - MEL 22 SECTOR DB-X D1-12

Also, an interesting behavioural note (which may already be known, but I have not seen it mentioned) - the free-floating UA does not broadcast ANY Morse AT ALL if you do not target it, until you come within 1km of it and you get scanned. If you back off beyond 1km, it stops broadcasting Morse after its last sequence finishes, and remains silent other than honks and purrs, AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT TARGET IT IN THE HUD. As soon as you do that, it starts broadcasting Morse again with the next honk sequence (of the system, I believe, when you are > 1 km away). Video upload to follow at some point. There, I did a Rizal, WITH CAPS AND EVERYTHING.

I am wondering if you come within 1km of it without targetting it in the HUD if it broadcasts any Morse at all, about to check that.

Nice observation. I knew it still honked, so assumed the morse was still there. The honk time DOES (AFAIK) match what it would be if the morse WAS audible

NB You need bold for full Rizal

 

[clavain]

Which leads to the question - is it only scanning us in self-defence, after we target it with an active scan (lock onto it in the HUD) or threaten it by coming within 1km.

Sounds like the humans might be the agressors, again.

 

[Ratking15]

For the sake of completeness, I took an Asp, got a UA from Wolf 211 (Beware it is a pretty close binary, you might get unlucky) and headed out to "california sector hw-w c1-7"
Did a complete DSS of the entire system keeping at eye out on the Nav. Not a single SS (not surprised), not even a SW (a little surprised)

I took video of the UA until death, but it sounded like drawing to me, might upload tomorrow if I get the time.

okay :s hope you didn't get fried.....

 

[EAGLE 5]

Another free-floater for the Red files - MEL 22 SECTOR DB-X D1-12

Also, an interesting behavioural note (which may already be known, but I have not seen it mentioned) - the free-floating UA does not broadcast ANY Morse AT ALL if you do not target it, until you come within 1km of it and you get scanned. If you back off beyond 1km, it stops broadcasting Morse after its last sequence finishes, and remains silent other than honks and purrs, AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT TARGET IT IN THE HUD. As soon as you do that, it starts broadcasting Morse again with the next honk sequence (of the system, I believe, when you are > 1 km away). Video upload to follow at some point. There, I did a Rizal, WITH CAPS AND EVERYTHING.

I am wondering if you come within 1km of it without targetting it in the HUD if it broadcasts any Morse at all, about to check that.

- - - Updated - - -

OK, so when you come within 1km of it, without out it being targetted in the HUD, it starts to broadcast again, but it seems short so I think it may just be the system. So it only stops broadcasting completely if you do not have it targetted in the HUD, and are > 1 km away.

Video confirmation of all this to follow at some point, probably not tonight though.

I concur with this and add that when you first come up to the UA while still being over one click away the pitch of the sound seems higher once you get close and the ship scans start it sounds like all the recordings. This is for the honks.

 

[clavain]

I concur with this and add that when you first come up to the UA while still being over one click away the pitch of the sound seems higher once you get close and the ship scans start it sounds like all the recordings. This is for the honks.

You should check out the sound it makes when you do a high-speed pass within 50m just as it is about to honk... pretty cool doppler effect.

 

[spameroo]

I don't know how many other people here have had the pleasure/spookiness of observing them in VR, I just assumed I wasn't alone. I observed my very first UA (yes, I know, total fraud here!) on Wednesday, thanks to Derthek who brought one out to 1.5kly from Varati before I finally made it back yesterday. Here's a few things I noticed:

1) The UA is always blurred in VR - I was in an Asp, which has a relatively vertical canopy front, so was able to get really close, and I could never see it clearly. There is no debug cam in VR, so can't speak for that.

2) The blue lights that fly out from it are also always visible in VR, regardless of how close you are, and they are clearly made up of a couple of 'dots' - one short, and one slightly longer, making what looks like a tail.

3) The blue light things spread out over a distance of roughly 400m at a minimum.

4) The sound definitely incorporated some music-like elements to it - in fact - in 'live' the sound is considerably clearer, to me, than of any recordings I've watched. Can't really explain that - but there'll be some mundane explanation for it - especially considering I was using the same sound setup that I've used to watch the videos before.

5) We let this UA expire after an hour or so of mucking about with it. All the videos I've seen don't do the 'expiration' of the UA justice, and I have to say, what I saw really didn't seem like an explosion to me.

...snip...

Anyway - feels good to be able to actually do some science based on some first-hand evidence for once!

Hmm, never really considered if anyone involved in direct testing was using VR or not. I've never not played the game on the Oculus, so the question didn't even occur to me.

I've never seen an actual UA either, but I haven't really tried to find one. If there's actually a chance some useful data could come from it, I'll head back towards the bubble and see if I can find one to compare with your observations.

PS: what kind of VR are you using? The debug cam works for me on a Rift DK2....

 

[Evrithiki]

Haven't been active here in the forums and have been mostly poking around at my own pace, but a friend tipped me off to the UA plot and to the encoded messages. I realised I could have some fun with programming, so I threw together a little decoder for them:

http://pastebin.com/0biZBHMn

It's a script intended to be run in the ROOT data analysis framework (http://root.cern.ch) but someone who knows how to program GUIs should feel free to fiddle with it and fold it into something self-contained. I attached a Creative Commons licence to it -- modify away, just credit me.

Enjoy!

 

[Golaz]

Hi,

Can anyone help me decode this morse from the UA?
I managed to drop in to an UA without getting scanned. The recording is done from 1.1km distance.
I have tried to transcribe it myself but I find it hard at this distance. I barely manage it when I'm really close to it.

The recording is done through Audacity. Full project file can be downloaded from here:
http://1drv.ms/1NBdHQ6

 

[King Sancho]

Yes I ve sold 3 UA a Talos 2 . I did play with a UA outside one of the station, but I only have a ASP so I don't think It will draw the station. Also I have bumped into medical convoys in SSS in Peregrina

Paul, with a UA in Peregina, did you see any unique missions in the BB? What about orbiting that one moon with the outbreak, did the UA act differently there?

Lastly, I plan on tracking/following a Fed Security Convoy. Maybe a Med Convoy, not sure. But I theorize that there is a chance that the Fed Convoy will take you somewhere interesting.

It is clear in Galnet that they know the answers to many mysteries, eg: SS1 disappearance, UA stuff, etc..