UAs, Barnacles and other mysteries Thread 8 - The Canonn

[bitstorm]

Thanks for the reply. Seems a bit of a broken mechanic if people cant follow the convoy or trace it back to its origins. Glad I'm not searching for the things, inconsistencies like that break the immersion and just leave players frustrated.

Oh well, sorry I couldn't be any help o7

Yeah, what simulcrae said.

With the old UA convoys we followed and you'd just see the convoy randomly jumping from system to system to system, ad-nauseam, so jump, travel to station drop, jump and so on. It just appeared totally random.

Sure this can be tried with UP, maybe Frontier have fixed it but the issue is the convoys are so rare that people just want to execute their own plans (which is fair enough).

With finding where the convoy might have come from, the question is how to do this. I can say on UPs I've lost due to them jumping out, I have been through the system in the hopes of recovering "something" with no luck, nothing jumped out as it were.


Saying that, I guess one interesting avenue, certainly with the UA is the scenario involved.

So with UA most folk would find the convoy and try to take the UA.

Now given the UA chatter (and UP too) is about the item in the hold "this thing" etc.. and given the UA slowly eats its way out, my thought was, what would happen to the chatter when the UA dropped. I mean surely the convoy would notice, perhaps change their comms chat and reveal something. Think of the UA convoy encounter as some branching scenario, and that we need to test all possible branches.

So we tried it with a UA, and......nothing. Convoy comms continued just as if they were still carrying the UA. Which was disappointing, and like you say, indicates the scenario is unfinished and leaves you a bit disenchanted.

So maybe this is a potential line with the UP. I mean the UP does slowly eat its way out of the hold, but I think at a much slower rate than the UA did (meta-alloys). It would be good to test the scenario of what happens to comms once it drops.

But again the issue is people not wanting to try anything out of the ordinary due to the risk. The risk with waiting is that the player loses the convoy, or the UP drops from the convoy while it is in supercruise, both events are a UP loss.

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Spoiler

https://embed.gyazo.com/2e59825afdf7f2dfc91c6bd1b9618aa0.png

someone posted this on reddit

Lol, so the image could represent a time!!

That is a new one.

 

[pocketmoon]

For those of you looking at the Phase Shift Key idea for the Symbol - I am really liking that these days

I am seeing what im calling a carrier wave in the UP signal. I have been playing with some Ham Radio software (Ham Radio Deluxe) and there is a nice sine wave that is coming from the UP at around 1500 Hz. So far I have not been able to make much of it ...

Spoiler

http://i.imgur.com/15D0s55.png

Worth a delve! Downloaded software so now how do I open up an audio file with it ?

 

[bitstorm]

Lol, so the image could represent a time!!

That is a new one.

Be at Merope 5c at 7:23???

Spoiler

Just as an aside, the diagonal line on the template I think is a bit off. The angle on the black/white image shows the line being at 50 degrees below the horizontal. But when I measured a scan it seemed to be 45 degrees.

 

[Xenia_K]

Some could help me out please ?
I need distance (in LS) from Merope 5 to Merope Star - System map shows 0,000 AU for Merope 5, which is logical as it is a star by itself, but I am some 12.000LY away and can´t just hopp back to measure

 

[Rixaeton]

yes, due to the system machanics - BUT, and that why I pointed to the outer ring which should represent merope system, the system itself is the only fixed thingy here.
5C rotatates aroud 5 which is rotating around the star, so both are not suitable as nav references, the only way to get a constant ref is to assume Merope in the center and the two
bottom left rays as reference vectors pointing to (nebulae, maghellan clouds, nearest system etc.) and this way establish a fixed orientation plane & angle. BTW the same is on the golden disc, where a bunch of pulsars is used as vectors to ident earth position in the galaxy.

I think the statement that the system is the only fixed thing is not quite accurate. As I explained in an earlier post, the rings of Merope 5 (45 degree line) when viewed side on, form a single line. Intersecting that with the orbital plane of Merope 5C ("30 degree line") forms a constant frame of reference - the rings will always be on the "angle" they are now at every time of the year, and the orbital plane of Merope 5C will always be the same at at every time of the year, so the intersection of both planes will be constant. The intersection of the two planes at the exact time when Merope 5C is at that point will always give the same points on the surface (there are two, one on either side of Merope 5C: Being tidally locked, the same location will match at only these two times due to the axial tilt). The "60 degree" line forms the same locations from the reverse side (approach from the reverse side, inverted, and the same two points will still line up). I think the 60 degree line is the "reverse" as the line is not drawn connecting with the surface of the circle, but the 30 degree one does. These lines give a unique reference point (lat long) and time 0. I described the reasoning in a bit more detail here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/276077-UAs-Barnacles-and-other-mysteries-Thread-8-The-Canonn/page414?p=4320914&viewfull=1#post4320914

Having said all that: I attempted a detailed measurement of Merope 5C with a finer reproduction and transparency of the message, and the orbital plane of Merope 5C does not match. If the lines are the navigation lines, then I think they could represent the source world of the UP, which would be a world with an orbital inclination of +/- 73.4 degrees (or +/- 106.6 degrees, depending on which way is "up")

So... your mileage may vary

Cheers
Rixaeton [wacko]

 

[Michael Brookes]

Correct me if I'm wrong, somebody, but I believe MB has also stated that the UA is solved. That drawing an image of our ship and pointing to Merope was ''Its purpose''.
Which leads me to believe we should focus on the UP and the UP image solely.

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

 

[Allant Doran]

UAs, wherever they are found, always point to Merope star. UPs, wherever found, always point to Merope 5C. It is logical that Merope 5C is at the heart of this mystery.

I'm actually surprised that people still don't understand that the pointing is significant. Maybe not the thing that is next on the list to solve but it does matter.

Then again it's DynamicBob, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's just winding people up for 'lolz'.

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That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

Thanks for confirming it again. The pointing is super interesting and I'm hoping we solve that one day too. It must mean something but I can't imagine it's a more important mystery than the UP Image.

 

[bitstorm]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

Interesting. Well, it's hard to be sure what you are getting at, but from a few pages back....

I've been trying to come up with some solid basis for why the UA points at Merope the star, and the UP points at Merope 5c.

The only in-game reason I can come up with is that :

The UA is intended to act at a distance, where planets aren't easily discernable. In other words it broadcasts a strong signal in the direction of the Merope system.
While the UP is intended to function locally, where pointing at the star may be in fact the wrong direction due to the "listening station" being on Merope 5c.


The implication of this would be that UPs may be found in the Merope system.

I've done a 2.2 million LS run from 5c outward based on the theory the UPs may be produced by barnacles, and that they travel outward in the local system, reporting back to their source.

Found nowt, though it is hard to watch the nav panel continuously for so long so I can't guarantee I didn't miss a USS flashing by.

Maybe I should try it again. Trouble is at 1000c the USS detection range flies by in literally a second. You have to be proper eagle-eyed if you're flying through an in-system "shell" that's potentially over a few thousand Ls from the star.

 

[StarfireIX]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

Wait, you mean there is more external work to solving the spectrogram?

 

[Obnoxious_Gamer]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

STOP GIVING ME HEADACHES.

 

[bitstorm]

Well look.

As I say the only reason I was able to come up with for the UA pointing to Merope and the UP pointing to 5c, is that the UP is intended to function in the same system, while the UA is intended to function in other systems.

I mean if the UP pointed at the star and the UP was between the star and 5c then clearly the UP would be broadcasting in the wrong direction.

Anyone fancy spending a bit of time tonight travelling outwards from 5c to see if any anomalies are encountered in perhaps a local UP shell?

FWIW I tried this over the weekend, once to 2.2 million Mm, and another attempt to 0.17Ls from 5c.

Saw nothing, but the issue is at that distance you travel so fast the USS would flash by in around a second, so it's not easy for one person given in system travel takes a decent amount of time.

 

[Scottworld]

I am guessing it would be logical to search along that line..on Merope 5C from coordinates 0,0 at at a heading of 135 ... I have done a bit of this, (as per the Merope 5c survey spreadsheet) but where the line ends ? or is it just a clue to search along that heading ?

 

[BluWolve]

Well look.

As I say the only reason I was able to come up with for the UA pointing to Merope and the UP pointing to 5c, is that the UP is intended to function in the same system, while the UA is intended to function in other systems.

Could we spend a bit of time tonight travelling outwards from 5c to see if any anomalies are encountered in perhaps a local UP shell?

FWIW I tried this over the weekend, once to 2.2 million Mm, and another attempt to 0.17Ls from 5c.

Saw nothing, but the issue is at that distance you travel so fast the USS would flash by in around a second, so it's not easy for one person given in system travel takes a decent amount of time.

I think about why it points to Merope specifically, the star itself.

What is special about that star? It is the star that lights up the Merope nebula for starters. I have suggested this before - could the UA be transmitting a signal through the star, and therefore through the nebula?

If so, perhaps the UP freefloaters can be found throughout the Merope nebula, maybe in a shell similar to the UA?

Edit: Thinking some more, you could be right and that area is in Merope system itself, but which way and how far? Maybe head towards Maia first from merope in supercruise, that's the only system nearby that has any relation to the unknown artefacts as far as I know.

 

[pocketmoon]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

Before anyone leaps to impossible conclusions I believe what MB is saying is; Function != Purpose

 

[Scottworld]

https://youtu.be/9FHpHEAT-bg?t=128

So ... just a suggestion ?.. it looks like there are some "particles" around the probe in this video ..thy seem in a static position.
Wondering if these are like a mini map ... correlating to stars somewhere on the Galaxy map. (Might have to grab a few screen shots and see if anything looks similar)

 

[iFred]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

- gathering intel
- preparing attack
- identify their "enemies"
- check "enemy" capabilities
- infect the ship with space-Zika

?

 

[ilo]

Well look.

As I say the only reason I was able to come up with for the UA pointing to Merope and the UP pointing to 5c, is that the UP is intended to function in the same system, while the UA is intended to function in other systems.

I mean if the UP pointed at the star and the UP was between the star and 5c then clearly the UP would be broadcasting in the wrong direction.

Anyone fancy spending a bit of time tonight travelling outwards from 5c to see if any anomalies are encountered in perhaps a local UP shell?

FWIW I tried this over the weekend, once to 2.2 million Mm, and another attempt to 0.17Ls from 5c.

Saw nothing, but the issue is at that distance you travel so fast the USS would flash by in around a second, so it's not easy for one person given in system travel takes a decent amount of time.

on my way! I will be traveling in SC while I do other stuff..

 

[Matt]

That's true as far as it goes, although why are they doing that is an interesting question.

Michael

For me, I think MB's comments here are foreshadowing for future plot lines/development. We've solved it, but "Hmm why is this being done?" etc.

Perhaps we have "solved" the UP transmission too - i.e. we found the message and decoded it, we just don't know the purpose? We have no idea *why* the image in the transmission is there or what it is for, just like we have no idea *why* the UAs drew a picture of the ships or what it is for.

I feel like there is more to come from the UP transmissions though, its just a pain that we cant test anything due to their low spawn-rate. More UPs/ways to find UPs/up the spawn rate of UPs please MB!

 

[Michael Brookes]

For me, I think MB's comments here are foreshadowing for future plot lines/development. We've solved it, but "Hmm why is this being done?" etc.

Perhaps we have "solved" the UP transmission too - i.e. we found the message and decoded it, we just don't know the purpose? We have no idea *why* the image in the transmission is there or what it is for, just like we have no idea *why* the UAs drew a picture of the ships or what it is for.

I feel like there is more to come from the UP transmissions though, its just a pain that we cant test anything due to their low spawn-rate. More UPs/ways to find UPs/up the spawn rate of UPs please MB!

You've decoded part of it, but not everything it contains.

Michael

 

[Michael Brookes]

Before anyone leaps to impossible conclusions I believe what MB is saying is; Function != Purpose

Or purpose drives function.

Michael