10,000 members online Event

[Wolf]

I suggest to take a Fuelscoop with you

If you have strandet in space, i will use my Anaconda as a Tanker! I sit in Teamspeak, call me if you need fuel

Thanks to Commander Golem for his help as Fuel tanker in this race!
This was planned like this by the way. Just so you don't think he is trying to spoil the race.

More details to come closer to the event.

[Gorf]

I don't see how instancing should be a problem. You need one instance per 31 racers plus one marshal - so all you need to know in advance is how many racers you are likely to get, so you can have sufficient marshals. You only need one marshal at the end.

Let's say you think you're going to get 90 racers - for that you need int(90/31)+1 marshals, which is 4.

You put the +1 marshal at the race end - or he can be in an asp with extra fuel so he gets there first. You put your three marshals at the start in distinctive big ships (say Clippers). Theoretically, when you have 29 racers present, any new arrivals will say on teamspeak that they don't see a marshal. You get one marshal to log out, get those who aren't seeing any marshals to log out then back in, then you get the marshal to log back in. One racer should (in theory) come to the instance full of racers, and that marshal should end uup on their own or in an instance with one or more newer racers.

Rince and repeat with the next marshal.

The race can start with the marshals firing a laser (or whatever) across the line of racers for effect, or if we're going to be boring they can say "go" in TS. If they need to co-ordingate across instances, they can do it from a private room in TS.

That would work, wouldn't it?

[uvelius]

By the way, can we do an Eagle race at the next 15/20 000 members? Now Sideys do have a bit of Mad Max, I aggree. But flocks of Eagles would be ... stylish

@Golem seriously considering to support the Fuel Rats in this event as well. on the other hand, giving my very first free Side an airing again is ... tempting

The race can start with the marshals firing a laser (or whatever) across the line of racers for effect

Plasma! OK too slow. Rail?

[Gorf]

The race can start with the marshals firing a laser (or whatever) across the line of racers for effect

Plasma! OK too slow. Rail?

Unfair advantage to the flyers nearest the starter - they'll hear it charging up...


Actually, now I think about it, if you did it like a rally, you'd only need two marshals. You'd need to use a reliable clock (like the ebay official time) to set racers off at approximately two-minute intervals. You target the racer so you can see "surge detected" when they start - if it happens before you fire the starting "pistol" (fixed, not turreted) then they get a penalty. You name the CMDR and give him a 20 second warning, then a five second warning, then within the next five seconds, you fire the gun. That "randomness" stops someone from prematurely releasing.

Still thinking about how you'd get an accurate time at the destination...

[Gorf]

Getting into this now...

Really prefer the idea of a mass start if we have under 31 competitors. It'd make such a good video.

Now thinking a rally won't work unless there's a way to publicise the destination at intervals, otherwise the later starters have more time to plot a good route...

[Wolf]

The race can start with the marshals firing a laser (or whatever) across the line of racers for effect

Plasma! OK too slow. Rail?

Unfair advantage to the flyers nearest the starter - they'll hear it charging up...


Actually, now I think about it, if you did it like a rally, you'd only need two marshals. You'd need to use a reliable clock (like the ebay official time) to set racers off at approximately two-minute intervals. You target the racer so you can see "surge detected" when they start - if it happens before you fire the starting "pistol" (fixed, not turreted) then they get a penalty. You name the CMDR and give him a 20 second warning, then a five second warning, then within the next five seconds, you fire the gun. That "randomness" stops someone from prematurely releasing.

Still thinking about how you'd get an accurate time at the destination...

I think you are overthinking the whole thing.

The first and most important thing about the race is to have fun. At least for this event.
I also expect the racers to finish more than a couple minutes apart, because the route to the final destination is not fixed and takes a while.

Also each player will be given his individual "GO", most likely by in-game text, by a referee, and the referee will record that time, according to the in-game time he sees.

We are still discussing how to make the best possible finish time, it involves the racer winging up with a referee before dropping out of supercruise to higher the odds to arrive in the same instance. But as this cannot be guaranteed, we will have some uncertainties there.
This is why taking screenshots at the finish will probably be the best solution. E.g. One with the station and your cargo hold visible at the same time.
If you land in the same instance with a referee than just a screenshot with the referee locked on showing his name and ship and the station and the in-game time would suffice, the ref can scan you later for your cargo. The refs will fly different ship types with different liveries, so that helps a bit against cheating.

I don't think we can make it more accurate than that, but I hope we don't have to. We are not Frontier. We are just a bunch of Elite nuts wanting to have a great time and creating a fun event with the resources we have.

I think this will be a really fun event, with all the accidents that will happen.

[Wolf]

Getting into this now...

Really prefer the idea of a mass start if we have under 31 competitors. It'd make such a good video.

Now thinking a rally won't work unless there's a way to publicise the destination at intervals, otherwise the later starters have more time to plot a good route...

I think we will announce the whole details before the event anyway. Just to make sure everybody understands what he has to do in advance.

I am actually less worried about people trying to gain an advantage than the poor devils pledged to a power having to speed dock, because they are suddenly in enemy territory.

This is by no means a 100 meter dash. This is more like Paris - Dakar, just in less than one hour. With all the unfairness that implies.
Edit: Or the pod race from Star Wars I, or death race or similar.

Hm, now that is giving me ideas for other, even more chaotic races ...

[Wolf]

After a long talk on TeamSpeak with other commanders, I think it would be best if we rely on screenshots for all the timing.

For that you would have to make a screenshot of the commodities market at all port stops after aquiring the needed cargo and at the finishing port before AND after you sell your cargo again.
Your starting time would be the screenshot of the first commodities market in Zaonce.
The commodities market has the time and the station name displayed among other Information identifying you and your ship.

That should be proof enough.

Participants will have to add the refrees to their friends list before the race. With this the refs can roughly follow the progression of the participants via the galaxy map.


We will publish the referees before, of course. The screenshots then have to be uploaded immediatly after the race to a yet to be determined image site. (Or these forums if you like)

[Gorf]

I think you are overthinking the whole thing.

As always

The first and most important thing about the race is to have fun. At least for this event.

Yep - I just know from experience that fun events can turn overcompetitive in the blink of an eye.

Every Wednesday, I go to the pub quiz. The team behind us get really upset when they "unfairly" lose a point, and go up to the quizmaster whining about it, regardless of whether it's for the prize (which is a fiver!).

Last week they were bleating about the definition of "taxophily" and got really mad when the quizmaster said "a love of or relating to archery", which they (correctly) understood to be "toxophily".

[Wolf]

Updated first post with some more Details and a little surprise.