Busting the Event Horizon

[Pelador]

Been noticing a few pilots master the art of Black hole jumping to help explore for distant systems.

From what's been described in a limited fashion you need to use the heaviest frame you can find (the Starmaster) and use a jump drive trick to punch the event horizon of the BH to execute a potential use.

What I'm unsure of however is where the jump point for this trick needs to placed but moreso just the techniques involved in general having never tried it out.

I was hoping an experienced explorer could take 5 mins to explain the technique. A video or tutorial would be a bonus for myself an others but just some idea of how it is done will help and enrich the gameplay for many, I'm sure.

[Ravenfeeder]

With the slower speeds of the ships, in ME, compared to EL, and the lack of a sustained jump speed, I would think that the technique is a tad different.

What I would suggest is jumping to an area just off the black hole, far enough away to get up some decent speed, the more the merrier. Make sure you're lined up with the center of the BH, then, as your ship starts to creak, his the F2 button to boost you through. It might take a few attempts to get the distance for hitting the F2 just right. Hammer your shields to the max. It's mostly speed that gets you through, plus, of course, shields.

I haven't even found a black hole yet, so, I'm basing this technique on a combination of logic and the techniques involved in BH jumping in EL and ER.

[49rTbird]

Its a wormhole near the center of some Black holes that can be used for exploration usually. The trick is to enter that worm hole before the Black hole tears you apart. trial and error is a good teacher.

[Aures]

Spoiler alert, here is the method I just used today to take a quick trip to another galaxy. Twice. It is actually very simple and reliable:

1) Get a starmaster with full hull within jump distance of the black hole, come to a complete stop and face 0 degrees with a pitch of 0.
2) Right click on the wormhole so your nav point is set to it (25000,0,25000 in my case)
3) Manually change the coordinates by adding 2500 to z (making the coordinates 25000,0,27500 in my case)
4) Jump
5) Enjoy your new location

I could have chosen a different direction and amended the coordinates appropriately (eg face 90 degrees 0 pitch and jump to 22500,0,25000), but I would recommend you stay at a pitch of 0. The main thing is to offset the fact that you come out of a jump about 2500 behind your nav point relative to the direction you are facing when you jump. Facing 0 degrees at a pitch of 0 while at a full stop and then jumping to 25000,0,27500 will get you to come out at 25000,0,25000 where the wormhole is and you will instantly enter it. You will still lose most of your armor hence the starmaster. If you don't get it almost exactly right you will still enter the wormhole but you will lose too much armor and explode.

This is the method I used to use in Legends as well, much better than trying to boost yourself through by entering a jump just before you hit the black hole. I am not sure if that method still works in Mercenary and I never tried it in Legends where it apparently did work. If someone does get it to work in Mercenary let the board know and I will try to get it to work, nothing like a challenge.

If you load a save game you will start out at 0 degrees with a pitch of 0 at a full stop. If you have trouble lining yourself up you can load a save to make sure you have it exactly right, though it was not necessary for me to do that once I had confirmed the right amount to change the coordinates.

If you are feeling brave you can initiate the jump while you are moving, just make sure you don't have any horizontal or lateral velocity.

You can also use the fact that you jump 2500 away from your nav point to dock at stations quicker. Just offset the coordinate for the direction you are facing by 1000. If you offset it by more than 1500 you will not be finished coming out of the jump by the time you leave the docking area and you will not dock. It is debatable whether manually offsetting the coordinates and lining up your direction takes more time than it saves, but if you are waiting for your jump drive to charge you might not have anything better to do.

Finally, as thetiebers pointed out make sure the black hole you are trying to enter has a wormhole. Otherwise, no amount of precision jumping is going to get you anywhere other than to the Evochron universe's idea of an afterlife (ie a screen presenting you with the choice between restoring your last save and accepting your failure/exiting).

[chris79]

...sorry but how can i find the black hole? i want try jump-in

Thx

[Sinbad]

The technique described by Aures is what I used in Legends. I haven't yet tried it in Mercenary but sounds like it's fine. Just make sure you have a way of repairing your ship when you come out the other side.

@Chris79, there are various black holes scattered around... I haven't yet come across any in Mercenary but your science officer will tell you when there's one in the sector.

[chris79]

My science officer tell me when there's one in the sector by chat log?

Thanks

[gietek]

I think one of them is in far rim of Sapphire system. Zoom out an you should see a dot (about N-E from the centre). It takes a few jumps to get there.

[chris79]

thanks, i try jump-in it and...cross the finger

[Aures]

Good the know you don't need a Starmaster Eclipse. I have only tried it in a starmaster in EM and I noticed I had less than 1/6th (ie 50/300) of my armor left. If it damages your hull by a fixed amount only the starmaster has the protection required. If it is just a hull % reduction then you should be able to do it in any ship.

I haven't tried it myself but my step 1 can be amended to "Get a ship with full hull within jump distance of the black hole..."

[Marvin]

Divert all your energy from weapons to shields and that should help.

[alpha45]

Actually Marvin, that doesn't work anymore. The main reason black hole jumping is much harder now is that the black hole simply ignores your shields. It begins directly damaging your hull, while your shields are unaffected (makes sense, since shields block impacts and explosions, black holes damage with the brute strength of gravity). This means you need a pretty fast ship for the speed boost method. My advice: If you have a starmaster, find a station near the black hole and trade it for a ship with the best engine possible, and trade the assembly usually used for shields to get yourself the best wing system as well. If you have a build constructor, simply set a station up right after the black hole, and get yourself repaired and back in your old ship.

I know for a fact that the boost method is impossible for the Starmaster (spent an hour dying constantly trying to do just that). It simply doesn't get through fast enough, and explodes a split second before you finish entering the wormhole. This is due to the fact that the jumpdrives work much slower now, and have a much longer delay before hitting max speed (making the timing trickier). The method Aures uses is the exact method I use, and is, in my opinion, the best method for Mercenary.

[Aures]

I diverted all my energy to the shields the first time I did it, but it isn't necessary. As Eclipse said, the black hole just reduces your armor by a fixed percentage per second. If you do it right, it adds up to less than 100% and you make it through. Otherwise, you blow up. Your shields are not reduced nor does the shield strength or recharge allocation matter.

I just jumped through a black hole in a talon with a level 1 shield and weapons set to +5.

[Marvin]

Point taken, guys. And it makes sense. Gravity v.s. energy ... Vice strikes another blow for realism.

[Maarschalk]

LOL......and Guys when we talk about black hole jumping for exploring it is a Black whole with a Wormhole in the Center of it so you are acctually trying to jump through the wormhole in the center of the black hole.

Not all black holes in Evochron have a wormhole in the center. So do not expect to make it through a Black hole and then magically expect to be in a different location. But still you could use a regular black hole without the wormhole for practice to see if you can jump through it to the other side of the black hole. If you can manage that than you will be able to jump through the wormhole at the center of one as well.....:P

[Edited on 10-3-2010 by Maarschalk]

[Marvin]

Originally posted by Maarschalk

But still you could use a regular black hole without the wormhole for practice to see if you can jump through it to the other side of the black hole.

Hah! I learned something great from Maars. Finally!

[Maarschalk]

LOL....Marv......thanks....:P:P:P:P

[Marvin]

Two things from you in one day. I just finished editing the Quest tutorial. Corrected the instructions in the main body and added an asterisk, at the bottom, with additional info.

[DarK Rogue]

Originally posted by gietek
I think one of them is in far rim of Sapphire system. Zoom out an you should see a dot (about N-E from the centre). It takes a few jumps to get there.

Where exactly?

[Maarschalk]

Originally posted by Marvin
Two things from you in one day. I just finished editing the Quest tutorial. Corrected the instructions in the main body and added an asterisk, at the bottom, with additional info.

Yes, read that....well done.......;)

[chilong]

Didn't read all replies so don't know if this was given in one of the other solutions:

Line up 0,0 with the black hole. Begin moving towards the hole. When the gravity is about to crush you (reaches about 1650) hit your jump key. You will notice your shields begin to get squashed around that 1650-1700 point; At 1800 your dead. Make sure your all the way thru before 1800.

[SDWeimer]

I have succefully flown through with the starmaster using a collection of methods above. it is moderatly difficult to do in smaller frames, i have never tried with a smaller frame though.

[Aures]

As per my previous post you can do it just as easily in a Talon with a level 1 shield with shields set to -5 as in a starmaster with a level 10 shield etc. The ship frame etc makes no real difference to how hard it is.

[SeeJay]

If I recall it right from Legends. It's all about timing your jump!;)

[Aures]

Using the jump as you approach the wormhole is apparently harder in EM than EL. But I don't really know. The method I outlined is far easier, less time consuming and more reproducible. I have never had it fail for me once I worked out the right offset distance. It doesn't require any precision timing etc. So I haven't bothered with alternatives.

I may eventually try other methods for kicks. But, if it is your first time I would strongly recommend jumping directly onto the wormhole as per my method rather than approaching and trying to initiate a jump into it.