The huge forests on Takodana are vulnerable to forest fires. Fortunately,
there are Flamesniffers on patrol working to minimize the wildfires that break
out after lightning strikes. It is tough work and there are always open posts
for new Flamesniffers to fight wildfires.
NOTE: This is the main attraction on Takodana, a mini-guild that lets you combat
forest fires to earn fame and credits.
Becoming a Flamesniffer
The first step is to become a prospective Flamesniffer. To join the ranks the player
needs to find Hauk Hoimel who resides in the campsite found to the southwest
in the Takodana forest.
From Takodana bays, go 2s, 3se, e, s, se, 3sw, 9w, s, 2sw, w, sw, w, 3sw, w,
<squeeze>, sw.
When the player meets Hauk, Hauk will give some background on the dangers of
wildfires and will eventually try to recruit the player to become a
Flamesniffer...
Hauk says: My experience tells me this season will be bad one.
Hauk says: We lost over three million acres in forested lands to fire
during the last season.
Hauk says: Fire prevention is one of my top priorities.
Hauk says: We could sure use a new flamesniffer.
Hauk asks: Are you interested in the flamesniffers?
Hauk says: Being a Flamesniffer is a dangerous job but protecting our
lands is worth it.
Hauk says: Ask me about flamesniffers if you're interested.
When you feel ready, you can <ask hauk about flamesniffers>:
Hauk turns to you.
Hauk says: So you're interested in becoming a Flamesniffer?
Hauk says: Well, I won't lie - it's a dangerous position.
Hauk says: When Maz first hired me to protect the wildlife on Takodana,
fire protection was just one of my responsibilities.
Hauk says: I'm sorry to say that it's become one of the more time-consuming
parts of being the so-called game warden.
Hauk says: I used to have a half-dozen flamesniffers who all had their
strengths.
Hauk says: But due to the work involved and the danger, I have none left.
Hauk says: If you're willing to become a Flamesniffer, you'll be paid.
Hauk says: Thanks to some newer technology, the job's a tad easier than
it used to be.
Hauk says: You'd be staggered to know how many lightning-caused fires have
burned up the planet just in the past few years.
Hauk runs a hand over his head.
Hauk says: You'll be given a combustion sensor. This little gadget can
sense combustion within a twenty-five kilometer radius.
Hauk says: Simply turn it on and if any fire is detected, it will direct
you toward the source of the fire.
Hauk says: This little tool has been a gamechanger.
Hauk says: Oh, and once you've gotten to the source of the fire, simply
press the orange button to activate extinguishment protocol.
Hauk says: A drone is launched which will encase the fire with a webbing
that smothers the fire and prevents further spread.
Hauk smiles at you.
Hauk asks: Are up for it? Want to <become flamesniffer>?
Hauk explains what the job as a Flamesniffer entails, you will be paid
for putting out fires in the wilderness. He explains how the combustion
sensor works: when it is turned on it will point you in the direction
of the nearest fire, and you can use it to put out any fires. If you
want to continue, you'll have to <become flamesniffer>:
Hauk says: Wow, really?
Hauk exlcaims: Welcome aboard then!
Hauk gives you a big slap on the back.
Hauk says: First thing's first: the combustion sensor.
Hauk reaches into his pocket and produces a combustion sensor.
He gives it to you.
Hauk says: In order to use the combustion sensor, you'll need to activate
it by pressing the black button.
You'll receive a combustion sensor from Hauk. At this point,
you'll have to <press black button> to proceed:
Hauk says: Here we are. Now that it's turned-on, we can proceed.
Hauk says: The sensor is now scanning for fires.
Hauk says: Once it detects a fire, it will begin beeping and talking.
Hauk says: Let me demonstrate.
Hauk lights a taper and tosses it west.
Hauk says: Now watch.
The combustion sensor begins to beep quickly.
The sensor says: Combustion detected!
The sensor says: West! West!
Hauk smiles and says: See? It knows.
Hauk says: Go west to the fire and don't forget to press the orange
button once you see the fire.
Hauk says: Go on then.
Now you need to go west, when you arrive, you'll notice a lit taper on the
ground. Hauk expects you to extinguish it, so the next step is to <press orange button>:
You press the orange button.
For a moment, nothing seems to happen.
Suddenly, a whitish goo hits the ground exactly where the lit taper was
burning!
The material appears soft, doughy and flame-retardant.
The lit taper is now encased in the the goo and no longer burning.
You think: Fine demonstration.
You'd better head east and return to Hauk.
After this go back east and meet up with Hauk:
Hauk smiles at you.
Hauk asks: Amazing stuff, huh?
Hauk says: And that's all there is to it.
Hauk says: You locate the source of the fire using the directions from the
combustion sensor and then you hit the orange button.
Hauk glances at you.
Hauk says: Obviously, the only downside is if the fire gets out of control.
Hauk says: In that situation, there's not much we can do but evacuate.
Hauk says: The sooner you can get to the source, the better chance you have
of extinguishing the flames.
Hauk looks you up and down.
Hauk says: Oh, and when you are busy with something else, just turn off the
combustion using the black button.
Hauk says: Good luck out there and thank you for caring about our wildlife.
Hauk turns away.
Hauk excitedly welcomes the player aboard as a Flamesniffer. You get to keep
the combustion sensor, which you will use from this point on to locate and
extinguish real wildfires in the wilderness...
Flamesniffing in Action
Your goal for this mini is to amass enough Flamesniffer points to reach the rank
of Colonel. The following is a table with the requirements:
Rank
Point Requirement
Extra Fires (*)
Difficulty (**)
Recruit
0
0
1
Cadet
250
1
1
Corporal
423
2
1
Sergeant
717
3
1
Lieutenant
1,215
4
1
Captain
2,058
6
2
Major
3,486
6
2
Lieutenant Colonel
5,904
8
3
Colonel
10,000
8
3
(*) Extra fires are added fires on top of the initial fire caused by lightning,
these will be put in neighboring rooms. Note that it's unlikely or impossible
to get 8 extra fires due to how the exits in the wilderness are configured,
in some cases it's only possible to place 4 extra fires (rooms with N/E/S/W exits).
(**) Difficulties 2 & 3 always turn the wind speed up to 'high wind' (the maximum).
Difficulty 3 additionally makes the fires spread twice as fast - this comes on top
of the faster spread due to wind speed.
Now you need to exit the campsite and head out into the wilderness. The
combustion sensor you got from Hauk has three buttons on it, and depending
on your action, it will drain power so you have to recharge it at a power
tap from time to time. It has 100 power units at maximum. You can always
<exa display> to get a small map of your immediate surroundings
without expending any power units.
Black button: This will turn the combustion sensor on/off. Leaving the combustion sensor turned on will drain power over time.
Orange button: This is used to contain wildfires in a room. This uses 1 power unit.
Green button: This gives you a larger map than the one you get from <exa display>. It uses 10 power units, so use it sparingly.
When the combustion sensor is turned on and you move from room to room in the wilderness,
there's a 1/20 chance that lightning will strike somewhere in the wilderness and cause a
wildfire. There's also a miniscule chance that lightning will strike in the room that you're
in. If that happens you will suffer a soft death, and you have to scramble to reanimate
and get back to your corpse while there's an active wildfire going on!
Lightning will only strike in a room that hasn't been completely scorched by fire, so you
can avoid death by lightning completely by only traversing rooms that have already been
scorched while you search for a fire...
When lightning strikes, the combustion sensor will notify you which general direction
the fire is at:
The sensor says: Combustion detected!
The sensor says: <DIRECTION>, <DIRECTION>!
Make your way to the fire as quickly as possible, using the display on the combustion
sensor and optionally the interactive map of Takodana you can buy at the shop as a guide.
When you arrive, <press orange> to contain the wildfire:
You press the orange button.
Suddenly, a whitish goo hits the ground, encasing the wildfire!
The flame-retardant material appears soft, doughy and malleable.
If there are multiple fires, there's an 8-second delay before you can contain another
fire. The whitish goo that contains the fire will reduce a fire's intensity every
12 seconds until it has been extinguished, and the goo will last for 2 minutes until it
dissipates.
If left alone, the wildfires will generally spread according to wind direction and
wind speed, as well as how much combustible material remains in a room. If a fire
consumes all combustible material in a room, then that room becomes scorched.
When the fire has been extinguished either by you or by burning itself out, then
Hauk will give you a message on the radio to return to base.
You receive an urgent message over the radio. It's Hauk!
Hauk says: Ten-four on the fire, team! Hauk here. That blaze is nothing but
embers now. Head back to base for a debrief!
You will be given a score at this point, and you won't be able to turn the
combustion sensor back on before you claim your reward. Return to Hauk and
you will automatically receive your reward (or penalty).
The following sums up how the final performance score is calculated:
First the remaining combustible material in the rooms you prevented from getting scorched is summed up.
You receive a 100 point bonus if able to extinguish the fire in the last room before the wildfire concludes.
This gets multiplied by how much area out of the fresh area at the start of the fire remains as a percentage.
You receive a penalty for any scorched rooms, and animals that perished in the fire.
If you performed well enough, Hauk will reward you with Flamesniffer points
as well as money and experience. The amount of your payout depends on the score you received -
your player level (capped at level 20) and Flamesniffer rank act as multipliers.
NOTE: You can read a report about your performance from the toplist by using the
<reports> command. This will also show you exactly how many points you gained
or lost.
After a while, when you reach the rank of Colonel, Hauk will reward you with
the mini, some credits, the
adornment
and you will also be allowed to land your ship at the
campsite as an additional reward:
Hauk smiles at you.
Hauk says: You've done great work in keeping the fires snuffed.
Hauk says: Look at these statistics! You've outdone yourself.
Hauk says: You've proven that you have what it takes to be a Flamesniffer.
Hauk smiles from ear to ear at you.
Hauk says: I'm proud to say you're now a fully-fledged Flamesniffer.
Hauk says: From now on, the more fires you extinguish and the total area
you contain will further increase your score.
Hauk gives you a curt nod.
Hauk says: As an added bonus, you can now <land campsite> with your ship!
Hauk says: Now get out there and sniff out those flames!
Congratulations!
Additional tips:
At higher difficulties, it can be hit-or-miss whether you're able to contain the wildfire,
since you can't be several places at once coupled with the fact that the combustion sensor
has a containment delay. In these cases, try to make sure you contain the chokepoints first
so the fire won't spread down to the valley or towards the campsite - that way your penalty won't
be too bad.
By design, this mini is meant to be like snakes-and-ladders, where you gain some and then lose some. So don't be discouraged if you end up being demoted by Hauk. Eventually you WILL get the mini!
It's possible to work as a team to contain a fire, this can be especially useful at the higher difficulties, see above. But it's not a requirement.
When there are more than one fire, you should look at where the wind is coming from
and prioritize extinguishing the fires that are downwind first. For example,
if the wind is coming from the northwest, then go for the fires to the southeast first.
This is because the fire will in most cases keep spreading further southeast.
A player cannot extinguish any fires they have
set themselves
using the
gas canister and matches. But they are allowed to extinguish fires that have been set by other players.
You will lose health from being close to the wildfires, you can counter this by using the <trance> command or by healing normally with drinks, etc.
You can reduce the amount of health you lose by wearing armour that has fire protection,
examples are
Calo Nord's armour
from Tatooine, the
trenchcoat
that you can find in the campsite, or by wearing a completed
Kinetic Set.
When you see a wildfire on the map at your location, but there's no wildfire in the
room you're at, be sure to check any "stacked" rooms that might exist at that location
(trees, the blind, the barn, etc.) Only the "top" room counts for scoring, though, so it
doesn't matter if any of the stacked rooms burn down.
After you complete the mini, you can keep working as a Flamesniffer to improve your standing on the toplist, or to earn credits (maximum 25,000 credits per reset).