Luna

> Luna is a track based in a bio dome on the Moon. Construction was finished in 2156, alongside another project to build a functional nature garden inside the same bio dome. It is the most expensive track to be featured in the AGL.
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## Description

The AGL’s only extraterrestrial circuit is one of the harder tracks in Ballistic NG. It contains lots of tricky corners that often come one right after another. Consequently, Luna gives little (if any) breather moments during the race and may easily surprise unseasoned pilots with its sudden, unseen turns. The track also constantly changes elevation and requires quick pitch shifting in order to not lose speed. Moreover, as a track set on Moon’s surface, it is badly lit, and as such demands even more attention from the pilot than the other courses – follow the track’s surface lights, so you will not lose your way in the darkness.

## Walkthrough

The first sequence of turns will already demonstrate what AGL pilots can expect of Luna. It consists of a moderate upwards left hander (starting under the Tenrai holographic billboard) that immediately follows into downwards right hander (this one starting under Hyperion billboard), then into small upwards left hander, and finally into blind downwards long right hander (following the Nexus billboard). The track is also quite dark for the whole sequence, brightening up only after you enter the small tunnel inside the second right hander. To complete this sequence of turns: begin the race by staying to the right side of the track and take a sharp turn to the left while pitching up. Then turn to the right just before the Hyperion billboard, and as you pass it, aim slightly to the left. As you enter the tunnel, chances are you will need to lightly use the right airbrake, as the fourth corner is blind and quite long – keep cornering (and pitch down) until you see a small straight ahead.

The blind right hander takes you around a server bank and sets you off onto aforementioned small ascending straight, where the track becomes dark again. The straight splits into two routes, right (R) and left (L). These routes are of similar length and equally steep, so you better pitch up no matter what route you will take. The right path provides a pair of speed pads laying side-by-side, so it is potentially faster. However, the routes also differ instead in entrance and exit difficulty:

(R) This route is slightly less curved, and has significantly easier entrance. However, its exit may prove problematic, since it will require tighter reactions if you want to clear the following corner clearly – remember to move a bit to the left as you exit this route. At higher speeds with pitching up, it is easy to launch yourself through the Wyvern screen, and at this point you will have to reposition yourself to land safely into the next corner. In such case, aim at the middle of the track, point the ship’s direction to align with the corner, and do not forget about airbrakes – you will need to slow down considerably to avoid a sudden collision with a wall.

(L) The left route is more difficult to enter (but not too much, likely requiring only a well-timed left turn), but in exchange it provides a better exit towards the upcoming right-hander. It turns more suddenly than (R), just past its peak. You can also launch yourself with pitching up from this route, but you will travel for less distance than in the case of (R).

After the junction, you will be facing another very long descending right hander. Depending on the speed, you will clear it just by pitching down and banking rightwards until you see the exit, or you will need to tap the airbrake, before you pass the G-Tek billboard midway through the corner. There are also two speed pads located at two different points of the corner, at the inner side of it. If you want to fly over the first one, you will probably need to take the left route at the split. The next corner is a 90 degrees left hander – slam the left airbrake as you pass the speed pad nearby to clear it and catch another inner-speed pad, located up on the next straight under the Scorpio billboard. Start pitching up at this point. After this straight, another orthogonal corner awaits, this time to the right, so approach it in the analogous way as the previous corners, only now slamming the right airbrake.

After this turn, you will be taking a big jump (the ramp built above the starting grid) under a skybridge. In the valley below, a very tight sequence of right-left-left turns awaits, with the checkpoint located between the second and the third turn. If you do not have enough speed (probably on speeds typical of Toxic or Apex classes), you will need to complete the whole sequence. To do this, first slam the right airbrake and start cornering a moment before you land, then do the opposite midway of the second turn, and finally hard airbrake to the left from the outside wall just as you cross the checkpoint. There are two speed pads laying on the opposite sides of the checkpoint laser, but without a well-turning craft you will probably only reach the first, rightside one. However, with a higher velocity the jump can propel you directly under the G-Tek screen installed before the tunnel, and you will land at the checkpoint straight, skipping the first two turns. Do not worry about the skybridge, as it is actually non-solid and your ship will fly through it (however, the tunnel’s walls are solid). Past this corner sequence, you will encounter a descending right hander. This time (if you went past the previous corner smoothly) airbraking will probably not be required.

Now you are entering a large mine shaft, traveling it by the use of the bridge installed inside, with distinctive five ramp-gates that provide red-coloured lightning. The bridge has a very narrow right-left S-bend midway, which can be especially difficult due to the fact you will be incoming fast at downwards angle. As you descent, position yourself to the left side of the straight, then start cornering around the midway before the actual right turn. If done right, you should now align roughly parallel to the wall ahead, giving you a good way to go through the left turn close to that wall – tap the left airbrake as you do it. Pitch up immediately as you pass the left turn, as now you will be climbing out of the shaft. As you exit the shaft, you will found yourself in a residential district, with the track road lit by the lampposts and covered for some distance with low glass ceiling – the final sequence of corners on Luna awaits here.

Coming out of the shaft, you will be following a blind long soft left hander. At its end, it converts into sharp right turn, which immediately shifts into another blind long left hander, signified by a big banner of black and yellow directional signs. As you approach this set of corners, stay by the middle of the track (there will be a speed pad to left shortly before the corner’s end, then another to the right just before the warning arrows), briefly push the left airbrake while turning left, then do the opposite just before the right hander, and finally perform a long left turn as you pass by the directional arrows. You will go through alley that ends with a smooth right hander, that leads into the tunnel housing the starting grid. This corner should be doable only with turning. The last corner on Luna is a small left hander – stay to the right to catch the final lone speed pad as you emerge on the starting lane. The pit lane entrance is hard to miss, and requires no turning while you pass the last corner. On the other hand, the pit's exit is very hard to pass through without any collision. To do so, stay by the inner wall, hard slam the right airbrake, and aim to cross the starting lane laser just by its right end.

## Screenshots

The Tenrai cornerThe Hyperion turnThe Nexus corner and the first tunnelThe server bankBackwards view of the right routeBackwards view of the left routeThe routes reconnection pointThe Wyvern cornerThe Scorpio orthogonal turnThe jumpThe second tunnel entranceThe way to the shaftThe shaft passagewayThe exit from the shaftOutside the shaftThe residential districtThe residential districtThe alleywayThe way to the starting gridThe starting gridThe pit entrancePit lane exit