Exploration Ships and Kit

[LoSt]

I'm getting ready for Gamma and what I truly want to do in the game, that is exploration.

I know there is the Asp and that's probably THE major contender, if a little expensive.

What I am interested in seeing is what other explorers have used effectively, both ships and setups.

As an aside, I'm also interested in thoughts on making cr quick to get out exploring once Gamma hits. Seems to take me forever to even get into a Viper.

 

[Raf von Thorn]

Im currently exploring in a Cobra, i cant complain. Got about 13 Ly range, its good enough. 2 beam lasers, 2 miniguns (im not happy with the guns, probably will go for missile launcher or two), advanced discovery channel and detailed surface scanner. The later is a must, it boosts your earnings rapidly. You need to have a fuel scoop, of course, and i think it would be nice to have the auto repair thingy, but im not doing the deep space (there isnt any yet), so there are stations every other system. I will get it in the future.

I guess you can take the same stuff in the ASP.

To be honest, if i could find a viper frameshift drive that alows me to jumo more than 10 Ly, i would take the Viper for close exploring, its just my favourite ship so far.

 

[LoSt]

Im currently exploring in a Cobra, i cant complain. Got about 13 Ly range, its good enough. 2 beam lasers, 2 miniguns (im not happy with the guns, probably will go for missile launcher or two), advanced discovery channel and detailed surface scanner. The later is a must, it boosts your earnings rapidly. You need to have a fuel scoop, of course, and i think it would be nice to have the auto repair thingy, but im not doing the deep space (there isnt any yet), so there are stations every other system. I will get it in the future.

I guess you can take the same stuff in the ASP.

To be honest, if i could find a viper frameshift drive that alows me to jumo more than 10 Ly, i would take the Viper for close exploring, its just my favourite ship so far.

I agree on both counts. I want a bigger/faster better ship than the sidewinder when I do this. I have yet to find a frameshift drive for my viper :/

 

[Googol]

My Cobra miner/explorer had a range of just under 20 Ly and paid its way very well with the mining sideline. I found that an average trip would net about 200 KCr even without being picky about the ore I picked up.
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I've got plenty of cash in the bank now, so I have mothballed the Cobra at Styx for the time being and currently I'm touring in my original Sidey looking for combat upgrades in preparation for the Betapocalypse

 

[Vikinger]

Ive been exploring in both a cobra and an asp. Exploring wise it does not matter so much between the 2 ships.
But to get most out of exploring you want to have the ships fully kited out. Specially the best frameshift and powerplant there is.
And a fuelscoop, the detailed surface scanner and the expensive advanced scanner. And just those 3 items take up 3 utility slots hence you need a ship that have enough of those slots and you don't want to sacrifice your shields.
With out the advanced scanner you will only be able to partial explore systems as many objects can be real far out but the advanced scanner have an extremely long scanning range, so it cover most of things there is in a system.
Then fly close to each object and the detailed surface scanner will passively give you more info.

That's how exploring work in the current beta but things may change and maybe we get some other tools, when gamma comes, that's focused around exploring.

I started with a sidewinder like everyone els. Did cargo runs and missions and traded up to hauler that I maxed cargo space on. Next upgrade was the cobra and maxed out its cargo space. Then bought an lakon6 and continued to do trade and missions until I had enough money to fully upgrade and buy an other cobra as an explorer ship.

 

[Rich Bramwell]

I have an Asp with a 12 million net worth, that has a 1.7 million drive that goes about 22 point something light years, and my next drive is the daddy at 5 million credits, not sure how far that will take me but it is also depending on how heavy you make the ship with armor and armaments. But we do know the Asp should be able to travel roughly 41 light years with the best frame shift drive and no cargo I am guessing at that range. Also I would expect the python and certain other small frigate size ship like the Anaconda to have a good range with a 20 to 30 million credit drive...l.o.l....similar fuel bill too LoSt.

 

[Ganjis]

I think the Cobra is best until you can afford an Asp. However, for dedicated early explorers there is the Hauler. It is much cheaper to buy and upgrade to a decent level than the Cobra and has space for a scanner, DSS, fuel scoop and shields.

Running light, it has enough range to do the job.

Best of all is that its insurance price is nice and low so that there is little risk involved.

 

[NotFragile]

I'm getting ready for Gamma and what I truly want to do in the game, that is exploration.

I know there is the Asp and that's probably THE major contender, if a little expensive.

What I am interested in seeing is what other explorers have used effectively, both ships and setups.

As an aside, I'm also interested in thoughts on making cr quick to get out exploring once Gamma hits. Seems to take me forever to even get into a Viper.

I spent a good deal of B3 in a Cobra kitted out for exploration and mining...by the time I got it fully equipped and upgraded, I could have traded it straight across for an ASP. Worth it, though.

You'll need an Advanced Scanner and a Detailed scanner...that's 1.75 million credits.

A 5 or 6 slot refinery ain't cheap either.

Making enough dosh to kit out an Explorer...trade and missions is how I'll do it.

Mostly trading, I'm pretty good at that.

 

[Rich Bramwell]

Yea I must admit the Hauler made me a bomb of money easily, I went from Sidewinder straight to that, then to the Cobra, Type 6 with a 100 ton cargo hold, then the Type 6 made me millions but it was a fraught time getting Interdicted so many times for my cargo of superconductors in the Lakon, Damn fragile ship, I'm sure it's made of balsa wood and recycled plastic cups, then at 8 million I have enough for an Asp, the insurance for it (very important)...and about a million to start trading with it again. Got my Asp in about 60 hours I think though, not too long a haul chaps.

 

[LoSt]

I figured it would be the Asp for exploration.

With that said, how to best make the money to get one. So far I've been trading and doing courier missions in the beginning systems area. Seems it would take a while doing it that way. Not that I'm complaining, just don't want to miss how the real money is made if it's something else.

What I've done so far is is get to the first hauler and try to make bank with that.

 

[Vikinger]

I figured it would be the Asp for exploration.

With that said, how to best make the money to get one. So far I've been trading and doing courier missions in the beginning systems area. Seems it would take a while doing it that way. Not that I'm complaining, just don't want to miss how the real money is made if it's something else.

What I've done so far is is get to the first hauler and try to make bank with that.

What I have done is to visit a lot of systems a bit out from the starter systems. Check what they have for supply and demand as well as the bulletin board. Buy all maps from the cartography so I have all info on nearby systems.
I good hint for a trading route is the bulletin board, and do delivery cargo missions. Most of the times the system you need to deliver the cargo/mission to also offer mission back to the first system.
It take some time to find 2 or 3 systems that are "connected" to each other but when you do it can be very lucrative.

 

[Rich Bramwell]

Top Secret Information LoSt.......Don't tell any one else....l.o.l....Run Superconductors from G180-18 to Aulin (2 stop journey because of jump range when loaded in a 100 ton Type 6), then bring Progenitors back to G180-18. Also secret.....I have found that at about 1 to 3 am UK time the prices for these lower sometimes when it is quiet on the server, so I was making at best 170,000 credits for hauling 152 Superconductors to Aulin, that has gone down to only 90,000 credits when it is busy during the day. Progenitor coils were making between 70,000 and 120,000 at their best and worst a run. So that is an average of 180,00 to 270,00 credits for one trip to Aulin and back to G180-18 chap.....Hope that helps. Also you have to remember 152 tons of superconductors costs me just short of a million credits to buy in the first place LoSt, so the loss if you get interdicted is Very High indeed chap, so you have to bear that in mind too, to get big gains, you have to trade big, only in items of 500 credits or more profit per item chap.
If you have the jump range then try Yanyan to Aulin, the superconductors at Yanyan are 200 to 300 credits cheaper to buy than at G180-18 but it is a long run of 25,000 light seconds to the Yanyan Coriolis from the sun where you jump into that system LoSt.
Happy Trading and get rich quick with high value high loss items.

 

[LoSt]

Ok, great info and I appreciate it!

Rich, are you using a cobra, hauler or other to make that kinda cr?

Again, thanks for all the responses folks!

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Rich, NM on my ship question. Read it again and understand. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Hellhawk666]

...
What I am interested in seeing is what other explorers have used effectively, both ships and setups.

As an aside, I'm also interested in thoughts on making cr quick to get out exploring once Gamma hits. Seems to take me forever to even get into a Viper.

There is considerable information and discussion about outfitting on our forums First Great Expedition

This isn't a recruitment drive - you can read the information without having to register or join us

See particularly the forum area "Expedition General Discussion"

 

[Spanners44]

I have an almost fully kitted Asp with Adv Scanner, Detailed Scanner, Fuel scoop, 5A FSD, 5A Power plant, 4A Distribution, 5A Shields, 2x Gimballed 2D Beans, 4x Gimballed 1G MCs and misc other equipment. I get about 30Ly w/o cargo. It's trade-in value alone is about 23MCr so it costs a hell of allot to kit out an Asp, I recommend would-be explorers start with a Cobra and work your way up.

 

[LoSt]

Well, I can't find GS180-18 at all on the map. I assume my jump range from Aulin doesn't let me see it.

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There is considerable information and discussion about outfitting on our forums First Great Expedition

This isn't a recruitment drive - you can read the information without having to register or join us

See particularly the forum area "Expedition General Discussion"

Thanks. And I have no problem joining like minded individuals.

 

[Hellhawk666]

Well, I can't find GS180-18 at all on the map. I assume my jump range from Aulin doesn't let me see it.

Check spelling - the search engine in the map is very particular. Also some systems just won't come up (known bug) but I think that one should. Jump range doesn't matter.

 

[LoSt]

Check spelling - the search engine in the map is very particular. Also some systems just won't come up (known bug) but I think that one should. Jump range doesn't matter.

GS180-18 comes up with nothing in the map search, unless I am doing something wrong.

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GS180-18 comes up with nothing in the map search, unless I am doing something wrong.

Is it "G 180-18" by chance?

 

[LoSt]

Imma a . Ignore me

 

[LoSt]

G 180-18 superconductors to Aulin
Aulin progenitors to G 180-18

Yep, that works. Thanks!