Let's talk about Bacterium

CMDR_LS

C
so I recently started my Exo-biology career after spending the past month on engineering my space suits and weapons.
anyhow, I did some research and watched some YT videos and I recalled that few folks said "make sure to look for unexplored bodies as you get x5 the experience if you get first footfall".
fast forward , I decided to travel about 1000LY from the bubble. almost every planet or moon with > 1 biological features had already been landed on. Only those with 1 biological signal were ignored.

initially I was so happy. Finally after so many jumps, I can get my first footfall. Little did I know that the reason everyone ignored those places is because RNG for a single biological feature is a number between 0 and 1 where anything > 0.1 is bacterium, else is something else.... and I later realized that Bacterium is FDev grind game play for exobiology as you will be spending hours and hours looking for those nearly invisible patches....

but seriously , I've scanned over 100 planets with 1 biological feature who had no CMDR and EVERY FREAKING single one of them had.... surprise... you guessed it - Bacterium. How fun. even the RNG is not RNG because there is ZERO randomness to this.

:unsure::poop::sick: -> that's how I feel about planets with 1 biological feature. I just ignore them now as well.
 

Alien

Alien
Players ignore anything bacterium because it doesn't pay very well. Why go for Bacterium worth 1 million credits and the bonus being 5x that when you could go for Stratum Tectonicas which even if you're not the first to find it on that planetary body, is worth 19 million credits?. Players are doing exobiology because it pays well if you find the right bio to scan. The players doing it want billions of credits not millions of credits.
 

HRDiagram

HRDiagram
There's little RNG with biosignals: they depend on planet type, atmospheric composition (and pressure), temperature and even star class.
If you see a planet with a Neon or Argon atmosphere, and 1 biosignal, it's going to be one of the "cheapest" bacteria, which will net you about 5M or thereabouts. Just for reference, before the exobiology buff, the payout for first scan was 100k. 🤭

If you're interested in doing exobiology, you can download one of the third party tools that tell you what you can expect on a planet and how much it would pay, before you land.

You will find more info in the relevant forum section.

Player Tools & API Discussions

forums.frontier.co.uk forums.frontier.co.uk
 

Sleepyman

Sleepyman
Kraul59 said:
1000 ly is nothing. You have to get 3 - 5 thousand ly out of the bubble. If you look at Spansh, you can see the most traveled routes. (https://edastro.com/mapcharts/video.html) Take a course above or below the galaxy disk to look for undiscovered systems
Click to expand...
Totally agree 3KLY you might start to find untouched planets but 5KLY out and you will find the majority unlanded but still probably surveyed and mapped. My strategy is hitch a ride on a Fleet Carrier going out and getting off at 5KLY out then explore slowly making my way back, when I get close enough to the bubble that enough systems start to be landed on/explored I simply plot a route back and return
 

Stonelaughter

Stonelaughter
...or be like me and just scan EVERYTHING and learn from it. I don't care if Spyraticus Bacteria Green is only a million credits; it's a million credits I didn't have twenty minutes ago. I'm currently 2000 LY from base, "Above" the GP, and heading inwards toward the centre. At some point I'll come back.
 

pmejna

P
I think that the initial idea was that for other life forms exist - there should be bacterium first. And this resulted in those bacterium being
the worst option possible. In my opinion, fdev should have increased the number of possible bacterium types so if there are just bacterium on a planet it gives you a chance to find something rare and expensive.

My tip: check all populated systems. I know some in-bubble systems which don't have first footfall and have life forms. I didn't land on them because I have played ED from a long time and I leave those systems for new players for easier bucks.
 

Jinx Chrome

Jinx Chrome
During my last exploration trip, I decided to scan bios when there are 4 or more on a planet but really find them all. Sometimes tough with bacteria or mushrooms up in mountains.
 

pmejna

P
Jinx Chrome said:
During my last exploration trip, I decided to scan bios when there are 4 or more on a planet but really find them all. Sometimes tough with bacteria or mushrooms up in mountains.
Click to expand...
The best are planets with just a tiny tiny dot on a surface - the only place where you can find that specimen
 

Kalizandra

Kalizandra
Maybe I'm the odd one out but I don't find Bacterium that hard or difficult to find. I don't go out of my way to get the three samples, unless Its a decent find with say 4+ bio signals, then I grab the Bacterium because why not? Hmmm this is giving me inspiration to go on a trip! Once the dust settles on the Thargoid stuffz I fancy a carrier supported jaunt into the black, probs in the new year. Will give me a 'project' in the horrible month that is January!
 

Sleepyman

Sleepyman
Jinx Chrome said:
During my last exploration trip, I decided to scan bios when there are 4 or more on a planet but really find them all. Sometimes tough with bacteria or mushrooms up in mountains.
Click to expand...
Yeah spending way too long looking for a landing spot big enough for a AspX just so I can scan that last plant, then having to walk km's to get three scans. Oh wait my ship departed ages a go, Guess I have to climb (ie jump) down the mountain to find another flat spot so I can get my ship back.

Am I glad my suit lasts a looooong time
 

Factabulous

Factabulous
Koma Pahu said:
I think bacteria, being the hardest to find and requiring the biggest time commitment, should be the highest paying. But at only 1M lots of people are just going to leave them.
Click to expand...
OTOH making Bacterium the highest paying would probably annoy the people who only care about payouts - because they are the hardest to spot for some. At 1M they can just be ignored by those who find them hard to spot.
 

Riverside

Riverside
CMDR_LS said:
so I recently started my Exo-biology career after spending the past month on engineering my space suits and weapons.
anyhow, I did some research and watched some YT videos and I recalled that few folks said "make sure to look for unexplored bodies as you get x5 the experience if you get first footfall".
fast forward , I decided to travel about 1000LY from the bubble. almost every planet or moon with > 1 biological features had already been landed on. Only those with 1 biological signal were ignored.

initially I was so happy. Finally after so many jumps, I can get my first footfall. Little did I know that the reason everyone ignored those places is because RNG for a single biological feature is a number between 0 and 1 where anything > 0.1 is bacterium, else is something else.... and I later realized that Bacterium is FDev grind game play for exobiology as you will be spending hours and hours looking for those nearly invisible patches....

but seriously , I've scanned over 100 planets with 1 biological feature who had no CMDR and EVERY FREAKING single one of them had.... surprise... you guessed it - Bacterium. How fun. even the RNG is not RNG because there is ZERO randomness to this.

:unsure::poop::sick: -> that's how I feel about planets with 1 biological feature. I just ignore them now as well.
Click to expand...
If you're after credits the stuff you find on Icy bodies usually isn't worth all that much, and more distant, more dimly lit icy bodies are likely to be a challenge because bact has no 3D model (it's just a texture) so night vision won't help.

Some bio on some planets are harder to find than on others. If you're just starting out looking for the easier ones will be less punishing. Single bio signal High Metal Content planets can be Stratum that can pay well.

Note also the first footfall gets you nothing but the insta-tag itself, there are plenty of multi-bio planets where previous visitors haven't scanned/sold all the bio & you won't find that out until you scan them :)

Good luck ;)
 

Felix DiCestria

Felix DiCestria
CMDR_LS said:
so I recently started my Exo-biology career after spending the past month on engineering my space suits and weapons.
anyhow, I did some research and watched some YT videos and I recalled that few folks said "make sure to look for unexplored bodies as you get x5 the experience if you get first footfall".
fast forward , I decided to travel about 1000LY from the bubble. almost every planet or moon with > 1 biological features had already been landed on. Only those with 1 biological signal were ignored.

initially I was so happy. Finally after so many jumps, I can get my first footfall. Little did I know that the reason everyone ignored those places is because RNG for a single biological feature is a number between 0 and 1 where anything > 0.1 is bacterium, else is something else.... and I later realized that Bacterium is FDev grind game play for exobiology as you will be spending hours and hours looking for those nearly invisible patches....

but seriously , I've scanned over 100 planets with 1 biological feature who had no CMDR and EVERY FREAKING single one of them had.... surprise... you guessed it - Bacterium. How fun. even the RNG is not RNG because there is ZERO randomness to this.

:unsure::poop::sick: -> that's how I feel about planets with 1 biological feature. I just ignore them now as well.
Click to expand...
I've found Stratum as a single biological on a few worlds, though it is rare.
Bacterium isn't usually that bad, (except on mottled ice in the dark) Fungoida on the other hand..
 

X80

X80
CMDR_LS said:
so I recently started my Exo-biology career after spending the past month on engineering my space suits and weapons.
anyhow, I did some research and watched some YT videos and I recalled that few folks said "make sure to look for unexplored bodies as you get x5 the experience if you get first footfall".
fast forward , I decided to travel about 1000LY from the bubble. almost every planet or moon with > 1 biological features had already been landed on. Only those with 1 biological signal were ignored.

initially I was so happy. Finally after so many jumps, I can get my first footfall. Little did I know that the reason everyone ignored those places is because RNG for a single biological feature is a number between 0 and 1 where anything > 0.1 is bacterium, else is something else.... and I later realized that Bacterium is FDev grind game play for exobiology as you will be spending hours and hours looking for those nearly invisible patches....

but seriously , I've scanned over 100 planets with 1 biological feature who had no CMDR and EVERY FREAKING single one of them had.... surprise... you guessed it - Bacterium. How fun. even the RNG is not RNG because there is ZERO randomness to this.

:unsure::poop::sick: -> that's how I feel about planets with 1 biological feature. I just ignore them now as well.
Click to expand...
There are also Bacteriums like Informem (8,41 milj), Nebulus (9,11 mil), Scopulum (8,63), Verrata snd Volu (7,8 mil). Not so common than low priced but can been found les tha 1000 ly. I have found systems with 500 - 800 miljons of exobiomaterials never before landed and less than 1000ly.
I recomment you read: https://ed-dsn.net/en/conditions-of-emergence-of-exobiological-species-on-planets-a-atmosphere-fine/
 

Commander Biscuit

Commander Biscuit
CMDR_LS said:
but seriously , I've scanned over 100 planets with 1 biological feature who had no CMDR and EVERY FREAKING single one of them had.... surprise... you guessed it - Bacterium. How fun. even the RNG is not RNG because there is ZERO randomness to this.
Click to expand...
Bacterium isn't supposed to be random, the Codex covers it: "These are believed to be the precursors for many life forms."

The most basic form of life, it makes sense that it's the most abundant, in real life and in-game.
 

Nowski

Nowski
Felix DiCestria said:
Bacterium isn't usually that bad, (except on mottled ice in the dark) Fungoida on the other hand..
Click to expand...

Fungoida are usually tough on ammonia atmosphere worlds (i.e. fungoida setisis), and methane / rocky ice worlds (the, er, ..bubbly ones), because they tend to be sparse and live in rocky mountainous areas that are the worst for landing.

On CO2 and water atmosphere worlds (fungoida gelata and stabitis iirc) they're much easier to find and tend to live in those low altitude depression areas full of ravines and plateaus where they're easier to spot and land next to.

A good tip for batcerium I think is setting directional shadow to low in graphics quality settings, which encourages the visual glitch where they stand out as black blobs before resolving to their proper shadings.
 

CMDR_LS

C
Riverside said:
If you're after credits the stuff you find on Icy bodies usually isn't worth all that much, and more distant, more dimly lit icy bodies are likely to be a challenge because bact has no 3D model (it's just a texture) so night vision won't help.

Some bio on some planets are harder to find than on others. If you're just starting out looking for the easier ones will be less punishing. Single bio signal High Metal Content planets can be Stratum that can pay well.

Note also the first footfall gets you nothing but the insta-tag itself, there are plenty of multi-bio planets where previous visitors haven't scanned/sold all the bio & you won't find that out until you scan them :)

Good luck ;)
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

I am not really after money. Have enough already lol.
I just enjoy landing on distant planet and scanning the bio life. However, I find bacterium annoying because how hard to find some of them are.

Commander Biscuit said:
Bacterium isn't supposed to be random, the Codex covers it: "These are believed to be the precursors for many life forms."

The most basic form of life, it makes sense that it's the most abundant, in real life and in-game.
Click to expand...
that's super valid point lol. In fact, that's the first thing NASA is looking for in other planets so I guess it make sense that every planet with biological features will have at least one form of bacterium.
 
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