An exploration update for completing system scans (bonus)?

Staarlord

S
So, I rarely set out now to explore new systems. Instead, I try to complete things that people leave unfinished. I'm currently exploring the Colonia nebula, where it seems like 65% of all systems only have the first few bodies mapped, or, if lucky? The parent bodies but none of their moons (SCO has helped to make shorter work of this).

I'm trying to think of ways that FDev can incentivize quality over quantity because should something be discovered, such as any new Guardian sites? People who are only driven to find truly undiscovered systems will pass it up;
you can usually tell if a system was already discovered by looking at their radar upon entering a system and seeing bodies already pop up. To confirm this, you can then look at your nav panel and if you see a littering of "unexplored" bodies in your list? Chances are the system is already stamped with the name of other commanders and so most commander seeking only freshly undiscovered systems will move in. I was one such commander. Mostly, in the Xbox days.

To incentivize completed discoveries, FDev could offer a "100% completed/ mapped" bonus to the original discoverer or the last commander to complete it. One that may even be financially lucrative as an explorer. You can also boost the value of those seemingly pesky ice worlds, as, guess what? Ice means water! And beneath the surface may reside oceans! I mean, we find value in Titan for this reason.
 

Staarlord

S
Sorry, not sure as to what point you were making?

I may have already? I've been exploring since preview on Xbox, pre-Horizons. I moved to PC in mid-2021, after catching wind of Xbox end support and before you we were able to migrate accounts (could only transfer assets worth). I've explored from the Xiabalba, all the way out and around through the low dense sectors (outer edge of the galaxy) of the Formidine, on up to the Void Sector, over to Colonia, out to Odin's Hold, where I spent a couple weeks, Sag A, and back. On other expeditions I have gone throughout and past Synuefe (at the lowest and highest planes), out past Witchhead and the Pleiades, doing the same (lowest and highest planes)...I have done many of those trips many times over (Sag-A, Odin's Hold, Synuefe, Witchhead, Formidine...) and have been to Colonia about 7 times now. Once or twice for a CG, which I tried to get a little light exploring in for.

[Edit]
It looks like I've only visit 9300 systems under this account across less than 3000 hours but my Xbox account has to have well north of 5000 hours on it and I've noticed that those discoveries have stuck, as one of my main Odin's Hold head quarters system (where my carrier was for almost two years) still has my old commander name on those bodies.
 
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Vedmo

Vedmo
If an efficiency bonus on probe use is worth a pat on the back, I don't see why completely mapping a system wouldn't deserve some accolades as well. While there is value (not meaning credit value) in just honk mapping a star and what's close, I do agree finishing a system sounds at least as important.
 

Staarlord

S
Vedmo said:
If an efficiency bonus on probe use is worth a pat on the back, I don't see why completely mapping a system wouldn't deserve some accolades as well. While there is value (not meaning credit value) in just honk mapping a star and what's close, I do agree finishing a system sounds at least as important.
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Agreed! I mean, I don't know what there is that can be discovered by way of mapping, but the trick for at least guardian structures and mega ships is to get within 1000ls of a body and going through these motions will get people there, plus reward a heftier payout.
 
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K Olley

K Olley
Staarlord said:
So, I rarely set out now to explore new systems. Instead, I try to complete things that people leave unfinished. I'm currently exploring the Colonia nebula, where it seems like 65% of all systems only have the first few bodies mapped, or, if lucky? The parent bodies but none of their moons (SCO has helped to make shorter work of this).
Click to expand...
There are so many like this, where they have just been skipped through and nobody's scanned and also mainly from back in the earlier days there are almost 17 mil systems that have been recorded that the main star has not been scanned.

ATM I am mapping the final few HIP's and in the process I am also mapping all other systems that I pass through, that is scanning and discovering all bodies, probing and mapping anything of interest and cashing in quite large amounts of first foot fall bio data as I go.
 

Staarlord

S
K Olley said:
There are so many like this, where they have just been skipped through and nobody's scanned and also mainly from back in the earlier days there are almost 17 mil systems that have been recorded that the main star has not been scanned.

ATM I am mapping the final few HIP's and in the process I am also mapping all other systems that I pass through, that is scanning and discovering all bodies, probing and mapping anything of interest and cashing in quite large amounts of first foot fall bio data as I go.
Click to expand...

Nice!
Yeah, I still find a lot of OG exploration (honk exploring) relic systems, where depending on whether or not the commander in question had and advanced scanner or the basic one, over half the system may be unfiscovered.
 

Archvillain

Archvillain
Staarlord said:
Instead, I try to complete things that people leave unfinished.
Click to expand...

Try to be considerate with that. If it's a nothing system that someone just scanned and moved on, sure, finish that sucker, but if it's a system that is hard to get to or has some other significance, sometimes people are intentionally leaving a smaller mark so that plenty of others get a chance to mark their presence too and the system will be rich with names. Filling up all the remaining slots with your name means that no-one else gets one and the system's history is over, in a sense. So be judicious! ;)
 
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o2thaZ

o2thaZ
Archvillain said:
Try to be considerate with that. If it's a nothing system that someone just scanned and moved on, sure, finish that sucker, but if it's a system that is hard to get to or has some other significance, sometimes people are intentionally leaving a smaller mark so that plenty of others get a chance to mark their presence too and the system will be rich with names. Filling up all the remaining slots with your name means that no-one else gets one and the system's history is over, in a sense. So be judicious! ;)
Click to expand...
This is the way.
 

Brieus

Brieus
Staarlord said:
To incentivize completed discoveries, FDev could offer a "100% completed/ mapped" bonus to the original discoverer or the last commander to complete it. One that may even be financially lucrative as an explorer. You can also boost the value of those seemingly pesky ice worlds, as, guess what? Ice means water! And beneath the surface may reside oceans! I mean, we find value in Titan for this reason.
Click to expand...

People have been bringing this up since at least '16 (when I started playing) when it was still really hard to completely scan a system.
If they haven't done it by now, I wouldn't count on them ever adding it.
 

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
I was thinking the exact same thing when I went exploring near Colonia and Sag A a month ago.
1st discovery bonus should trump everything else, but it doesn't.
Can't remember exact numbers, but it was something like this:

ELW: 8m for discovery, 30k for 1st discovery bonus.

imo it should be the other way around:

ELW: 30k for discovery, 8m for 1st discovery bonus

Why are people paying 8m for the same data?!!! Doesn't make sense.
At the moment Cmdrs can scan the same planets, near the bubble, and get the same huge pay out, which doesn't really incentivise Cmdrs to go out and explore new systems.
It's not hard to find undiscovered systems, you only have to go out 1-2k Ly from the bubble before you run into a shed load of undiscovered systems.
 
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