How to locate biological or geological features after surface scanning?

[Ian Doncaster]

Maybe I dreamed it, but I have a strong suspicion that I saw a "Dev Post" which confirmed that it truly isn't a heat-map showing what we might have hoped it would show...

"Not a heatmap" is true and confirmed by Frontier
... but that's not the same as ...
"The colour is completely meaningless", which is false and not something they said either.

It represents some underlying attribute - most clearly visible on the rare rocky ice worlds with biologicals which have bios of both "rocky" and "icy" types and terrain. It's not purely the terrain being represented, either, since some bios on the same planet will have different shades of blue for the same terrain. What the attribute is and how it relates to actual likelihoods of appearance everyone is too busy saying "not a heatmap" to investigate, of course.

On one of those rocky ice worlds [1] I saw blue appear for Fonticula in both rocky and icy terrain. Naturally, the Fonticula only actually appeared in the icy terrain - cutting off very abruptly at its edge, which lined up exactly with a transition from one blue shade to the other, and the rocky bios then started appearing.


So it's certainly not necessarily the case that the flat teal blue is always the best blue to search - though for a lot of bios it's perfectly good! - but it is certainly the case that if you're wandering around for ages and not finding a single sample, trying a patch of a different blue might suddenly find hundreds.


[1] This was a while ago, so "somewhere near Colonia" is as specific as I can be about where. Sorry. I'm sure there are good examples elsewhere, though!

 

[aRJay]

In the DSS view (the one where you launch the probes at the planet), you can cycle thru the filters for the different geo/bio signals on the planet. It changes the blue colour overlay on the planet.

So ideally aim for a spot on the planet where all of the filters show blue in the same place and go explore there to hopefully find everything in one place.

I find it helpful even where there are overlaps to try locations where the blue area for at least one of bios is quite small as it gives less room for them to hide.

 

[Astrofizzix]

I'd say it is a mixed bag. On one planet I found lots of curly plants in the teal areas, but on the other five or six I tried I never found anything (but enjoyed the (for me) new views with atmospheres).

One poster here said that I should use the colors to "find the type of biological I want to find", but I only know there is some signal, but not what it might be. That's part of my whole point. The "signals" aren't displayed anywhere (or I don't know where to look).



Uh, pressing E where? Where do I see different plant or geographical types? I am in VR using a HOTAS, so no keyboard, but if it's E it's probably "next panel"/"next module", so I know which button to press if you tell me where. (Which panel/mode/map...?)

Sounds like you might need to bind it somewhere.

With a keyboard, while you’re in the probe screen you can use Q and E to cycle through each bio signal location on the planet. By default, the filter is set to “all”.

My strategy is to land near the boundary of two different signals.

 

[Brrokk]

Sounds like you might need to bind it somewhere.

With a keyboard, while you’re in the probe screen you can use Q and E to cycle through each bio signal location on the planet. By default, the filter is set to “all”.

My strategy is to land near the boundary of two different signals.

There are a few that I always go for first. For example, if there's Conchoida, they're often in deep chasms. I go there first and often find Cactoida at the same time. Frutexa are then often on the hills around too.

 

[digitus impudicus]

Thanks everybody for clearing up there's a filter in the probe view. I've just quit my adventures for the day (finding geological stuff in the light blue area no less ), but I'll look at the filters when I'm in my pilot's seat next.

Also really helpful strategies from y'all. The mechanics seem to be quite sophisticated here. Maybe I should even look into doing that on-foot tutorial and scan some plants. Unless I should have taken special equipment with me for that. In that case I'm SOL. But I'm enjoying the trip a LOT just as it is already.

 

[RadiKyle]

The mechanics seem to be quite sophisticated here.

I feel it's not super sophisticated (but I do remember in the beginning being confused about what to do). It's really just probe the planet, drop down in one of the blue regions, and flying slow and really low and they randomly spawn into view.

Maybe the Odyssey on-foot stuff is more sophisticated tho, I dunno (non-Odyssey setup here). My understanding is Odyssey simply adds more specimen varieties, plus the on-foot scan and collect activity layer, whereas non-Odyssey is just the usual SRV shoot-n-scoop. "I just love scanning shooting for lifeforms." -- Lt Cmdr Data

 

[Brrokk]

I feel it's not super sophisticated (but I do remember in the beginning being confused about what to do). It's really just probe the planet, drop down in one of the blue regions, and flying slow and really low and they randomly spawn into view.

Maybe the Odyssey on-foot stuff is more sophisticated tho, I dunno (non-Odyssey setup here). My understanding is Odyssey simply adds more specimen varieties, plus the on-foot scan and collect activity layer, whereas non-Odyssey is just the usual SRV shoot-n-scoop. "I just love scanning shooting for lifeforms." -- Lt Cmdr Data

I think the exobiology activity has more depth than many people realise and sometimes it's looked down on because you don't explode anything. Here's a short list of hints I've previously compiled:-

Get away from inhabited space and only land where no-one else has already got "first footfall", to maximise the value of your finds.

Besides learning the habitats which different plants favour, don't overlook visibility; particularly how this is affected by colour and lighting.

I try to land somewhere with the sun well above the horizon but not at zenith... So not near the terminator or the centre of the day hemisphere.

On finding a plant for the first time, examine it from different directions. Some will cast a long shadow. Others will be bright or colourful when lit face-on. Once you identify that, fly in the best direction to spot more.

Then there's night vision. Things like tussock and frutexa get highlighted well by it because of their multiple stems; frutexa sparkle more than tussocks. Look at a plant with and without night vision to decide which setting will make it stand out from rocks better.

On finding a bacterium, note its colour and remember to look for more only where the flat terrain is a different colour.

Note the appearance of a plant from different heights; don't fly too high or too fast and low.

Learn how far apart samples need to be. With some things like tussocks, conchoida or fungoida you can sample one, then walk to sample another without having to re-embark.

Use the SRV sparingly. I usually just walk or fly to the next sample. A small ship for landing in rough terrain is an advantage.

Strategize your landings. When landing to get the last of three scans for a plant type, try to arrange that a new unscanned type is also nearby so you get two scans at one location.

 

[thistle]

I sometimes find it better to actually land, and then use the camera suite (headcannon "biological search probe") to have a look around. It's amazing how often I've landed thinking there's no biologicals nearby after flying around frustrated for 10mins fruitlessly searching, only to find them visible close by from the camera.