Exploration: What are we paid for?

Windsaw

W
I've got a quick question on exploration!

It became painfully obvious to me that scanning ice worlds or planet-orbiting-objects (not saying moon, there is after all, only one moon in this game) is wasted time.
I can also confirm that scanning asteroid fields is not getting you any money.

Someone on this forum once wrote that the only thing you are getting paid for is the most valuable planet you scan. Once you have done this, everything else is worthless.
First tries seemed to confirm this, but I was never sure.

Now a recent discussion here seems to confirm the contrary: People report getting up to 90k for scanning several ringed giants plus an earth like planet in the same system.

Can anybody confirm or deny this?
Is there some sort of price list available somewhere?
 

Kitiara

Kitiara
For certain, water worlds, terraformable planets, earth-like worlds, and worlds with metallic/metal rich rings attract premium payments.

Also for certain, 2 water worlds in a system pays more than one.

I've had up to 75k for a system containing 2 terraformable planets. I had a 90k, but didn't remember to look up what made it so high.
 

zxen

zxen
I've been to over 1700 systems and scanned most during a trip from Alioth to the Galactic core and back. Upon return I made about 5mill profit.

Most of the places I visited were ice systems, just had 2-5 stars, or did not have life-bearing planets or giants. Very few I encountered were habitable, teraformable, or had life. This makes predicting profit from a journey difficulty.

However, systems with life-bearing planets do seem to be the best to aim for when looking for profit. I was getting around 20-40k CR for those systems and around 200-2000 CR for basic systems or non-scanned locations.
 

mrinku

M
Post launch my best payout has been for a system with 6 terraformables and a few other high metal planets - 140,000 Cr.

Your best bet is to hit type F, G and K stars. Anything cooler isn't likely to have much of interest, and the big stars tend to take a long time to explore even their inner system.
 

FaolGlas

FaolGlas
I have a look at the system map once I have fired off the Advanced Discovery. The more interesting worlds tend to be coloured in and textured, for high metallic, etc. The plain white circles are almost inevitably ice and so not interesting. Gas giants, always worth it. So I scan those, ignore the rest, and move on. EDIT - of course, scan the interesting ones with a Detailed Surface.
 

Windsaw

W
I am already good enough in exploring for telling water-based and metal rich planets from worthless kinds.

And yes, I have a detailed surface scanner.

So I take it that scanning more than just the most valuable object still gets me more money.
Good, I will keep that in mind.
Right now I am on an extended journey and don't expect to return until four days or so. So I thought I'd better ask before I do much useless scanning.
 

TUXER

T
i have no problem with a planet being worth only 600cr to scan, even more so if there are about 5 next to each other and I only had to spend about 5 mins looking.

Not sure why people want the 'I win now' button on every game and confused when it doesnt exist
 

Nambo

Nambo
A question I was going to ask, when you have discovered a planet and sold the information, is that planet then forever discovered so nobody else in the game can discover it, or can everybody discover and sell the same planet?
 

TUXER

T
Nambo said:
A question I was going to ask, when you have discovered a planet and sold the information, is that planet then forever discovered so nobody else in the game can discover it, or can everybody discover and sell the same planet?
Click to expand...

it stays undiscovered to other players however the more players that find it the lower the payout.

what I dont know however is if at some point the planet changes it status for everyone
 

Brakespear

Brakespear
Wait so... you really don't get any money for belts?

Cos I just detected 18 of them, and I'd really rather not scan them...
 

Veldryn

Veldryn
Scanning the most expensive planet isn't sufficient.

I've been in a system, used the discovery scanner, then landed in a station. 9k credits. Then I started to actually scan the bodies. 15k. Then I finished scanning all remaining bodies (Mainly asteroid belts, and maybe a planet). 20k

Some elements are worth more than others, but they are all worth something.
 

fw190a8

fw190a8
I feel the scientific method would be useful here. ;)

Assertion: payout decreases when players have previously scanned a system.

Method: player A goes to system X and scans everything, then goes to system Y to sell data, noting price. Player B repeats process and compares price, ensuring scan includes same objects.

Result: player A is paid X CR more than player B / player A is paid the same as player B

Conclusion: payouts do / do not decrease based on players having previously searched systems.

:)
 

Scarmax

S
Windsaw said:
I've got a quick question on exploration!

It became painfully obvious to me that scanning ice worlds or planet-orbiting-objects (not saying moon, there is after all, only one moon in this game) is wasted time.
Click to expand...

Only one moon? Actually, astronomers still use "moon" or "moons" as a term to describe any orbiting natural satellites around planets and is not reserved just for the one that orbits Earth. If you refer to our Moon in a written discussion, it should be capitalized because it's a proper name, or referred to as "the Moon" so that readers know that you are talking about Earth's moon in particular. The word "moon" is Proto-Germanic in origin, deriving from a similar-sounding word that came into use a few thousand years ago in Northern Europe. Other moons have been given names, such as Jupiter's Io, Calisto, Europa, etc., but they are still referred to as moons. I'm fairly certain that the current community of astronomers would say that it's perfectly acceptable to refer to natural satellites in ED as "moons" as well. :cool:

Besides, it's easier to type "moons" than it is "planet-orbiting-objects"... although you could abbreviate to POO. "Wow, I count at least nine POOs orbiting this planet." :p
 
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