Guide / Tutorial Nutter’s explorers guide to the Galaxy

[Skyflyer]

when doing exploration do you normally quit in space and not even dock? I'm assuming there aren't docks that far out?

You just quit in space. It would take hours to get back to nearest dock if you are far out in the galaxy.

 

[Jane Turner]

Finally got one..... location is top secret though well not really - I just logged off before writing it down. c-1500, 100, -500 Col sector 132

Spoiler

I'll locate the details later if anyone is interested

 

[noodle]

Easiest way to see them is have the system selected as your next jump then go back into the galaxy map. Should show up every time. I have to say, though, it's not always a foolproof guide to whether the stars are real close or separated. Been a few times the map has shown them to be widely spaced and yet when I've jumped in it's been pretty hairy.

I swear I'm doing something wrong. I'm looking at the systems in the galaxy may, with the system selected as next jump target, zooming right in, rotating around... and seldom seeing any visual representation of multiple stars. I've seen a couple where the stars are quite widely spaced, but that's been rare. Most of the time, I can only see one star.

 

[Sprengo]

Hey there, first post, first setup for my first exploration journey with my first Asp.
What do you think?

[Asp]
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3A Power Plant
TM: 4D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 4D Life Support
PC: 1D Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32)


6: 6B Fuel Scoop
5: 5B Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
3: 3D Shield Generator
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner

 

[Egan]

I swear I'm doing something wrong. I'm looking at the systems in the galaxy may, with the system selected as next jump target, zooming right in, rotating around... and seldom seeing any visual representation of multiple stars. I've seen a couple where the stars are quite widely spaced, but that's been rare. Most of the time, I can only see one star.

Hmmm... I occasionally get it so that the central star is large enough to obscure the others if they're close enough...Are the companion stars just so far out that they look as if they could be mistaken for separate systems? Sometimes they are well below or above the central star. Other times they might all be so close in they just look like one big blob.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Hey there, first post, first setup for my first exploration journey with my first Asp.
What do you think?

[Asp]
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3A Power Plant
TM: 4D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 4D Life Support
PC: 1D Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32)


6: 6B Fuel Scoop
5: 5B Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
3: 3D Shield Generator
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner

Personally - ditch the cargo racks or just take one. Why all the heat sink launchers? Looks a bit over kill.

 

[Sprengo]

Personally - ditch the cargo racks or just take one. Why all the heat sink launchers? Looks a bit over kill.

Ok, i've traded another field maintenance unit for the cargo rack.
The number of heat sink launchers is just for safety.
Thanks for the help.

Also, another question:
how it works with exploration in wings? We both get credits from scanning, right?

 

[Matthias46]

how it works with exploration in wings? We both get credits from scanning, right?

I also need to understand...went with a friend in wing in a system! here i scanned the star plus a planet giving me the name and so on.
My friend still saw all as Unexplored but he could sell the data in the market!

Is this supposed to be right? Basically in wing he can receive all what i scan in terms of money, but if he would the "glory" to see the name must scan for himself all the planets?

 

[Darkcyde]

I also need to understand...went with a friend in wing in a system! here i scanned the star plus a planet giving me the name and so on.
My friend still saw all as Unexplored but he could sell the data in the market!

Is this supposed to be right? Basically in wing he can receive all what i scan in terms of money, but if he would the "glory" to see the name must scan for himself all the planets?

See my post here for the answer to this...
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=131374
.
The short version is this:-
- When one person 'pings' the system, all Wing members get the info as long as they are in the system too. It is up to individuals to detail scan each body.
- While in a Wing you both get 'Discovered By' on the system map when you both sell the data.
- Only the FIRST one to sell gets the 50% extra money.
.
WARNING: If you break the Wing for any reason (log off, crash, leave Wing) you will ALL lose the 50% extra cash. NO-ONE will get it. ALSO, then only the first one to sell the data will get the 'Discovered by' on the system map, even if you join up in the same Wing again afterwards. This has been confirmed as 'working as intended' by Frontier QA when I posted this as a bug here:- https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=131043
.
Exploring as a Wing is pointless unless you all sell the data during the same play session that you scanned it, no breaking Wing for any reason.
.
OP: It may be worth including this info in the first post.

 

[Matthias46]

Thank you Darkcyde! Very kind

Now i have the last question! When i come into a new system, i will scan asap the first star and then scan the system. Now i go to the left panel to see the distance of all the planets! When i click on one and select it i can see a preview of the planet on the HUD in black and white! I remembered that there was a guide to see what type of planet was in order to decide to detail scan it or just leave it and pass!

Can you help me and point me over that guide? I can't find it now

 

[Krunchie]

I swear I'm doing something wrong. I'm looking at the systems in the galaxy may, with the system selected as next jump target, zooming right in, rotating around... and seldom seeing any visual representation of multiple stars. I've seen a couple where the stars are quite widely spaced, but that's been rare. Most of the time, I can only see one star.

Target something else, the primary star for example. Then switch back to your destination, open the galaxy map and you should see the stars in the system and if they are close to each other.

You can't see anything if you simply plot the route then go to the first system in that route, you have to target something else, then switch back.

 

[Varrag]

Bear in mind that, at least to my experience, representation of distance among the stars in multiple systems is not too accurate on galactic map. Sometimes you'll see two stars extremely close to each other, while in reality they're separated by thousands of Ls. And vice-versa. Also, I didn't find that their position is accurate at all: this part looks static to me. For example, galactic map tells that the secondary star should be placed roughly behind you after jumping in, while in fact it can be anywhere around the primary.

But it does help to get general picture - I am still avoiding systems where I cannot tell apart all stars listed in the description. I just don't want to take unnecessary risks after spending more than a month out there in the void.

 

[Allitnil]

In systems with 2 separate secondary stars (or groups of them) you'll notice that the galaxy map always shows them almost but not quite opposite each other with the main star in-between so obviously it can't be a representation of where they are "now". Also, regarding using the galaxy map to see the direction you'll approach the main star is pointless anyway since you don't jump in a straight line between systems - if you've ever followed a route & found your next system directly behind you when you've arrived at the current system then that should be obvious.

To date I've found the risk of contact binaries too small to bother re-routing for. I take a look at the galaxy map to know what's coming but just jump in anyway. I'm not sure I would take that sort of risk in any ship other than a Cobra however.

 

[Razar]

So, when you jump to one of these systems, do you run the risk of actually jumping into the star itself? Or will you just be near it, and take heat damage? Also, if it is heat damage, can this be reduced by going full speed, and max power to engines as soon as you jump there?

 

[Darkcyde]

Can you help me and point me over that guide? I can't find it now

Sorry, I don't know, and I've not seen a guide.

 

[Varrag]

Yeah, risk to get stuck between close binaries seems to be very, very small... but it's there. It happened to me only once - from what I could gather, I jumped into the primary star right through its companion and "spawned" so close to it that I've got an auto-emergency drop and start overheating REALLY fast. What made it tricky was escape vector, which was pointing straight into the primary. I guess I could've reacted better but I was totally unprepared (I didn't have a habit to check destination on galactic map before making a jump), and panicked. I was running all over the place and finally escaped with 17% hull.

Although something similar happened to me few days ago - see the spoiler below. Black hole was the primary, and I again spawned roughly between the black hole and that G-type star - BH in front of my Asp, star behind. Fortunately, it was a cold, tiny black hole so I had more than enough space and time to maneuver out. If it was a neutron star or -God forbid- white dwarf instead of BH, I suppose that I'd be in trouble.

Spoiler

Note that on the galactic map black hole and its stellar companion looked quite far apart, definitely nowhere near this close.

 

[Leskit]

New poster here, finally read all 100 pages over a few days (I definitely don't remember most of it!). First off, great job to Nutter and all the folks who have helped him compile all this exploration data!

A few things I've noticed: that little annoying white dot that moves around the screen, i've seen it only in systems with Black Holes and/OR Neutron Stars. Had in in a NS system that didn't have a BH. Your name is only displayed as "first discovered by" if you do a surface scan of any type. I jumped into many a red dwarf system, sounded the horn, found 5+ ice planets and not taken the time to surface scan them. Result? no "first discovered by". Doesn't bug me, I was in my 2nd fast run for additional credits, ran out to HIP 28202 and back. I'll probably set up a hauler for exploring when I want to just chill and keep my cobra for my combat side of E

 

[Cula-Ta]

Earth-like with rings


System 3256 for my first Earth-like with rings.
On way back from Sag-A and less than 4k from civilized space.

 

[interfector]

when i came back from my exploration trip about month or two ago, i thought about making my own thread but as i'm too lazy for that (and maybe because my screenshots are not extremely interesting) i'll just post some nice screenshots in this thread. i will not post them all at once, but probably over next few days, if you guys are interested.
here is huge icy planet with huge rings:

Spoiler

and nice blue star trinary:

Spoiler

 

[Cula-Ta]

Those shots are great, belts look great close up

 

[Archvillain]

In my cockpit, alone in deep space, Nutter's Guide is the kind of wisdom and reference I need close at hand, so I "obtained" a cheap and well-worn but serviceable copy of this esteemed publication, printed by a small no-frills press out on the frontier. (Ignore the coffee-stain, it's... uh... cover-art of a moon!)

It comes complete with the Objects Guide as an insert glued into the back cover that folds out, and video tutorials displayed on tablet via QR codes:

I've uploaded the PDF so you can quickly and easily print yourself a cockpit-ready booklet of the Explorer's Guide too, I've put it in the Community Creations area, here.