Fellow Explorers. Asp kit. Your thoughts appreciated.

Grawbad

G
Hello CMDR's.

As I have stated on the forums in the past, I am planning a trip, hopefully a long one, into the black.
When I started playing I had every intention of exploring. I decided early on that I was going to be a trader and save up for the Asp and then head out on that dream trip, traversing the Milky Way.
I realize there are cheaper ships to do so and I could be long gone by now, but my heart is set on the Asp and I have been saving for it from the very beginning. (Which hasn't been to long. :))

Recently, as my credits are rising and my journey seems much more imminent, I have started to research my trip much more, hammering out the details and choosing certain sights I would like to see.
Among this, from early on, I have had an Asp kit in mind that I set up on the ED Shipyard, ever banking the credits toward this goal. It occurs to me that I should run this by other CMDR's more experienced in the traversal of the wide expanse that surrounds us.

With that in mind here is a link to the set up I have whittled down to (Which I will list below as well): http://goo.gl/lmyitT

I have set it up for maximum jump range so far as I can tell. Which nets me a 33.35 jump range on a full tank.
I have lowered the shield down by 2 classes to get the most jump range without going full commando.
When choosing my Auto Field-Maintenance Units I have gone with 2, and admittedly this is due to reading what other CMDR's have kitted their fine ships with.
This is where much of the questioning myself has come into play recently.
Do I need 2?
Do I need the massive 15 million credit 6A model?
Do you have any other thoughts? Do I have some massive blunder I am not seeing due to inexperience?

Please take into account I don't intend to come back for a long, long time. Honestly, coming back is the last thing I want to do, though my journey will of course need an end.
Also consider, I don't mind this build up to the eventual trip. This is part of the process I am thoroughly enjoying. So taking a lower cost anything to save time really isn't something that interests me.
I want my ship decked out properly for the journey, despite cost and time. That said, I don't want to overpay for misguided reasoning's. So with that, I turn this over to my fellow CMDR's and your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks in advance.

The kit as it stands:

Utility Mount x4 -- Empty
Small Hardpoint x4 -- Empty
Medium Hardpoint x2 -- Empty
Bulkheads 8 -- 1l Lightweight Alloy (Default)
Reactor Bay 5 -- 5D Power Plant
Thruster Mounting 5 -- 5D Thrusters
Frame Shift Drive Housing 5 -- 5A Frame Shift Drive
Environment Control -- 4D Life Support
Power Coupling 4 -- 4D Power Distributor
Sensor Suite 5 -- 5D Sensors
Fuel Store 5 -- 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32) (Default)
Internal Compartment: 6 -- 6A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
Internal Compartment: 5 -- 3D Shield Generator
Internal Compartment: 3 -- 3A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
Internal Compartment: 3 -- (Empty)
Internal Compartment: 3 -- 3A Fuel Scoop
Internal Compartment: 2 -- 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
Internal Compartment: 2 -- 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner
 

puca

P
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=60g,0Wg,2-3I6u7_6u2C8S8I,52M0OE0Ky0nE7Q42jw2UI

^ What I would run on a budget. Upgrade scoop to B as finances allow. Maybe upgrade AFMUs too, although most people don't use all that repair capacity, even on long trips. You want the 2A plant -- less weight, less heat. You want the biggest scoop you can fit. Downgrade thrusters to 4D. Downgrade distributor to 1D -- you don't need to boost, and shields will tank hits if you submit to interdiction long enough to jump out.

Run at least one heat sink launcher for emergencies.

---

I took that build to Sag A* and back successfully.
 
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Zeeman

Zeeman
Geez.. I hope you like fuel scooping - 3a?

Right - go buy a 5A fuel scoop at least, 6B or 6A even better.

I'm 35kLy from Sol, and no heat sink or AFU - though I'd bring a heat sink on my next trip, just in case.

Just ditch the shield altogether - you really don't need it. Perhaps sell it at the last station at the furthest system before you hit uncivilised space if you are really worried - there is just no one out there. The 500Ly NPC zone is gone.

Otherwise, the rest looks ok to me.

If you throttle back to zero on every countdown, and you learn how to read the star maps to avoid jumping into a companion star, you'll be fine.

I'm at 89% hull at the moment, and of the 11% lost, 8% of that was me screwing around with black holes and neutrons, and the remaining 3% was because I went to grab some munchies from the fridge, and left the ship in full power supercruise, and had somehow aligned my ship perfectly with my target planet from ~2000Ls away.


Z...
 
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puca

P
Zeeman said:
Just ditch the shield altogether - you really don't need it.
Click to expand...

This is bad advice. The shield is dead weight out in the black. But the reason you fit it is for the trip back. When you are carrying 200 million credits worth of data, you don't want to get perforated by a python NPC 3 light seconds from the docking station. I got interdicted on my way back from Sag A* even with the reduced NPC interdiction rules, and my 3D shield saved me from losing my ship and weeks of work. In populated systems usual safety rules apply.

The only reason not to take the shield is if you can guarantee an escort on the way back, too risky otherwise.
 
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willowfan

willowfan
My Asp's 6 slot is where the fuel scoop is - 6B iirc - it's a monster and fills a tank in literally seconds. Almost no chance of problems from heat build up when scooping, not there long enough.

I concur with having no shield being a really bad idea - one interdiction gone awry or a slip up going through the letterbox when you are out of practice at landing and it's by-by ship and possibly several months worth of astronomical data.
 
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Zeeman

Zeeman
puca said:
This is bad advice. The shield is dead weight out in the black. But the reason you fit it is for the trip back. When you are carrying 200 million credits worth of data, you don't want to get perforated by a python NPC 3 light seconds from the docking station. I got interdicted on my way back from Sag A* even with the reduced NPC interdiction rules, and my 3D shield saved me from losing my ship and weeks of work. In populated systems usual safety rules apply.

The only reason not to take the shield is if you can guarantee an escort on the way back, too risky otherwise.
Click to expand...

That's why I pack A thrusters, and A distributer - though, really, it's easy to avoid an interdiction if you are paying attention to your scanner. As soon as a ship starts getting on your tail, drop out of SC, then back into sc again.

Z...
 

Thalios Abraxas

Thalios Abraxas
Having 2 AFM's is good (you can repair one with the other), but you don't need the class 6 one, i'd put a 6A Fuel scoop there if I were you(or a 6B if you're tight on credits). You're going to spend a lot of time fuel scooping on a long trip, with a 6A, you can stay quite far away from the sun and still scoop like a champion, thus avoiding lots of heat management issues.

Here's how i'd kit it out:

0I Heat Sink Launcher
0I Heat Sink Launcher
BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 4D Power Plant
TM: 4D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 4D Life Support
PC: 2D Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32)
6: 6A Fuel Scoop
5: 5A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
3: 3D Shield Generator
3: 3A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner
2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner

To make this work you'll have to disable the cargo scoop, a heat sink and the smaller AFM unit, but it does work well ^.^

And it will give a 34.13LY jump range, which you'll just come to love when you'll get impatient to get back home ;)
 
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Deleted member 38366

D
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Marshall...

Marshall...
I'm about 8,000ly out and due to not paying attention have 90% hull. The AMFUs are good as if one gets completely knackered the other can repair it. Get a better fuel scoop though as the lost seconds scooping can really add up. Keep your shields, just in case (I was interdicted on my way back from my last journey). Take another heatsink, just on case. I'm also fully armed, though that's just me roleplaying my ship:).
 

puca

P
Zeeman said:
That's why I pack A thrusters, and A distributer - though, really, it's easy to avoid an interdiction if you are paying attention to your scanner.
Click to expand...

Ok, 4A thrusters are weight 10 T, any A distributor that will let you boost is much heavier than the 1D distributor. A 3D shield weighs 2 T. So you are advocating dropping 2 T of weight in exchange for carrying extra 6 T for going from 4D to 4A thrusters, and maybe 4.5 T for going from 1D to 3A distributor, say. Why do you need A class thrusters and distributor in deep space? It's dead weight there.

The idea is you carry the lightest load that lets you avoid getting hurt by interdictions. If you can always avoid them in civilized space and run shieldless, kudos to you, though. If I could always do that I would drop the shield from my build and keep the rest.
 
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Zeeman

Zeeman
puca said:
Ok, 4A thrusters are weight 10 T, any A distributor that will let you boost is much heavier than the 1D distributor. A 3D shield weighs 2 T. So you are advocating dropping 2 T of weight in exchange for carrying extra 6 T for going from 4D to 4A thrusters, and maybe 4.5 T for going from 1D to 3A distributor, say. Why do you need A class thrusters and distributor in deep space? It's dead weight there.

The idea is you carry the lightest load that lets you avoid getting hurt by interdictions. If you can always avoid them in civilized space and run shieldless, kudos to you, though. If I could always do that I would drop the shield from my build and keep the rest.
Click to expand...

No - actually, I was waiting to be caught out - because my current build was designed to go 500Ly out, and I just kept going.

I do have a 3D shield as well, but honestly, when I do it again, I'll ditch it, along with the A thrusters and distributer. My current "home" system (if there is such a thing for me) is Pand, which is pretty much the first system I will come to on my way back. Though even if I were going to Sol, I'd dock there, equip a shield and better thrusters for the rest of the trip in civilised space. Paying attention for 5 minutes in the last system is a small price to pay for extra jump range for tens of thousands of light years of exploration.

Z...
 
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Crank Larson

Crank Larson
Take a laser or two. I'm coming in to refit and add lasers. No, this isn't for defence - it's to satisfy the need to shoot things. For the very slight drop you'll have in your jump range, I think it's a worthwhile compromise. There's something very disconcerting with having a trigger that doesn't trigger anything...

Yes, I've been out here a long time. Though not as long as some. I've found that the voices stop again after a while, but I'm sure they're all just hiding in the asteroids, so I need to dismantle a couple to confirm...
 

Zeeman

Zeeman
purplepomegranite said:
Take a laser or two. I'm coming in to refit and add lasers. No, this isn't for defence - it's to satisfy the need to shoot things. For the very slight drop you'll have in your jump range, I think it's a worthwhile compromise. There's something very disconcerting with having a trigger that doesn't trigger anything...

Yes, I've been out here a long time. Though not as long as some. I've found that the voices stop again after a while, but I'm sure they're all just hiding in the asteroids, so I need to dismantle a couple to confirm...
Click to expand...

This is why I am aching for Beta 1.3. I need to shoot something. Beta will get here well before I can get back to civilisation...

Z...
 

willowfan

willowfan
purplepomegranite said:
Take a laser or two. I'm coming in to refit and add lasers. No, this isn't for defence - it's to satisfy the need to shoot things. For the very slight drop you'll have in your jump range, I think it's a worthwhile compromise. There's something very disconcerting with having a trigger that doesn't trigger anything...

Yes, I've been out here a long time. Though not as long as some. I've found that the voices stop again after a while, but I'm sure they're all just hiding in the asteroids, so I need to dismantle a couple to confirm...
Click to expand...
That movement in the periphery of your vision - THARGOIDS!!!
 

puca

P
Zeeman said:
No - actually, I was waiting to be caught out - because my current build was designed to go 500Ly out, and I just kept going.

I do have a 3D shield as well, but honestly, when I do it again, I'll ditch it, along with the A thrusters and distributer.
Click to expand...

Ok, that makes sense. But since this is a thread where the OP asked for a long range exploration build, and your own build is by your own admission not that, you probably shouldn't bring it up. So what you should have told the OP is: "do not carry shields if you can reliably avoid getting interdicted, otherwise carry a 3D shield, and lightest everything else."

Unless you think there is a lighter way than a 3D shield to avoid getting hurt by interdictions for people who don't always know how to avoid them entirely.
 
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Astronut57

Astronut57
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=60g,mpT0Wg0Wg,2-7_8S7_6u6u8S8I,52C7TC0KU0KU0KU2jw2UI

I stayed with the 5A power plant from my previous combat/trading setup because it runs much cooler and it's not much heavier than a 5D anyway - 0.17ly jump range difference if I remember correctly.
As a result I haven't needed to use heat sinks once so I could have ditched these too. They don't work in supercruise anyway (bug or intended? - not sure) which is the one time you may need them if jumping in to a system between 2 close orbiting stars (which hasn't happened to me yet).
Always remember to zero throttle before dropping from hyperspace into another system.


I'll go along with most others and say get the biggest fuel scoop you can get. I went for a 6B. A 6D fuel scoop is more than adequate but I had the credits so why not? Getting a 6B instead of a 6D doesn't add much more to the re-buy cost of your ship. However a 6A fuel scoop is ridiculously expensive, not much better than a 6B and doubles the rebuy cost.
I explored with all beam lasers on my first trip out but have since realised that weapons are just dead-weight out here.
If you don't have weapons then the temptation to fight back is gone and your only choice is to run - best thing to do in an interdiction situation with lots of exploration data to sell.
If you get interdicted on the way back - just submit, boost and jump back into SC or another system if you're mass locked. Shields will take any hits while you do this.
I'd consider decent shields a good investment. Imagine the situation - you get back to your home base station and a T9 (or worse, a ramming CMDR) is coming out of the slot as you're going in. Without shields it could be grim.
 
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