Scanning and Exploration

[John Matthew]

Right now discovery scanning shows you the composition of the planets. I think this takes away from a major facet of exploration.

You should only get a readout on the size and location when using a scanner(not including a surface scanner of course). Then finding an earth like and other high value planets would be a true accomplishment. With this mechanic in place, you could also significantly raise the value of exploration, an earthlike could be worth millions possibly with it being so hard to find.

Way to easy to just pop an advanced scanner and then leave the system because its full of garbage. It makes for boring gameplay, and does not test the limits of a true explorer.

That is all.

 

[AnnuverScotinExile]

We know. So do FD, since there have been complaints before. Exploration was a quick and dirty placeholder, and bears little resemblance to the plans in the DDA. If they do not hurry up, those plans may be unachievable.

 

[John Matthew]

We know. So do FD, since there have been complaints before. Exploration was a quick and dirty placeholder, and bears little resemblance to the plans in the DDA. If they do not hurry up, those plans may be unachievable.

Ok, cool. The sooner they reduce the scanner utility the better.

I think with 400 Billion stars they have time to change it. I just hope they do it soon.

All I have is a basic discovery scanner. I still think it is lame that all these rare planets are already discovered, would be much less with a reduced discovery scanning ability.

Making a massive payout on an an ultra rare planet would be so bad ass then too, and only the hardcore explorers would get em.

You can leave the payout average the same for people who just jump systems, farming, with little compared effort.

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

We know. So do FD, since there have been complaints before. Exploration was a quick and dirty placeholder, and bears little resemblance to the plans in the DDA. If they do not hurry up, those plans may be unachievable.

I think its too late. Imagine the uproar if exploration becomes a bit more involved and skill-based. People have gotten used to pressing the buzzer.

I wish FD had gone with the original plan of no pre-defined hyperspace routes beyond the frontier, and allowed players to discover/create them instead. That alone could have added so much more satisfaction to the whole exploration aspect, throw in specialized scanners; ones that detect organic compounds in atmospheres (i.e. revealing Earths and Water Worlds), a science-based scanner specialized in revealing neutron stars and black holes, and a prospectors scanner - ideal for detecting resource rich metal worlds and mineral rich ring systems, and we have a diversity and choice on just what kind of explorer we want to be. All that kind of thing should have been in gamma. Instead we got an all-powerful buzzer and zero choice. Imagine if combat pilots only had 2 types of guns to choose from... basic pew pew or mega pew pew.

I can't believe the profession that the vast amount of players where excited about the most, got the least love in the end.

 

[John Matthew]

I can't believe the profession that the vast amount of players where excited about the most, got the least love in the end.

I first realized how fun exploration was when I went searching for a secondary brown dwarf(+20kls away)...especially with a basic discovery scanner and my Adder with limited view. I felt like Ethan Hawke in that movie "Explorers"...haha was great.

do youll remember it http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089114/

 

[mossfoot]

I can't believe the profession that the vast amount of players where excited about the most, got the least love in the end.

I hear you. I like what we have, but it could have been so much more. I do think they can make up for it in other ways, though.

 

[CmdrDaymian]

I definitely agree on the discovery scanner only showing that there IS a planet (or moon, or whatever) but NOT showing you a picture of exactly what it is. It would be so much more awesome if it just showed you several undecipherable blobs and you had to fly to them and scan/look at them to see what type they were.

 

[John Matthew]

I definitely agree on the discovery scanner only showing that there IS a planet (or moon, or whatever) but NOT showing you a picture of exactly what it is. It would be so much more awesome if it just showed you several undecipherable blobs and you had to fly to them and scan/look at them to see what type they were.

Exactly.

 

[acg515]

It would be nice if exploration was a little more involved than sounding the Star horn. I also think asteroid fields ought to be worth a little cash too for what it's worth so idk. That being said, I have had fun zipping around the galaxy in my Cobra and exploring.

 

[John Matthew]

It would be nice if exploration was a little more involved than sounding the Star horn. I also think asteroid fields ought to be worth a little cash too for what it's worth so idk. That being said, I have had fun zipping around the galaxy in my Cobra and exploring.

Agree, asteroid fields should be worth the value related to the composition/volume per metric ton.

 

[Lord_Itchybum]

But..but..but that means all those people who have discovered 100's of EL would probably only have found a very small handful. Oh the gnashing of teeth and tears of despair as they struggle to find anything of interest on their 65,000LY journey across the cosmos.

 

[John Matthew]

But..but..but that means all those people who have discovered 100's of EL would probably only have found a very small handful. Oh the gnashing of teeth and tears of despair as they struggle to find anything of interest on their 65,000LY journey across the cosmos.

They should be lucky they are enshrined as they are, I think all planets and stars discovered before the change should have an * next to them

Talk about some gnashing teeth ha.

 

[mossfoot]

While I'd personally not mind a tech knock-back in terms of what a discovery scanner shows (okay, fine, Advanced is infinite but it only shows you what kind of planet it is for the first 1000ls, for example) the fact is it's hard to go backwards like that after release. Hard, but not impossible.

But a more likely (and easier) solution would be to let there be more things to see and do out there. Gysers spurting from ice planets, lightning storms on Earth like worlds or gas giants, accretion disks around black holes... you get the idea.

 

[Lodorenos]

Maybe instead of making existing technologies less effective (you'll appreciate the current ADS when you scan thousands of systems and get tired of the parralax and "ooh another ice ball!" fledgling exploration thrills) they could improve and expand what we can do. New scanners, x-ray modules, visible exploration log, etc, etc.

 

[John Matthew]

okay, fine, Advanced is infinitely but it only shows you what kind of planet it is for the first 1000ls, for example)

I did not know this, thought it was infinite, still, with a change an icy planet could be worth a lot more just for the fact that you went to explore it without knowing what it was.

Maybe instead of making existing technologies less effective (you'll appreciate the current ADS when you scan thousands of systems and get tired of the parralax and "ooh another ice ball!" fledgling exploration thrills) they could improve and expand what we can do. New scanners, x-ray modules, visible exploration log, etc, etc.

This is a great idea. Do not take away from what is, but add to it.

That way an icy planet detected with the discovery scanner costs the same, but an icy planet with microbial life(or similar things) detected with the Biological surface scanner(among alot of other scanners...radioactive, isotopic..etc...) is worth a ton more! This solves the problem of prediscovered planets unless they were surface scanned...genius!

This could tie into wether I go ice fishing on any certain planet when they introduce big game hunting...heh, I am dreaming.

Nice thought man!

 

[mossfoot]

I did not know this, thought it was infinite, still, with a change an icy planet could be worth a lot more just for the fact that you went to explore it without knowing what it was.

It is infinite - I was making an example of how to pull the tech back to encourage more actual exploring and not just cherry picking the sweet spots instantly.

Actually the way I suggested wouldn't be bad - it would show where everything is in a system, but would still require you to get within 1000ls of it to see what it was like before scanning. Would have been a nice compromise for those who do and those who don't want the ADS as it currently is.

- - - Updated - - -

Maybe instead of making existing technologies less effective (you'll appreciate the current ADS when you scan thousands of systems and get tired of the parralax and "ooh another ice ball!" fledgling exploration thrills) they could improve and expand what we can do. New scanners, x-ray modules, visible exploration log, etc, etc.

That's a good idea too. As I said, it'll be hard to take tech away, but adding to it? With the right tools it'll help make things interesting and encourage more scanning of planets we'd normally abandon.

 

[Surly_Badger]

Way to easy to just pop an advanced scanner and then leave the system because its full of garbage. It makes for boring gameplay, and does not test the limits of a true explorer..

Oh, look, a "people who don't play the game the way I do are doing it wrong" thread. Never seen one of those on these forums before.

 

[John Matthew]

That's a good idea too. As I said, it'll be hard to take tech away, but adding to it? With the right tools it'll help make things interesting and encourage more scanning of planets we'd normally abandon.

I agree, it is obvious, add to the depth of the game instead of taking away from anything already in place, I see the error of my original idea of reducing the scanner utility, instead add to what is out their to be scanned.

Seems so obvious to me now.

 

[Erimus Kamzel]

Maybe instead of making existing technologies less effective (you'll appreciate the current ADS when you scan thousands of systems and get tired of the parralax and "ooh another ice ball!" fledgling exploration thrills) they could improve and expand what we can do. New scanners, x-ray modules, visible exploration log, etc, etc.

I think that's a good way forward on this. If they introduce specialist scanners and add more content into systems it could open up exploration to distinct specializations. Maybe eventually adding new types of ships into the mix that are better suited for each role. I'd love to see a dedicated science vessel in the game that's sole purpose is to gather data on the deeper mysteries of the galaxy.. charting space anomalies and collating deeper data on black holes, pulsars, nebula etc. Mission-based exploration would be another interesting addition, where players are tasked to go collate data on a place of interest or a newly discovered anomaly.

There's still plenty of room for expansion since what we currently have has got to be a bare bones feature. I don't think for one moment D. Braben is 100% satisfied with how it currently works and will want a much more involved kind of gameplay. His early dev diary videos were full of vision and enthusiasm for it, so there is hope (maybe update 1.4 will be about exploration)

 

[Hellhawk666]

...If they introduce specialist scanners and add more content into systems it could open up exploration to distinct specializations.

...

Mission-based exploration would be another interesting addition, where players are tasked to go collate data on a place of interest or a newly discovered anomaly.

There's still plenty of room for expansion since what we currently have has got to be a bare bones feature.

Yes, all of that. It's a pity that exploration had to be rushed out as a simple system the way it was, but I'm hoping that they will return to it later. Changing the existing mechanisms would be a bit awkward now, but adding new modules to perform detailed specialist scans would work well in conjunction with more survey levels.

If the existing level 1-3 scans were supplemented by several more levels (detailed orbital ; atmospheric ; ecosphere/biosphere ; detailed geological ; etc) requiring new modules then we immediately have de facto science vessels, created by sacrificing cargo racks etc for scanning equipment or scanning drones.

Potentially, in addition to the simple "discovered by" tags we see now, an object could be tagged in other ways. It would allow general exploration at the most basic level to still be available to most pilots, whilst requiring dedicated explorers/surveyors to outfit specifically for that role. In closer areas of exploration it would also provide role for NPC or player combat wingmen to protect the exploration vessel.


I don't know whether we would see anything like this soon, but it's an idea that dovetails neatly with what already exists without requiring a change to current mechanics. Maybe by the time the major expansions roll out something along these lines might happen as well.