As someone who has complained quite a bit on these forums over the lackluster capabilities of the DB Explorer, I was a bit shocked myself to discover that under ideal circumstances & using the same size fuel tank, they are virtually the same ship for a skilled explorer. This is surprising because the Asp scoops fuel 3 times faster than a DBX!!! However, both ships can start the FSD the moment the cooldown timer expires and recover most (if not ALL) of the fuel used on the prior jump before the FSD charges fully.
Example Video. Take note of the Fuel at the beginning of the fuel scooping and the beginning of the next jump - it ends up in the same place! Proving that the DB can scoop all of it fuel use each jump without slowing down [This video uses a DBS to demonstrate, which is essentially the same thing as an Explorer but the movements can be more exaggerated to show how it can be done]
[video=youtube_share;8HXDfAn47hI]https://youtu.be/8HXDfAn47hI[/video]
It's a bit tricky to pull this off in a DBX, but it can be done with practice. The precise technique varies from star to star depending on the next jump target trajectory and how hot the Corona is (bluer is hotter). But the basic idea is to keep throttle on FULL from the moment you exit Witch Space (holding down the D-Scan while scooping), dive deeply but at a slightly off center from the star and then pull up when you hit 342/s, and hug the surface of the collision zone (while lining up for the target star) until you are at between 70 and 77% heat (depending on the Corona Temp/Star Class). Then rotate and pull up, making a perpendicular beeline away from the stars center in order to exit the corona as quickly as possible. You do this by watching the radar screen to make sure the Red Star on the mini-map doesn't have a line being drawn down/up to your sensor plane, and is as directly behind you as possible. Then once you exit the corona (noted by the wub-wub -> sucking sound) realign your ship to the target star and jump.
[The downside is that it doesn't leave with much time to check the system map to see if you want to pull over and whip out your DSS, and very often you are forced to jump away from potentially juicy systems because you spent so much time wrestling with the corona, and managing your heat.]
The 2nd trick to this method is plotting your trip so that you always end up on a Scoopable star. I pick yellows just in case of ELWs. The reason for this is because you will be running slight fuel deficits at each star recovering about 90% of the fuel used in the last jump. Since it takes about 31 jumps to travel 1000LY in a DBX, that means that at the end of the plotted trip you will have a cumulative fuel deficit of roughly 15T + the last jump, or about 2/5 of a tank remaining. It takes about 45 seconds to plot a safe new course (LONGER in the core) and that is just 10 seconds shorter than the time it takes to top off the DBX's fuel tank.
Testing conditions:
Over about 4000 LY of travel tests on the DBX, and about 22LY of travel tests on the Asp. These test were all conducted along the vertical ZERO plane between Sol and Sag A* at various altitudes above and below the zone of unscoopable dwarfs.
Average scoop time for a DBE over 1000LY = ~45.5s
Average scoop time for an Asp over 1000LY = ~44.7s
Jumps per 1000LY:
Asp: 31
DBX: 31-32 (it was only 32 in the 1000LY gap between the spiral arms)
Builds:
DBX: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70i,,2-3I6u7_5K2C5K8I,4_w0MW0Ky2jw2UI
Asp: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70g,,2-3I6u7_6u2C8S8I,0PA0O40Ky0Ky0Ky2jw2UI
The slight difference in the average jump time is because the DBE is a little slower to recover from unscoopable stars. Over a 26,000LY trip to Sag A*, this amounts to a travel time difference of only 11 minutes, plus another extra 4 minutes for the 25 scheduled replots while refueling. Not much for an ~10.5 hour trip (about 15 minutes extra on the DBX).
**For those of you who have looked at the race results of the Buckyball Run A* and noticed that the fastest DBX time of 14 Hours and the fastest Asp time of 9.5 Hours. Well, the DBX in question was clearly not optimally outfitted for speed. And the Asp in question was a base bones model with a 16T fuel tank and a 36.5LY jump range which shaves about a hour off the best possible "safe" DBX time. You could also slot a 16T tank on a DBX for an "unsafe" trip, but I wouldn't recommend it. Your refueling speed would be more greatly impacted by unscoopables and by hotter yellow stars too dramatically causing spikes of excess fuel depletion, prolonged scooping, and delayed FSD charges. So the DBX really needs that 32T tank cushion, whereas the Asp can get by just fine on a 16T tank.
Heat Management:
The DBX runs at about 15% heat. The Asp build runs at 17%. Neither of these builds requires heatsinks. Heat management is then all about fuel scooping, and not accidental collisions. While speed scooping, both ships will run above 80%. The Asp will usually top out at 86%, and the DBX will regularly go above 90% and occasionally 100%.
The DB Scout:
The same jump method works on Scout model. Though the jump range is only around 27LY. It is far more maneuverable though, so you can push it to higher heat % and safely exit the corona without worrying about breaking 100%. Even if you do break 100% the Scout doesn't always take full damage, and when it does, the damage is usually very light.
Why I came clean with this INFO:
I debated on whether I should keep these results secret until I put up a shockingly fast time Top Ten time for a Sag A* run, but I may not have the time to do a full consecutive run before the Race officially ends in a few days, and I wanted some other intrepid pilot to have a shot!
Caveats:
The DBX is still a clown car of a combat ship for anything except the easiest NPCs in the weakest ships. In it's fastest configurable exploration build, it is a sitting duck for both NPC pirates and CMDRs alike. You would need to find a safe port and hone your escape skills, just to fly this thing with any confidence of getting your ship to dock, even when playing single player. If you slot defensive hardware on your ship, you will kill it's jump range, increase the heat buildup, and still be pretty easily killed or heavily damaged.
Well now that you are armed with this info, Good luck, and enjoy your DBXs! Now with moar speed!!
Example Video. Take note of the Fuel at the beginning of the fuel scooping and the beginning of the next jump - it ends up in the same place! Proving that the DB can scoop all of it fuel use each jump without slowing down [This video uses a DBS to demonstrate, which is essentially the same thing as an Explorer but the movements can be more exaggerated to show how it can be done]
[video=youtube_share;8HXDfAn47hI]https://youtu.be/8HXDfAn47hI[/video]
It's a bit tricky to pull this off in a DBX, but it can be done with practice. The precise technique varies from star to star depending on the next jump target trajectory and how hot the Corona is (bluer is hotter). But the basic idea is to keep throttle on FULL from the moment you exit Witch Space (holding down the D-Scan while scooping), dive deeply but at a slightly off center from the star and then pull up when you hit 342/s, and hug the surface of the collision zone (while lining up for the target star) until you are at between 70 and 77% heat (depending on the Corona Temp/Star Class). Then rotate and pull up, making a perpendicular beeline away from the stars center in order to exit the corona as quickly as possible. You do this by watching the radar screen to make sure the Red Star on the mini-map doesn't have a line being drawn down/up to your sensor plane, and is as directly behind you as possible. Then once you exit the corona (noted by the wub-wub -> sucking sound) realign your ship to the target star and jump.
[The downside is that it doesn't leave with much time to check the system map to see if you want to pull over and whip out your DSS, and very often you are forced to jump away from potentially juicy systems because you spent so much time wrestling with the corona, and managing your heat.]
The 2nd trick to this method is plotting your trip so that you always end up on a Scoopable star. I pick yellows just in case of ELWs. The reason for this is because you will be running slight fuel deficits at each star recovering about 90% of the fuel used in the last jump. Since it takes about 31 jumps to travel 1000LY in a DBX, that means that at the end of the plotted trip you will have a cumulative fuel deficit of roughly 15T + the last jump, or about 2/5 of a tank remaining. It takes about 45 seconds to plot a safe new course (LONGER in the core) and that is just 10 seconds shorter than the time it takes to top off the DBX's fuel tank.
Testing conditions:
Over about 4000 LY of travel tests on the DBX, and about 22LY of travel tests on the Asp. These test were all conducted along the vertical ZERO plane between Sol and Sag A* at various altitudes above and below the zone of unscoopable dwarfs.
Average scoop time for a DBE over 1000LY = ~45.5s
Average scoop time for an Asp over 1000LY = ~44.7s
Jumps per 1000LY:
Asp: 31
DBX: 31-32 (it was only 32 in the 1000LY gap between the spiral arms)
Builds:
DBX: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70i,,2-3I6u7_5K2C5K8I,4_w0MW0Ky2jw2UI
Asp: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70g,,2-3I6u7_6u2C8S8I,0PA0O40Ky0Ky0Ky2jw2UI
The slight difference in the average jump time is because the DBE is a little slower to recover from unscoopable stars. Over a 26,000LY trip to Sag A*, this amounts to a travel time difference of only 11 minutes, plus another extra 4 minutes for the 25 scheduled replots while refueling. Not much for an ~10.5 hour trip (about 15 minutes extra on the DBX).
**For those of you who have looked at the race results of the Buckyball Run A* and noticed that the fastest DBX time of 14 Hours and the fastest Asp time of 9.5 Hours. Well, the DBX in question was clearly not optimally outfitted for speed. And the Asp in question was a base bones model with a 16T fuel tank and a 36.5LY jump range which shaves about a hour off the best possible "safe" DBX time. You could also slot a 16T tank on a DBX for an "unsafe" trip, but I wouldn't recommend it. Your refueling speed would be more greatly impacted by unscoopables and by hotter yellow stars too dramatically causing spikes of excess fuel depletion, prolonged scooping, and delayed FSD charges. So the DBX really needs that 32T tank cushion, whereas the Asp can get by just fine on a 16T tank.
Heat Management:
The DBX runs at about 15% heat. The Asp build runs at 17%. Neither of these builds requires heatsinks. Heat management is then all about fuel scooping, and not accidental collisions. While speed scooping, both ships will run above 80%. The Asp will usually top out at 86%, and the DBX will regularly go above 90% and occasionally 100%.
The DB Scout:
The same jump method works on Scout model. Though the jump range is only around 27LY. It is far more maneuverable though, so you can push it to higher heat % and safely exit the corona without worrying about breaking 100%. Even if you do break 100% the Scout doesn't always take full damage, and when it does, the damage is usually very light.
Why I came clean with this INFO:
I debated on whether I should keep these results secret until I put up a shockingly fast time Top Ten time for a Sag A* run, but I may not have the time to do a full consecutive run before the Race officially ends in a few days, and I wanted some other intrepid pilot to have a shot!
Caveats:
The DBX is still a clown car of a combat ship for anything except the easiest NPCs in the weakest ships. In it's fastest configurable exploration build, it is a sitting duck for both NPC pirates and CMDRs alike. You would need to find a safe port and hone your escape skills, just to fly this thing with any confidence of getting your ship to dock, even when playing single player. If you slot defensive hardware on your ship, you will kill it's jump range, increase the heat buildup, and still be pretty easily killed or heavily damaged.
Well now that you are armed with this info, Good luck, and enjoy your DBXs! Now with moar speed!!
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