Explorer's Quandary, seeking advice

Jakester13

Jakester13
I finally jumped into a shiny new Asp at Jameson (Range 30Lys). I'm now 5KLys from the bubble, having cruised through the Lagoon sector on the way.

But I am naturally impatient :rolleyes:

I look towards Sag A* and see a 20KLy trip, but my play style is a couple of hours every couple of days, and I seem to make pretty slow progress.

I left JM about 10 days ago, which suggests it could take me a month to reach the core. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

I jump, honk, check the system, scan anything within range, then scan anything that looks like ELW and WW, and nearby gas giants. Then I continue my journey.

Fastest, not economical, so I'm jumping 27Ly/jump, and scooping is about every 6-8 jumps.

My "dilemma" is that I really want to find one or more black holes and neutron stars. I guess they're basically near Sag A*?

So do I grit my teeth and keep heading towards the core?

Or do I begin the return journey, cash in my chips and see if I made Elite explorer rank yet?

I'd really appreciate any sage advice from those experienced in core exploration!

o7
 

GrillMonkey

G
I have similar play time. Maybe an hour a day. Took me 2 months to get to Sag A* and back. I blasted a few thousand lys by just jump - honk - jump but the rest I'd honk - scan - enjoy the sights - jump.

There is a thread on here about the neutron fields and in it someone has found some smaller fields about 5-10k from the bubble, so if that is what you're after then there are some closer.

If Sag A is your goal then keep going. If you don't bother scanning too much then you can get there fairly quickly but you'll miss out on a lot of sights and "first discovery".


Edit---
found the post

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=138197&page=3&p=2447395&viewfull=1#post2447395
 
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Ziljan

Ziljan
1) jump
2) start honking and scooping at the same time
3) hit the jump button as soon as the FSD cooldown is up, even if you are still in the corona
4) exit corona, aim slightly away from next target system, reduce throttle to 50%
5) check system map for high value targets
6) if it's low value system, realign to next jump immediately, otherwise, cancel jump and being scanning


If you do it right, then you won't be in any low value system for more than 45 seconds (including the hyperspace animation). If you have a 27LY range then you can get to Sag A* in about 12 hours if you treat every system like a "low value system". Once you get to Sag A, hang a left and drop down about 1200ly and over about -2000ly and you'll be in the neutron fields.
 
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Mike W

Mike W
Hi Cmdr,,
if youre set on getting to Sadge, and youll be certain of a BH there lol,, if you just jump, honk scoop, you could cover around 1000ly an hour,, that is until you get to within a few 1000 ly of Sadge,, then nav hell takes over lol,, and you have trouble plotting courses of any great length,, some Cmdrs are able to find a magic number,, a num close to
the max of 1000ly, thats usually a multiple of your ships max jump range ,,, that didnt work for me,, using a lower multiple did,, 6x my max jump range,, there are lots of threads explaning this in great detail if you need more help naving the core ;-)
 
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newman1702

newman1702
Good advice above, I'd also like to point out that you can find neutron stars and black holes in other areas of the galaxy as well, though perhaps not as densely packed, requiring you to look a bit harder. Set your map view filters to star class -> uncheck everything except non sequence stars. That will identify those neutron stars and black holes, I'd also advise turning off both fast and economical routes while looking for them on the galaxy map, it makes it easier to see. I do this on occasion just in case there's something interesting in the vicinity. I've found quite a few neutron stars and a couple of black holes that way so far.
 
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Mike W

Mike W
Ziljan said:
1) jump
2) start honking and scooping at the same time
3) hit the jump button as soon as the FSD cooldown is up, even if you are still in the corona
4) exit corona, aim slightly away from next target system, reduce throttle to 50%
5) check system map for high value targets
6) if it's low value system, realign to next jump immediately, otherwise, cancel jump and being scanning


If you do it right, then you won't be in any low value system for more than 45 seconds (including the hyperspace animation). If you have a 27LY range then you can get to Sag A* in about 12 hours if you treat every system like a "low value system". Once you get to Sag A, hang a left and drop down about 1200ly and over about -2000ly and you'll be in the neutron fields.
Click to expand...

,,,,,like he said ;-)
 

Jakester13

Jakester13
Great tips there! I think I will persevere on the outward travels... I'll try some fast travel as per the suggestions and see where it gets me. I just feel bad when skipping the scanning! I actually feel some relief when it's just a couple of stars in the system as I can move on, guilt free :D

I am enjoying the journey, but the scale of this place is incredible!
 

Mysturji

Mysturji
Ziljan said:
1) jump
2) start honking and scooping at the same time
3) hit the jump button as soon as the FSD cooldown is up, even if you are still in the corona
4) exit corona, aim slightly away from next target system, reduce throttle to 50%
5) check system map for high value targets
6) if it's low value system, realign to next jump immediately, otherwise, cancel jump and being scanning


If you do it right, then you won't be in any low value system for more than 45 seconds (including the hyperspace animation). If you have a 27LY range then you can get to Sag A* in about 12 hours if you treat every system like a "low value system". Once you get to Sag A, hang a left and drop down about 1200ly and over about -2000ly and you'll be in the neutron fields.
Click to expand...
IMHO...
Doing 3) will get you heat damage and you'll eventually need to turn back. Wait at least until your temperature starts going down before starting the jump sequence.
1) Check
2) Check
3) when safe to do so - after looking at the system map if it's a type A, F, G, K (possible water worlds/Earth-types) or O (possible neutron/BH companions.
You can even hit the jump button then have a quick look at the system map and still have time to abort the jump while aligned and without slowing down.
But most systems, it's just jump, honkscoop, jump, honkscoop...

When you come across a cluster of O type stars, have a look around. You'll probably find a few BHs
 

Raiko

Raiko
Mysturji said:
Doing 3) will get you heat damage and you'll eventually need to turn back. Wait at least until your temperature starts going down before starting the jump sequence.
Click to expand...
No Ziljan's advice is correct.

It's actually more a case of learning how to safely follow Ziljan's steps in the coronas of brighter stars, Types O,B,A and Fs can really bite you if you stay close for too long.

With some practice it's more than possible to make it all the way to Sag A* with less than 10% module damage and 0% hull damage. You only take hull and powerplant damage from a crash stop, or from greater than 150% heat, and you only take module damage above 100% heat. It's easy to hit jump as soon as the cool-down clock finishes and keep your temperature in the 80s and 90s.

It helps a lot though if you have both stupidly expensive 6A or 6B scoop and cool little 2A reactor, but Ziljan's managed the same techniques in a DBX with a little 4A scoop, search his posts and you'll see his tutorial video.

If you're finding it hard going travelling to the core though, I really would recommend practicing the steps Ziljan listed. When you get there you've got another big journey getting home, so it's great to get to Sag A* as quickly as possible, and then plan your sightseeing expedition from there. It really is worth the effort though, when you arrive in the Sag A* system it's as good a feeling as you're likely to get in the game (at least before the Elite rank notifications). If you visit the Core in open-mode, then don't forget to say hello to CMDR Metta when you get there, he's a truely great guy and he'll make sure that your visit to Sag A* is safe one. :)

It's going to be about 800-1000 jumps to Sag A* with your jump range and so every second that you add onto your average time in a system will add another 15 minutes or so onto your total time. So for you every 8 seconds in system is another two days on your journey. Us Buckyball Runners racing to Sag A* were looking for 43-50 second jump-cycles (ie time between entering one system and entering the next).
 
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Leper Messiah

Leper Messiah
Jakester13 said:
Great tips there! I think I will persevere on the outward travels... I'll try some fast travel as per the suggestions and see where it gets me. I just feel bad when skipping the scanning! I actually feel some relief when it's just a couple of stars in the system as I can move on, guilt free :D

I am enjoying the journey, but the scale of this place is incredible!
Click to expand...

I aborted my first attempt to get to Sag A as I was doing what you're doing and it was taking SO long and at 10kly out I was conscious of the amount of credits I could lose, so I wimped out and came back, did some BH-ing and minor exploring plus exploring CG....then on the 18th I set off for Sag A and for the first 15k or so ly I did a speed run, only looking at the systems I scooped from (prolly missed some juicy stuff :( ) but I wanted to just get there! I actually stopped off at the Great Annihilator 1st (another black hole). Got to Sag A on the 26th, and I'm exploring a minor Neutron star field right now. No real hurry to get back yet. :) Get there quick then take your time coming back!
 

Kancro Vantas

Kancro Vantas
Jakester13 said:
I look towards Sag A* and see a 20KLy trip, but my play style is a couple of hours every couple of days, and I seem to make pretty slow progress.

I left JM about 10 days ago, which suggests it could take me a month to reach the core. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?
Click to expand...

HI CMDR, welcome to exploration!

No, you are not doing it wrong. That's the real immense vastness of the Galaxy, something that is hardly appreciated it within the bubble. Once you come out, you realize that civilization is but a drop in a huge ocean. This is why it takes so many of us weeks or months to reach a destination. And then back.


Jakester13 said:
I jump, honk, check the system, scan anything within range, then scan anything that looks like ELW and WW, and nearby gas giants. Then I continue my journey.

Fastest, not economical, so I'm jumping 27Ly/jump, and scooping is about every 6-8 jumps.
Click to expand...

In general, that's the standard procedure for cruising thru the Galaxy. As per the cherry picking, that's highly, highly subjective and will take you some experience before honing your own style. CMDR Ziljan recommendation speaks to one of those styles, for instance. Others would always scan the star they land. Others, only the scoopable ones, etc.


Jakester13 said:
My "dilemma" is that I really want to find one or more black holes and neutron stars. I guess they're basically near Sag A*?

So do I grit my teeth and keep heading towards the core?
Click to expand...

ELW, WW, and now you mention Black Holes and Neutron Stars....hmm...are you thinking in the credits here? Because that's what it sounds like, from the selection of bodies you are considering here.

If credits is what rocks your boat, the style is known as Meat-Eater. Basically exploring for credits towards the ranking. You can learn more about other styles here.


To be bluntly honest with you, and although I support your interest in exploration, I would suggest what I always do for new explorers: pick a nearer, close destination and make 2 to 3 trips increasing distance. Many a players come to exploration after trading, grinding, doing rare runs, and/or pew pewing, thru combat zones, and wars, and what have you. Those are highly dynamic, never a dull moment, always making money, counting on the time it takes them to go from one station to the other, or how many bounties they collect in a RES zone.

NOT SO WITH EXPLORATION. You need to change gears here, sit back, relax, and come to terms that this will take time. Moreover, you have to remove the concepts of credits altogether and get into the mindset of what makes a system interesting, rather than just their value. Learning an appreciation and understanding of what is a Neutron Star, how does a black hole forms, and what is a nebula for instance, is the fuel for explorers. Credits are just a byproduct here, and they are ever so scarce when compared to the other activities, that really, nobody has become rich being explorer for just a couple of months. It takes way much more than that, so you might as well just get rid of the concept.

Stretching your explorer legs in a couple of trips will give you a sense of all these 3 things: time required for an exploration, acquire a knowledge and then a taste of all the kind of objects are out there, acquire data on the profit in credits that they report. Those will define: type of FSD/Ship and modules that you would like, style of navigation and distance you can go before burn out, types of objects that you like and find interesting, and type of objects that you don't want to miss to get more bucks.

Then, you will be truly informed on what's more valuable for you and your style of exploration.

For Neutron Stars Field information, as mentioned by someone else (flattered CMDR Duckfather-thanks), I wrote a Guide to find them -still working on making it clearer.


Jakester13 said:
Or do I begin the return journey, cash in my chips and see if I made Elite explorer rank yet?

I'd really appreciate any sage advice from those experienced in core exploration!

o7
Click to expand...

Hmm..guess confirmed: you want fastest track to Elite!

Well, is a long ride no matter what CMDR! Probably the fastest is to be omnivore and scan everything you see everywhere, except asteroids. Why? every penny counts towards that rank!

Now, godspeed and get to it!! Lots to be done before that rank CMDR!! Best of lucks while doing it!!

;-)
 
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drkaii

drkaii
I'm sure you've got your answer already but I love dispensing my wisdom so I'll give it anyway. Scanning things in every system is incredibly time wasting. You DEFINITELY are not Elite after 5kly. You might as well drop that goal if you only play a couple of hours every couple of days. It's not a goal for someone like you - rather something that will happen by itself. Trying to achieve it is a bit like trying to break out of jail by digging a tunnel a few spoonfuls a day. So just play how you want, don't push yourself to do things you hate or you'll end up hating it all. Elite will come, maybe this year, maybe next year. Don't worry about it :) Scan ELWs and things that look unique, but honk and jump like Ziljan made out. You can get to the core in another 10 hours. Or just head home if you are getting too restless and go out again with a friend to make it more interesting.

Black holes can be found everywhere. I'm sure you've been told above this post, so I won't say anything about that. GL Commander o7

Edit: just read Kranco's writings and I feel he should author the textbook on exploring. Truth and wisdom in every word
 
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Mike W

Mike W
Enjoy the ride,, im around 3500 ly out atm, just wandering toward the NS fields,, as i speak here,, just got into a system that another Cmdr had scanned the close stuff ,, but had left a sub system only around 120 ls out,,,i see pretty's out there,, so i stroll out and find terraformable HMC and WW,,, sweet ;-)
 
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GJ51

GJ51
A lot of good advice above.

On my third sojourn into the dark after a couple of 10klyie ish runs.

Currently 24KLY out to the left of Sag intending to follow the arm up to behind Sag A and enter from the top opposite Sol (far side).

The right lighting, music, and adult beverage are essential to create the appropriate mood for really enjoying the trip.

If your inner voice is continually saying, "Are we there yet"? then you might consider that it could be better to head back, take a break, do a few smaller excursions to really get into the right mindset before tackling a longer trip.

If I remember correctly, Elite now takes 160MilCR now since Exploration got a buff a while back. I was at ranger +36% when I left with 36 Mil CR earned, so I need about another 125Mil CR or so to make Elite. Figuring that each neutron star worth around 50k with first discovered bonus more or less, I would need to scan about 2500 of them on this trip to hit Elite from this trip.

Yes I did the math, but I'm not really worried about it.

Scan,scoop, jump:

I think there can be some variability depending on the ship you're in and how it's outfitted. My Asp does a max of 34Ly jumps and works really well in regard to heat management. critical for me is to have the center dot displayed on the screen. It's an option in the control menu. If you don't see the dot in the aiming reticle center, find the setting and turn it on.

Line up destination and engage jump. As soon as the charge cycle is completed the 4,3,2,1 countdown begins. As that is happening, zero your throttle. When you exit the jump into the destination system immediately assess your orientation with regard to multiple stars close by, next jump target and so on so you avoid dangers and move to a safe location if needed. If your heat is good and there are no damage threats requiring action, line up on the primary star's center and as soon as it shows "unexploreed" in the center start the detailed scan. As soon as/at the same time start the honk scan of the system, as soon as it's done, check the system map to see if it's a system with things of interest you want to see/scan in greater detail. If not, orient your ship for best approach to next jump target.

Fuel scooping. From the detailed scan position where you entered the system, tilt the nose of the ship up or down while rotating for best approach to next jump target. Now line up the dot in the center of the screen just outside the boundary line around the star. Approach at gradually increasing speed until the scoop hits max intake rate then slow a bit until tank is full, then full throttle away while lining up on jump target. When you hear "Fuel scooping complete. fuel scoop disengaged" you should already be lined up for the jump and be able to just hit the jump key. Monitor you heat level to make sure it is not rising above 60% or so depending on your setup, but if you see it rising dangerously, just kill the charge cycle and let it cool down into the 50% range and re-engage the jump.

Rinse and repeat. If you want to save more time, just don't do any detailed scans, just enter system, align, scoop while honking, the jump to next destination.

When you feel like it - just scan every last rock in a given system just for the fun of it.
 

Ziljan

Ziljan
Mike W said:
Hi Cmdr,,
if you just jump, honk scoop, you could cover around 1000ly an hour,, that is until you get to within a few 1000 ly of Sadge,,
Click to expand...

with a 27Ly range, he should be able to travel 1000ly in ~29 minutes.

Mysturji said:
IMHO...
Doing 3) will get you heat damage and you'll eventually need to turn back. Wait at least until your temperature starts going down before starting the jump sequence.
Click to expand...


The first key to not burning up when you hit Jump bottom right after the FSD cool down from the depths of the Corona is: limit your build to a power usage of under 70% of a 2A power plant. Bigger PP generate more heat and are overkill on most dedicated exploring ships.

The 2nd key to not burning up is to follow Raiko's rather flattering advice and check out this thread on dive technique. It applies to any ship with a low power usage and reasonably good heat tolerance. Eg the DBS, DBX, Asp, and Cobra. Among others:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=166901


The video below shows the basic technique sans honking in a DBS. If your ship has a fast enough scoop, you can start pulling radially away as soon as you hit the Jump button. For hotter stars just start pulling away about one or two seconds before charging FSD. [video=youtube_share;8HXDfAn47hI]http://youtu.be/8HXDfAn47hI[/video]


 
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