Confessions of a Completionist

[MarcusVatta]

Reading these forums, I'm struck by how many commanders scan strategically - Don't scan the moons, or just scan the stars unless they are a certain class. Listen to the unexplored on the system map to determine if they are worth visiting. These are all great tips for efficiently finding the most interesting and valuable bodies to maximize the volume of space you can cover in a session.

Unfortunately, none of that pertains to me. That's because...

I scan everything. Every star, planet, or moon in the system must be scanned with a detailed planetary scanner. Then, it gets worse: I look over the results of my scans, and if a planet looks unusual - temperature, atmo composition, or class, I'll go and eyeball the planet. Obviously this does terrible things to my efficiency, and I waste precious minutes dropping into and crawling out of gravity wells, but I don't care. That's why I'm out there.

Right now, I'm spending up to half an hour scanning a single system, and sometimes longer if it's a large or complex system.

Horizons will make that longer, I'm sure. I'm certain I'll want to take an even closer look at some of these planets. It's going to be awesome, but it isn't going to help me rack up the klys.

"To stand upon the surface of an unknown world and look beyond it, to the next one." That's me.

Any other completionists out there? Or am I alone in my brand of madness?

 

[EUS]

During the session, I'll go from scan nothing, to scan all but asteroids.
As mentioned before, I'm a schizo when it comes to scanning.

 

[Beardless]

Reading these forums, I'm struck by how many commanders scan strategically - Don't scan the moons, or just scan the stars unless they are a certain class. Listen to the unexplored on the system map to determine if they are worth visiting. These are all great tips for efficiently finding the most interesting and valuable bodies to maximize the volume of space you can cover in a session.

Unfortunately, none of that pertains to me. That's because...

I scan everything. Every star, planet, or moon in the system must be scanned with a detailed planetary scanner. Then, it gets worse: I look over the results of my scans, and if a planet looks unusual - temperature, atmo composition, or class, I'll go and eyeball the planet. Obviously this does terrible things to my efficiency, and I waste precious minutes dropping into and crawling out of gravity wells, but I don't care. That's why I'm out there.

Right now, I'm spending up to half an hour scanning a single system, and sometimes longer if it's a large or complex system.

Horizons will make that longer, I'm sure. I'm certain I'll want to take an even closer look at some of these planets. It's going to be awesome, but it isn't going to help me rack up the klys.

"To stand upon the surface of an unknown world and look beyond it, to the next one." That's me.

Any other completionists out there? Or am I alone in my brand of madness?

You will make it out the bubble eventually ;-)

 

[thehairymob]

Have some rep for being so patient. I'm more the cherry picking tourist on a long holiday

 

[Sapient6]

Any other completionists out there? Or am I alone in my brand of madness?

I can relate, that's how I started out. A couple of things changed that:

1. In every game I play I tends toward completionism. ED forces you to let go of that by offering you an amazing scale: the majority of the star systems in ED's galaxy will never ever be visited by any player EVER. There is nothing you can do to change that. And with the addition of planetary landings this will get even better (worse?), by opening up even more landscape THAT WILL NEVER EVER EVER BE SEEN BY ANYONE.

2. Objective-based exploration. I wanted to visit Sag A. When I started out, back in March, I was scanning *almost* everything. After a couple of weeks I took a look at my pace, took a look at the scope of the trip, and did the math: if I was really lucky I might finish my trip around December 2017. So I sped up a little bit by reducing how often I scan everything and later by also adding periods where I travel and scan Nothing.

It's been painful to cut back, really it has, but I've managed it. I'm still on that expedition that started in March, but as of two nights ago I am now within 10,000 LY of Sol for the first time since early April.

I celebrated by spending an hour scanning a single system.

 

[Alex Traut]

I was a completionist at first; I am in most games. Aside from the scale though, there is now another reason I tend to leave bits unscanned, especially in "high-value" systems such as NS or BH: a space for someone else to put their name and say "I was here too".

Sure, the chances of anyone else coming across the same system are incredibly remote. But still.

 

[Surly_Badger]

When you encounter a system where all that was scanned is the main star: there's a decent chance it was a Fuel Rat on their way from point A to point B that scanned it as they were scooping and running.

I've actually looked at what appear to be ELWs and groaned and jumped away.

 

[who?]

I did one trip around Barnard's Loop, just for the scenery. It's ridiculous around that area, EVERYTHING is scanned. Even those tiny rocky, icy planets out 400,000Ls from the arrival point are all scanned. I must have gone about 100 systems in a row without a single unscanned body.

It's funny how you can go from the initial ("oooh! Look, one unscanned planet!!!!") to the eventual ("no ELWs or black holes? Meh.. Indifference Drive charging...")

 

[Leper Messiah]

rep, I started off scanning everything even the damn asteroid fields/belts/whatever the darn things are called. But I needed to make money in the game so quickly developed the "only scan interesting stuff" mentality. I applaud you sir as it's something I couldn't keep doing!

 

[Kancro Vantas]

2. Objective-based exploration. I wanted to visit Sag A. When I started out, back in March, I was scanning *almost* everything. After a couple of weeks I took a look at my pace, took a look at the scope of the trip, and did the math: if I was really lucky I might finish my trip around December 2017. So I sped up a little bit by reducing how often I scan everything and later by also adding periods where I travel and scan Nothing.

It's been painful to cut back, really it has, but I've managed it. I'm still on that expedition that started in March, but as of two nights ago I am now within 10,000 LY of Sol for the first time since early April.

This. So much this. I also started -and still allow it from time to time- to be completionist. But what kills that vibe is finding out, three weeks later, that you are 1,000 ly away from Sol, heading to a 20k ly destination... it just cant be done.

Then, is not that difficult to let go certain things: moons, red dwarfs, icy planets in the outermost orbits, etc.

You are left with a reduced group of stellar objects to pick from. And that's when listening to the planets kicks in and helps me make my decision.

However, as a reward, when i find an ELP, I go ahead and scan the whole darn system!! Just as any Earth deserves to have its whole family in the picture! And I get to steam off some of that urge!

 

[Surly_Badger]

I sometimes leave systems scanned as a joke. For example, i hit one system with a secondary star 600,000ls out, with a single worthless rock orbiting it. I went and scanned the rock, leaving both start un-scanned. Because I hope some day an explorer will hit that system and sit there for a minute having a little old boggle-a-thon.

 

[Ziljan]

It sounds like you're getting your money's worth from exploration kudos OP. I think when PL gets implemented I'll finally put away my running shoes and buy a rocking chair, plunk it down on an icy moon orbiting a ringed Y dwarf, and start naming new constellations.


Badger, that jedi mind trick only works on people who don't read the forums.

 

[TruffleSnout]

My current trip is fully completionist. I've been out of the bubble for more than a month, and I'm still only 4000 Ly away from Sol. Part of that is because of the completionist strategy, part of it is because I'm manually picking each jump. No route planner on this trip.

Prior to this trip, I would be choosy about which systems I scanned, but if I chose to scan so much as one body in a system I would scan the full system. Kind of an all-or-nothing approach to scanning. Many, many no-detail-honks on those trips.

 

[Grauzdins]

well since 11 july doing my lap around galaxy and still scanning everything what i see in a system where i jump in (with exception of asteroid belts those i tend to skip damm 5ls range )

 

[Sapient6]

I sometimes leave systems scanned as a joke. For example, i hit one system with a secondary star 600,000ls out, with a single worthless rock orbiting it. I went and scanned the rock, leaving both start un-scanned. Because I hope some day an explorer will hit that system and sit there for a minute having a little old boggle-a-thon.

+rep. Not just because it is a funny thing to do, but because of the possibilities should an explorer come across such a system... these range from getting the joke and having a laugh, to

"That's weird. Wait. What did Surly_Badger know that I don't? I ought to go scan that, too!" (600,000ls later: "Son of a")

 

[Muzz UK]

The first few times I explored I was quite thorough but I was only doing 2000-3000 ly nebula runs. After I got back I went earth like hunting around Sol and found one within 1500 ly... I was scanning pretty much 95% things and only jumping via G F and K star systems.

I'm now off hunting neutrons the first 1000-1500 ly I was scanning everything but now I'm doing a lot of honk and go! It all depends on how unique I feel the system is and how close the bodies are. If it's a system I want to put my name on I'm scanning everything other wise it's a honk and go and I'm leaving the star and everything for another explorer.

The key thing is, if you go to nebula or popular areas you'll need a diverse route that no one else has taken or you get lots of previous scanned stuff. Just remember with horizons we might get new stuff or maybe even a "first landed on" tag!

 

[iain666]

I did my first thousand systems that way, but eventually had to concede that I was never going to get home if I kept it up.

I still treat myself occasionally - if it looks like there's an earth like or several terraformables then I'll scan the whole system still.

 

[Argos]

rep, I started off scanning everything even the damn asteroid fields/belts/whatever the darn things are called. But I needed to make money in the game so quickly developed the "only scan interesting stuff" mentality. I applaud you sir as it's something I couldn't keep doing!

What he said.

 

[Willa Allason]

The first few times I explored I was quite thorough but I was only doing 2000-3000 ly nebula runs. After I got back I went earth like hunting around Sol and found one within 1500 ly... I was scanning pretty much 95% things and only jumping via G F and K star systems.

I'm now off hunting neutrons the first 1000-1500 ly I was scanning everything but now I'm doing a lot of honk and go! It all depends on how unique I feel the system is and how close the bodies are. If it's a system I want to put my name on I'm scanning everything other wise it's a honk and go and I'm leaving the star and everything for another explorer.

The key thing is, if you go to nebula or popular areas you'll need a diverse route that no one else has taken or you get lots of previous scanned stuff. Just remember with horizons we might get new stuff or maybe even a "first landed on" tag!

I want the ability to name Earthlikes that you discover. Not every planet, just the Earthlikes.

 

[Redleg]

When you encounter a system where all that was scanned is the main star: there's a decent chance it was a Fuel Rat on their way from point A to point B that scanned it as they were scooping and running.

I've actually looked at what appear to be ELWs and groaned and jumped away.

Every time a Fuelrat skips an ELW the Great Creator kills a Thargod.