"Real" Exploration missions?

EDbubba

E
Much like the high-value (2 million+ CR) "Shadow" smuggling missions, there needs to be a few places that offer high-value exploration missions.

Logical goals like terraformable, water-worlds and Earth-likes would make sense, with corresponding levels of reward. Mission time limits could add a sense of urgency.

As an example of the high-side, I'd see a mission to "first-discover" two Earth-like planets pay at least CR 20 million, and be allocated 7 days to complete. This may sound like a lot, but given the level of effort, it would probably still pay far less than running typical Shadow deliveries in the same allotted timeframe.

To make this work well, there would need to be some way to limit mission "stacking" since discoveries are quasi-random, and you would inevitably find various applicable world types in one mission. (might be an issue, maybe not, since you can't "pre-buy" discoveries to cover mission goals, but different planet types would clearly stack consistently in any significant exploration mission)

Lastly, the objects would have to be planets and moons since non-sequence objects (Black Holes, Neutron Stars) are too easily "farmable" with the Galaxy Map.



Thanks.
 
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gazzareth

G
I'd like to see missions to explore system x, payout dependant on the distance from source....... Not so sure on timer though, get rid of them (or make them online time only) some of us have lives that get in the way......

G
 

Sooden

Sooden
But exploration is its own reward!

But seriously, exploring gets no one rich, nor does it even seem balanced . I agree there should be some high value mission for explorers, especially for ELITE ranks... Don't know if I will be doing much more exploring when I hit 'Elite' rank, due to the low income for time, and that's a shame.

A week out exploring may net 20 to 30 mill, but a few hours in a RES zone, or a days worth of smuggling and combat mission will do the same. If your on a very deep galaxy run, it only takes one mistake to lose all that data and cash, so the risk can be very high.
 

CTCParadox

CTCParadox
I think (and hope) that exploration will be fleshed out during Horizons and when atmospheric landings come in.
Some kind of atmosphere and soil sample system. Perhaps a dedicated science rover (I assume we will get a few different SRVs).
Improvements to discovery scanner and detailed surface scanner system to make them more involved than HONK or point ship at planet for 30 seconds.

For missions we could have an area of space assigned to check and have to investigate a certain type of planet in that area.
The issue of farming could be problematic since celestial bodies are not random, but changing the target area (with more payout for target further from the bubble) should provide more than enough variation.
Space is big after all.

CMDR CTCParadox
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
Just because shadow deliveries are delivering broken amounts of creds, doesn't mean we need to break the entire game to match them. Exploring doesn't pay much, true, but it's one of the safest things you can do, and the only thing where you can leave a permanent mark on the galaxy.
 

Don Alvarez

Don Alvarez
EDbubba said:
To make this work well, there would need to be some way to limit mission "stacking" since discoveries are quasi-random, and you would inevitably find various applicable world types in one mission. (might be an issue, maybe not, since you can't "pre-buy" discoveries to cover mission goals, but different planet types would clearly stack consistently in any significant exploration mission)
Click to expand...
It would have to be the rarer objects, like Earth-likes for things like deep surface scan data. First discoverer would be extremely difficult after a while. Like commodities, you'd have to turn in the data so you couldn't then sell it again.
.
"We are looking for detailed scan data on an earthlike planet we believe to be somewhere in the Ophiuchus Dark Region...."
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Yeah, doing that sounds cool. I like your idea.
 

EDbubba

E
Don Alvarez said:
It would have to be the rarer objects, like Earth-likes for things like deep surface scan data. First discoverer would be extremely difficult after a while.
Click to expand...

It's a big galaxy! ;)

Sure you may need to venture a little further afield, but I think you'd find that you're in "virgin" territory pretty quickly. On my trip to the core, which is arguably well-traveled, absolutely nothing was already discovered after about 4,000LY out! :)

FYI, my "ExporaConda" could cover about 1,000LY in twenty minutes, so getting away from the bubble is fairly trivial.
 

outsidefactor

outsidefactor
EDbubba said:
Much like the high-value (2 million+ CR) "Shadow" smuggling missions, there needs to be a few places that offer high-value exploration missions.

Logical goals like terraformable, water-worlds and Earth-likes would make sense, with corresponding levels of reward. Mission time limits could add a sense of urgency.

As an example of the high-side, I'd see a mission to "first-discover" two Earth-like planets pay at least CR 20 million, and be allocated 7 days to complete. This may sound like a lot, but given the level of effort, it would probably still pay far less than running typical Shadow deliveries in the same allotted timeframe.

To make this work well, there would need to be some way to limit mission "stacking" since discoveries are quasi-random, and you would inevitably find various applicable world types in one mission. (might be an issue, maybe not, since you can't "pre-buy" discoveries to cover mission goals, but different planet types would clearly stack consistently in any significant exploration mission)

Lastly, the objects would have to be planets and moons since non-sequence objects (Black Holes, Neutron Stars) are too easily "farmable" with the Galaxy Map.



Thanks.
Click to expand...

I agree! Too much of exploration is impractical: you get paid much more for finding a system that's totally uninhabitable (that's all black holes and neutron stars) than for finding potentially habitable worlds. And the payout for exploration data should be more for objects close to occupied space, as they are worth more to humanity: great, you found an ELW 26kly from Sol... We'll colonise that place in about 100,000 years. But a previously undiscovered ELW 400 ly from Sol? That's a treasure!

So, yeah, I love the idea of large payout exploration missions with (relatively) low time-outs of 3 to 8 days. In the same vein as the combat missions: Kill x number of y aligned ships; but instead it's detail surface scan x number of y type planet.

And gazzareth's suggestion of explore x system for a playout is great, and has some risk because someone else could explore that system in the mean time! Someone else may even pick up the same mission as you.

The hard part is turning in the results. If it's done like a mercenary mission, your 'success' count goes up while you are in the field. This is an issue because someone else may turn in a scan of a system between you scanning the system and returning to turn in the mission success. This type of mission may require a 'quantum discovery scanner' and 'quantum surface scanner' that lets us turn in exploration data while in the field, but that then changes the balance for explorers significantly.

If it worked the other way, ie. the count incremented as you sold data at a station, you could then pre-acquire data and then travel around, farming exploration missions, again a balance issue.

I don't know how FDev could deal with the issues, but I would certainly like to see them try.
 
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