Your Questions Needed - Join the Elite Tutorial Livestream - Everything You Need to Know About Exploration

[Edward Lewis]

Your Questions Needed - Join the Elite Tutorial Livestream - Everything You Need to Know About Exploration

Hi everyone,

Just like last week (without the terrible flying by me... hopefully), we're looking to take a deep dive into exploration in tomorrow's livestream at 7PM GMT with Michael Brookes!

So without further ado, throw your questions in the thread below, and hopefully Mike will be able to answer as many as Steve (although he really did get through those questions).

We'll be showing off a typical exploration loadout, a little scanning trip, how to pick up materials effectively, and some of the things to look out for when exploring (scanning priorities and stuff like that).

Hopefully you'll learn a thing or two, and maybe you can glean some interesting tidbits of information from Mike about exploration that you didn't know before!

See you tomorrow at 7PM GMT on the official YouTube channel - youtube.com/frontierdevelopments/live

Ed

 

[CMDR Ash]

I thought people would be all over this thread by now... Go on then I have a question, I'm currently out in the big black and I would love to know if things like the generation ships and human colonies are out here for me to find yet or whether it is something to be implemented later on? I know it's a big galaxy so even if they are out there my chances are very slim! Haha

 

[Jaiotu]

Great! I've been waiting for this one!

1. In what ways does driving around in your SRV and collecting surface materials effect exploration rank?

2. What is the easiest way to calculate the X,Y,Z coordinates for any particular star system?

3. There are quite a few 3rd Party tools like EDDB and Captains Log that are a real godsend for career explorers. Is there any chance that Frontier might add more detailed information to the netlogs that would help automate some of the tasks we have to perform manually in these tools like including system X,Y,Z coordinates and info on individual planetary bodies after we perform a detailed surface scan?

Thanks Ed! Looking forward to the live stream... only one episode into this series so far but I'm loving it!

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Hi Ed,

Only one question really:
1) Will you be wearing a shamrock hat for St. Patricks day?

A few notes I'd add you may or may not want to talk about:
- Great places to visit - VY Canis Majoris, Betelgeuse, Barnards Loop, Sag A* etc
- Speed jumping vs safety (thrusters/shields/spare srv's etc)
- Turn rate in supercruise with different ships
- Scanning distance (relates to target body mass, distance to target) -> May be faster to scan from distance to increase speed quicker to next target.
- Visual modifications like EDFX

I won't be there because I plan to be in an Irish bar drinking guiness somewhat responsibly. I promise I'll watch on catchup though so have fun and don't faceplant into stars

Edit: I suppose it goes without saying but an always asked question: Are any of the requests coming: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141440
More interesting planet scanner - http://ryvax.tumblr.com/post/113086746675/old-ui-concept-for-the-exploration-surveyor-in
Black hole damage effects
Windscreen cleaner
Better external camera (increased speed/distance)

 

[Alec Turner]

Random exploration questions in no particular order ...

- what does turning the constellations option on/off in the galaxy map actually do?

- what is the "science-lore" behind the enormous PARP made by the disco scanner

- do FD keep logs of where everyone has been and, if so, is there a chance of us ever seeing a heat map of the galaxy?

- is Distant Worlds the most amazing player led thing you've ever heard of in a video game or what? (sorry, slightly rhetorical that one but I had to say it ... and I'm not even on the expedition)

- could you demonstrate the parallax method for finding planets in an unexplored system when you've come out without your disco scanner

- are the blocks of neutron stars that you find in the game (not so much the cuboid nature of these blocks but more the concept of high concentration pockets of this type of star) realistic?

- sometimes when out exploring you'll see a really long series of stars all laid out in a long long line, almost like a path, often leading to a nebula - is this an artefact of the way scientists have explored (and thus catalogued) that region of space, is it an artefact of procedural generation or is it something that's actually been observed in nature?

- are there plans for extending the concept of exploration (i.e. gaining credit for unveling unexplored areas and being able to name tag areas that nobody else has ever been to) so that it applies to exploring planet surfaces in the SRV too?

 

[who?]

- Given that everything near the bubble is thoroughly scanned & tagged, how are you going to handle new players wanting to explore who'll soon have to travel thousands of LY before they find untagged systems? Will there be new starting points for them, or faster travel methods?

- Someone suggested explorers can open up faster travel routes (perhaps by dropping nav beacons) which would really make exploration meaningful, has this ever been considered?

- Where is Raxxla? If this can't be answered, I'll also accept answers to "Where is the Formidine Rift?" or "Where is the Thargoid homeworld?"

- Will we ever see the equivalent to the Wave Scanner for ships? IMO, it's one of the coolest additions to the game.

- It'd be great to be able to see more info about the planets/systems we've discovered, are there any such plans?

- I only recently realised you can tell the atmosphere type for a planet based on its corona in the System Map, does the atmospheric type have any bearing in-game (such as to the discovery value) or will it have an impact once atmospheric landings is in the game?

 

[kpmop]

OK, some questions:
1. Are materials found randomly on planets or is it possible to work out good places to look for different ones?
2. Following from 1. if materials are not random, are there any plans to allow scanning planets from orbit to get an idea of what we might find?
3. Any plans to add another internal slot to the DBE? ;-)
4. Will we ever be able to craft heat sinks (4 is not really enough for a long trip)?

 

[who?]

- Also: any plans to introduce zoom while exploring? Either in space (ability to get a good view of planets without getting stuck in their gravity well), or in the SRV (being able to scan 180 degrees in the turret mode, and zoom in on any specs on the horizon)

 

[Jezzah]

Apparently exploration as a mechanic is solid according to Michael. Don't want to be facetious by asking if there are any planned ideas to improve and deepen the exploration mechanics.

I'll just stick to this one.

400 billion systems? Why??just why???

 

[dannysquid]

Exploration feels a bit bare-minimum at the moment. "Honk". Are there plans to jazz it up a bit, even if only visually?
To what extent can you predict what sort of materials you'll find from orbit? This might be an opportunity to jazz it up a bit!
Will the bookmarking system be implemented in a way that might allow commanders to see other player's bookmarks in some way? It might be nice to set "public" bookmarks for particularly interesting discoveries other commanders might like to share, although this could be extended to all sorts of things... This would make already-explored systems more intriguing. Or is this a networking can of worms!?

 

[Arubeto]

Could we have an update on the following number from one year ago, please?

Only 0.000223% of systems have had any bodies scanned in them so far.

Michael

Did we break the magical 0.01% barrier yet?

 

[StuartGT]

Are there plans to add a Galaxy Map toggle to highlight systems containing planetary bodies that we have first-discovered, and hopefully if so will the feature arrive during the Horizons season, or a later one?

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Could we have an update on the following number from one year ago, please?

Did we break the magical 0.01% barrier yet?

An update would be great! The 0.01% barrier was broken sometime last summer - in October Michael reported that 64m systems (0.016%) had been scanned.

 

[Flash_Baggins]

Tell people to throttle down when jumping!

 

[Griefed]

Has someone found Raxxla without realizing it or come close to it?

On a more serious note:
-Any update on those accretion disks for black holes?(Yes, not every black hole has one, I know )

-Is an indicator planned that shows you what systems you have visited on the galaxy map? Apart from being able to select System Map. Maybe turn the Navigation Markers green once you have visited a system, instead of orange?

-How many CMDRs have visited Sag A* and the Beagle Point (Ceeckia ZQ-L c24-0)

-Will Eactainds GN-W c1-6 ever be renamed to Rendezvous Point? (source: https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/622376b167c0e855acdc33f23b1c939fe7ed15fe)

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[ZoltanSnarf]

Plans to make stars better?

 

[teedle]

1. Is the planetary map gonna get textures eventually?

2. Are you open to using something like the planetary map for more advanced scan mechanics?

3. Any more types of space things to see coming in the future?

 

[Cosmos]

I wonder if FD are happy with the present exploration mechanics and if there are any plans or ideas on how to improve upon it? Thanks

My view on this is that fog horn scanning a system seems a little too simplistic. Back when we had only basic discovery scanners I remember cruising around looking for stars that were moving relative to my ship. Whilst I'm not suggesting that is an improvement I do feel that the process could be a little more interesting, engaging and dare I say challenging.

When it comes to exploring airless bodies I also wonder if the team are happy with the present POI system. Surely a better system would involve us scanning a body from orbit and honing down on an area that was of interest. For all the many systems, planets, and moons theres simply too much area to reasonably scan in one lifetime, particuarly if we are looking for something of interest and importance..

 

[lapo]

1. Any plans for an Imperial Explorer ship? The Asp isn't fancy enough to bask in...
2. Any plans to incorporate planetary landings in planetary scans? For example a scan could point at certain locations to pick up samples with a SRV and doing that would increase the value of the scan significantly.
3. Any particular reason why there isn't a module that combines an advanced scanner and a surface scanner?

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Oooh! Thanks Lapo, just reminded me of an Idea I floated a while ago, probably not the right time for the discussion on the live-stream but if you get bored with nothing to talk about feel free:

Saud Kruger Executive Ambassador Shuttle (Exploration ship):

Spoiler

Mid-high end exploration ship priced around the 40-60mil bracket with a luxury finish.

Reasoning:
-There are currently small exploration ships (DBE) and medium exploration (Asp's) ships but no large ships dedicated to exploration except the Anaconda which has a distinctly military feel to the bridge.
-There is also a lack of ships at the price level I have aimed this at (only Python, FDL and Orca).
-It would also be nice to have a sleek exploration ship with decent range since most imperial ships are sub 25Ly when you add in shields/SRV/thrusters/distributor for High G landings <- Teched Conda makes ~29Ly

My idea behind this ship would be a luxury exploration/pioneering vessel constructed by Saud Kruger as they have few ships at the moment yet are in the luxury market with the Orca. This ship would be used by dignitaries in all factions to visit distant colonies (The Frontier as some may say ) or bases under construction as well as inspire the masses. Whilst only a few are in use among navies they are quickly replaced as the officials demand personalised ships leading to a large share being sold on to CMDR's with a large wallet.

This ship would severely lack fire-power (2 medium hardpoints or a single Huge of similar for intimidation) and hull strength yet has adequate shield values and good speed (not the best but close to, probably around 320 and 380 boosted like the Cutter). It manages ~40Ly when stripped to it's barebones yet even with shields and upgraded thrusters should be capable of ~35Ly.
Basically it's a speed demon with enough internals to explore shielded matching an unshielded Asp but with the unshielded value not exceeding the Anaconda's. It will never be winning any battles except to blast the odd rioting slaves/workers (faction dependant). Since it's a high-end exploration it should be able to keep the crew (formerly important dignitaries) and data safe hence the speed.

Should have a nice open bridge, possibly something similar in architecture to this (http://static.progressivemediagroup.../nri/ship/news/Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge.jpg) but with a huge rounded bubble window, nice and breakable
I imagine a turn rate in-between the Asp and Anaconda, possibly closer to the Asp but not too much.

Internals required Disco scanner, Surface Scanner, fuel limpet controller, Cargo, SRV's 2x AFMU, Fuel scoop, Shield. <- Limpet controller + Cargo could be substituted for fuel tank and docking computer as I know not everyone takes limpets with them.
So minimal 3X C1, 1X C2, 1X C3, 3X C4, 2X C5. ~2-4 utility mounts.
That would give max cargo at 126T making it usable as an explorer, smuggler or mining ship.

In summary It has better range than the Asp, more internal modules yet less overall carry capacity and less weapons but more speed. Compared with the Anaconda it has better turn rate, better aesthetics and better jump rate when fully loaded (no 64T sensors weighing it down for no good reason, 64T is a little crazy tbh, weighs more than the rest of the internals put together!)

Also feel free to take liberties with the design and lore, this is pretty much a wishlist for me that I believe is fairly balanced since the Asp moves more towards a mid-range Exploration vessel and the Anaconda moves towards exploration for those that want all the internals. I say this because my current impression is that most explorers either go full whack on the Anaconda for the additional range and modules or sacrifice spare SRV's/AFMU's meaning a long distance exploration trip can be cut short if they loose their 1 SRV.

 

[dynamicbob]

sirius inc is searching for raxxla can M brookes confirm that raxxla is in game and has anyone in a generic sense come close to finding it yet if it is ingame.

Oh and when can we expect our galmap description to occour over the san solar system.