How long would it take to scan everything? Answered

xdemetrios

xdemetrios
I had an opportunity to think about this for the first time when last week a new comer asked if it was too late to get his name on anything in game. I couldn't find anyone who had done this calculation before so I figured I'd share. I wanted him to understand how large the universe actually was and to reassure him he would be able to get his name on many planets, stars, etc. in game.

For this experiment we have to assume the entire universe is linear, obviously we know it isn't and it adds to the complexity but to make it simple lets make every system line up in a straight line. Also to make the calculation easier I took an average time for scanning a system completely as well as just "honking" it with an advanced discovery scanner. Lets assume a full scan takes 10 minutes, and a honk takes about 45 seconds (arbitrary numbers). We know there are 400 billion systems in game so that's a set number. Also time is a set variable as well, so lets calculate.

400 billion x 10 minutes = 4 trillion minutes

4 Trillion minutes = 66.67 Billion hours
60 minutes

66.67 Billion hours = 2.77 Billion days
24 hours

2.77 Billion days = 7.61 Million years - for one person to scan everything
365 days

Additionally there are ~700,000 people who play this game. So lets say there was a collaborative effort to scan everything.

7.61 Million years = 10.87 years - collaborative effort between all players
700,000 players

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now lets look at just "honking" systems.

400 billion x 45 seconds = 18 Trillion seconds

18 Trillion seconds = 300 Billion minutes
60 seconds

300 Billion minutes = 5 Billion hours
60 minutes

5 Billion hours = 208.33 Million days
24 hours

208.33 Million days = 570,776 years - for one person to honk everything
365 days

Figuring in all players ~700,000 people who play this game again.

570,776 years = 0.81 years or 297.61 days - collaborative effort between all players
700,000 players

So if anyone asks you how big this game is feel free to just direct them here to understand how amazingly huge Frontier has made this game. Enjoy!
 

Mengy

Mengy
One part of me wants to give up exploring now, while another part of me thinks we can actually do it! We need to redouble our efforts!!!!!
 

osser

osser
To add to this... I write down every system on a legal pad which has 50 pages and 29 lines.
If i was to write down all 400 billion systems..
My calculations show I'd need 275,862,069 pads.
furthermore 12 pads = 2 inches
The pad stack would be 725.64 miles
:eek:
 

Adeezha

Adeezha
osser said:
To add to this... I write down every system on a legal pad which has 50 pages and 29 lines.
If i was to write down all 400 billion systems..
My calculations show I'd need 275,862,069 pads.
furthermore 12 pads = 2 inches
The pad stack would be 725.64 miles
:eek:
Click to expand...

That's almost as much as the Panama Papers. :D
 

CDR Michael Darkmoor

CDR Michael Darkmoor
It is even larger than that... :D
---
There are some possibly erroneous assumptions that would drive that combined effort up significantly.
Detailed scans are where one would be able to have their name tagged to the system (provided they were first to turn it in).
----
Average scan of an entire system seems extremely generous at 10 minutes... with the many dual, triple and even quintuple star systems having a distance from entry point in the hundreds of thousands of light seconds... Travel time between these sub-systems to scan the components can be significant. Not only that, but many systems have more then 10 planets or bodies to scan individually (many times that in fact)... at 10 seconds each for a detailed scan per planet + travel time between them to get your scanner in range... I would multiply your initial figures by a fudge factor of at least 25-50... maybe even more. ;)
 
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xdemetrios

xdemetrios
CDR Michael Darkmoor said:
It is even larger than that... :D
---
There are some possibly erroneous assumptions that would drive that combined effort up significantly.
Detailed scans are where one would be able to have their name tagged to the system (provided they were first to turn it in).
----
Average scan of an entire system seems extremely generous at 10 minutes... with the many dual, triple and even quintuple star systems having a distance from entry point in the hundreds of thousands of light seconds... Travel time between these sub-systems to scan the components can be significant. Not only that, but many systems have more then 10 planets or bodies to scan individually (many times that in fact)... at 10 seconds each for a detailed scan per planet + travel time between them to get your scanner in range... I would multiply your initial figures by a fudge factor of at least 25-50... maybe even more. ;)
Click to expand...


I was being extremely generous in my calculations. I didn't have enough data to make a realistic average of what it takes. I did 10 minutes because people could easily double the number if they believe the answer is more like 20 or they could triple it and make it 30. 10 was just a round number, but I agree very generous.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
.... the time allocated to cataloguing all bodies and co-ordinating such a scan-a-thon (to avoid duplicate scanning) has been omitted. ;)
 

CDR Michael Darkmoor

CDR Michael Darkmoor
Robert Maynard said:
.... the time allocated to cataloguing all bodies and co-ordinating such a scan-a-thon (to avoid duplicate scanning) has been omitted. ;)
Click to expand...
----
And there you have it...
Add in the inevitable "Bureaucratic Process" and the time required unarguably moves toward that upper limit of infinity. :D
An unqualified "Eternity"... as t'were.
----
What better excuse to make more babies?!! ;)
----
edit: Would that take away from our scanning time?
 
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Alex Brentnall

Alex Brentnall
As above duplicates so it'd have to be perfectly planned.
It also doesn't factor in those systems with stars 750,000Ls away from the primary which can take upwards of 120 minutes to fully scan (Hutton for example). I'd say the average scanning time per system is closer to 25/30 minutes than 10.

But also this is a 24 hour job for 0.81-10.87 years of 700,000 peoples lives. Try factoring it in with 8 hours sleep and 4 hours other activities per day :p Actually thats just half so it'd take twice as long :p

Combined with the above I'd easily put it from just under 11 years to around 60 years but Interesting post... +1
 

xdemetrios

xdemetrios
Alex Brentnall said:
As above duplicates so it'd have to be perfectly planned.
It also doesn't factor in those systems with stars 750,000Ls away from the primary which can take upwards of 120 minutes to fully scan (Hutton for example). I'd say the average scanning time per system is closer to 25/30 minutes than 10.

But also this is a 24 hour job for 0.81-10.87 years of 700,000 peoples lives. Try factoring it in with 8 hours sleep and 4 hours other activities per day :p Actually thats just half so it'd take twice as long :p

Combined with the above I'd easily put it from just under 11 years to around 60 years but Interesting post... +1
Click to expand...

Exactly, we would basically have to consumer our lives with nothing more than this game 24/7 of perfect game play. Again it's all arbitrary with there being so many different variables. I was just breaking it down into simple terms in easy to understand variables.
 

who?

who?
Ok... so if 700,000 people spend 24/7 honking and detail scanning every single item out there...

...how long before Frontier's exploration database becomes self-aware and assimilates the Interweb.
 
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