Exploration for credits

[goemon]

For beginning game play, Exploration is an excellent method of making money. Since everything is in relation to what YOU have explored, taking a 2,000 LY trip makes a lot of credits for a new player.

Once you get past being able to afford a Cobra III...

Great info Sapyx, that'll help me for sure when I venture out. I'll use my AspX, which almost always has a surface scanner anyway. At the moment though, my query was more about the ability to generate income within the couple of hours one might have for a single gaming session [after work] and completing a round-trip(heading out, scanning some systems, getting back to the desired dock and cashing it in.) If that type of work was viable, compared to the type of work I'll normally do in that time - CZ, HRES, Passengers.

I get the impression that it's not, but the replies have helped my figure out my next move

i think, exploration is an okay money earner when you start the game and don't want to do combat. scanning earth-like in a sidey, while flying through the bubble will bring you into an Adder fast, at which point you can either trade rares or go exploring the galaxy (i have done the second).

after that - no. if you like to do exploration, income is an extra on something you anyway do.

as for short trips: i have done a project in 1.4., where i have flown to all 1000-coordinates (e.g. +1000/-1000/-1000), throwing in local nebulas from this list: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...-List-of-(real)-Nebulae-and-Galaxies-in-Elite

that have been trips, which i could easily do in a session or two.

found some interesting systems and great sights!

 

[Zeeman]

.... A typical explorer can do 1000 LYs a day...

A day? Are they walking?

Z...

 

[Elementical]

Another option to make some exploration credits is to visit the Dumbbell Sector and scan the list of high value planets listed here.

Everything is within a 100ly radius and is about 1000ly from the bubble. You should make a visit to the Dumbbell Nebula itself too while you're there (BD+22 3878).
If you enjoy the beauty and colours of the nebula you're half way to a cluster of nebulae!
Veil Nebula West
Veil Nebula East
Sadr Region
Pelican Nebula
North America Nebula

Here's the view from Dumbbell Sector EL-Y C18 4

Spoiler

 

[marx]

IMO it's just SO wrong the "jonking" is the best way to earn money (exp CGs as well). Possibly one of the stupidest gameplay decisions FD have made.

Agreed on it being stupid, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't an intentional gameplay decision. Rather, it would be a side effect of unscanned (just pinged) planets giving too many credits - or scanned planets giving too little for the time investment. But exploration payouts on a whole do need an overhaul.


Back to the OP: to get an early boost on credits via exploration, I'd also recommend looking up the nearest systems with more than one Earth-like worlds, and visiting and scanning them. The mini-ELW tour that MattG linked will net you many more credits, of course, but it'll also take considerably longer.

 

[racer1]

I'm not sure exploration is such a good earner for starting out. You really need an A class FSD and advanced discovery scanner to make it worthwhile and even in a sidewinder you'd have to do something other than exploration to get started with that.

I recently did the outlander challenge - basically reset your save and do enough to get an A-class FSD and an Advanced discovery scanner and then fly to Jaques to start a new life.

Initially I stole kills from system security in RES in the starter system. You can earn a couple of million credits in a couple of hours doing that and be on your way.

I then reset again and tried doing it without combat, just missions and trading - it took about 4 hours to get the required credits to kit out my sidewinder for the journey without kill stealing in RES.

The journey to Colonia in my sidewinder with 18ly jump range took about 20 hours and I made about 15 million credits - I was mostly jonking and investigating ELW, nearby WW and other shiny stuff.

Here is a nice little video to help you figure out where to go for first discoveries:

[video=youtube;8xzlGaqrq3M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xzlGaqrq3M[/video]

 

[Leper Messiah]

Agreed on it being stupid, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't an intentional gameplay decision. Rather, it would be a side effect of unscanned (just pinged) planets giving too many credits - or scanned planets giving too little for the time investment. But exploration payouts on a whole do need an overhaul.

Regards "stupid gameplay" decision I'm mainly referring to exploration CGs that reward Jonking FAR more than full system exploration by ignoring detailed scans. I'm currently retracing my Jonk steps to scan the planets etc I missed when I rushed around like a headless chicken for the recent explorer CG.

 

[Freebird]

My 2nd Cmdr is a pure explorer, no credits from trade or combat.

Current stats are: 25.5MCr for 1670 Systems, so ~15k per system. I'll scan interesting systems, but tend to ignore ones with just a few iceballs.

 

[goemon]

I'm not sure exploration is such a good earner for starting out. You really need an A class FSD and advanced discovery scanner to make it worthwhile and even in a sidewinder you'd have to do something other than exploration to get started with that.

I recently did the outlander challenge - basically reset your save and do enough to get an A-class FSD and an Advanced discovery scanner and then fly to Jaques to start a new life.

Initially I stole kills from system security in RES in the starter system. You can earn a couple of million credits in a couple of hours doing that and be on your way.

I then reset again and tried doing it without combat, just missions and trading - it took about 4 hours to get the required credits to kit out my sidewinder for the journey without kill stealing in RES.

The journey to Colonia in my sidewinder with 18ly jump range took about 20 hours and I made about 15 million credits - I was mostly jonking and investigating ELW, nearby WW and other shiny stuff.

Here is a nice little video to help you figure out where to go for first discoveries:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xzlGaqrq3M

you really don't need an ADS ... from a pure cr/h perspective you shouldn't scan anything outside of an intermediate discovery scanner range. that, plus a dss can be earned with ~20 to ~30 full system scans around the starter systems. pick agricultural systems, they nearby always have an ELW.

 

[racer1]

you really don't need an ADS ... from a pure cr/h perspective you shouldn't scan anything outside of an intermediate discovery scanner range. that, plus a dss can be earned with ~20 to ~30 full system scans around the starter systems. pick agricultural systems, they nearby always have an ELW.

What is the range of the IDS? 1000ls? Coriolis has it as 1000ls, seems a bit low. These days I seem to discovery lots of stuff without even honking...

 

[Scoopy Doopy]

20m/per hour for me!!!!

Oh no, sorry. I meant per month

 

[Mysturji]

With 2.2, it got easier.
There's a new "Neutron Superhighway" on the route to Jaques (more or less).
Head out there. How long that takes depends on how much time you can play. The neutron field gets denser as you get nearer the core.
About 10 - 15 KLY from the bubble, it's about as dense as it gets.

Dock at the outpost and sell your data.
Set your star filter for "Non-sequence stars" only. Find the field (the station is a few hundred LY away from it) and go there.
When you get there, honk, scan, jump (supercharging is optional ) refuel as/when necessary (Lots of scoopable stars too, but you'll need to change your filter to see them) repeat.
Return to the last station and sell your data. (This will also get you allied with Colonia)
On my way back from Jaques, I supercharged and jumped only to NS's (except to refuel) and at every stop, I made at least >1MCr (~3MCr at the first station I reached) until I ran out of Neutrons.
In a dense field, I dunno but maybe 2MCr/hour?