Explorers : would you consider giving up on the infinite honk for...?

Godsailsaqueen

Godsailsaqueen
Now that the time has come (or has been announced, let's say) for the reworking of core mechanics, and getting them closer to the original concepts...
Let's talk exploration.

Would you be ready to give up on your infinite scanner range and exhaustive galaxy map for more rewarding probing / navigation gameplay? Rewarding in terms of money/rank/whatever else of course, but also in terms of feeling. Of course you can't be left in the dark and just downgrade to the intermediate discovery scanner now - it would feel like artifical handicap. But there could be modules that detect unfound gravitationnal perturbations... probes to launch that would detect planetary bodies and their surfaces, even system-scaled scanners ala SRV... To an extent, there could be secret systems in galmap, for you to find, with one-knows-what-tool.

I reckon some things can't be changed. You can't remove something the player base is used to - for nothing at least. I'm just trying to know if that particular godly honk and the ease of discovery is that important to you. Not saying exploring is easy though - but it's more a matter of endurance, most of the time, than navigational flair (ok, tbh there is true navigationnal flair in certain expeditions reaching really isolated stars).

Your thoughts?

Edit : reading through the thread, I need to clarify that I do not advocate for its removal. I'd just like to know your advice on it and other methods.
 
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Watcher

W
I wouldn't mind losing the infinite honk thing if it was replaced with some more interesting discovery mechanics and, possibly, higher reward. Sure.
I think that would be a super tough sell though, its okay for me, I'm in the bubble at the moment and not off exploring again for a bit.
For someone out in the black sudden mechanic changes would likely hurt a lot. That and changing core mechanics is always fraught with disagreement and outrage in an active game whatever you do and however well intentioned.
So, yeah, I think this would be good to have a strong exploration revision like this but I really don't see it happening.
Maybe some small steps in that direction but it'll be tough..
 

Godsailsaqueen

Godsailsaqueen
Watcher said:
I wouldn't mind losing the infinite honk thing if it was replaced with some more interesting discovery mechanics and, possibly, higher reward. Sure.
I think that would be a super tough sell though, its okay for me, I'm in the bubble at the moment and not off exploring again for a bit.
For someone out in the black sudden mechanic changes would likely hurt a lot. That and changing core mechanics is always fraught with disagreement and outrage in an active game whatever you do and however well intentioned.
So, yeah, I think this would be good to have a strong exploration revision like this but I really don't see it happening.
Maybe some small steps in that direction but it'll be tough..
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the issue with the "removing" of things. It can't happen now. Even more so that current explorers, away from the bubble for months, wouldn't have to come back for upgrading their ship to the current standard. But they could give more possibilities to achieve a same goal.
I currently don't see how you can expand on the sense of navigation and exploration with infinite scanner range. it was like a bullet in the foot from the get-go.
 

Kimosabe_X

K
Honestly no. Leave it as it is, but tone down the exploration rewards for non-first discoveries inside the bubble and some distance around it. It's just ridiculous, that you can get Elite explorer without really leaving the bubble now...
 

Trickylion

Trickylion
Exploring isnt easy, detailed scans have to SC close up, honk and run won't give you first discoveries, only thing I would change is more to do, more variety and a way to save explorer data without losing it all if the ship dies, this is the biggest risk
 

Cervantes01

Cervantes01
A good step in the right direction is simply to combine the advanced discover scanner and the detailed surface scanner into one class 2 module. Or give exploration ships dedicated exploration slots where they can keep these things.
 

o2thaZ

o2thaZ
No. Its to late for that. And why would you want it to make it tedious again?
More exploration mechanics are welcome but I fear we wont get anything ground breaking.
Aside from the repair limpets.
Imo exploration could be ignored until all planets are accesible.
Wich will be in 10 yrs when half of the playerbase is 60 ish ;)
 

Godsailsaqueen

Godsailsaqueen
o2thaZ said:
No. Its to late for that. And why would you want it to make it tedious again?
More exploration mechanics are welcome but I fear we wont get anything ground breaking.
Aside from the repair limpets.
Imo exploration could be ignored until all planets are accesible.
Wich will be in 10 yrs when half of the playerbase is 60 ish ;)
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of being tedious - actually you could get the same rewards for the actual exploration style, but with a possibility of bonus and more rewards (and a certain feeling of achievement in my particular case) if you just looked further into the system with gameplay tools.
 

DNA-Decay

DNA-Decay
If you haven't seen this thread - you need to now:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/307770-A-year-worth-of-Elite-photoshop-concepts!

the user ToSoCo has started only five threads.

The thread was locked this because it was 14 pages of "This is awesome do this" to bump the thread
Terrific proposals for exploration, science missions, all sorts of really cool non- combat stuff that the game NEEDS.

I suggest you examine the work of ToSoCo. For locking that thread.

I get why, just Frontier need to see it again sometimes.


And YES you can have my big scanner and my Elite rank, just make exploration good.
 
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LJITimate

L
so when you are making a long trip somewhere. one of the reasons I don't go mad is because I know ill get some cash at the end of it from using the discovery scanner while my fsd is charging, if you make it so you have to spend ages on one system, that is tedious, maybe get some extra credits if you properly scan each individual planet or something but don't get rid of what's there
 

Godsailsaqueen

Godsailsaqueen
DNA-Decay said:
If you haven't seen this thread - you need to now:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/307770-A-year-worth-of-Elite-photoshop-concepts!

the user ToSoCo has started only five threads.

The thread was locked this because it was 14 pages of "This is awesome do this" to bump the thread
Terrific proposals for exploration, science missions, all sorts of really cool non- combat stuff that the game NEEDS.

I suggest you examine the work of ToSoCo. For locking that thread.

I get why, just Frontier need to see it again sometimes.


And YES you can have my big scanner and my Elite rank, just make exploration good.
Click to expand...

I had seen it, there must be one of my replies in there - I didn't know of the thread's ghastly fate though, that was heavy handed.
Those were great ideas, even greater that they just seemed more plausible than just writing them. Still, it seemed really too advanced for E:D's current technical capabilities
 
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Fost

Fost
My first discoveries were done using the parallax method without an advanced discovery scanner.
If you wanted to become Elite then it would take forever but it was a fun mechanic.

Perhaps a way round what you are talking about would be for new items to need different methods.
E.g: keep what we have for large bodies but comets need to be found another way.

Would like to see detailed surface scans bringing up more interesting topographical maps too - e.g: mineral deposit concentrations.
 

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Give up infinite honk?

I'm not sure. I'm lazy. Lol

I did have an idea once, but never posted it (for once), about honking only finds stars or large gas giants in your system, and nothing else.

You then need to scan the star or gas giant to reveal anything that might be orbiting it.

Scanning the primary star will only reveal main bodies, not their moons. To find out if a planet has a moon, you need to scan the planet. Or simply fly close enough to see them. (Auto resolve)

The different classes of scanner just determine how far you can honk a star from.

Was an unfinished idea. And still is. Lol

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
 
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Certacito

Certacito
In a heartbeat, I would give up what we have now for exploration! it is the only career string I haven't got Elite in and I don't see myself getting it at this current iteration of exploration. It is SOOOOO dull! I love the ideas in the OP, perhaps adding in an suggestion that when a new player starts the game, they can see the bubble on the galaxy map with a fading out of the systems as they go beyond the bubble. Each foray into the unknown opens up more of the galaxy map. Hints, tips and missions could lead a player in a certain direction that will unfold as they go until they get to the destination and actually discover something.
 

Godsailsaqueen

Godsailsaqueen
LJITimate said:
so when you are making a long trip somewhere. one of the reasons I don't go mad is because I know ill get some cash at the end of it from using the discovery scanner while my fsd is charging, if you make it so you have to spend ages on one system, that is tedious, maybe get some extra credits if you properly scan each individual planet or something but don't get rid of what's there
Click to expand...

It depends on what you intend to do. Maybe that from getting from point A to point B you'd still do that with a more limited range (let's say 50 000ls?), you'd still gain some cash... But what if the systems you'd stay in could give you 15 times their actual current value if they were properly "explored"? All a matter of balance in my book. But reading through the thread, I realise feelings are mixed as to what is exploring gameplay - to me it would be much more about working towards secret discoveries in the unknown, things that could get passed you, but it may really be just my kink.

edit : Or not, thank you guys, I was starting to feel a bit lonely ;)
 
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