Exploraconda

khaos526

khaos526
I've been all over the Galaxy in the AspX and my Anaconda and actually making a return trip this time around Beagle point in my Anaconda having done it with my AspX.

AspX I loved the movement in SC as ell as planetary landings and surface flying looking for things such as gysers. Made it more flexible over the Anaconda. But I got used to my Anaconda now exploring and with the jump range, I have let my AspX sit in Colonia to be used for local exploration and mainly planetary surface exploration due to the great jump range of the Anaconda.

With Jumponium, I can easily get to the far distant systems now without much trouble and it makes it more fun. It just might take you a bit to get used to the more bulky feeling of the lager ship and maneuverability, but I got used to it enough to make it my main exploration ship now...
 

rhiz

rhiz
Assimilator1 said:
One thing I don't think has been mentioned (unless I missed it), is these weak thrusters that are being fitted to some builds (Asps or Condas), they are all very well for jump range but it could really limit which planets you can land on (assuming you have Horizons of course!:p;)).

My Conda is in long range hauler config atm, so jump range is important, but that said I wanted some thruster power for landing on the higher G worlds. Anyway I went for 7D thrusters, & it was enough for me to land on a 3+g world, very carefully & only just! Bizarrely, the instant I deployed landing gear it dropped like a stone :S.
Taking another look at corolis, I see the 5A thrusters are fractionally more powerful & 12t lighter! Doh! Anyway, not worth going down to 5D thrusters IMO, & not worth having a Pwr Dist so weak it can't boost! :p
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Yes, I was quite proud of my 65-67 ly jump range Conda with its downgraded thrusters (they just about manage to boost with the Engine Focused mod). A few weeks ago I was looking for a shipyard near Maia to transport my fleet for engineering and stumbled across Ceres Tarn on HR 1185 A 4. Didn’t check the gravity rating – 4.12 G! I was lucky to make it out alive with my equally useless shields. It didn’t help that I was laughing so much either… it reminded me of certain experiences that I had during my student days.

You definitely need to be careful though. I may reassess my setup given the kind results that some of you are getting with less austere builds.
 
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Kumicho Oyabun

K
o7 Commanders,

It is 7:20pm EST as I type this post, here in 40 minuets at 8:00pm EST I plan on streaming my S&R Conda on a ‘Shakedown’ running it from Sol to HD 148937 (planet 3 is 9.77g) and doing a ‘how to’ on my procedure for high g planetary landing.

Head over to twitch and just type in my forum name which is also my Commanders name which is also my twitch stream name :)

See you at 8 😁
 

XW_Ziggy

XW_Ziggy
Kumicho Oyabun said:
Question: With a total shield strength of 350ish have you tested the combat capabilities of your build? I ask because I know personally I have stripped my shields going through the airlock, let alone had someone shoot at me. 4D shields are for landing scratches and not good for much else in my findings... anyone can strip my shields by ramming me one good time and then unleash a volley of seekers to send me back to my last docking station in short order.
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350 shields is woeful for ramming damage in something as big as a 'conda because its mass x velocity results in the 350 shields only absorbing the energy of a ~65m/s crash in the event of hitting something static like a mailslot or the floor. Glancing blows off other ships will fare slightly better but all shields are very fragile when large objects (like planets, orbitals, Belugas etc) ram them.

350 will at least hold up to a typical NPC for a minute or so at 4-0-2. In the off-chance one interdicts you the shield should buy you enough time to melt anything smaller than an FdL
 
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Red Anders

Red Anders
Kumicho Oyabun said:
That is a good point, the answer is in the Commanders experience. There is a way to safeguard a landing on a high g planet. It involves knowing the procedures of toggling flight assistance on and off to control your decent. With this knowledge of procedure a commander can land on a 8G + planet without any issues. I will take some time tonight and make a quick video specifically using my Search&Rescue Conda build outfitted with a 5D thruster on HD 148937 3 which is a 9.77G planet.

I would suggest to not only do some research on YouTube but also get in some practice inside the bubble using the exact loadout you plan to take into the dark.

It can be done with no fuss :)
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It can be done with no fuss even without using FA-off, I've done it with D rated thrusters at the lowest class it's possible to fit on a number of different ships. It just needs a steady hand and critically, no use of downward thrust until you're ready to put it on the ground, i.e. when you're about 3m above the surface.

Kumicho Oyabun said:
On a side note:

HD 148937 is around 1,000Ly from the bubble and when I have an Exploration Build I am trying to shake down and test, I plot a course to that system. The distance is close enough to the bubble so if any issues arise I can make changes, also far enough away to get a solid feel for the builds performance. If I really want to push the shakedown I make an attempt at landing on planet 3 which is a 9.77G planet and known commander killer.
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Yep, even there. Love that system.
 
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Assimilator1

Assimilator1
Kilostream said:
I'm with you on the power distributor - even my stripped-out fitting can boost, but dd5 on 5D thrusters makes 'em completely viable - more powerful than stock 5A - I got dd5 with stripped down mod, it's fine on 3g landings.

Anyway, my conda looks a little different every time I take it out, but I have two main themes - one is fairly lightweight but has little bells and whistles to make life a little nicer, the other is more single-minded for getting out to those hard-to-reach spots where you need jumponium boosts (but it can still boost, and I wanted a small buffer shield to take the bump on planetary landings).

Exploraconda: https://eddp.co/u/jNfPA4EX
Jumpaconda: https://eddp.co/u/T2cApTwL
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Yea good point, I was thinking purely non-engineered at the time, but I've got ships with DD drives so I know how effective it can be, I just forgot at the time ;).

rhiz
On 2nd thoughts, I think that was the planet I landed on, so over 4g then!
But that's nothing compared to the 9.77g world!! :eek:

Kumicho Oyabun
Do you find that when you drop the landing gear the vertical thrusters lose power? (I'm talking from stationary)
With my conda (7D thrusters) on a 4.1g world I can hover no problems, but the moment I deploy the landing gear it drops like a stone! (didn't touch any direction controls, just landing gear).
 
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Allitnil

Allitnil
Assimilator1 said:
One thing I don't think has been mentioned (unless I missed it), is these weak thrusters that are being fitted to some builds (Asps or Condas), they are all very well for jump range but it could really limit which planets you can land on (assuming you have Horizons of course!:p;)).
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I've tested my Conda with 4D thrusters, 1D PD and 3D shields at Achenar 3 (6.7g) with zero issues. The key is to assign vertical thrusters to an analogue control. Assuming you can do that, then any ship with any loadout that actually flies can easily be landed on any planet (handwavium physics applies with analogue controls). If you can't set such a control then, yes, you're probably going to need better thrusters to land on anything with even moderate G. But at the end of the day do you ever need to land an Exploraconda on anything more than trivial gravity? You can choose to do so, or accidentally attempt it by being careless, but you don't need to.
 

Kumicho Oyabun

K
Assimilator1 said:
Kumicho Oyabun
Do you find that when you drop the landing gear the vertical thrusters lose power? (I'm talking from stationary).
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I can not recall a time where as you mentioned, has happened. I am stationary when attempting a HighG Landing and when I deploy gear, if memory serves nothing happens. No loss of altitude no sink no nothing. Now you have me questioning if I have had this happen to myself or not lol, I can not recall a time which it has.
 

Straha Yeagar

S
the source 0179 said:
Hi everyone. I'm getting the itch to go out exploring again. And am considering taking my conda which i haven't used for anything yet. Been out in the black with my aspx and my plython before.
So anyway in your experience and opinions what is the conda like out exploring and is it worth taking and any tips for exploring in a conda also if you would like share your exploraconda build.

I quite liked it when I went out in my python.
Just thought might give the conda a go specially since i haven't used her for anything yet.

I might be out in the black for a few months or longer.
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I haven't read the rest of the thread, but from my own experiences flying the Anaconda, I would suggest doing a couple hundred jumps, scanning, and landings inside the bubble before heading out into the black. Personally, the 'Conda is probably my least favorite ship to fly in the game due to its abysmal supercruise handling, and I just can't stand the restricted cockpit view. A few months out in the black is a long time to be stuck in a ship you end up not liking.
 

lemon cup

L
This thread partially inspired me to finally finish up the engineering on my Exploraconda and get it out of drydock for the first time in months. What an invigorating feeling it is to do the final pre-flight, limpet restock, and last-minute crew swap before dialing in the route and launching from the pad out into the black for who knows how long.

The Midlothian II was my first “Big 3” ship and was born for exploration. She’s been on just a handful of voyages, each time outfitted a little better. Now I’ve got what I feel is as close to perfect for my needs as I can get.

I like to take what I call “activity modules” for CMDR play time when I’m out in the black. A 5D fighter Hanger and 4G SRV bay are mandatory. I also enjoy 2 medium mining lasers and a 1A collector module for extracting materials from asteroids when planet farming gets dull.

For repairs I just bring a 6A AFMU and a 1D repair limpet module. I don’t need two AFMUs; that’s only a concern if you frequently overheat and I never do, unless intentionally during a hasty scoop-jump manuever around a star. For that I have a heat sink launcher, modified for an extra sink, with 9 reloads in material synthesis.

Of course I have the obligatory DSS and ADS, the former modified for fast scan. 7A fuel scoop is also mandatory, and a 3D Shield generator modified for low power, stripped down experimental. A measely 157mj out of it, sufficient for squishy landings when the CMDR feels especially lobotomized, and scrapes with the mail slot after space madness deletes my knowlege of how to dock.

Outfitting the core modules was a bit tricky. Sensors and life support were easiest, D-rated and modded for light weight. Frame Shift Drive is 6A (you mean they sell C-rated FSDs?) with the mass manager software. Next is engines - fitted 4A drives, G2 cleaned for a bit less heat and a bit more maximum mass rating. The PD is 3A engine focused with cluster capacitors and by some miracle, she boosts!!! After everything was polished and tuned, I got it all running smoothly on a 4A PP with grade 1 low-emissions just for shiggles.

And finally, the most important module of all: a 32 ton cargo rack! Which, if I try to remove, I get an ominous message that says it will be permenant and can not be undone 0_o

Jump range is 61-63-65 ly and everything I want is onboard. Best part is, I happen to have an empty C5 slot, reserved for Guardian FSD booster when 3.1 drops.

And we’re off. I’ll be in the black until you hooligans trigger something interesting back in that interstellar petri dish called the bubble. Fly safe, CMDRs.
 

Bartizan

Bartizan
I kind of wish I brought a fuel limpet controller but the odds of happening upon someone seems slim. Side note, I only carry 2 limpets in cargo and keep mats to make more to minimize jump range impact. I can prob carry nonee to be honest since the
mats are so easy to find and hold onto.


Stupid Auto correct got me
 
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Assimilator1

Assimilator1
BPE?
Ack, no boost! :p;). How come so many HS launchers btw?

Lemon cup
Re cargo rack, IIRC you get that message when you sell anything that was fitted from the factory.......I think, anyway, don't worry about it, you can always buy a another 1, or store that 1 :).

Kumicho
Hmm, interesting......
 

the source 0179

T
Well after reading all your comments and playing around with coriolis and a lot of thinking. I decided to go with my faithful python. Ive set her up with everything I need and stripped out what I don't need. Stored my engineered modules and put some smaller engineered modules in. She gets 40.8ly fully fueled.
I've headed out straight up from the bubble today about 590lys where I'll start my journey. Parked her up for the night in a safe place. My rough plan is to head out towards the rim on colonia side of the galaxy and at some stage make it to colonia as I've already done Sag A around 1.1. I'm hoping to find a path that no other cmdr has taken.

Thank you cmdrs for your advice.
 

lemon cup

L
Assimilator1 said:
BPE?
Ack, no boost! :p;). How come so many HS launchers btw?

Lemon cup
Re cargo rack, IIRC you get that message when you sell anything that was fitted from the factory.......I think, anyway, don't worry about it, you can always buy a another 1, or store that 1 :).
Click to expand...

I don’t know, I had a 64 ton rack fitted before I finished the build. I had to drop down a class and lose some tonnage in order to fit Class 4 thrusters (because maximum mass rating is based on how heavy you are fully laden). Did that, then later went to stick the rack in a different slot and got the message. Figured it had something to do with my mass/thrust ratio and decided not to F with it.

Though later I realized the ship was “hot” (500cr loitering fine, clearly I’m an outlaw) and now I’m leaning towards that being the reason ;)
 

lcdguy

L
Assimilator1 said:
BPE?
Ack, no boost! :p;). How come so many HS launchers btw?
Click to expand...

BPE - Beagle Point Expedition

Why so many HSL, because my ship is hot stuff :). But seriously each launcher has a limited amount of ammo and it's not like i need to bring any other utilities with me that far out. I think i have seen 3 fellow cmdr's in the last 2 months. Boost means more weight which means less jump range. When your 60,000 ly from bubble and/or over 40,000 ly from the nearest station running out of range is not a good idea :)
 
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