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I'm prepared to accept that, but it's an inference rather than a detection and so the FSS should be providing probability rather than a binary yes/no.
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the FSS, watching paint dry....
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I'm prepared to accept that, but it's an inference rather than a detection and so the FSS should be providing probability rather than a binary yes/no.
There's future tech and then there's future tech. I see the FSS as a powerful optical. radio, and gravimetric telescope - things we already have today (unlike FTL travel, which is pure magic by today's standards). Since you earlier shared your ideal exploration mechanics, allow me to share mine:
1) No honk. The honk is a vestigial instrument from pre-3.3 and needs to go. Instead, we should be forced to fly a lap around the sun, during which time the FSS passively scans the sky for signals, observing parallax which will allow it to identify what the honk currently identifies.
2) I do agree that our computers should be able to see that cool things like ELWs, black holes, etc. are in the system and notify us (like SETI). Once I do the loop (during which I'll also be refueling), I should get a HUD display of the spectrometer along with a message if an ELW is in the system.
3) I like playing the 2D blob game, as this is me using my highly advanced space telescope to zoom in on these objects to get additional data and populate the system map. This is similar to RL, as NASA can scan large swaths of sky, but they need to "focus" on a very particular place in order to observe things like asteroids, and that's why so many near-earth objects go undetected until the last minute. This is the "FSS minigame" that I personally enjoy.
4) Keep FSS details about geology, biolife, and materials to a minimal, like "life detected on planet", requiring us to probe the planet to learn more.
5) Once we do probe the planet, any life documented in the Codex should be identified as that specific life instead of generic "biologic POI)". If I land to find yet another Bark Mound, I'm going to scream. This means "Unidentified Lifeform" should make us jump up and take notice.
6) Allow me to hire an NPC to do most of this work for me if I chose, with caveats that NPC will be slower than I am and will take a chunk of any earnings I make for my discoveries (an idea debated to death in a different thread).
Reminder, I'm not expecting the above things, just saying what my idea of a "perfect" exploration system would look like, and it's pretty darn close to what Frontier already gave us.
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As WR3ND describes in that thread I move away from the system plane and wait 10 secs or so after scooping has completed before entering the FSS Scanner Screen to avoid the block. I have previously stated that with the old system we could scan through other bodies, which was at least internally consistent with the ADS revealing all bodies. If we cannot now scan through bodies how does the FSS honk detect them?
I'd ask the question how did the old system detect them, and allow you to scan those close bodies through the star? More handwavium? Moving 12Ls or so above the ecliptic helps a lot these days.
1. Okay, I can accept moving around/away from the star as a requirement.
2. No popups! ELWs aren't the be all and end all of exploration anyway.
3. I'd prefer to avoid the minigame entirely.
4. No binary yes/nos. Probabilities and inaccuracies.
5. I think you should have to land once for each POI type, then your system knows the 'signature' of that type and can detect it from the probe stage.
6. Don't care. Wouldn't use it.
I can live without "popups" if we have the spectrometer on the ship's Analysis HUD.
But the "minigame" is the best part! Hire an NPC if you hate using the space telescope
Yes, I meant to say things CONFIRMED in the Codex, which means exactly what you've stated.
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I can live without "popups" if we have the spectrometer on the ship's Analysis HUD.
But the "minigame" is the best part! Hire an NPC if you hate using the space telescope
Yes, I meant to say things CONFIRMED in the Codex, which means exactly what you've stated.
I still want to explore by flying around the system. The minigame will never feel like exploration to me.
As I'm sure you know, the DSS still exists and works like it used to, it's just you can't select a planet to fly to unless you first "scan" it with the FSS.
My immersion would remain completely intact if the Navigation Panel populated with the major bodies (gas giants but not their moons) after the initial "honk" / proposed star lap, as long as they are labeled "Unidentified Planet". I'd also be okay if the HUD circled any planet that would get a "blob" in the unzoomed FSS. As you fly toward a gas giant, then the moons would fill in the Nav Panel, basically using your ship to "zoom in" like we can with the FSS. But, like the FSS, I don't think we should know what kind of planet we are approaching until it's been scanned (FSS or DSS).
I'm guessing this would make you happy.
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Yes, but scanning the planet in the FSS removes the reason to actually fly to it, since I've already gained far too much information about it. The only reason for flying to a planet is to play the OTHER minigame.
A populated Navigation Panel would be perfect. That's my red line, basically. Without targetable bodies at initial reveal (honk/whatever) my exploration gameplay is crippled.
By the way, I kinda hate the auto-resolve functionality too. It's stuff happening that I'm not actively participating in, so it feels empty.
For me the problem is that it is a vacuous minigame, almost as banal as the original ADS.
But, at least the ADS was just basic. Just a basic thing. But very effective.
Changing this after 4 years to something equally as banal, but in dressing-up clothes pretending it's fun 'gameplay' is, to me, a misstep. Another one for the list.
I would like to see exploration improved but I do not think that this tedious, silly minigame was the way by which to do it.
I don't know what would have been, I admit. But when the so-called improvement is more annoying than the original, basic activity, I have to say that, for me, it's a fail.
Others out there may - and indeed, have said - that they like it. Well, lucky them.
But, at least the ADS was just basic. Just a basic thing. But very effective.
Changing this after 4 years to something equally as banal, but in dressing-up clothes pretending it's fun 'gameplay' is, to me, a misstep. Another one for the list.
I would like to see exploration improved but I do not think that this tedious, silly minigame was the way by which to do it.
I don't know what would have been, I admit. But when the so-called improvement is more annoying than the original, basic activity, I have to say that, for me, it's a fail.
Others out there may - and indeed, have said - that they like it. Well, lucky them.
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I'm not that lucky, I have disappearing stars, shadows, pixelated planets, and this elephant butt leather.
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I'm not that lucky, I have disappearing stars, sh_tty shadows, pixelated planets, and this elephant butt leather.
Sorry to hear that.
Well, that worked very nicely.
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Don't take this wrong, but maybe exploration just isn't your cup of tea? There's plenty of other things to do in the game that don't require FSS, ADS, DSS, etc. Or you could explore the countless inhabited planets around the bubble (take some passengers with you and make extra credits), no minigame required.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of scanning a new system with this wonderful space telescope that Frontier gave us in 3.3.
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Exploring was the thing I enjoyed the most.
But it sounds like you hated the ADS almost as much as the FSS.
None of you in this thread make any sense, except me of course.
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Translation: You're playing the game wrong.
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I didn't like it that much but I prefer it to what we have now.
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I liked that it gave me sufficient information to fly around a system exploring it, but not so much information that it rendered that flying around meaningless.
Flying around was always meaningless. It's a space game without any inherent meaning.
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