Is an exploration Annie worth it?
- Thread starter Gypsy12
- Start date
Same here, and I only realised a couple of weeks ago that the 7B is cheaper than the 6A and outperforms it in every measurable way. I spent years exploring with a 6A, having fallen into the "A-rated is better" trap. I have repeatedly kicked myself over that.
There's no denying it, if the restricted view and/or handling of the Anaconda gets under your skin I don't think it's something you'll be able to learn to love. You either have to accept its limitations and maybe learn to tolerate them a little more over time, or just forget it. I don't think you can start from a position of irritation and hope to ever have that go away, especially if you're used to an Asp or similar.
Same applies to the aesthetics. There was a thread in here not so long ago which demonstrated how polarising the Anaconda's looks are. Different players opining that it was literally the ugliest ship in the game, or the most photogenic. If you hate the look of it at first sight, evidence suggests it's unlikely to be a grower.
Where the Anaconda shines is jump range and versatility / self-sufficiency. For noodling around on the fringes of the galactic disc and trying to reach those isolated systems it has no peer. I've done the bulk of my exploration in an Anaconda and, while I initially missed the view and manourvrability of my old Asp, it wasn't a feeling that lasted very long. The Anaconda could simply do more things more comfortably than the Asp ever could (although there would now be a bit more of a grey area caused by the removal of the ADS post 3.3).
One of my next exploration trips will be in a Krait Phantom, because I fancy a change and it's a good platform on which to build a mid- to high-end exploration ship. But I will not be venturing near to the edges or rim of the disc in the Krait; the frustration of seeing those distant out-of-range systems that I know the Anaconda could reach without breaking a sweat would be too frustrating.
I love my Anaconda and highly recommend it for deep-galaxy exploration, but as always that's an entirely subjective opinion and there does seem to be a lot of hate for the ship from some, an opinion which I obviously don't share.
Having said that, I have just recently fitted out a Krait Phantom and have embarked on another longish jaunt - aiming about 11K LY from Colonia to some nebula I picked at random for the trip.
Couple of things I've noticed;
1) I miss my Anaconda
2) Smaller ships get thrown around in neutron star jet-cones a LOT more and a LOT worse compared to my Anaconda.
I want my submarine-in-space Anaconda back.
Well, I just skipped over to Filly, and after some DDT the thing swings better. Threw in a 64 fuel tank for good measure too. Not being able to see under you is a pain... A under view camera would be nice...
Why its the best choice for jack of all trades while out exploring on extended trips .. being relatively self sustaining is a bonus.
I’ve been out for a week solid in my Mkii phantom and I’m loving it, just engineered what I could with what I had at hand and set off for a 2 week holiday trip, not regretting it one little bit it’s an awesome ship for exploration. Soon as I’m back il be putting some serious effort into getting it fully engineered then it will be back out
No pun intended but im in a similar boat ...
My ps4 commander has to work on fundraising and material collection so he can build a ship worthy of being out in the black for a long time without detours to far out stations for repairs.
My ps4 commander has to work on fundraising and material collection so he can build a ship worthy of being out in the black for a long time without detours to far out stations for repairs.
The Conda is a great long range explorer. I took one on my Palin venture (+5000 Ly) into the black. I went past Lagoon Nebula in it with all the amenities; SLF, SRV, shields, etc., with a ~45 Ly jump range. It was fun but that SC handling is rough. I've had a T-9, the handling between the two are similar, very slow roll was my issue. If you're out in the black where you don't get interdicted often, the SC handling is not a big problem.
I'm in the final phase of building a Krait Phantom explorer. I don't need 70 Ly jump range to explore. If I have ~50, I'm good. I'm there as of today after leaving Ms. Farseer, so off I go.
GL HF Commanders .. and have a Happy Holiday
I'm in the final phase of building a Krait Phantom explorer. I don't need 70 Ly jump range to explore. If I have ~50, I'm good. I'm there as of today after leaving Ms. Farseer, so off I go.
GL HF Commanders .. and have a Happy Holiday
Last edited:
The bottom line. If max jump range is a really big deal versus anything else and a player wants to bring all the toys per SRVs, fighters, mining whatever then the Anaconda still rules. The addition of Guardian FSD boosters (pretty easy to obtain) opens up other ship opportunities. Still others have gone to the far edge of the galaxy 65K LY from the bubble in a Sidewinder. Look them up.
Bob Lighthouse
Banned
I feel people generally make way too much out of the Annie's handling.
If you throttle down it turns much faster in SC.
It has great range, tons of room.
The view is the worst thing about it.
If you throttle down it turns much faster in SC.
It has great range, tons of room.
The view is the worst thing about it.
For exploration the determining factor is how many toys do you want to bring along? The Annie is a useful ship because besides having the longest jump-range in the game it can carry all the toys you might want to take on a large-scale exploration, like redundant AFMU, both a SRV and SLF, both scanners (less of a consideration, now), etc. but because it is a large ship its turning (X/Y/Z) performance will be relatively poor and visibility out through the canopy is relatively poor. Not bad, just poor in comparison to other, smaller ships. If you do not want all of those toys along, consider an Asp-X, the medium-sized exploration ship (it's called Asp-Explorer, after all) with probably the best view out through the canopy (better than a Krait) and multi-crew capability in case you want to bring a friend along. o7
A lot of people seem to miss this fact and it applies in normal space too. Just take your foot out of the throttle and the Annie turns much faster.
Nearly finished. TBH, mine's not for exploring, it's a Colonia Taxi.
And I've just got Breaking Bad box set, so it's looking good for a test drive.
And I've just got Breaking Bad box set, so it's looking good for a test drive.
Last edited:
Not really true. If you plan to scan and tag a system, you're going to have to fly to each body and launch probes to survey the planets and also to discover the POIs. Otherwise you're leaving the door open for someone to claim jump your discovery and lay claim since they did all the real work. This has already started happening.
That said, the Anaconda isn't a bad exploration ship by any means. Being able to survey the POIs from space also mitigates the bridge issue, since you don't have to actually fly around the planet looking with the Mk I Eyeball anymore. You're still stuck flipping around slowly in SC though.
The Anaconda does indeed turn very quickly with an FA off boost turn. Sadly, most exploration Anacondas only have enough juice to boost once every 13 seconds. You still have to wait for your velocity vector to catch up so you can low wake out. The idea of dropping out of SC, boost turning, then going back into SC takes about as much time as just turning in SC, unless you're already going very slow and can instantly drop out of SC.
Last edited:
Bob Lighthouse
Banned
Yeah, you have to be pretty close to launch the probes.
That part could get tedious for some folks.
A nice, well-rounded, defended, and fully loaded Exploration Beluga: https://coriolis.io/outfit/beluga?c...VtEAAAA=.EweloBhBGYA4QBYQFMCGBzANikMIEhTFA===
Honestly, I don't think SC agility is that much of a big deal when exploring.
Sure, there'll be times when a sluggish ship is irritating but, given that we do most of our "exploring" while parked in SC now it's probably not going to be that much of an issue.
I went to Beagle Point in a T10 and after a couple of days I'd pretty-much forgotten how sluggish it was.
It was only when I got back and swapped into a DBX that I realised how different the various ships are.
OTOH, much as I think jump-range IS very important to exploration (you can't explore a system if you can't reach it), if you don't like the idea of flying a barge then exploring is probably going to be more enjoyable if you're in a more agile ship even if it can't jump quite as far.
In a nutshell, if I wanted to go to a specific place for a specific reason I'd probably take an Annie cos it'd get me there quicker and I'd know I'd only be flying it for as long as it took to do whatever I wanted to do.
If, OTOH, I was just going to pick a direction and see what's out there, I'd probably take a Phantom or my AspX in order to make the journey more pleasant.
Sure, there'll be times when a sluggish ship is irritating but, given that we do most of our "exploring" while parked in SC now it's probably not going to be that much of an issue.
I went to Beagle Point in a T10 and after a couple of days I'd pretty-much forgotten how sluggish it was.
It was only when I got back and swapped into a DBX that I realised how different the various ships are.
OTOH, much as I think jump-range IS very important to exploration (you can't explore a system if you can't reach it), if you don't like the idea of flying a barge then exploring is probably going to be more enjoyable if you're in a more agile ship even if it can't jump quite as far.
In a nutshell, if I wanted to go to a specific place for a specific reason I'd probably take an Annie cos it'd get me there quicker and I'd know I'd only be flying it for as long as it took to do whatever I wanted to do.
If, OTOH, I was just going to pick a direction and see what's out there, I'd probably take a Phantom or my AspX in order to make the journey more pleasant.
I'm thinking about going on a long term trip and I cant decide between the old Krait and the new phantom.
Old -> SLF for fast canyon racing. New-> extra jump range. Is that the main difference?
Personally i would advise against for exploration. For buckyballing, ok.
Basically its the SC manouverability, it drives me nuts. Took one on Distant Worlds 1. For DW2 i'm going in a Krait Phantom.
Basically its the SC manouverability, it drives me nuts. Took one on Distant Worlds 1. For DW2 i'm going in a Krait Phantom.