Question in prep of VERY long exploration voyage

After going on Distant Worlds ][ I've become exploration hungry.

I am planning to circumnavigate the galaxy

For DW][ I used a partially engineered Asp Explorer with a 45LY range.
It was good, but I learned a LOT on that voyage.
Since then I've been working on maxing out my engineering and getting my anaconda up to 75LY

My question is this:

I've been lightweighting pretty much everything I can. And my current build has a 4A max overcharged-stripped down Power Plant
My only problem with that is its integrity is 66
One thing I found on DW][ was that I couldn't repair the Hull or the Powerplant.
I have an alternate build that has a 74LY range (only one light year lower) but uses a 5A max armored-double braced Power Plant
The new integrity is 268

Am I reading this right? is the 268 going to last me 4 times as long regarding normal wear and tear?
I'm refering to neutron boosting, overheating, rough landings. That sort of thing.
Obviously I'm ok sacrificing the 1LY range if that's the case, as it seems the power plant is a sort of hard timer on the voyage.
 
You can repair Hull, if you take Reapir limpet controller and some limpets/cargo space with you (to sythesize limpets when needed). When deployed without a target, limpets will repair your hull.

If your Powerplant health drops to 0% it will not necesserily blow up stright away. It will give you half of the power output. You can reboot/repair it, sacrificing other modules (that you can repair with AMFU) and at 1% it will give you 100% power again.

As far as I know Neutron boosting damages your FSD, not PP.

Anyway, 1Ly isn't that much of a difference, so take tha armoured version if it will make you feel safer.
 
Jump range is overrated. Sure, an extra 20Ly makes a big difference. But I've never understood the desperation to eke out an extra fraction of a Ly (unless you're going for a record, of course).

So, yeah, sacrifice 1Ly for a more durable ship, definitely. That tiny range drop isn't going to make a whiff of difference on such a long trip, but the greater integrity just might.
 
Not sure if PP integrity matters, unless someone is shooting it on purpose

Any other damage you might take out there is from overheating or from emergency dropoffs and will be a percentage damage that is spread towards all modules
Just make sure you fill all your empty slots with AFMU and keep them deactivated so you have more modules to spread damage
Get some repair limpets for your canopy/hull and that's it. Just make sure you get a 3d repair limpet - 1d will repair way too less and you tend to use too many limpets

Also dont skimp on shields and augment them with E-rated heavy duty shield boosters - it may save you from lithobraking
 
thank you all so much for the insight.

Can someone please explain in more detail that method of repairing the power plant in deep space?
the one that talked about sacrificing other modules.
I have a 6A and a 1A afmu.
I don't intend to take damage recklessly, it's just that occasional carelessness over the course of MONTHS will add up.
 
I used an G5 Armored 4A PP during the entire Distant Worlds 2 expedition, and it suffered only damage once when I got thrown out of Supercruise due to not paying attention, dropping to 99% integrity. Unless you are an extremely careless pilot, you should have no problems with a 4A powerplant. :)
 
Take a DBx fully kitted with rover and get 58ly. You could probably get longer if you messed with it a bit. Takes AMFU etc too. DBx has the added advantage of being able to land on a surface that the Annie cannot.

Or go posh, kit out a long range ASPx. Its what true explorers take cos reasons. :) Also take a mining laser.... very helpful when u need mats. But hey, I'm old school.
 
Jump range is overrated. Sure, an extra 20Ly makes a big difference. But I've never understood the desperation to eke out an extra fraction of a Ly (unless you're going for a record, of course).

So, yeah, sacrifice 1Ly for a more durable ship, definitely. That tiny range drop isn't going to make a whiff of difference on such a long trip, but the greater integrity just might.
Totally agree. Jump range is overrated . Ask yourself why are you exploring if you want to jump over everything..........
Take a DBx fully kitted with rover and get 58ly. You could probably get longer if you messed with it a bit. Takes AMFU etc too. DBx has the added advantage of being able to land on a surface that the Annie cannot.

Or go posh, kit out a long range ASPx. Its what true explorers take cos reasons. :) Also take a mining laser.... very helpful when u need mats. But hey, I'm old school.
 
Here's mine, it does 74.39 ly if you don't fill the extra fuel tank. Has Everything you might need, shields, boost, 2 AFMUs, 6 Srvs, fuel transfer, mining lance and armoured powerplant..

 
Meanwhile, I'm some 30+k light years away from the bubble, making my way around the galaxy in a Beluga, about 42 light years per hop. When I finish this trip, I may just share my internals. I think y'all will be surprised.
 
IIRC damage on modules do to overheating or emergency drops is a percentage of the module's health, not a fixed amount. Because of this, enhancing the health of the PP is not a good decision.

On another note, I circumnavigated the galaxy alongside DECE with a paper thin AspX and mediocre module health (everything was D rated except the FSD), the only protection I brought and had turned off for the majority of the time was a 3D shield to prevent hull damage on landings.
 
Well, my Exploraconda manages with an Armored/Monstered 3A PP and still jumps 80Ly.

I'd definitely go with an Armored PP just to be on the safe side but, honestly, I don't think I've even taken noticeable damage to a PP while exploring.
Course, the galaxy is a slightly more dangerous place these days, with lightning storms and oddball floaty-light-things that can damage your ship, so I guess the cumulative effect might be worth considering.

Let's face it, the difference between an overcharged/stripped-down 3A PP and an Armored/Monstered 3A PP is 0.95t and, on my Annie, that decreases the jump-range by a whopping 0.14Ly
If it reduced the jump-range by 1.4Ly I still wouldn't care.
It's only if it reduced it by 14Ly that I'd think twice about it.

+EDIT+

Also, for the hell of it, here's a pic' of my Annie, near SagA, sniffing around one of the floaty-light-things that can do your ship some damage.

2z7fwwo.jpg
 
If in PvE as mentioned you don't need an armored PP. Those things are tough. I've been out on many long distance months to over a year trips (before engineering) and never had any issues with the PP at all needing repairing. Same with the hull, though that all will depend on if you are landing a lot or forget how to land on higher G planets, etc. With that I just use Heavy Duty armor and that's it. For shields on my Anaconda just a reinforced G5 one works fine for me.

Don't worry too much at all about the power plant though, Hull could be a little more of an issue with landings though...
 
Jump range is overrated. Sure, an extra 20Ly makes a big difference. But I've never understood the desperation to eke out an extra fraction of a Ly (unless you're going for a record, of course).

So, yeah, sacrifice 1Ly for a more durable ship, definitely. That tiny range drop isn't going to make a whiff of difference on such a long trip, but the greater integrity just might.


Yeah - I always choose practicality and comfort over absolute max range nowadays. Over 60 ly or so it doesn't make a huge difference to me. The only case where Max range was truly necessary was when I was exploring the sparsely distributed systems way above the galactic plane, directly above the core. That was quite fun - path-finding to see how high I could get. :)

@OP - definitely drop that ly... I'd say sacrifice a few more if it means a more comfortable build.
 
Also engineer your hull before you leave. As lightweight alloys weigh zero the increased mass doesn’t apply when you engineer them.

 
Top Bottom