The ADS

[MadDogMurdock]

Yes. I don't want a placeholder back just because some got used to exploring with it. I'm sorry if using the FSA interrupts their Netflix viewing time. They are probably double sorry now that they can just set Supercruise Assist and hardly have to play at all. With the ADS + Supercruise Assist, it would be possible to explore while making dinner or doing housework.

Meanwhile, I'm glad to be able scale and adapt my exploration efforts to the question I'm trying to answer. The new tools are great for that, and I hope FDEV will add in more stuff for us to find with them, as well as more integration of the orrery into targeting in the same way the System Map and FSA Interface are.


S

More strawmen - keep it up, you’re on fire.

 

[M00ka]

Or it’s having a negative impact on new players. We’re all old timers here, but think of the impression the fss gives the first time a new player would try out of bubble exploration. Takes 2-3 goes.

So where are the pages and pages of complaints from new players? The only ones complaining are the same handful that have been complaining since the FSS was released.

 

[WR3ND]

No thanks. An optional module please. I do not want the system map populated after a honk.

Seems fair enough to me. Now if only Frontier could be convinced to revive what they seemingly view as a drowned rat getting in the way of their new vision for exploration.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

So where are the pages and pages of complaints from new players? The only ones complaining are the same handful that have been complaining since the FSS was released.

They just dropped and post / like and left. We're invested enough to care.

 

[babelfisch]

What about having scan options in the ship panel thingy so a player could choose the method that they prefer?
With the 'populate map but no info, no discovery' scan choice (as above), for example, or the option to use the current honk scan.

Let players choose the way that most appeals to them, without stopping others from doing it a different way if they prefer that.

No need for 'punishment modules'.

I guess that would solve most of the arguments, but does it make sense? The ADS wouldn't award credits and first discovered but it would give you all the detail (maybe except from the DSS) that the FSS would give you. So why still use the FSS? If anything, bodies should already be resolved after you used the ADS and we only use the FSS to get additional info like the DSS. I believe we've already been there 30 pages ago.
I am starting to think exploration needs another complete overhaul that does everything different and gets everybody equally angry.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

Sorry Babel, that would ruin my exploration experience. I could live with black orbs or wireframes of the main planets. But that's about it.

 

[babelfisch]

Sorry Babel, that would ruin my exploration experience. I could live with black orbs or wireframes of the main planets. But that's about it.

Yes, I would argue for an option in the ship function panel "Basic Honk discovers system map - On/Off" but it would break my immersion.

 

[WR3ND]

Can we at least agree it would be nice to have something in the cockpit UI after a honk? And not just the "X bodies discovered" notice? I would like some sort of mass function graph and a representation of the FSA spectrogram in the cockpit view. Then based on that I can decide if I want to look closer at the frequency analyser for anything in particular.

S

Even just bodies on the nav. panel is better than nothing for me though.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Sorry Babel, that would ruin my exploration experience. I could live with black orbs or wireframes of the main planets. But that's about it.

So what you're saying is you like the surprise of discovery just as much as everyone else but are too lazy to fly out the bodies to earn it.

Knew it. Closet god mode addict not about pretending at all!

 

[askavir]

Yup, just found it odd that people are asking for an additional click and module.

Because there are people who prefer to uncover the system map manually, and having an optional module would keep everybody happy.

edit: ninja'ed

 

[Sysmon]

So what you're saying is you like the surprise of discovery just as much as everyone else but are too lazy to fly out the bodies to earn it.

Knew it.

But why should you have to fly to them to gain data that we can gather from earth about other planets in the solar system (and elsewhere) today? This discussion is truly running in circles!

S

 

[babelfisch]

Because there are people who prefer to uncover the system map manually, and having an ooptional module would keep everybodfy happy.

edit: ninja'ed

Not me because it wouldn't make sense. On the other hand, I don't really care.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

But why should you have to fly to them to gain data that we can gather from earth about other planets in the solar system (and elsewhere) today? This discussion is truly running in circles!

S

But you can't though. There's no points of interest detection on any body apart from earth unless we have flown out a satellite to do so. Which would be our ships in elite.

Maybe the tag sure, but nothing else. But the tag is the main offender for me i like the tags.

 

[Gully Foyle]

The ED fan base needs to up their game.

Take-down videos. I need videos of commanders going berserk on camera, ranting about what they want to do to whom.

While they fly their ships!

 

[WR3ND]

Not me because it wouldn't make sense. On the other hand, I don't really care.

Why wouldn't it make sense? Added module for added functionality. With the ADS installed, have the locations known on the FSS as well, just not discovered in more detail without targeting them and zooming in. Basically the same as it is now regarding the FSS, but without the blue blobs after the honk if the ADS is also installed.

 

[Sysmon]

But you can't though. There's no points of interest detection on any body apart from earth unless we have flown out a satellite to do so. Which would be our ships in elite.

Maybe the tag sure, but nothing else. But the tag is the main offender for me i like the tags.

OK, from a satellite then. Probably a better analog to a spaceship than this ball of rock we are on. Those satellites usually stick close to earth and can observe quite a lot. Hubble made some nice shots of volcanism on Io, for example. It didn't have to truck it to Jupiter to observe this, and we don't either with the FSS. More detailed information were gathered on fly-bys by Juno and Cassini, just like we have to hoof it to the planets in the game to get exact PoI data.

S

 

[WR3ND]

What about having scan options in the ship panel thingy so a player could choose the method that they prefer?
With the 'populate map but no info, no discovery' scan choice (as above), for example, or the option to use the current honk scan.

Let players choose the way that most appeals to them, without stopping others from doing it a different way if they prefer that.

No need for 'punishment modules'.

It's much more of a fair trade than a punishment. They've even given us a couple extra module slots since the FSS changeover anyway. And of course, the ADS did use a module slot before then even too.

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

OK, from a satellite then. Probably a better analog to a spaceship than this ball of rock we are on. Those satellites usually stick close to earth and can observe quite a lot. Hubble made some nice shots of volcanism on Io, for example. It didn't have to truck it to Jupiter to observe this, and we don't either with the FSS. More detailed information were gathered on fly-bys by Juno and Cassini, just like we have to hoof it to the planets in the game to get exact PoI data.

S

Yeah. Was adding more extensive volcanism ever a planned feature of elite? I remember obsidian ant used to want that as his top feature back in 3302. When they add that it would match science to be able to volcano pois for sure!

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

No need for 'punishment modules'.

Yeah i have a little 'SS' branded into my wrist every time i do my favourite carebear planetary scan mission.

 

[Sysmon]

Yeah. Was adding more extensive volcanism ever a planned feature of elite? I remember obsidian ant used to want that as his top feature back in 3302. When they add that it would match science to be able to volcano pois for sure!

I invite you to check out the old Design Discussion Archive for early ideas about what exploration was supposed to be like. Much more involved, dangerous and slow than what we have now! I think some of us old-timers go there from time to time to wallow in nostalgia.

There was talk about more extensive volcanism coming into the game, and I was among those that were probably a bit disappointed that what we got was only hard-to-find geothermal vents. What about the hell-planets? Even worlds sporting "Iron Magma" don't even have lava lakes (yet). The new exploration mechanics made it a lot easier to discover and locate volcanism, so now it's mainly an issue of not having much visual variation of it.

It could be in the works, though!

S