Telling the difference between Cyclops and Basilisk in the dark

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Hey there. Title says it all. I cannot figure out how to tell a Cyclops from a Basilisk when it is dark - which it mostly is when I get hyperdicted.

I can tell them apart when they are well lit (after all the coloring is very different), but in the dark it's hopeless. I've seen videos of CMDRs recognizing them in the dark and/or with nightvision on more or less instantly, but I cannot figure out what, if at all, is the difference other than the color scheme.

Any help?

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Turn on your ship lights when it scans you, if you still can't see the coloring look for the speckles.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

yeah that's impossible if I fumble up the field neutralizer (or don't carry one) . Apart from that still wondering how people do it, even with NV from a distance.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

The only other way I could imagine people are identifying them immediately is if they have a xeno scanner and targeting it shows five hearts instead of four.

 

[Zieman]

Does tthe hyperdiction itself give any clues, or is it identical, no matter which flavour Thargoid is behind it?

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Does tthe hyperdiction itself give any clues, or is it identical, no matter which flavour Thargoid is behind it?

There are set combinations of interceptors for hyperdictions (https://wiki.antixenoinitiative.com/img/hyperanalysis.png) but that doesn't really help distinguish between a single cyclops or basilisk. The actual hyperdiction sequence is always identical.

 

[r3per]

There are visual differences in color but difficult to get close enough with the cruddy ship lights to see. If you have a xeno scanner installed, just face long enough for hologram of goid to show then look at number of bars over it's shield. Clops has 4, Basi has 5. Here is a photo:
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Scanning is only needed if you intend to use sub targets.
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[r3per]

Hey there. Title says it all. I cannot figure out how to tell a Cyclops from a Basilisk when it is dark - which it mostly is when I get hyperdicted.

I can tell them apart when they are well lit (after all the coloring is very different), but in the dark it's hopeless. I've seen videos of CMDRs recognizing them in the dark and/or with nightvision on more or less instantly, but I cannot figure out what, if at all, is the difference other than the color scheme.

Any help?

Forgot to use reply. See my post above.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Thanks, but with a scanner it is of course easy. My question was more caused by seeing a streamer meeting a Thargoid and instantly going (with NV on but without a scanner): Yeah that's a Basilisk, and I thought: How???

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Since the last update came out there's a couple more obvious ways.
The cyclops has very bright muzzle flash when it fires its main cannon, the basilisk doesn't.
When the basilisk first deploys its swarm (which are now a lot more visible than they used to be), they will briefly form a solid ring followed by a spiral configuration. The cyclops swarm has only half the amount of thargons so it only forms a broken ring followed by a spiral with incomplete arms.

 

[Untilting]

Title says it all

Cyclops tend to have hairy legs, whereas basilisks have a crest along their backs. But to be honest if your night out's going that well I wouldn't be too fussy.

 

[Valmont]

There are visual differences in color but difficult to get close enough with the cruddy ship lights to see. If you have a xeno scanner installed, just face long enough for hologram of goid to show then look at number of bars over it's shield. Clops has 4, Basi has 5. Here is a photo:
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View attachment 343650
//
Scanning is only needed if you intend to use sub targets.
//

This is actually very helpful, thank you! I never noticed that before.

 

[r3per]

Thanks, but with a scanner it is of course easy. My question was more caused by seeing a streamer meeting a Thargoid and instantly going (with NV on but without a scanner): Yeah that's a Basilisk, and I thought: How???

Ah, sorry. Guess it was the streamer's experience. No clue on that, as I could not tell without a scanner in the dark.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

no worries. Been a while since I posted the question above, I've had a few more Thargoid encounters since, but I still have no clue . Unless I can see the color difference, I need a scanner to tell them apart .

 

[Kayvan]

I've been fooled more than once even with a scanner. I see 4 heart boxes, I think Cyclops. Sometimes it turns out it's really a Basi who's already lost his first heart, and the CMDR who did it left/disengaged/got rekt.