... or always.
... with the DSS +30% probe mod it is pretty difficult to not get the efficiency bonus I find.
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Newcomer / Intro Explorer help.
- Thread starter Harrowdown
- Start date
... or always.
... with the DSS +30% probe mod it is pretty difficult to not get the efficiency bonus I find.
Regardless of the orientation... I feel like I've missed something again. 
Keen to put the little one to bed so I can find out. Four more hours...
Keen to put the little one to bed so I can find out. Four more hours...
I didn't know you could engineer probes.Fish in a barrel,then.... or always.
... with the DSS +30% probe mod it is pretty difficult to not get the efficiency bonus I find.
The reticule does provide a handy halfway indicator, which helps.
To give an example of how to map 100% of a planet/moon that has an efficiency target of 6 without moving your ship - I position the reticule at the 9 O'Clock position on the planet and move it away from the planet until I get the "miss" warning. Moving the reticule back towards the planet, fire your first probe half way between the point where the "miss" warning disappears and the broken line that indicates the edge of the planet. That will send a probe to the middle of the backside of the planet.
Then, still moving the reticule from the 9 O'Clock towards 3 O'Clock position, fire off probes as the reticule crosses the broken line on the left of the planet, the dot at the centre & the broken line to the right of the planet. Finish off by firing two more probes; one at the broken line above 12 O'Clock position and below the 9 O'Clock position.
This will usually also map a planet with an efficiency target of 7. For smaller bodies: 4 probes - fire them off at the broken lines at 9,12,3 & 6 O'Clock positions. 2 probes - fire at the broken line at the 12 & 6 O'Clock positions.
Hope all that makes sense?!
Then, still moving the reticule from the 9 O'Clock towards 3 O'Clock position, fire off probes as the reticule crosses the broken line on the left of the planet, the dot at the centre & the broken line to the right of the planet. Finish off by firing two more probes; one at the broken line above 12 O'Clock position and below the 9 O'Clock position.
This will usually also map a planet with an efficiency target of 7. For smaller bodies: 4 probes - fire them off at the broken lines at 9,12,3 & 6 O'Clock positions. 2 probes - fire at the broken line at the 12 & 6 O'Clock positions.
Hope all that makes sense?!
This is the important bit when firing probes at planets / moons wit the Detailed Surface Scanner.
Engineering the Detailed Surface Scanner increases the radius of the surfaces covered on impact and makes the process both easier and faster.
When firing probes remember that you need not cover the entire surface of the planet with them -- you'll get the "Surface scan complete" message when coverage reaches 90%. This means you can optimize your probes to hit with minimal or no overlap as long as there is not a large gap between the mapped regions. If you come up a little short (say 87% to 89%) you can drop a probe on one or more of the larger gaps to squeeze out the remaining percentage.
The targeting reticle is the key to learning how to handle different sized planets. The graphical components of the reticle are not just cool design, they can act as guides for aiming to achieve a certain placement on a given size, so pay attention to their relationship to the planet when shots go as planned, and repeat that placement next time around. Efficient shot patterns are often symmetrical, and paying attention to the reticle elements can help you get nearly identical setups for either side of the planets.
After a bunch of practice and observation, most planets will present little challenge to meeting the efficient targeting bonus, and what you learn from the common sizes will be invaluable in mapping those not frequently encountered.
The targeting reticle is the key to learning how to handle different sized planets. The graphical components of the reticle are not just cool design, they can act as guides for aiming to achieve a certain placement on a given size, so pay attention to their relationship to the planet when shots go as planned, and repeat that placement next time around. Efficient shot patterns are often symmetrical, and paying attention to the reticle elements can help you get nearly identical setups for either side of the planets.
After a bunch of practice and observation, most planets will present little challenge to meeting the efficient targeting bonus, and what you learn from the common sizes will be invaluable in mapping those not frequently encountered.
Good post - it becomes habitual after a while to launch probes in a particular pattern based on the efficiency target. I barely need to slow down for 2's and 4's, a brief pause for 6's and for Gas Giants of 26 well... taking it slow and cautious, laying them down in circular patterns from the horizon inward. I don't think I've ever gotten close to the efficiency target for the big ones; a good pattern makes all the difference.