Ship Builds & Load Outs A-class Sensors. Any value?

Eclipse1024

E
Since I'm still suffering from non-stop disconnects I've been fiddling around with my Coriolis load outs this afternoon instead. I noticed I still had A-class sensors outfitted on my All-purpose Asp and wondered if they really provide any value over the D-class other than the 1.75km range.

Are they more durable? Do tracked weapons aim better at distance? Am I able to scan planetary objects at greater range? Do I see ships in Supercruise at great range?

If it's really just normal-space range and maybe a bit of added durability I think I'll pass and go with the D-class.

Any insight?
 

Ceekay

Ceekay
Other than extended range I haven't noticed any other benefits, I can see that would be advantageous for smuggling (avoid ship scans) or getting a better tactical position on a target before it detects your ship.
Perhaps it'd be better at picking up ground targets in Horizons but for now I fit a D.
 

CMDR Alege Kelso

CMDR Alege Kelso
I have found that gimballed and turreted weapons are somewhat more accurate with A rated sensors. If you happen to be using fixed weapons then D rated would work just fine.
 

Eclipse1024

E
I was having a heck of a time trying to find an outfitter that even carried sensors so I said screw it and redid the module prioritization to squeeze the A-class in there. Works like a charm now. I use gimballed weapons so perhaps it really is the better plan of action.

All-purpose Asp
 

goemon

goemon
sensor class DOES NOT affect accuracy of turretts ir gimbals. dev-post:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showth...67#post2513067

Quote Originally Posted by Mike Evans View Post
Other than being able to lock onto a target in the first place the quality or size of the sensors plays no part in the accuracy of a turreted or gimballed weapon. Wish this myth would die but it appears miss-information like this persists despite many clarifications on the forums."

that said, beside smuggling or fighting stealth builds or bein in RES sites there are no good reasons for A class sensors, especially on ships with bigger sensor moduls (and therefore more range)
 

FunGas

FunGas
I think the extra weight (less jump range) outweighs the extra 1km sensor range they provide, saved up for them, fitted them, went back to D's...
 

Richard Bentley

Richard Bentley
I ran with D-grade sensors re the weight for some time, but have recently reverted back to A-class simply because I want to get the biggest view of my surroundings. I find the increased range to be of benefit especially in a RES and CZs, to see more of who or what is on the battlefield. RES targets especially can appear at quite a range, and for me the increase in sensor quality has been beneficial when bounty hunting.

While the turreted and gimballed weapon aiming theory has been debunked I did remember reading somewhere that A-class modules give off a lower heat / noise profile. Thus in theory the more A-graded modules you have the less detectable you should be when not in silent running....
 

Psycho Romeo

Psycho Romeo
Not so bad for RES bounty hunters who need to rush over to their prey.

I hope they help resolve contacts a little better than D rated ones.
 

InMemoriamSirocco

Banned
InMemoriamSirocco
The Imperial Courier is a ship with enough power to go completely A-rated, so that's one of the ships you can try A-rated sensors out on for RES bounty hunting.
 

Comandante

Comandante
Ceekay said:
Other than extended range I haven't noticed any other benefits, I can see that would be advantageous for smuggling (avoid ship scans) or getting a better tactical position on a target before it detects your ship.
Perhaps it'd be better at picking up ground targets in Horizons but for now I fit a D.
Click to expand...

Apologies - I'm in the dark with this one. How can sensors help with avoiding ship scans?

If it's obvious, please be gentle, I'm a gentle soul ;)
 

Comandante

Comandante
Mysturji said:
You can see them before they can see you, so you can avoid them or launch chaff/heatsinks before you get in their range.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mysturji. I seem to recall you from the KS days, might be wrong. Too much Tenants... And Travellering...

OK, that makes sense - but, particularly, I was thinking of this in respect to running narcs[/onion heads/Tenants/whatever] through stations. In which case I guess there's no benefit re: stations? Can't imagine a ship Class A scanners out-performing a station's scanners?!

WRT other ships though, that makes perfect sense. Ta!
 

goemon

goemon
Comandante said:
Can't imagine a ship Class A scanners out-performing a station's scanners?!
Click to expand...

stations don't have scanners, stations don't scan you. patrolling system security ships scan you.

so yes, with a-class-sensors on your smuggling cobra you can lay cold 6 km away and watch how the patrolling ships move, to slip through. some smugglers use this for smuggling in an anaconda.

for the flaws of system security though (because you can simply line up and boost in) you will only need it in a smaller faster ship when smuggling to a military outpost (and than you can as easily engagw silent running to sneak into sensor range if you run a cold running build).
 

Comandante

Comandante
goemon said:
stations don't have scanners, stations don't scan you. patrolling system security ships scan you.

so yes, with a-class-sensors on your smuggling cobra you can lay cold 6 km away and watch how the patrolling ships move, to slip through. some smugglers use this for smuggling in an anaconda.

for the flaws of system security though (because you can simply line up and boost in) you will only need it in a smaller faster ship when smuggling to a military outpost (and than you can as easily engagw silent running to sneak into sensor range if you run a cold running build).
Click to expand...

Ah! I usually only go to C-grade sensors, didn't realise they were so helpful :)

This will definitely add to my smuggling - although I'm quite successful at it anyway (luck!?), this help. Cheers, both.
 

Arsen Cross

Arsen Cross
I fly an A-Grade Python, including sensors and always equip A-Grade sensors, regardless of the ship I'm flying. I have a few reasons for this. For context I exclusively play in Open, and would consider myself to have an extremely high level of situational awareness allowing me to properly utilize the information advantage from the module.


  • Most Open players run D-Grade so I immediately have a sensor advantage and see them before they see me almost all the time. This is valuable time for threat analysis. This doesn't just apply to PVP.
  • Longer sensor ranges means you have a much wider adjustment range for your radar display so you can adjust the zoom level at a more granular scale. This allows you to account for detection of obstacles like asteroids and adjust the display size to a level that makes it easy for you to remain aware of surrounding obstacles to avoid collisions.
  • Ships that rely on silent running are absolutely zero threat to me by themselves. In order to engage me effectively they will have to be within 1-1.5km, and even if they are good enough to cause me to lose target lock, I have yet to see someone good enough to mask their signature entirely within that range. This directly translates into being able to bring my ship to bear on them easily by simply paying attention to the radar allowing me to bring my fixed weapons to bear easily, regardless of target lock.
  • I smuggle periodically so sensor range is very useful as when smuggling I don't boost so I'm moving slow. Having that extra range to detect the movement of other ships is critical to ensure you can take appropriate action when you see a ship approaching detection ranges. You don't have to be as close as you might think for a stealthed ship to show up on a radar as a fuzzy contact. Especially if it's got good sensors.
  • In PVP it is a very common tactic for players in faster ships to boost out of what they think your sensor range is (IE, when they lose lock/detection of you) before they return to supercruise or high wake to another system. I have used this to my advantage many times against CMDR's who have gotten out of range and changed their orientation prior to entering cruise or high waking in an attempt to eliminate my ability to track them. Being in a Python it's very easy to attempt this tactic against me. I've surprised and killed several commanders who were quick thinking pilots who knew how to disengage simply because my sensors allowed me to watch them from a distance they couldn't see me at. Letting them think think they removed my ability to chase.

The only time I don't equip A-Grade sensors is if I know I won't be engaging in Combat with the ship. On paper the sensors aren't very impressive. It's figuring out how to use them properly that really makes them shine. Your mileage may vary and the pilots who will receive the most benefit from A-Grade sensors are the ones with high levels of situational awareness that can both fly the ship and keep track of their instruments effectively.
 

CorvusDove

C
I use A grade and hate going back when I buy a new ship.

From what I've seen, there are three distinct advantages. The first is the obvious overall situation awareness improvement. Second, I've noticed it's easier to see enemies that are inside of planetary rings; they resolve for me from being jiggly faster. Finally, I've noticed that it's easier to find Diamondback Scouts than it was; eliminating the stealth advantage of that ship is important in high traffic areas.
 
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