Random exploration in an SRV can be enjoyable and profitable, but most people never bother, probably because they don't even think to try! But especially for newer players, surface exploration can be a highly enjoyable(and profitable) way to play the game. There are just a few things you need to know before you get started.
First off, all you really need is some cargo space and a Surface Vehicle Hangar Bay. That's it! You can literally start with the starter Sidewinder from Horizons!
But to really make your adventure enjoyable, you'll need a bit more than that. The first priority is getting your SRV to be easy to drive. Surface sites can be 5-10km apart on the surface, and if you're only going 20m/s, you'll get bored in no time! What made the biggest difference to me personally was swapping my steering controls over to my mouse. While the default controls work just fine if you've got a controller or HOTAS, the keyboard is so binary, it makes it extremely easy to accidentally throw yourself into a spin and end up facing backwards. The first time, it's funny; the twentieth, not so much.
So you'll want to go into your controls, subsection Driving, and set your "SRV Driving X-Axis" to "Yaw", and your "SRV Driving Y-Axis" to "Pitch".
Then, you want to make sure that Drive Assist is OFF. That's usually activated by pressing the 'z' key.
And that's it! This will give you what is, in my experience, the easiest driving experience. Now, the key here is that, while you're driving, always keep the mouse pointed a bit DOWN. This will use your thrusters to apply downward force to your front wheels, and will largely prevent the annoying 'ending up facing backwards' thing. Not entirely, but it will make a HUGE difference.
Now, you want to pick a good place to get started! Ideally, you want a planet with human inhabitants, and between 0.25 and 0.5g gravity. The low gravity will make it a lot easier to maneuver, but without going so low that materials go flying sky-high when you shoot meteorites. The human inhabitation will give you a place to restock, as well as dramatically increase the number of human surface sites and canisters you'll find.
The SRV scanner is the most important aspect of this experience. You need to be able to read it to know where you're going!
Here's an example of a normal sight on your SRV scanner.
Higher bars, nearer the top of the scanner, are Human signal sources. Here's an example of a very distant Canister site I just found:
See the scattering of bars near the top-right of the scanner? That indicates a fairly distant canister site. As I approach, they'll start to move closer together, until finally, the location is fully revealed.
Voila! A smattering of Canisters, defended by three skimmers! Now, to the beginner these skimmers can seem intimidating, but they're really not much to worry about. First, make sure they're wanted! If they're not, and you're not interested in becoming a criminal, move along!
If they are wanted, then go ahead and switch to Turret mode(by pressing U), and put all pips to WEP. This will give you the power you need to kill them!
Here, you can see I'm targeting one of them(default - right click) in turret mode, I have four pips to weapons, and I'm ready to go. Now, if I wanted to be extra careful, I could also put 2 pips to SYS, but that's not necessary if you're quick on the draw. If you begin shoot and kill them sequentially, the last one should JUST start shooting just before it dies. If you can't get them quite that quickly, don't panic! More importantly DON'T MOVE. Moving will make it almost impossible to hit them! Just take a deep breath, take your time, aim, and take them down. Don't worry about dodging damage; they can't damage you if they're dead, and they're quite flimsy.
Great! Now they're dead! Time to collect your trophies!
But first; recall your ship. It takes some time for your ship to arrive; better to be doing other things while it comes than to be sitting there waiting!
Here's what I found this particular time. This is actually one of the less-profitable ones I've found; others have been stuffed to the gills with Platinum and Jadeite. Scoop up two of the most profitable, and head off towards your ship. When it lands, don't bother transferring cargo; just get inside, healing your damage, and just take off to collect the cargo on the ground manually! If you're having trouble finding the canisters, don't worry! When you take off in your ship, look at the ground! You'll be able to see your SRV tracks, and you can follow them back to the canisters.
Once you've scooped up everything you want, just disembark from the ship again and head off! There's plenty more treasure out there to find!
Here's a metallic meteorite. Just shoot it until it drops its fragments!
Now, there's a trick to this. The beginner approach is to back far enough up to see them, and drive back and forward over and over to collect them all, one by one. This works, but will make you miserable!
The better approach is to use Free Look! By default, Free Look is your middle mouse button. Once you've broken the meteorite, slowly approach the pile of materials, and using free look, look down! You can target the materials through the floor of your SRV, and by mashing the target button, quickly scoop them all up in a single run!
And...that's all there is to it! In just a short while, you'll have found credits, materials, and learned a new skill(driving your SRV like a pro!) This skill will even help translate to Guardian unlocks later on down the line!
But don't think this is ALL you can find! I still stumble on new things, now and then! Get out and explore, and maybe you'll find something new, too!
Good luck!
Setting up for success.
First off, all you really need is some cargo space and a Surface Vehicle Hangar Bay. That's it! You can literally start with the starter Sidewinder from Horizons!
But to really make your adventure enjoyable, you'll need a bit more than that. The first priority is getting your SRV to be easy to drive. Surface sites can be 5-10km apart on the surface, and if you're only going 20m/s, you'll get bored in no time! What made the biggest difference to me personally was swapping my steering controls over to my mouse. While the default controls work just fine if you've got a controller or HOTAS, the keyboard is so binary, it makes it extremely easy to accidentally throw yourself into a spin and end up facing backwards. The first time, it's funny; the twentieth, not so much.
So you'll want to go into your controls, subsection Driving, and set your "SRV Driving X-Axis" to "Yaw", and your "SRV Driving Y-Axis" to "Pitch".
Then, you want to make sure that Drive Assist is OFF. That's usually activated by pressing the 'z' key.
And that's it! This will give you what is, in my experience, the easiest driving experience. Now, the key here is that, while you're driving, always keep the mouse pointed a bit DOWN. This will use your thrusters to apply downward force to your front wheels, and will largely prevent the annoying 'ending up facing backwards' thing. Not entirely, but it will make a HUGE difference.
Getting Started
Now, you want to pick a good place to get started! Ideally, you want a planet with human inhabitants, and between 0.25 and 0.5g gravity. The low gravity will make it a lot easier to maneuver, but without going so low that materials go flying sky-high when you shoot meteorites. The human inhabitation will give you a place to restock, as well as dramatically increase the number of human surface sites and canisters you'll find.
Exploring - the SRV scanner.
The SRV scanner is the most important aspect of this experience. You need to be able to read it to know where you're going!
Here's an example of a normal sight on your SRV scanner.
Higher bars, nearer the top of the scanner, are Human signal sources. Here's an example of a very distant Canister site I just found:
See the scattering of bars near the top-right of the scanner? That indicates a fairly distant canister site. As I approach, they'll start to move closer together, until finally, the location is fully revealed.
Voila! A smattering of Canisters, defended by three skimmers! Now, to the beginner these skimmers can seem intimidating, but they're really not much to worry about. First, make sure they're wanted! If they're not, and you're not interested in becoming a criminal, move along!
If they are wanted, then go ahead and switch to Turret mode(by pressing U), and put all pips to WEP. This will give you the power you need to kill them!
Here, you can see I'm targeting one of them(default - right click) in turret mode, I have four pips to weapons, and I'm ready to go. Now, if I wanted to be extra careful, I could also put 2 pips to SYS, but that's not necessary if you're quick on the draw. If you begin shoot and kill them sequentially, the last one should JUST start shooting just before it dies. If you can't get them quite that quickly, don't panic! More importantly DON'T MOVE. Moving will make it almost impossible to hit them! Just take a deep breath, take your time, aim, and take them down. Don't worry about dodging damage; they can't damage you if they're dead, and they're quite flimsy.
Great! Now they're dead! Time to collect your trophies!
But first; recall your ship. It takes some time for your ship to arrive; better to be doing other things while it comes than to be sitting there waiting!
Here's what I found this particular time. This is actually one of the less-profitable ones I've found; others have been stuffed to the gills with Platinum and Jadeite. Scoop up two of the most profitable, and head off towards your ship. When it lands, don't bother transferring cargo; just get inside, healing your damage, and just take off to collect the cargo on the ground manually! If you're having trouble finding the canisters, don't worry! When you take off in your ship, look at the ground! You'll be able to see your SRV tracks, and you can follow them back to the canisters.
Once you've scooped up everything you want, just disembark from the ship again and head off! There's plenty more treasure out there to find!
Oh, and last but certainly not least, Meteorites!
Credits are by no means the only thing you can find on the surface! There are three types of Meteorites you can find on the surface, but the ones you'll want are Metallic Meteorites and Mesodidierites, with most focus on Metallics. These can drop up to G4 raw mats, the highest there are!
Here's a metallic meteorite. Just shoot it until it drops its fragments!
Now, there's a trick to this. The beginner approach is to back far enough up to see them, and drive back and forward over and over to collect them all, one by one. This works, but will make you miserable!
The better approach is to use Free Look! By default, Free Look is your middle mouse button. Once you've broken the meteorite, slowly approach the pile of materials, and using free look, look down! You can target the materials through the floor of your SRV, and by mashing the target button, quickly scoop them all up in a single run!
And...that's all there is to it! In just a short while, you'll have found credits, materials, and learned a new skill(driving your SRV like a pro!) This skill will even help translate to Guardian unlocks later on down the line!
But don't think this is ALL you can find! I still stumble on new things, now and then! Get out and explore, and maybe you'll find something new, too!
Good luck!
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