Greetings,
UPDATE: Here is a shorter POST 3 years later showing the final dialed in version of the cool running Asp Explorer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, I'm done with filling up my Fleet Carrier with 24,500 T of Tritium. I haven't decided what to do with it. Acquiring it was the game play for me. How true playing ED.
Flying an Asp Explorer for years with dirty drives and an overcharged power supply the heat percentage gets pretty warm with 32% in cruise and 65% when jumping. Not a problem if the player is paying attention but there are limits. Fast fuel scooping even with a 6A fuel scoop can overheat depending upon fuel needs and worse with smaller ones requiring the player to park the ship next to the sun and wait. Fast maneuvers meters above the surface of a planet generates heat which an already warm Asp Explorer doesn't like.
I use the Asp Explorer for material collecting, meet 'n greet and transportation to my other ships for different game play up to 1000 LY from the bubble. So let's go for cold Asp Explorer build to see how it works. Note that the power info on the build doesn't match the in-game ship so I set the Power Plant to low emissions G5 and monstered to see all the data. In reality it is low emissions G5 thermal spread. This build also requires turning off one module when activating hard points. I set the docking computer to priority 3 and all modules are powered. More are needed if going into combat but this isn't a dedicated combat build.
Idling in space the heat percentage is 16%. It goes lower in supercruise. Turn off all modules except life support requiring power and we're at a cold 5%. Where's my winter jacket...
What did I lose? About 50 m/s in boost now 497 m/s, 2 engineered shield boosters, a frame shift wake scanner and 4 class 1 engineered mini-guns, The boost is fine with a good pilot knowing how to play the interdiction mini-game. The wake scanner was used for farming Datamined Wake Exceptions in famine systems but Frontier nerfed that. Being combat Elite rating the 4 mini-guns hardly puts a dent on the Dangerous and Elite NPCs who engage me. I have other ship builds for that.
What did I gain? A very cold ship, 2.4 LY increase in jump range, fast scooping with no overheating and get to keep all the optional internals and the beam lasers engineered for efficiency G5 with thermal vent that fire cool all day.
I haven't tried the beams with pirate NPCs to see if the heat percentage would go lower. Not being a combat ship they are more for sentries at bases with the pointe defense taking out the missiles sentries fire at Guardian sites while the player is running around in an SRV. Bring a friend along and gathering Guardian materials is a lot easier.
All the heat numbers are 16% idle, 17% cruise, 56% jumping (starting from 17%) and haven't hit past 65% fast fuel scooping with a 6A fuel scoop even when low on fuel. Of course 'Cool Running' was the appropriate name for this build. Now all I need is a decal from Frontier with a Jamaica bobsled...
Other tests. Still with good thrusters but less shielding and hull protection let's go to Achenar 3 with 6.75 G and crash into it. Only a 2.3 million rebuy. Performing a basic 'noob' player mistake on purpose I boosted on final approach 20 km away going to 666 m/s (something evil about that) slamming into the planet. The results were shields gone and 59% hull. Not bad with a 4900 credit repair cost later. Then I tried some fast landing drops at 50-100 meters not losing anything else. Again a typical 'noob' mistake. My current shields and hull are fine.
Are there better builds? Probably. Back the the days smuggling high value items with a long trip, avoiding NPC pirates and silent running especially avoiding station scans losing any profits and getting wanted was a big deal. Lots of Forum posts on building these ships. Here's my June 2020 build and with good pilot skills I never needed silent running. Players who have mastered FA off are even better at it. You decide.
Yes, the hyphen or any other any other shift characters are not working after the June 2020 update. Maybe adding voice ATC to Fleet carriers and no stations talk has a connection.
Time for a tune from Foreigner. I have the MP3 tune but posting it on the Forum might be an issue as it is still for sale.
You're as cold as an Asp,
If you're willing to sacrifice your build.
You never take advice,
Someday you'll pay the price, I know.
I've seen it before
It happens all the time.
Overheat the ship
You leave the game behind.
You're digging for gold
Yet throwing away,
A fortune in experience
But someday you'll pay.
Enjoy the Game
UPDATE: Here is a shorter POST 3 years later showing the final dialed in version of the cool running Asp Explorer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, I'm done with filling up my Fleet Carrier with 24,500 T of Tritium. I haven't decided what to do with it. Acquiring it was the game play for me. How true playing ED.
Flying an Asp Explorer for years with dirty drives and an overcharged power supply the heat percentage gets pretty warm with 32% in cruise and 65% when jumping. Not a problem if the player is paying attention but there are limits. Fast fuel scooping even with a 6A fuel scoop can overheat depending upon fuel needs and worse with smaller ones requiring the player to park the ship next to the sun and wait. Fast maneuvers meters above the surface of a planet generates heat which an already warm Asp Explorer doesn't like.
I use the Asp Explorer for material collecting, meet 'n greet and transportation to my other ships for different game play up to 1000 LY from the bubble. So let's go for cold Asp Explorer build to see how it works. Note that the power info on the build doesn't match the in-game ship so I set the Power Plant to low emissions G5 and monstered to see all the data. In reality it is low emissions G5 thermal spread. This build also requires turning off one module when activating hard points. I set the docking computer to priority 3 and all modules are powered. More are needed if going into combat but this isn't a dedicated combat build.
Idling in space the heat percentage is 16%. It goes lower in supercruise. Turn off all modules except life support requiring power and we're at a cold 5%. Where's my winter jacket...
What did I lose? About 50 m/s in boost now 497 m/s, 2 engineered shield boosters, a frame shift wake scanner and 4 class 1 engineered mini-guns, The boost is fine with a good pilot knowing how to play the interdiction mini-game. The wake scanner was used for farming Datamined Wake Exceptions in famine systems but Frontier nerfed that. Being combat Elite rating the 4 mini-guns hardly puts a dent on the Dangerous and Elite NPCs who engage me. I have other ship builds for that.
What did I gain? A very cold ship, 2.4 LY increase in jump range, fast scooping with no overheating and get to keep all the optional internals and the beam lasers engineered for efficiency G5 with thermal vent that fire cool all day.
I haven't tried the beams with pirate NPCs to see if the heat percentage would go lower. Not being a combat ship they are more for sentries at bases with the pointe defense taking out the missiles sentries fire at Guardian sites while the player is running around in an SRV. Bring a friend along and gathering Guardian materials is a lot easier.
All the heat numbers are 16% idle, 17% cruise, 56% jumping (starting from 17%) and haven't hit past 65% fast fuel scooping with a 6A fuel scoop even when low on fuel. Of course 'Cool Running' was the appropriate name for this build. Now all I need is a decal from Frontier with a Jamaica bobsled...
Other tests. Still with good thrusters but less shielding and hull protection let's go to Achenar 3 with 6.75 G and crash into it. Only a 2.3 million rebuy. Performing a basic 'noob' player mistake on purpose I boosted on final approach 20 km away going to 666 m/s (something evil about that) slamming into the planet. The results were shields gone and 59% hull. Not bad with a 4900 credit repair cost later. Then I tried some fast landing drops at 50-100 meters not losing anything else. Again a typical 'noob' mistake. My current shields and hull are fine.
Are there better builds? Probably. Back the the days smuggling high value items with a long trip, avoiding NPC pirates and silent running especially avoiding station scans losing any profits and getting wanted was a big deal. Lots of Forum posts on building these ships. Here's my June 2020 build and with good pilot skills I never needed silent running. Players who have mastered FA off are even better at it. You decide.
Yes, the hyphen or any other any other shift characters are not working after the June 2020 update. Maybe adding voice ATC to Fleet carriers and no stations talk has a connection.
Time for a tune from Foreigner. I have the MP3 tune but posting it on the Forum might be an issue as it is still for sale.
You're as cold as an Asp,
If you're willing to sacrifice your build.
You never take advice,
Someday you'll pay the price, I know.
I've seen it before
It happens all the time.
Overheat the ship
You leave the game behind.
You're digging for gold
Yet throwing away,
A fortune in experience
But someday you'll pay.
Enjoy the Game
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