Advice for those with shields in deep space

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Shields when exploring are like helmets when cycling. You really, really, really do not need them; but if you are THAT worried about the 1 in a whatever huge number chance of wishing you had one, carry one by all means.
As a Dutchman I object. Shields don't look as ridiculous as all those helmeted johnny foreigners on their bikes. All you need to know is how to catch a fall. And that's coming from a very clumsy Dutchman who cannot count the amount of times he has fallen of a bike and it, BLOODY SPACEHAMSTERS ARE AFTER MY SANDWICHES I TELL YOU, SCOOT, GET OFF, MY SANDWICHES!!!, never did me any harm.
 
As a Dutchman I object. Shields don't look as ridiculous as all those helmeted johnny foreigners on their bikes. All you need to know is how to catch a fall. And that's coming from a very clumsy Dutchman who cannot count the amount of times he has fallen of a bike and it, BLOODY SPACEHAMSTERS ARE AFTER MY SANDWICHES I TELL YOU, SCOOT, GET OFF, MY SANDWICHES!!!, never did me any harm.

Butt kicking for goodness!!!


(I wonder if *anyone* will get that reference?)
 
I've been out since late April. When (IF...) I get back, I'll have to think of a lot of things.
Shields on, power distributor on, what was my boost button?, chaff on (does that thing still work at only 40%?), what was the approach angle for a good exit from SC on a station? And fine motor skills in confined spaces, which I have not seen for a long time...

Edit:
Oops, nearly forgot that one!

Before I re-enter the bubble I spend some time in my ship's training simulator, relearning simple things like "what is landing gear for".
 
I understand the reasons to turn some items off while exploring.
But where does that leave you when exploring neutron stars and other systems where it is possible to crash out of jump or SC entering a system through the local stars?
In this early ED days this means a lot of damage shield up. These days I have managed to jump into a system and pass through the middle of 2 stars. Then still be left in SC before arriving in orbit.

Not sure I would want the test the idea without shields :( Do you check EVERY jump to see if there is local star in line with your approach to that system?

The only time it is advisable to turn your shields back on while exploring is if you're mucking about inside a ring trying to take a nice picture and running the risk of bumping into a big rock.

Crashing out of SC because you got too close to something, over heating in a tight space between stars, flying right through them on exiting supercruise - shields have no effect on any of these things (except in so far as having them turned on means your generating more heat internally and more likely to overheat).

PS - there is absolutely no truth in the idea that the line of the route plotted in the galaxy map and the representation of the stars in the destination system around that line have any bearing on where they will be in relation to you when you jump in.
 
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I just took my first jab at exploring. I'm carrying shields and weapons because I'm looking for the Thargoid home system. Actually came across a fellow explorer, who doubted my weaponry was able to handle Thargoids and he's probably right, but still.

When dropping out of SC to investigate a black hole up close I was actually kill warrant scanned by a player cobra. If I wouldn't have shield and lasers I might have been in trouble... Also I like to drop out of super cruise cruise though asteroid rings and the like. I/m affraid I forget to turn things back on, so I don't switch anything off. In a Diamondback I never have any heat issues, even when I dropped out for flying to close to the blue white star (can't remember the class name but they are very luminous and apparently quite hot), I didn't even have to drop a heat sink, I just jumped out with my temperature still at a manageable 84%.
 
Butt kicking for goodness!!!


(I wonder if *anyone* will get that reference?)

;)

minsc.jpg
 
The only time it is advisable to turn your shields back on while exploring is if you're mucking about inside a ring trying to take a nice picture and running the risk of bumping into a big rock.

Crashing out of SC because you got too close to something, over heating in a tight space between stars, flying right through them on exiting supercruise - shields have no effect on any of these things.

PS - there is absolutely no truth in the idea that the line of the route plotted in the galaxy map and the representation of the stars in the destination system around that line have any bearing on where they will be in relation to you when you jump in.

Think something has changed since beta then, did you not watch this video "How to avoid warping out in a star":

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81653&highlight=guide+exploring

Personally had ship damaged from jumping into a system and this is not limited to exploring, where I was stationed last has one close by system that had 2 axis that were dangerous to jump into by. I had to plan routes around.
 
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It may well have been different when Nutter was writing his guides, but it's not the case now. I've had jumps where I've come out of witch space and been on the far side of the star facing back the way I came, the nebula I'm heading away from behind the star that's now in front of me, peeking over the edge of the corona.

Just plot a fairly straight level route through a few systems and travel along it. If the line on the galaxy map indicated entry points then your next target should be roughly in front of you every time you exit, it won't be.
 
I say this because, and quite correctly, Cmdrs advise that carrying a shield generates heat, which is one reason many Cmdrs don't carry one.
Meant to address this particular bit before:

Generates heat, adds weight which reduces jump range, consumes a valuable module slot with something that I virtually never need while exploring.

I'll probably feel differently once we start encountering Thargoids or whatnot in deep space, but until then it's dead weight.
 
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Planetary landings changes this somewhat though, in that you will want to turn those shields back on when landing on planet surfaces. Heat isn't usually a concern when touching down, but taking hull damage most certainly is. I've been having to do a lot more power management in my Asp with a 2A power plant while scouting for the DWE, which I don't mind honestly, in fact I find power management fun to be truthful!

:)
 
Planetary landings changes this somewhat though, in that you will want to turn those shields back on when landing on planet surfaces.

Yeh I hope they adjust this somehow. Ships seems to be oversensitive to damage when landing without shield on planets. Even gently and featherly touching down on flat surface I still get damage 50% of the time without shields on. With shields on however I can just slam the ship down anywhere, booom. No damage, no worries.

I would like to take a small shieldless ship for long range exploration sometime.But with the constant damage for landing this isn't very viable. Would be perfectly fine if we could repair the hull though..
 
Like towels, often you don't realise you needed shields until it's too late.

I never leave home without them. And I never turn them off. Being easily distracted does teach one a lesson.

(By the way, the never turning them off part is where they are unlike towels. That would be weird.)
 
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Ian Phillips

Volunteer Moderator
Are you sure that talking about condoms in an exploration thread is a good idea?

It brings all sorts of wierd images up....
 
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Are you sure that talking about towels in an exploration thread is a good idea?

It brings all sorts of wierd images up....
You talk about weird images as if thats a bad thing.

But I don't want to appear close minded .... how about cigarette lighters? You set down on a planet, get out, find a nice vista, nice cold beer, roll a cigarette and .... damnit, travel 15,000 Ly back to the bubble to get your lighter.

Hmm, that wouldn't work. I'd notice 5 minutes after departure.

How about a towel? Shall I edit in towel?

edit: Done, if you do the residual clean up on your part we're golden :)
 
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You talk about weird images as if thats a bad thing.

But I don't want to appear close minded .... how about cigarette lighters? You set down on a planet, get out, find a nice vista, nice cold beer, roll a cigarette and .... damnit, travel 15,000 Ly back to the bubble to get your lighter.

Use the residual heat of your rockets... i can not count how often i had to get creative to light one. Exhaust pipes come to mind... close to the turbo (carefull or your whole cigh burns, at once......)

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Butt kicking for goodness!!!


(I wonder if *anyone* will get that reference?)

somewhere i have the code still to make the hamster an group member... and he kicks major butt
 
Necro explo thread for the win!
Now shields are mandatory unless you macro a button that goes dowm 1m/s with vert thrusters or blips off FA for 0,5 seconds.
Regarding me I prefear to go manual, and also now I never turn off shields. Remebering to turn them on before every landing is too much for my mind. I have to use memory to remeber to bring lighters and "towels" for the Group Expedition.
 
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