Newcomer / Intro Am I set for long journeys?

[Katejina]

I've done a little bit of exploring already, but felt very limited with my initial ~8ly jump capability and 8-capacity fuel tank Adder.

Now I've got a Cobra with a 16-capacity fuel tank, a Grade A Fuel Scoop, Advanced Discovery Scanner (1.5mil-ish cr, INF distance), Military Grade Alloy plating (500k~ish cr), A larger Power Distributer and some extra shield boosters. I like to be able to outrun and hostiles...

Is there anything else I should pick up before I set off for further journeys to discover new systems? I can jump ~15ly now, but I don't really need my cargo bays. Should I look into replacing them with something else?


And of course, were any of these things a waste of credits? The Mil-Spec alloys have already saved my life against an Anaconda and its 2 wing-fighters, so I don't regret that. Would help if I didn't full reverse-thrust into an asteroid too, though...

 

[Fen Harel]

The only real absolute I say in exploring is: get the biggest fuel scoop you can afford. The rest comes down to play style.

Having said that, a A-rated power play is also a very good bet. Even if its smaller, go for an A-rated version, they are much more heat resistant and you will have less trouble when you are scooping.

Weapons, shields, armor. In the deep black they are dead weight.

Having said that, I keep small shields and a power distributor that is enough for at least a boost or two. It knocks my jump range down, but the very last thing I want to do is spend weeks on a trip and get blown up by an interdictions a few ls from my home system (and I have been interdicted seconds from dropping out in front of Vess)... or worse, blown up by a landing accident. But, that still falls under play style.

I have been taking an AFMU with me, its massless, so why not? I don't bother with heat sinks. I think the threat of close binaries is exaggerated (though the possibility of popping a star due to inattention is not). I have only hit one close binary, and I've explored over 3000 systems.

Do make sure you know how to use your AFMU before you go out... just trust me on that one.

Fly safe out there Commander! Check out Radio Sidewinder is you are out for a bit and want a connection back with those in the Bubble. (You don't have to go out to far to realize how small that Bubble is, either.)

 

[Xexexh]

IMO you should probably trade in your Military Alloy for a better FSD (and possibly better Thrusters if you have anything left over). You said you like to outrun enemies and that is the correct tactic for an explorer. The Cobra is the fastest ship in the game so if you are interdicted you should immediately submit and run.

Ditching the Military Alloy will save you weight and a better FSD should get your jump range up to the high twenties LY. Better Thrusters will increase your speed in normal flight to help you run from enemies.

 

[Fen Harel]

This is where it comes down to play style. It is absolutely valid to minimize the power distributor, thrusters and ditch shields to maximize jump distance. That gets you out to some hard to reach places, and also means you can travel farther faster. Likewise it is valid to hold back the jump range to keep some of this.

Keep in mind that after 1.2 there are no enemies outside the bubble. (I suppose another player could track you down, and I suppose Thargoids!, but both seem unlikely.) The danger is at the very begining and at the very end.

During your trip the biggest danger an explorer faces is themselves. As in, making a mistake.

To actually answer your question CMDR Katejina, a 15 - 20 ly jump range is perfectly fine for a trip. It would be tough if you left the Orion Arm, but there are plenty of places to go.

Actually, the real answer to your question is: go for it. Take your ship and head out. See what its like. You'll see what you need and what you don't need soon enough. It's fun being an explorer - and also very tedious at times - but rewarding.

 

[Xexexh]

Actually, the real answer to your question is: go for it. Take your ship and head out. See what its like. You'll see what you need and what you don't need soon enough. It's fun being an explorer - and also very tedious at times - but rewarding.

Absolutely! Sounds like you have everything you need. Give it a try and fine tune when you get back. Good Luck!

Edit: Do you have a Detailed Surface Scanner? Definitely worth the investment if you can afford it.

 

[Katejina]

Thanks for the replies!

I've been hopping in and out of resource sites and a nearby war zone to collect bounties and earn some quick credits, but my exploration itch is comin' at me pretty strong.

I like the idea of going lighter and jumping further, I may just have to try that since I don't need to worry as much about enemies further out!

I'll take all into consideration and see what I can come up with. I definitely need to learn the AFMU, but I also forgot to mention I've got a pretty snazzy FSD already.

I suppose then I'll swap out one of my unused cargo bays and hunt down a detailed surface scanner to go with my advanced discovery scanner.

Thanks again, guys! I'll probably collect some more bounties just to cover my insurance for a bit and then head out there. I can't believe how far out we can go. A lifetime could not possibly satisfy this game!

 

[Fen Harel]

I can't believe how far out we can go. A lifetime could not possibly satisfy this game!

Indeed. Fly safe Commander and tell us the stories you make out there.

 

[Katejina]

Downgraded to lightweight alloys, dumped my cargo bays for a detailed surface scanner and upgraded my Frame shift drive. I can now jump a fantastic 18.5ly. Thanks for all the help guys. Hopefully I can maintain the cr for buyback if I die now, lol...

 

[Fen Harel]

Downgraded to lightweight alloys, dumped my cargo bays for a detailed surface scanner and upgraded my Frame shift drive. I can now jump a fantastic 18.5ly. Thanks for all the help guys. Hopefully I can maintain the cr for buyback if I die now, lol...

Remember to set the throttle to zero when you hear the 4...3...2...1. countdown, and you'll be fine. Fly safe!

 

[mossfoot]

Remember to set the throttle to zero when you hear the 4...3...2...1. countdown, and you'll be fine. Fly safe!

Excellent advice.

When you can afford it, if you want something that can jump far but isn't as expensive as the ASP, the Lakon Type6 makes a very good explorer. I get 29LY a jump out of it. But of course it's a dedicated explorer (and trader) for me, not a combat ship at all.

Still have my Cobra in dock. Never know when I'll need her again.

But yeah, the advice given here is all good. Think light - swap out for D class components wherever you can to save on weight - in a Cobra you should still be able to run away from trouble. Keep your shields (accidents happen). Definitely get a Detailed Discovery Scanner so you can make your exploration financially worthwhile.

 

[andyraptor]

<snipped for brevity>

Do make sure you know how to use your AFMU before you go out... just trust me on that one.

<snipped>

Um... if you could give a brief "how to" on this item... I'm 99% sure it will be helpful to new CMDR's and some older and bolder ... like myself

thank you in advance

 

[Katejina]

Remember to set the throttle to zero when you hear the 4...3...2...1. countdown, and you'll be fine. Fly safe!

Fantastic advice! I've yet to flump into a sun, though. I'm really enjoying this INF range discovery scanner. Are earth-like worlds worth a lot? I've found a ton of planets and stars already discovered but of course - not scanned.

 

[Dommarraa]

Um... if you could give a brief "how to" on this item... I'm 99% sure it will be helpful to new CMDR's and some older and bolder ... like myself

thank you in advance

Exit to normal space, in a safe a comfortable location
Just double check that you are at 0 speed (proper 0, not 30) - AMFU use in SC is very very bad
Goto Modules
Turn on the AMFU (You DID have it turned off to reduce heat didnt you)
The normal Module On/Off toggle for your damaged modules will now have 3 states On/Off/Fix (or On/Fix/Off, I forget)
Go to the Module you wish to fix, toggle it through to the Fix state
The ammo of you AMFU will start to go down, and the damaged Module will start to be fixed
When it is fixed, toggle the state back to On or Off as you see fit
When you have fixed what you want, double check that you have the required things turned ON and the non-required things turned OFF
Turn off your AMFU

NB
You can put multiple modules into fix mode at once, just be sure to keep track of what is being fixed
If you fix Life Support, make sure you turn it back on immediately. If you get distracted or confused, you will suffocate
An AMFU cannot fix a PP, Hull, Canopy or itself, but it can fix another AMFU (not that 2 is recommended by me, but it can)

 

[Surly_Badger]

I'd lose the mil spec; it'll lighten the ship and improve your jump range.

What I do is stop at an outpost near the edge of human-space, outbound and sell my shields and armor. When I am making my run back in I stop for repairs and buy a set of shields and armor before I go in to my base where I sell my discoveries.

With regards to the auto-repair unit: I only use mine when I am shutting down for the night or starting up for the morning (since I am in normal space) Otherwise I keep it powered off to remind me not to tinker with it.

Teach yourself to cut the throttle on the jump sequence count. When you start getting into white dwarf and neutron star areas, you will not be able to turn fast enough to avoid hitting them on your in-jump.

If you want some suggestions for where to go, you usually will find interesting stuff if you go out a ways from Sol toward the center, then go up or drop down to the fringes. That's where the black holes, neutron stars, and weird stuff are. I alternate between realistic mode and zoom/pan around, and nav-map mode.

 

[Surly_Badger]

I've yet to flump into a sun, though

So the thing is: neutron stars are wee likkle bitty things, so you jump right in atop them. But their danger radius is pretty large. Basically, if you come in with your throttle up, you'll have less than a second to do a right-angle turn, and you can't see what you're trying to turn away from.

 

[Verz]

I put up a thread yesterday for exploration in a Cobra. Definitely drop your military hull. Go back to Lightweight...you will gain an extra 4ly jump capability. I had a military hull as well, in terms of defense. But I don't think it's needed. If any interdictions occur, submit, pips to engines and haul ass outta there.

Fly safe Commander, maybe we'll bump into each other in the void.

 

[Dommarraa]

As Mr badger suggest, ns are the only danger. However, you shouldn't go into a system blind. If you dont have a quick check of the Galaxy map in your jump procedure, I think you should have a ponder. It shouldn't slow you down when doing it right

 

[Fen Harel]

Um... if you could give a brief "how to" on this item... I'm 99% sure it will be helpful to new CMDR's and some older and bolder ... like myself

thank you in advance

The key lesson I learned is: if you are repairing your life support, don't accidentally leave your life support turned off.

I was not pleased to discover I was down to a couple minutes of oxygen - that is, a couple of minutes away from blowing up - when I was 18 kly out.

 

[theEmohawk]

Fantastic advice! I've yet to flump into a sun, though. I'm really enjoying this INF range discovery scanner. Are earth-like worlds worth a lot? I've found a ton of planets and stars already discovered but of course - not scanned.

Earth-like Worlds (EL or ELW) are worth around 60k. But a Water World that is a terraform candidate (WW+TC) can be worth about 5k more.
You'll learn to pick and choose what you scan in detail. Remember icy and rocky planets are worth next to nothing. Asteroids are worth exactly nothing.
Easy money would be neutron stars (NS) which will make you around 35k, but you can see them on the galaxy map and in the right sectors they are quite abundant. NS are also your highest risk, do throttle to zero before you drop out of the jump, if you have any throttle at all when you enter a NS system (as already mentioned) you have a second to take evasive action before you drop out of SC and start cooking modules.

Fly safe and enjoy the void. o7

 

[Fen Harel]

As stated above Earth-likes are worth a lot, as are water worlds, as well as the non-sequence objects: neutrons stars and black holes.

There are other object that are worth a bit, not quite as much as the above, but still okay. One such are the Ammonia Worlds. They are terrestrial and, generally, are brownish. I've seen some lighter ones, but the archtypical ammonia world is brown with reddish-brown patches.

There are many, many Heavy Metal Worlds out there. By themselves they are moderate - though there are so many, if you make a habit of scanning them it will add up. Even better if they are terraformable the value shoots up. You can tell which ones are terraform candidates by scanning with the Detailed Discovery Scanner.

Very close to stars are the small worlds that look like HMCs, these are Metal Rich. Not all HMCs within, say 0.1 ls, are Metal Rich, but it well worth your time to check. Also its easy. The Metal-Rich worlds are valuable.

Finding Gas Giants with life is not as profitable as it should be, but its very cool. Look for gas giants which are brownish. Confusingly, purple 'gas giants" are often brown dwarfs, but the brown ones may have water- or ammonia-based life. I've found some life bearing gas giants that are a very pale brown, hard to tell for the usual type.

My travels have been to the Perseus Arm (random plug: i posted a few pictures over here), and while the number of neutrons stars and such is low, there did seem to be a lot of Ammonia Worlds (relatively speaking, they are still rare). On my current trip I have been picking up more of those than Earth-likes. Just a heads up if you are thinking of places to go and might want to learn more about cousins of the Thargoids...well, sort. of.

Edit: Pictures! System map with example of life-bearing gas giant, and one with an Ammonia World.