When I discover Thargoids on an icy moon, we will see who deserves what ;-)
An Open Letter to Explorers
- Thread starter CMDR Poet Starwind
- Start date
When I discover Thargoids on an icy moon, we will see who deserves what ;-)
Before DWE I did an exploration trip of 3301 systems, to match the years. I calculated if I scanned every body I came across the trip would have taken me 5.6 years. Okay, that may not sound long, but bear in mind I am 65 years old I would like to live to see my name on the systems, so no, I don't scan every object, I will scan ELW, WW and AW, and also gas giants <1,000Ls and visit close planets and binary planets for a photo opportunity.
I usually skip the "boring stuff" - but if I've got the time and I've already decided to cruise out some distance to a secondary star, I'll usually scan every single item in that secondary star - just so that any OCD-afflicted explorers who might come after me won't feel compelled to fly all that way just to scan the couple of iceballs I skipped.
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
They have equals rights as far as I'm concerned. Not many, not that good, but I do treat them the same
My typical system exploration goes like this: Jump, Scoop, Honk, Check System Map.
Then I decide whether to scan it or not. I will usually scan the first sun. If there are only icy bodies then I will jump onto the next system, otherwise I will scan the WHOLE system regardless. Sometimes I will even cruise out 300k Ls to pick up the last 2 suns. You probably think I am daft doing that, but whilst travelling to those distant bodies, I catch up with forum posts, check emails, watch a bit of tele, etc. So it is not wasted time.
I do like having a system fully explored, and sometimes there are surprises to be found. Such as the smallest body found so far(not yet claimed, as I wont reveal where it is till handed in ;p). You wont get that by skipping.
All planets deserve to be scanned, in my books, not just the specials. After all, isn't that what exploration is about ?
Kitty
Then I decide whether to scan it or not. I will usually scan the first sun. If there are only icy bodies then I will jump onto the next system, otherwise I will scan the WHOLE system regardless. Sometimes I will even cruise out 300k Ls to pick up the last 2 suns. You probably think I am daft doing that, but whilst travelling to those distant bodies, I catch up with forum posts, check emails, watch a bit of tele, etc. So it is not wasted time.
I do like having a system fully explored, and sometimes there are surprises to be found. Such as the smallest body found so far(not yet claimed, as I wont reveal where it is till handed in ;p). You wont get that by skipping.
All planets deserve to be scanned, in my books, not just the specials. After all, isn't that what exploration is about ?
Kitty
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
I deliberately don't scan everything in a system, to give other explorers a chance to also get their names recorded in a system.
I scan everything of value, leaving the scraps for 2nd place.
Interesting. Its like finding a bag of money in a alley and leaving it so that you can know that someone else was in the alley because the money is gone.
The completionist in me used to scan everything in a system, but now I think it's better to have systems which show multiple explorers have visited. My first Earthlike discovery had some rich-looking gas giants also in the system - possibly with life. I left them (and many other worlds) unexplored so that when I looked at my ELW on the map in the future, I would know if anyone else had visited the system.
Today that system is fully explored, and it's only because I didn't scan everything that I know I wasn't the only person to go there
Interesting. Its like finding a bag of money in a alley and leaving it so that you can know that someone else was in the alley because the money is gone.
Last edited:
I have three things to say to the OP
1. They are all yours!
2. No backs!
3. Fly Safe Commander!
1. They are all yours!
2. No backs!
3. Fly Safe Commander!
This system is afraid of me ... I have seen it's true face. The void is extended with rock and ice and brownieness, and when the muck finally scab over, all the accumulated filth of their astronomical bodies will look up and shout: Scan us! ... and I'll look down and whisper: "No".
How could you resist?
Since I've attained Elite in exploration, there is no longer any pressure on me on deciding what I scan or not, so now I have an Exploraconda and I'm back out in the Void again, and it's basically now just a Journey of Wonder for me.
Yesterday I mentioned on IRC this : "The awesome thing about Horizons is it now makes visiting icy/rocky moons and planets really worthwhile!"
Here's why I said that:
1) Meet this Rocky Moon, orbiting a gas giant. On a whim I decided to go down to its surface. I was not disappointed:
"That mountain looks very tempting - let's go land the Conda on top of it!"...
Here's my exported video stream when I decided to land on the thing - it's raw and unedited so use the player to fast forward it if you wish - it was quite tricky to land on that mountain...
[video=youtube;j9cGlXOrSPo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9cGlXOrSPo[/video]
2) Meet this Icy Moon, orbiting some other gas giant :
Looks like a lot of potentially good Canyon Runs down there.
Here's a bonus shot, with its co-orbiting/companion, and the gas giant in the background...
So, personally speaking, icy or rocky moons are definitely places to go and see, land on, and have a bit of a lark on as well - the side effect of that is you also get to scan them
Regards o7
Yesterday I mentioned on IRC this : "The awesome thing about Horizons is it now makes visiting icy/rocky moons and planets really worthwhile!"
Here's why I said that:
1) Meet this Rocky Moon, orbiting a gas giant. On a whim I decided to go down to its surface. I was not disappointed:
"That mountain looks very tempting - let's go land the Conda on top of it!
"...
Here's my exported video stream when I decided to land on the thing - it's raw and unedited so use the player to fast forward it if you wish - it was quite tricky to land on that mountain...
[video=youtube;j9cGlXOrSPo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9cGlXOrSPo[/video]
2) Meet this Icy Moon, orbiting some other gas giant :
Looks like a lot of potentially good Canyon Runs down there.
Here's a bonus shot, with its co-orbiting/companion, and the gas giant in the background...
So, personally speaking, icy or rocky moons are definitely places to go and see, land on, and have a bit of a lark on as well - the side effect of that is you also get to scan them
Regards o7
I know that on my way back home, for the last 15,000LY or so, I got antsy, and scanned the star only, sometimes honking only. I purposely avoided looking at the system map so as to not get distracted.
All I could think about was getting enough dough to buy an Anaconda (which is gathering dust ATM).
Last edited:
Perhaps someday if we are more involved in the terraforming process, those ice worlds will suddenly jump in value -- water's worth more than gold if you're trying to fill an ocean. And if explorers were to get some modest royalty payment for activity on worlds we discovered, the cartographers who map every last snowball in a system might find themselves with an unexpected windfall. Until then, we leave them for those who follow, so they too may say, "I was here".
WRT all explorers, I have posted this tongue-in-cheek as a light-hearted "open letter" because there is a lot of negative OL posts out there, and for a little fun.
I agree with all the Explorer How You Want. It's a big galaxy, which will likely never fully be explored. So the precious time we do have should be spent playing in a way we find personally gratifying.
In truth, I groan when I come to a system with all white objects, because the OCD kicks in and completionism takes over.
For those that jabbed back: thank you. I have enjoyed the rapport!
I agree with all the Explorer How You Want. It's a big galaxy, which will likely never fully be explored. So the precious time we do have should be spent playing in a way we find personally gratifying.
In truth, I groan when I come to a system with all white objects, because the OCD kicks in and completionism takes over.
For those that jabbed back: thank you. I have enjoyed the rapport!
I started out scanning everything, but quickly left that habit behind.
Now I always scan the nearest star while scooping and checking out the system map after the honk. By the time I've finished those three things I've decided whether to scan anything else or move on. I'll scan any WWs/ELWs, plus metallics within 200Ls and Gas Giants within 1000Ls (but not their moons), plus any other stars that are within scan range without travelling any further. Everything else I leave.
Now I always scan the nearest star while scooping and checking out the system map after the honk. By the time I've finished those three things I've decided whether to scan anything else or move on. I'll scan any WWs/ELWs, plus metallics within 200Ls and Gas Giants within 1000Ls (but not their moons), plus any other stars that are within scan range without travelling any further. Everything else I leave.
Last edited:
You said: "podunkery obscura", which means you're all right in my book
Looks like Eeloo.
Whenever I crash into something these days I find the nearest landable world - which is usually an iceball moon - and land to repair. It feels like the right thing to do, and has fringe benefits - with thrusters on low I don't have to worry about power (although I have an A5 power plant, which is quite high for an exploring ship, I have so much equipment fitted that I've got five separate levels of power priority set up), I don't accidentally repair thrusters during flight, and I get the nice relaxing views and a chance for a photo.
It also (have I ever mentioned my paranoia?) means I'm sitting safely in some obscure corner of a planet, and not sitting under a giant "Jackie Is Here" low-wake in space.
Last edited: