Another day, another parsec

[Ryohei56]

Hi. As a (relative) noob to exploration, I've been trying to come up with a decent rig for pure exploration. Having done a bit of research, I came up with the following, based around an Asp Explorer:

1C Lightweight Alloy
2A Power Plant
4D Thrusters
5A Frame Shift Drive
4E Life Support
1D Power Distribution
5D Sensors

I have also installed 2x heatsinks, 2x 2B AFMS, 5C Fuel Tank with 6C Fuel Scoop (rapido), 3D Shields, Detailed Surface Scanner, 2H Vehicle Hangar with a Scarab, and the trusty 1E Standard Docking Computer.

The above can deliver up to 36 LY range, although admittedly there is a small power deficit (I have to shut off the AFMS units), and there isn't any real boost to speak of.

I would be very grateful if more experienced Commanders could take a look and maybe offer some suggestions as to how I can improve on what I have come up with so far. For what it's worth, I don't have any strong "pull" to do much planetary surface exploration, so I could lose that element if need be. I would have liked an Advanced Surface Scanner, but they seem to be about as common as honest politicians.......

Cheers

Ryohei56

 

[Orvidius]

Any reason for the E-rated life support? I'd put either a "D" or an "A". More often than not, the only reason to go with anything other than those two classes for core/optional modules, is just to save cost. "A" gives you the most emergency oxygen, and "D" is the lightest. While "E" costs the least, it weighs more than a "D" while having less oxygen.

Most of the rest looks pretty decent. The discovery scanners are built into the ship now, so if you have the Detailed Surface Scanner, you're all set on scanner modules.

I'd consider using a 2G SRV hangar instead of 2H, since it's lighter... but then again it uses more power, so you're probably doing that to fit within the 2A power plant, which is certainly fine. But you'd come out ahead in terms of mass, if you used the lighter 2G hangar, and stepped up to a 3A PP. You would add 1.2T to the PP while saving 6 on the hangar.

 

[EUS]

Agree with the above, but D rated life support.
The fuel tank adds more total distance but at an individual jump cost.
Budget? If you have the money, get the best fuel scoop you can, it shaves a lot of time when you go a long way.
I don't know if it's on purpose, but you cannot boost at all with that distributor.
No mention of engineering, so I assume no guardian fsd booster is not unlocked.

 

[Maolagin]

That will work, although I second the advice of the posters above about life support and SRV bays.

And to add some of my own: with AMFUs, the bigger they are, the more repair per credit you get. They don't weigh anything, and you should keep them turned off when not in use, so their power draw doesn't really matter either. That said, generally you want one large one for main repairs, and only if you are planning a really long range endurance mission, a second small one reserved for repairing the main AFMU. With your build, a 5D and a 3C AMFU would fit, provide more repair than you have now, and cost less than the two 2A units you have now.

Also, consider ditching the docking computer. It's a wasted slot if you aren't docking, and when you get back to the bubble you can reinstall one at an outpost before trying to dock at a rotating station if you really need the assistance.

Finally, I strongly recommend taking a short shakedown cruise to the Pleiades. You'll get some good practice using the FSS as you travel, and should net enough exploration data to make Exploration Scout rank, which will get you an invitation from Farseer. Pick up a unit of meta-alloys while you're down there to fulfill her unlock mission, and head over to Deciat. For a few units of sulpher and atypical wake scans you can apply the first tier of Armored PP and Long Range FSD, which will get you a cooler-running ship with more power headroom and closer to 40 LY range.

 

[Ryohei56]

Thanks

That will work, although I second the advice of the posters above about life support and SRV bays.

And to add some of my own: with AMFUs, the bigger they are, the more repair per credit you get. They don't weigh anything, and you should keep them turned off when not in use, so their power draw doesn't really matter either. That said, generally you want one large one for main repairs, and only if you are planning a really long range endurance mission, a second small one reserved for repairing the main AFMU. With your build, a 5D and a 3C AMFU would fit, provide more repair than you have now, and cost less than the two 2A units you have now.

Also, consider ditching the docking computer. It's a wasted slot if you aren't docking, and when you get back to the bubble you can reinstall one at an outpost before trying to dock at a rotating station if you really need the assistance.

Finally, I strongly recommend taking a short shakedown cruise to the Pleiades. You'll get some good practice using the FSS as you travel, and should net enough exploration data to make Exploration Scout rank, which will get you an invitation from Farseer. Pick up a unit of meta-alloys while you're down there to fulfill her unlock mission, and head over to Deciat. For a few units of sulpher and atypical wake scans you can apply the first tier of Armored PP and Long Range FSD, which will get you a cooler-running ship with more power headroom and closer to 40 LY range.

Some very interesting comments & suggestions - thanks to all who responded.

I have to admit, I didn't put a lot of time into balancintg the build, I tended to focus only on the jump distance result. It was only when I took the ship out for a trial I discovered some of the shortcomings (like the lack of boost). The plan now is to find a good outfitting station and try some of your suggestions.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Kzak]

You only need one AFMU, and you don't need a second one to repair the first. Why? Because the ship option 'reboot and repair' will restore any AFMU that has reached 0% integrity to 1% - and it will repair other modules just as well as if the AFMU was at 100%. You can refill the AFMU with synthesis.

Same with heat sinks, one is all you need, provided you have materials to refill it (easy to get).

 

[Ryohei56]

Fair point Kzak. I'll need to look into this synthesis thing, clearly - haven't given it any attention up till now.

 

[Ryohei56]

ED Shipyard

On the back of the comments you guys kindly posted, I took a look at the ED Shipyard spreadsheet and ran some numbers. Below, I'veattached two screengrabs - one shows the setup I originally had in place, and the other shows a revised setup.



I'd say the second version is an improvement, although it still looks like I don't have any boost. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a cross I just have to bear until I can do some engineering?

 

[Maolagin]

On the back of the comments you guys kindly posted, I took a look at the ED Shipyard spreadsheet and ran some numbers. Below, I'veattached two screengrabs - one shows the setup I originally had in place, and the other shows a revised setup.



I'd say the second version is an improvement, although it still looks like I don't have any boost. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a cross I just have to bear until I can do some engineering?

Your distributor is too small. Whether you can boost depends both on power plant capacity, and on the amount of ENG charge the PD can hold.

 

[Havvk]

Hi. As a (relative) noob to exploration, I've been trying to come up with a decent rig for pure exploration. Having done a bit of research, I came up with the following, based around an Asp Explorer:

1C Lightweight Alloy
2A Power Plant
4D Thrusters
5A Frame Shift Drive
4E Life Support
1D Power Distribution
5D Sensors

I have also installed 2x heatsinks, 2x 2B AFMS, 5C Fuel Tank with 6C Fuel Scoop (rapido), 3D Shields, Detailed Surface Scanner, 2H Vehicle Hangar with a Scarab, and the trusty 1E Standard Docking Computer.

The above can deliver up to 36 LY range, although admittedly there is a small power deficit (I have to shut off the AFMS units), and there isn't any real boost to speak of.

I would be very grateful if more experienced Commanders could take a look and maybe offer some suggestions as to how I can improve on what I have come up with so far. For what it's worth, I don't have any strong "pull" to do much planetary surface exploration, so I could lose that element if need be. I would have liked an Advanced Surface Scanner, but they seem to be about as common as honest politicians.......

Cheers

Ryohei56

That's the worst build you can do for a proper exploration AspX

https://s.orbis.zone/1uqa is my recommended build that does not sacrificing anything outside of jump range. This way you do not insta-die if you were to ever land on any planet with gravity higher than .5 g(because shields take a big hit with no engineering, if not completely depleted) And you can boost up to speeds of just shy of 400 m/s, allowing you good speed to get out from a possibly hostile interaction with another ship easier. The heat sinks allow for more wiggle room if you have heat problems, and given that this is a vanilla Lakon ship, you're probably gonna be sweating a LOT.

However, if you are looking to do engineering, I would recommend you to not get an Asp and instead go for a Krait Phantom as it has more optional internals that allow for much more flexibility in what you can bring to the exploration table. Here is my Phantom build; https://s.orbis.zone/1uql

My only justification for having cargo racks at all is just in in case you come across an amazing discovery, like a barnacle site for meta alloys, or guardian sites and you'd like to take a souvenir with you. Otherwise you are free to take it out and put in something else of your choice.

 

[Ryohei56]

Ok, I've now arrived at an improved version of my Asp-X. It takes note of what you guys have been saying, though I've left a few things in for now. Here's the stats, exported from EDShipyard:

[Asp Explorer, Asp Explorer] [+1]
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher [+2]
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher [+1]

BH: 1C Lightweight Alloy
PP: 3A Power Plant
TH: 4D Thrusters [+1]
FD: 5A Frame Shift Drive [+1]
LS: 4D Life Support [+1]
PD: 3A Power Distributor [+1]
SS: 5D Sensors [+1]
FT: 5C Fuel Tank (Cap: 32)

6: 6C Fuel Scoop [+1]
5: 5D Auto Field-Maintenance Unit [+1]
3: 3C Auto Field-Maintenance Unit [+1]
3: 3D Shield Generator [+1]
3: 2G Planetary Vehicle Hangar [+1]
2: 1E Standard Docking Computer [+1]
2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
---
Shield: 71.4
Power : 12.90 MW retracted (108%)
12.90 MW deployed (108%)
12.00 MW available
Cargo : 0
Fuel : 32 T
Mass : 335.40 T empty
367.40 T full
Range : 33.52 LY unladen
33.52 LY laden
Price : 14,877,210 CR
Re-Buy: 743,861 CR @ 95% insurance

I've left the docking computer in for the time being, until I decide what to do about engineering. Havvk - you raised some intriguing possibilities for upgrading, but on first look it seems like an awful lot of work (mining, scanning etc) which I'm finding difficult to get to grips with. Is there, somewhere, an Idiot's Guide to Engineering? Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to be spoonfed, but some general pointers wouldn't go amiss.

 

[Ca$hback]

[up]

You only need one AFMU, and you don't need a second one to repair the first. Why? Because the ship option 'reboot and repair' will restore any AFMU that has reached 0% integrity to 1% - and it will repair other modules just as well as if the AFMU was at 100%. You can refill the AFMU with synthesis.

Same with heat sinks, one is all you need, provided you have materials to refill it (easy to get).

o7
I'll take that tip!
Thanks!