Anything actually out there - why explore? (New Player)

[CMDR Vakross]

Hi everyone,

New guy here, (well...only semi new to ED, been playing off and on since Horizons launched, but new to the forums).
Here is my question. Hands down, my favorite thing about ED is the idea of getting to explore the galaxy, however I'm not understanding what there is in the game that I can really do with that idea except try to tag a planet with my name...(which is hella cool), but is there more?

I mean what are some of the goals you guys set for yourselves when exploring? (And I don't mean just for credits - there are easier ways to get those).
Whats the appeal for each of you.
- Just Screenshots
- The name tagging
- Are there any player driven events
- Mysteries
- Rare finds that would make others go owww lol
- ?

Is there more out there? Has Frontier already added things for people to find, (or do we know if they have or not, any plans to do so)?


TL;DR: Is there something in space to find, a real purpose for exploration or is it all just name tagging and screenshots?

Thanks all,
Vakross

 

[goemon]

i personally mainly explore, to visit real galaxy stars in the game. currently working on visiting all real galaxy super- and hypergiants (around 100), which has kept me busy for over a year now. travelling there brings with it finding interesting stuff on the way.

another other reason which brings people out into the black is for record breaking attempts - whether racing, highest or lowest systems, furthest from etc. etc.

some people do surveys of whole sectors, to study the distribution of star types or materials etc.

FDEV have confirmed, that not all deep space POIs have been found yet, and i know that the people in this thread https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn are still searching for special types of ruins, surveying regions of space. RAXXLA, despite being somehow in the game since it went live, isn't found yet, too: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/324796-THE-FORMIDINE-RIFT-MYSTERY-(Part-4).

 

[Qohen Leth]

TL;DR: Is there something in space to find, a real purpose for exploration or is it all just name tagging and screenshots?

Strictly sticking to current gameplay, it's tagging and earning money for Elite rank by scanning.

Now if you use imagination, science, OoG things... there's a lot more.

 

[marx]

Strictly sticking to current gameplay, it's tagging and earning money for Elite rank by scanning.

Now if you use imagination, science, OoG things... there's a lot more.

Quoted For Truth.

I'd add one more thing to current gameplay though: if you find something rare and submit as a tourism site candidate, then if it's accepted a tourist beacon will show up there, allowing others to locate your find easier, as well as the game spawning long range tourism missions for people to visit it.
You do have to submit it as a candidate outside of the game, but otherwise, the rest is in-game.

Oh, and in addition to the on-going mystery storylines where progress is driven by players (Guardians, Thargoids?, Formidine Rift, Dynasty Expedition, the Missing et cetera), the coming 2.3 update will feature mystery megaships to find too. Frontier have accidentally slipped in a spoiler into the update notes about one of them:

Spoiler

one of the two (types?) is the / a Dredger Maw, which used to be just legend in earlier games. Big- ships that were built to consume asteroids, wreckage and whatnot that they come across, and produce ships and the like.

 

[CMDR Vakross]

FDEV have confirmed, that not all deep space POIs have been found yet,

the coming 2.3 update will feature mystery megaships to find

[woah]Thank you guys so much for the responses, and that info in exactly what I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the game just for the gameplay as well, but it does something to the adrenaline when you actually KNOW there is a chance that you can find something that others haven't yet, and where you might could actually do something where others will remember your name. That's one of the great things about multi-player and communities within a game, that there's true chances to do something (even if its just a chance), to stand out.

Much appreciated to you guys.
Vakross

 

[varonica]

Strictly sticking to current gameplay, it's tagging and earning money for Elite rank by scanning.

Now if you use imagination, science, OoG things... there's a lot more.

As far as mysterious things go, fdev have hinted they are out there, but I get a great feeling disappointment when the only way to find them seems to be to follow the story line as directed by FDEV.

Personally I search for volcanism, survey small planets and hope

 

[Jackie Silver]

As far as mysterious things go, fdev have hinted they are out there, but I get a great feeling disappointment when the only way to find them seems to be to follow the story line as directed by FDEV.

I don't believe that's the case for the Formidine Rift mystery: supposedly "it" - whatever it is - has been there since the game was released. We're just not looking right.

(later edited to add)

 

[goemon]

I don't believe that's the case for the Formidine Rift mystery: supposedly "it" - whatever it is - has been there since the game was released. We're just not looking right.

... or those who have found raxxla are forced not to spoil it for others ... or laughing at us while using the intergalactical gateway...

 

[Mengy]

Strictly sticking to current gameplay, it's tagging and earning money for Elite rank by scanning.

Now if you use imagination, science, OoG things... there's a lot more.

Strictly speaking, this is correct. The actual game mechanics of exploring in Elite only really support jumping, honking, and scanning stellar bodies to tag them.

Now, if you are a more freeform kind of game player, the kind of person who can make up your own goals and objectives, who can even simply drive an SRV around a moon orbiting a ringed gas giant purely for the fun of it and the scenery, well then exploration can provide something much more than what the game mechanics support. It is of my opinion though that you really do need a good imagination to enjoy exploration in Elite, because the gameplay just doesn’t exist (yet?).

Personally, I hunt screenshots of scenic places when I explore. I look for interesting worlds closely orbiting ringed planets or stars. I search for beautiful colorful worlds or huge mountains, crazy craters, or dangerous canyons. I fly on the edge of the galaxy fighting my way through low star density regions just trying to get to a really far out system just for the challenge of it. The game itself rewards none of this, there is no in game reason to do any of it, but hey it’s how I enjoy playing the game. To a lot of commanders that might seem like a crazy waste of time, but that’s okay as it’s not for everyone. Admittedly even I get bored of it now and then, lol. I wish there were more exploration mechanics, more things to do and find out there. Maybe someday, but for now, a good creative imagination is practically a requirement IMHO, at least for long term exploration.

 

[Qohen Leth]

I'd add one more thing to current gameplay though: if you find something rare and submit as a tourism site candidate, then if it's accepted a tourist beacon will show up there, allowing others to locate your find easier, as well as the game spawning long range tourism missions for people to visit it.
You do have to submit it as a candidate outside of the game, but otherwise, the rest is in-game.

Indeed, forgot that one

As far as mysterious things go, fdev have hinted they are out there, but I get a great feeling disappointment when the only way to find them seems to be to follow the story line as directed by FDEV.

I don't believe that's the case for the Formidine Rift mystery: supposedly "it" - whatever it is - has been there since the game was released. We're just not looking right.

Well... So far, it's been sheer luck or mishaps on quite a few cases; as for the FR, I spent a couple months with others, scouting the barely hinted area (covering n million systems), making ultra-detailed maps for nothing, until things were made a bit clearer by Frontier (H&S, etc.) I stopped following the plot since then, but it didn't feel 'right' at all, I must say. But I only know part of the picture "Reorte-Riedquat line" was a 15ly marker to be stretch on 15,000ly, you can imagine the accuracy... I should check if that even points to H&S.

Besides, that's storyline exploration and riddle-solving, I don't think that's what OP meant.

 

[Mr_sukebe]

This is why myself and others want to be able to build new bases, settlements, refineries, mines etc.
That's what happens when the exploration finds something interesting.

 

[Qohen Leth]

This is why myself and others want to be able to build new bases, settlements, refineries, mines etc.
That's what happens when the exploration finds something interesting.

All things dragging you down, I'll pass

 

[Jackie Silver]

I should check if that even points to H&S.

Besides, that's storyline exploration and riddle-solving, I don't think that's what OP meant.

It runs a little bit "north" of Heart and Soul. As far as I'm concerned the only thing the RR line does is point in the general direction of H&S* and indicate that the Rift is "thataway", but AFAIK the exact line has been followed fairly often.

The OP asked if FD had added things for people to find, so I'm surprised that people are answering in the negative. Unless we've been outright lied to, they have included the Formidine Rift mystery; there is something there to find. And FD have at various points hinted that there are things out there which have been in the game since the start and haven't been found. It's hard to tell sometimes whether things have always been there (the alien crashes, for example) or sprang into being "when required" (which is what I suspect happened with the Beacon bases and ruins); I don't think FD really grokked the difficulty involved in finding tiny objects on the surfaces of innumerable possible planets, and thought we'd just stumble onto them. ^^ Maybe if MB had spent a hard apprenticeship driving across Duna first...

Aa dinnar. I could wish for a lot more to find from exploration. It would be nice to have a low-but-reasonable chance of finding some random oddity in every new system, just to add some variety...

*as does the spur of colonies leading out to Sothis - at the time of their creation I took them as being a pointer to H&S also.

 

[CMDR CODY]

Is there something in space to find, a real purpose for exploration or is it all just name tagging and screenshots?

I get surprised every time Im the first there. Never have taken a screenshot yet.

The reason to explore: The grass is greener on the other side

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

- Are there any player driven events

There are three ways to answer that, though all can be summed up as "Yes". There are the occasional player-organized events, such as Distant Worlds. There are standing events, races, and challenges; some, such as the 65k club, are directly related to exploration, while others such as the Buckyball Run A* have some tangential reference to exploration (My initial Elite rank in exploration was primarily earned exploring on my way back from Bucky runs). And then - and this, I think, is the most important of the three - there are the challenges that you make for yourself. What do you want to do; how do you want to make your name out there?

 

[Galactic Fork]

Hi everyone,

New guy here, (well...only semi new to ED, been playing off and on since Horizons launched, but new to the forums).
Here is my question. Hands down, my favorite thing about ED is the idea of getting to explore the galaxy, however I'm not understanding what there is in the game that I can really do with that idea except try to tag a planet with my name...(which is hella cool), but is there more?

I mean what are some of the goals you guys set for yourselves when exploring? (And I don't mean just for credits - there are easier ways to get those).
Whats the appeal for each of you.
- Just Screenshots
- The name tagging
- Are there any player driven events
- Mysteries
- Rare finds that would make others go owww lol
- ?

Is there more out there? Has Frontier already added things for people to find, (or do we know if they have or not, any plans to do so)?


TL;DR: Is there something in space to find, a real purpose for exploration or is it all just name tagging and screenshots?

Thanks all,
Vakross

Mechanics wise, there's not much to DO with things you discover but scan and return, but it kinda depends on what you're looking for. I explore to see interesting system configurations. An Earth-like orbiting a Gas Giant. Two extremely close moons or planets. Ice moons with interesting trench configurations. Or landable planets obscenely close to a GG's rings. Now that we have neutron star jets, I like planets very close to NS or WD. That kind of thing. As we get more features like landing on atmospheres, or within gas giants. Maybe inside bodies of water. There will be more things to see and do. When I go out hiking in real life, it's kinda the same, I like interesting views.

One of my favorite finds was a cloudy blue heavy metal content world with a very VERY close landable moon orbiting a gas giant. The HMCW was so HUGE in the sky when on the moon.

Unfortunately, with this taking place in the Elite universe with seemingly ONE alien species (though the original Elite had unique alien species on most planets), I doubt we'll find random aliens living on Earth-likes, or ruins of long dead cities.

 

[Jaiotu]

What Qohen Leth said about exploration requiring a bit of personal imagination holds a lot of truth.

I generally create "missions" for myself ... often connected with my investigations into the Formidine Rift. One of the best times I had in-game was leading an expedition to locate Cassiopeia A (link in my signature). We may have come back empty-handed but the effort and enthusiasm for the quest overcame any shortcomings.

The remote possibility of being to first to find something unique and mysterious is another strong draw that keeps me searching the galaxy. I still believe that the Mayflower '97 (a Generation Ship mentioned in one of the earlier Elite games) is still out there. One of these days I plan to go search for it.

 

[Goobertech]

For me personally, it find it relaxing. It's my ultimate escapist fantasy. My own ship, an entire galaxy to explore and no time limits, missions or whatever. There's no "end game", no expectations...it's pure freedom. Yes, more mechanics would make it more engaging but honestly for me Elite Dangerous isn't so much "gaming" time as much as it is relaxation.

 

[Pirin]

It runs a little bit "north" of Heart and Soul. As far as I'm concerned the only thing the RR line does is point in the general direction of H&S* and indicate that the Rift is "thataway", but AFAIK the exact line has been followed fairly often.

The OP asked if FD had added things for people to find, so I'm surprised that people are answering in the negative. Unless we've been outright lied to, they have included the Formidine Rift mystery; there is something there to find. And FD have at various points hinted that there are things out there which have been in the game since the start and haven't been found. It's hard to tell sometimes whether things have always been there (the alien crashes, for example) or sprang into being "when required" (which is what I suspect happened with the Beacon bases and ruins); I don't think FD really grokked the difficulty involved in finding tiny objects on the surfaces of innumerable possible planets, and thought we'd just stumble onto them. ^^ Maybe if MB had spent a hard apprenticeship driving across Duna first...

Aa dinnar. I could wish for a lot more to find from exploration. It would be nice to have a low-but-reasonable chance of finding some random oddity in every new system, just to add some variety...

*as does the spur of colonies leading out to Sothis - at the time of their creation I took them as being a pointer to H&S also.

I believe this is true, they indeed included some new interesting stuff to find. But FD shouldnt be surprised if the people are still negative. Because putting things on a surface on a random planet somewhere is only one part of the equation. The other part is, how exactly players will find it? From my point of view, nobody at FD seems to care about this.
I mean, in almost all MMO games (ESO excluded) players have a minimap showing the local environment (mountains, rivers, etc) and at what direction player is moving. Plus all POIs in the area. So player can clearly see where the iron deposit is and where there is a ruin (for example). They dont need to run for hours around just to clarify that. And mind you, all these games have maps which are much, much smaller than what we have in ED. Even the smallest moon in ED galaxy provides more area that all other MMOs put together. And there are millions, if not trillions, of such planets in the galaxy. Yet, we dont have a minimap. Nor any other working tool to explore such huge areas. What we have is a beeping radar, a marvelous WW II technology So we have to chase beeps for hours just to find out it is yet another piece of useless junk. And often going in circles while doing so, because there arent any navigation tools to speak of. No wonder people find this boring and frustrating.

Bottom line here is, the team at FD which is responsible for interface needs a strong wake up kick. They are not doing a good job. Being more concerned for things to look cool instead to provide usability is not a good strategy. If FD thinks finding things on planet surfaces across the galaxy is an important part of the gameplay, they should re-design the exploration interface completely.

 

[Kuroshio]

For me, the most interesting things are real-world objects: star clusters, exoplanets, strange and ridiculous stars, there is a lot of stuff to find (and sometimes hidden behind very obscure designations).

Personal note: When I was young, there was not a single known exoplanet. And a lot of doubt whether any existed at all. It lead to a lot of discussions the uniqueness of our solar system. It was a strange time for a young mind that refused to believe in that uniqueness; it had to believe in its commonness.

5,000+ known exoplanets later, virtually visiting all those KOIs and MOAs and OGLEs and CoRoTs gives me quite some satisfaction.