Ships ASP Explorer appreciation post!

Yes!

Many say this ship is no longer viable, or the thing for exploration...
Many have changed from it to the Kraits, becoming the "meta ship" for exploration, and therefore its losing its appeal or use in the game, but...

But, i want to express my appreciation for this little medium ship and to how it is a nice ship that still can do its job as good as any other, even doe it has been surpassed in many regards by the Krait Phantom in the game, and almost no one talks about it, but i bet there are still loads of this ships out there in the void doing its business still.

This is mine (have changed the markings a little bit since this pic), its now called the "COEUS", after a Titan from Greek Mithology.

(According to Greek mythology, Coeus is the Titan God of the North, and the Titan of Resolve and Intelligence as well as the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve. The etymology of Coeus’ name provided scholars to theorise that he was also the God of intellect and represented the inquisitive mind, resolve and foresight.)

Looked to me as the right name to use, since all the dought and experiments ive done in this game since January when i started until i came to this ship as my Explorer ship to use from now on, and the one that really hits all the marks i expected on a ship for this task.

jsc61g.jpg


My current build is as follows:
(i know many will find it strange the addition of the ADC and SCA on it losing module slots, but i love it this way)


I ran this as my primary ship and only own another one the Federal Corvette wich has a PVE build, and only when i return to the bubble after a trip i use it to let off some steam and change the gameplay a bit.

I would like to have an ideia of how many ppl have them, and toughts on it...
 
I agree the AspX is a great ship. It was the fourth ship I owned after Sidewinder, Cobra 3, and Eagle. I still have the Asp, the others have all been sold, along with the two I bought after the Asp. Staying power. I reckon I have more seat time in it than any of my other ships, and maybe even combined.

But I don't see anyone saying the Asp is no longer viable. The opposite in fact, it's still heartily recommended. It's the most-owned ship on Inara. Matter of fact, I'd say that the Asp is in the best place it's ever been. Guardian FSDBs have pushed my Asp near 60 jump, and that's with SRV, limpets and 6A scoop other doodads. It may not stand out as much as it once did, but the Asp is still popular and well-regarded as far as I can see. I just flew mine a couple of days ago. It's my go-to explo ship, even though my DBX outjumps it. And the SRV is useful for Davs, or raw mat gathering, or a number of other things. So the Asp gets that assignment as well. No different from thousands of other pilots I'd imagine.
 
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It's a sneeze build.
One sneeze and it falls apart 😝
Generally, I would apply lightweight to one of the heat sink launchers and skip the second, because you can synth the ammo and usually the Asp has a good thermal profile, so you don't really need two. Personally I'd go for better shields and three E rated boosters.
When you turn off the AFMU you can bring a higher rated one, I usually use B rated.
And I would skip on ADC/SC assist for a cargo rack and D rated repair limpets, just in case (not that I ever needed it, not even on my solo trip to Beagle).
Flying without ammo, you can synth 4 limpets to a 2E cargo rack if needed.

Edit: oh I don't like the Asp due to Engine sound, but it's a good and versatile ship.

double Edit: I'd for something like that

 
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My AspX is the only ship I have ever used for expoloratrion and still use mine for exploration. I am out in the black now around 30K LY's from Sol.
 
Back in the day when even RNGineers (and before that, when Jumponium wasn't a thing) were part of the game, I needed Anaconda to reach a few systems I really vanted to visit. Otherwise AspX does all I need in exploration well enough.

And the ship type is 'Asp Explorer', dammit, the "Asp" part is not an acronym!
 
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My AspX, the "Metallurgist", is my go-to deep core mining ship.

Nimble, packs every mining tool, 100t cargo space, great cockpit visibility. Perfect little miner!
 
Tonight I got back to my AspX after spending some time in the Phantom.
Have to say it beats the Phantom in supercruise handling and it feels slightly better than the DBX too.

With the additional size one slot, now you can get all the basic exploration gear - excelent scooping, FSD booster, shields, AMFU, repair limpets, SRV (sadly only 1) and DSS.
If one of the size 3 slots could be upped to size 4 it would make the perfect medium exploration ship.

Edit: as a downside, besides the lack of a size 4 slot, it's reverse thrusters are lacking at best. Tonight I overshoot the landing pad twice:giggle:
 
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This looks wicked! Almost enough to convert me...

I just can’t seem to get on with the AspX.

I remember when I first started ED I slaved away in the Cobra for days until I could afford the Asp (I’d heard good things), bought one and opened outfitting...
AB0261D6-6A1E-4AD4-8F96-A323D6755099.png

...now, coming from a sleek Cobra this was just a monstrosity in my eyes!

The cockpit hanging out the way it does just feels unnatural and combined with the grim Lakon interior styling I just knew it wasn’t a ship I could fly.

3 years on and many CMDR’s later I still hate the AspX....but I do grudgingly respect it! It’s a very capable ship...

The way things go in ED though, there’s still time for me to come around. Maybe I should buy some sweet paint for it and live in one for a while... 👍😊
 
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...
The cockpit hanging out the way it does just feels unnatural...

The cockpit is one of the best features of the ship!

I love how it is projected out like that. The only way to make it better is if the game let us space walk.

Like you, I worked to get one relatively early in my career in ED but our takeaways are so different. I fell in love with it right away and still love it. It will have a place in my fleet forever I'm pretty sure.
 
The cockpit is one of the best features of the ship! I love how it is projected out like that. The only way to make it better is if the game let us space walk.
Aye, so I’m told...😊

But for me it just looks like the best place to sit if you want to die quickly.

If they’d pulled back the cabin into the bulk of the ship (almost like a flying saucer) then I’d totally love it.

Strange how something daft like this can put you off what is undoubtedly an amazing ship. But it is what it is... Devs did a good job! 😊
 
When I first installed Elite, I had just one goal in mind... to buy an Asp Explorer, and get out into the black, leaving everything behind. I always wanted to fly an Asp in the original Elite, as I thought the shape was really cool!

The day I finally managed to buy one (my third ship, after the Sidey and a Cobra), I was instantly in love with it, even though there was much engineering to do before I was happy to take her out of the bubble. She won’t fight anything other than some rocks for materials, but she is the most enjoyable to fly and most rewarding ship I have had, and I spent a year out in the black with her. I have some bubble stuff to do right now, but as soon as I have gottten a Guardian FSD booster and a couple of other things completed, I am getting back into my Asp and heading out again.

I named her “Hecla” after a renowned Royal Navy exploration ship that was commanded by Captain Parry on several expeditions to seek a North-West passage. Her history is fascinating, and she was “heavily engineered” as well :)

I love the cockpit view, the handling in Supercruise, and that gorgeous low rumbling WWII bomber sound from the engines :) Watching the shadow flitting over mountains on a final approach into land on a world never grows old - that sleek outline and shape is gorgeous.
 
I can’t say I’ve flown a wide variety of ships yet so for what it’s wirth, I really love the visibility while piloting the Aspx. Often I’m headlioking around while flying and the wide angle of visibility really helps out with that, especially when flying to map opposite sides of those big gas giants and also being able to look down when landing as well.
 
I switched to Krait Phantom for my exploration, but the AspX is still a very good ship. I renamed mine Boulder Dash and reconfigured it for mining, mainly core but capable of all types. The number and size of the hardpoint is great for that. The excellent cockpit view is a treat for mining too. Mere 68 tons of cargo may be little light for the strip miners but it's just right for my patience.
 
If you drop the supercruise assist module, the AspX can fit everything now! SRV, shields, AFMU, repair limpets, guardian booster...
 
After the Guardians gave us FSD boosters (easiest to obtain) I went for an Orca for the exploration build on a separate PC account. A-rated, engineered with exploration toys. two SRVs and a 642 boost with weapons to defend the 52LY jump range was plenty enough. My Asp Explorer with 557 boost, engineered weapons and 60LY jump range takes care of business in the bubble and a little farther. It is a transport ship to go play with other ships stored at other stations when playing with Thargoids in the Pleiades Sector, making credits at Sothis runs, trading in the bubble with a Cutter and Python, Doing PvP meet-n-greet with a Fer de Lance and material gathering as required.

The Asp Explorer has always been a great exploration ship. The problem is a player's early limitations they placed on a build such as maximum jump range is the priority and nothing else matters. That has changed. We now have many other opportunities.

Regards
 
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I'm sure she's looking forward to a new lick of paint when you return to civilisation ;)

My partner keeps asking if I have repaired her. I showed her the AFMU in action, and lamented that we can't yet get out of our seats and go out with a bucket of paint and a brush...

:D S
 
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