Asp Explorer urgently needs a new component slot

[Cmdr Travers]

With the release of Hull Repair Limpet Controllers in 2.4, really long-range exploration is now possible. However the Anaconda is now the only long-range ship in the game suitable for the role

This is because, fitting a Hull Repair Limpet Controller also requires that you have both a cargo rack and an SRV bay. In the Asp Explorer, once you have fitted a fuel scoop, AFMU, Planetary Surface Scanner, Advanced Discovery Scanner and Shields, there's no space for both of these things.

Obviously it goes without saying that smaller exploration ships such as the Asp Scout and Diamondback Explorer, are even more hamstrung.

There's still time to add this into the 2.4 beta... come on Frontier!

 

[metatheurgist]

I think the flaw in your presentation is that people have done long range exploration just fine without hull repair limpets.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

I think the flaw in your presentation is that people have done long range exploration just fine without hull repair limpets.

Technically yes, but if they weren't useful they wouldn't be in the game. You also have no idea, or data, about how many Commanders may have been put off exploration for this very reason.

I'm planning an epic jaunt right around the outside of the galaxy. I wouldn't have considered this before Hull Repair Limpets became available.

 

[Stellar Gambit]

... You also have no idea, or data, about how many Commanders may have been put off exploration for this very reason.

An Appeal to Possibility leading to a classic case of ad ignorantiam

 

[Libluini]

... You also have no idea, or data, about how many Commanders may have been put off exploration for this very reason.

An Appeal to Possibility leading to a classic case of ad ignorantiam

To be fair though, the new stuff sounds ideally suited for exploration, so having only one, fairly expensive ship being able to carry a complete set of exploration equipment, is kind of dumb. Hopefully Frontier thinks about this a bit more in the future.

 

[RevLogos]

You raise a good point, but I don't think this feature is intended for exploration. I think it's for the Thargoid war, where many battles could take place outside the bubble away from repair facilities.

 

[Cmdr Travers]

What I never seem to be able to get my head around is the way so many Elite Dangerous players believe that because they play the game a certain way, so should everybody else.

The repair limpets were created for a Search and Rescue role, one that's long overdue. However this doesn't mean they can't be used in combat, exploration or a whole other variety of ways such as endurance races. The sky, quite literally, is the limit.

I completely agree with Libluini though that...

having only one, fairly expensive ship being able to carry a complete set of exploration equipment, is kind of dumb.

Frontier have committed to improving exploration. The way this is currently implemented is not an improvement

 

[Hedgehobbit]

What I never seem to be able to get my head around is the way so many Elite Dangerous players believe that because they play the game a certain way, so should everybody else.

This is exactly what you are doing. Saying the AspX needs another slot because you want to add a bunch of optional crap in your build.

 

[Lee Taylor]

You don't need shields in an exploration ship. There you go, problem solved.

 

[Colossus1921]

...Speaking as someone who's been to Beagle Point and back, this just isn't accurate. I think I lost like...5% hull damage, total? Extrapolating that up to a trip around the circumference of the galaxy, you're looking at 25% hull damage, max, unless you're SUPER sloppy. Hull damage isn't the biggest threat in long range exploration. Running out of fuel is by far the biggest threat. Literally everything else can be managed.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

IMHO the key question is : How likely is it that pre 2.4 Exploration can still be compared to post 2.4 (Thargoid) Exploration?

I guess many Explorers would appreciate Repair Limpets on ALL dedicated Exploration ships... IF battle damage is likely to occur on long trips.

Problem is, we don't know if surviving Thargoid encounters in Deep Space will be a thing for Explorers.

 

[Lee Taylor]

...Speaking as someone who's been to Beagle Point and back, this just isn't accurate. I think I lost like...5% hull damage, total? Extrapolating that up to a trip around the circumference of the galaxy, you're looking at 25% hull damage, max, unless you're SUPER sloppy. Hull damage isn't the biggest threat in long range exploration. Running out of fuel is by far the biggest threat. Literally everything else can be managed.

Hull damage more or less equates to power plant damage. AFAIK, you still can't repair your power plant in deep space, so really being able to repair your hull is totally unnecessary.

I don't know why people would want to spend very long outside of the bubble. It takes- what- a day, max, to get to and fro anywhere in the galaxy, if you push yourself? Realistically, anyone who doesn't go back to the bubble once they've dipped below 60% hull is just being a masochist.

I might point out though that it's easy to routinely take damage if you've got a young family. They very often cause your attention to be diverted for a few seconds, and that's all it takes to bonk into the corona. So, don't judge everyone harshly if they do take a lot of damage whilst exploring.

 

[Yure]

I think the flaw in your presentation is that people have done long range exploration just fine without hull repair limpets.

Nor shields. Shielded exploration will now be more viable as you can repair the hull damage you get on botched landings.

Good luck getting community support for that. I tried requesting an extra module slot for the DBS and the community pretty much said, nope

 

[Chrystoph]

Technically yes, but if they weren't useful they wouldn't be in the game. You also have no idea, or data, about how many Commanders may have been put off exploration for this very reason.

I'm planning an epic jaunt right around the outside of the galaxy. I wouldn't have considered this before Hull Repair Limpets became available.

The Distant Worlds Expedition did the entire 130+ kLY run without Limpets...

As a more reasonable approach to your proposal, however, I would endorse an option for putting Controllers into Hardpoints in addition to the existant use of Optional Compartments.

That would allow players that are not using Hardpoints for weapons to recoup the otherwise empty volume. In your example of the Asp Explorer, that gives you a potential of 16 tons of space that could be used for certain other functions.