News Chapter Four - Exploration Reveal

[Quester91]

I don't know what to think about this tbh, on paper it sounds good, but in practice it slows down exploration tremendously and it has to be seen how well these new mechanics hold up the player interest after a few system mappings. If I want to map a system with more than half a dozen celestial bodies it may quickly become incredibly dull and repetitive, effectively trading convenience for a slower, more repetitive, cool looking way of exploring.

I don't know how to feel about this, we'll see.

 

[Noogillim]

Have you (FD) considered allowing pilots once they have fully/partially scanned a system to be able to deploy a NAV beacon for that system? Especially for really interesting systems that had structures etc.

 

[Adam Bourke-Waite]

Also, about the probes and first mapping: will we be able to map bodies which we can't (yet) land on?

Yes.

 

[Andovar]

woohoo! exploration stuff! awesomesauce!

The high level overview sounds great to me.
Looking forward to getting into the details of the mechanics and gameplay.

 

[shreddog]

Wow, this goes way beyond what I had hoped for
I'm especially loving the described discovery mechanic [heart]

I'm hoping you plan to set those POI timers on a very long expiry, please.
Oh and please, can you make the current honk sound be toggleable or replaced with something more 'high tech'(nitpicking).

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Edit to add: Just saw the 'you can still scan the nav beacon' reply. I haven't scanned more then three nav beacons since I installed the game. Will scanning a nav beacon reveal a planetary scan mission target?

Yes, it will. It is very handy.

 

[Monoceros]

If you want the location data without using the discovery scanner you can still scan the Nav Beacon to obtain this information.

I was wondering about that, currently, the ADS does that work and though not much effort to drop into a nav beacon could the 'upgraded' ADS now not automatically pull data from the nav beacon as you jump in and honk?

 

[stormyuk]

Looks really good!!

 

[Macros Black]

m2c:

• Discovering all bodies in shall not change from today. If you want to find the POI's use the micro-probes.
• No mats shall be needed for the micro-probes, max 1 carbon needed for a gazillion micro-probes.
• Temporary (expires after x hours) beacons can be placed on the planet with a maximum per planet. Thinking impromptu race tracks.

 

[ErichZann]

There will be ammo, but at Lavecon FDev said it would be synthesised with a commonly occurring planetary material.

so no more exploration for people without horizons at all anymore?

 

[Old Duck]

All new "First mapped": You'll be able to add a first mapped across any planet within the galaxy, including within the bubble. Giving all players that have joined the game since it's launch even more opportunity to make their mark on the galaxy.

I'm assuming this feature will be turned off during beta, yes? Otherwise it will be only "Giving all players on PC" the opportunity to grab those "First Mapped" tags inside the Bubble.

 

[TheOriginalB]

I think this sounds 100% awesome!

A couple quick clarification questions:
1) Will this be the same for the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Discovery Scanners? (Just with different resolution ranges?)
2) Let's say I fly to a populated system that I've never been to before. Previously, I could hop in, honk, and fly to the station or planet because I could quickly target it, even if I didn't have a ton of discovery information about it. How will I be able to quickly find a planetary base?
3) When I travel from A to B (let's say heading out to the Guardian sites) I reflexively honk each system, even if I'm not going to look at the data. It's quick, painless, and more than once I've targeted a system and been able to at least see that there are planets there, even while knowing nothing about them. Is the "quick honk" going away, replaced by always having to look at the interface?

This allows wings and multi-crew to engage in exploration together, each earning credits and exploration rank and making the process more efficient.

Somewhere in here I'm seeing "wings and multi-crew" flying together and hoping, hoping, hoping...

Thanks!

 

[Zynniah]

The initial 'honk' will just reveal the entry star. As you use the to explore, more stellar bodies will be revealed as you find them, which will then populate the system map.

Are you saying that when I arrive in a system and "honk" with my ADS, I will no longer see all the planets to be able to pick the one I wan to go to in order to delivery my cargo just because I haven't been to that particular star system yet?

 

[El_Labero]

First Mapped By

We are also adding a new opportunity to get your Commander's name immortalised in the game with the new 'First Mapped By' tag. The first person to successfully map a planet to 100% and sell the resulting data at a port, will be awarded this tag. This also applies for planets that have already got a 'First Discovered' tag as well.

will that be a reset or a second Name added?

 

[znôrt]

Temporary (expires after x hours) beacons can be placed on the planet with a maximum per planet. Thinking impromptu race tracks.

nice try!

 

[BDelacroix]

I will need to digest this but so far it sounds great.

Don't be pointing at the sun while messing with that new scanner, folks.

 

[Orvidius]

This sounds awesome so far! Some quick and simple questions, to make sure I'm reading this right:

* The Advanced Discovery Scanner doesn't reveal everything onto the map all at once anymore at all, being replaced by the signal scanning method? And this has a telescope sort of view when you detect individual bodies? I'm OK with this, since it's more engaging, just looking for clarification. (Answered: Initial honk only reveals arrival star. The rest have to be detected with the new gameplay mechanics)

* The Detailed Surface Scanner no longer scans a body at all, instead being replaced by the probe/mapping system? Or does it still have to scan first, to get the basic orbital and surface material stats, etc? (Answered: The current DSS scan info now comes from the ADS scan/detection. The DSS will only be a probe launcher for detailed mapping and POI highlighting)

 

[Lordxenu]

I'm assuming this feature will be turned off during beta, yes? Otherwise it will be only "Giving all players on PC" the opportunity to grab those "First Mapped" tags inside the Bubble.

What happens in beta stays in beta everything gets wiped

 

[mossfoot]

Have you (FD) considered allowing pilots once they have fully/partially scanned a system to be able to deploy a NAV beacon for that system? Especially for really interesting systems that had structures etc.

I definitely like the idea of dropping a nav beacon but would argue it shouldn't be an easy thing. Limit how many can be carried (they are large after all) so that you either choose wisely where to use them or have to organize teams to seed regions with.

 

[Flimley]

Question
1, When in augmented camera view, how quickly can I exit this in the event of an emergency?

1a, Will augmented view be opaque in any way, to give us some situational awareness.

2, Does this work well in VR?

Flimley