News Chapter Four - Exploration Reveal

[CMDR Yates]

100 probes will be gone after a handful of systems...

It seems like you won't need to scan every body with probes, or even most, unless you want to.

You'll get the equivalent data/credits/"discovered by" that you currently get from the Detailed Surface Scanner by tracking down and zooming in on a planet with regular Discovery Scanner from anywhere in the system. So if you're looking for credits, materials lists, or discovery credit, you can get everything you get currently without using probes. You don't even need to carry a DSS now if you just want those things.

You only need the DSS and probes if you want to find specific sites of interest on the surface (or if you choose to collect the new "First Scanned by" credits) and the regular Discovery Scan will tell you if there's anything worth using the probes for.

 

[EUS]

The way I see it FDev bowed to community's will that wanted something similar as the SRV's scanner.

Funny, I cannot recall the community asking for anything like this. In fact, the SRV scanner mechanic is usually disparaged.

 

[Enderby]

Personally, I don't mind going back as long as it's for something that can add to exploration. Getting a better game is more important to me right now, and if things are taking longer to do but they have more reward and feeling of accomplishment, then I'm all for it.

Yeah ok I can get on board with that.

 

[Andrew Gaspurr]

You can only discover stellar bodies in the system you are currently in.

Will we see any orbit lines after honking?

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

^^^this here. I feel this will get very old, very fast.

I really hope I'm wrong and this is all amazing, but with what was written and the few screen shots, just not sure.

OP:
'The system scan now returns an aggregated display of how energetic the electromagnetic emissions are in the system. Signals are sorted on a low to high scale by their apparent energy. For example, emissions from rocky clusters will appear at the lower end of the scale, hot gas giants at the upper range. This information requires some interpretation as signals can overlap.'

 

[Lightspeed]

Hi Whitmann, we don't have our synthesis recipe nailed down at the moment. We are currently working with a ship's holding around a couple of hundred probes. It's important to note that scanning a planet varies based on size of the body and aiming skills of the pilot.

I haven't read to the end of the post yet, but my first question about the probes is - will they take up cargo space? Or are they to be stored in a special "probe containment device" ? I would prefer the latter, it's bad enough finding enough space for limpets sometimes.

 

[Mephane]

Regarding exploration and multicrew, any news on the multicrew vs SRVs issue? I'd love to go around with a team where one of us might drive on one of the planets investigating something, or collecting materials for us, while the rest look for and map further planets.

 

[SushiCW]

One more thought:

Any sort of exploration multicrew is going to feel hampered if we're locked out of using SRVs. Imagine going out to probe some planets, realizing you need more materials to synthesize them, and having to kick your multicrew mates so you can use the SRV to gather materials, rather than working together to do it.


Please, please, please find a way to make multicrew SRVs work.

 

[Vithigar]

I can get a "quick" look at every system I pass through and if I spot something ineteresting I can divert to have a nosey - say an earthlike with rings or somesuch.

I suspect this will still be possible, you'll just need to learn to read the emissions data. An oxygen atmosphere would have a very different emissions graph than an airless rock IRL, so hopefully that's the case in game as well.

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

The way I see it FDev bowed to community's will that wanted something similar as the SRV's scanner. This will be the electromagnetic one, and that should provide a quick overview of whether there is anything unusual - just not in a visual way. And I do hope, that more interesting stuff will be added too.

I'm with Genar-Hofoen on this - it totally destroys how I explore.

But, given the positive response, I accept that I'm an outlier in this.
I guess I'll be shelving ED, while the rest of you have fun.

Enjoy yourselves without me

 

[Knightshark]

Players will automatically gain the location of starports and outposts when they enter the system.

Even without honk? Why change that?

 

[shreddog]

Add SRV requirement for synth these ships can no longer be fit for exploration

Not supposed to reply to players. But oh well.
You don't need a shield while exploring.
I go shieldless all the time in the black.
And I land all the time. Without damage.

 

[Rock-Hermit]

So the current basic loadout for explorer ship is:
shield
dss
ads
fuel scoop
No problem, even the sidey can do this.

Add SRV requirement for synth these ships can no longer be fit for exploration
viper
eagle
ieagle
DBS
hauler
sidey

Was this really the plan?

If probe mats can be mined from asteroid belts, there's no need to take a SRV. Mining laser will become standard fit though.

 

[CMDR-AD]

Sounds great. Thanks Frontier for the work, and sharing the update. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

 

[VR SenseiMatty]

Hi Adam, this is a lot of cool stuff but a question please. This all scanning process happens in space. Is there also additional gameplay and new scan processes for the srv? Some reason to land on planets and increase the planetary data reward?

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

I suspect this will still be possible, you'll just need to learn to read the emissions data. An oxygen atmosphere would have a very different emissions graph than an airless rock IRL, so hopefully that's the case in game as well.

Still have to play the minigame every time instead of being able to make a decision while I scoop.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

QUESTION: Are you doing away with the immediately available system map we have now, in favour of having to build up a system map with the new system?

 

[Mengy]

It will give you the exact location of persistent POIs. The more transient, smaller POIs such as a collection of skimmers will not be located by the surface scan.

Ah that's disappointing. I was hoping to get manageable search zones from the probes so as to not make finding POI's so easy.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

I'm with Genar-Hofoen on this - it totally destroys how I explore.

But, given the positive response, I accept that I'm an outlier in this.
I guess I'll be shelving ED, while the rest of you have fun.

Enjoy yourselves without me

All I'm saying is that let's see how it works. If you can indeed have a quick overview of determining whether a system is interesting, just in a different way, let's try it.
My first post was exactly about this: interesting system are one in 1000, so we need a quick initial 'yay or nay'.

 

[CMDR Yates]

I'm with Genar-Hofoen on this - it totally destroys how I explore.

But, given the positive response, I accept that I'm an outlier in this.
I guess I'll be shelving ED, while the rest of you have fun.

Enjoy yourselves without me

It destroys how I explore too. But now I'm looking forward to trying a new and better way of exploring.