News Chapter Four - Exploration Reveal

[Xenia_K]

...Outside of the bubble, there are only transient POV unless looking at specific story-based sites ...

not true Sir - volcanic and Bio-Sites are persistent as well, same the new "phenomena" will be I guess....

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Question.

Will the basic/intermediate/advanced tiers remain, or they all being replaced by a universal model?

 

[who?]

Please don't tell me to read the whole post. Please tell me where it sais that the ADS will function as expected.

It won't. The ADS will no longer auto-find everything in the system when you 'honk'. If visiting an unexplored (by you) non populated system, you'll need to use the new sensor mechanism to find bodies.

 

[void75]

Now that scanning is going to be an important activity. Are you considering adding extra 1 size slots dedicated to ADS (like planetary landing modules)?

Use Case. Flying in my combat chieftain I'd love to discover distress calls or weapons fire signal sources to chip in.

 

[BDelacroix]

Aren't you supposed to be the white knight and I the cynic? What is this, Freaky Friday? [haha]

Ziggy is inscrutable. Don't worry about it.

 

[Brian of Ardagh]

"To map rings around a planet you need to hit each ring with a single probe."

Will this also apply to asteroid belts around stars? These are currently ignored, as they have no "first discovered" and no financial reward.

FEEDBACK: I would like to request that asteroid fields have a financial reward and that the scanner/probes provide a composition similar to planetary composition. Perhaps a first discovered/first mapped tag as well.

 

[Neutronium]

Nooooooo goodbye exploration...

It won't. The ADS will no longer auto-find everything in the system when you 'honk'. If visiting an unexplored (by you) non populated system, you'll need to use the new sensor mechanism to find bodies.

 

[Dbrn47]

Question.

Will the basic/intermediate/advanced tiers remain, or they all being replaced by a universal model?

USS will continue to spawn at set intervals, each one has a timer as well which denotes when it will expire.


We are considering upgrading all discovery scanners into a single discovery scanner and removing the lesser versions from the game. Those players who have already purchased scanners above the basic level would receive compensation.

Dev tracking is neat.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Dev tracking is neat.

I'm an idiot and don't know how.

Thanks, +1.

 

[Valorin]

You mean, honking for uncovering the system equals exploration? I don't think so.
THe new function will take more effort but tell you if there are hot spots on the planet and also show you resources without having to fly to the planet. You know if the trip is worth it before you make it. And the honk will still give you data and an abstract way to measure if the system is any good.
Sounds much more like exploration to me instead of "honk", open system map, scan possible water world and earth likes, jump away.

 

[Cmdr John Lyn]

This is a very good point and one that I do hope that they respond to.

I agree this seems like it will add more work. I went out thousands of light years to scan elws to get my tag on them, now anyone will be able to tag my already tagged systems this seems quite unfair. I would really like to do away with "first mapped" as I thought I already mapped my systems. certainly spent hours doing so, only to have someone co-opt my discoveries

 

[Ethaidan]

Please tell me this guy is wrong. Please tell me that the advanced discovery scanner will continue to function as it does now.

He's wrong/partially correct. The new DS (ADS & DSS rolled into one) will still discover all the stellar bodies in a system, plus all the USSs. But, there will no longer be an insrant crayolla-level simplicity to understanding what the DS has discovered - the current system map which allowed a quick in-scoop scan for the right colored planet (ELW, WW, HMC, etc.) is being replaced with a map-like visual representation of the system with different stellar bodies/phenomena represented by different wave signals rather than big coloured circles in a line.

The truth is, we have no idea how hard/easy slow/fast it will be to quickly look over all the signals and pick out the ELWs or WWs. We really have no idea how tunable the new DS will be - possibly able to filter for specific frequencies? Some have tried to assert you will have to scan every body in the system in order to make a decision - not from what I read.

 

[Brian of Ardagh]

I'm an idiot and don't know how.

Thanks, +1.

https://elitedevtracker.com/ if you want it all or a choice of content.

or you can use

https://ed.miggy.org/devtracker/ed-dev-posts.rss if you just want an RSS page of this website.

I originally used the latter but the former is better IMO as it includes the latter as a webpage.

 

[Vardaugas]

You get used to it, though. Your brain does the translating. I don't even see the emissions. All I see is ammonia, water, earth-like...

 

[WR3ND]

If mapping =/= scanning I would like to know, if we are still going to be able to see the planets on system map before wasting time on scanning whole system. If not, it would seem that whole galaxy was downgraded in technology...

No, scanning is part of the ADS honk and additional system map mini-game. When you go to a system, you won't know where anything is (except for the main star) without having to do the mini game first in addition to honking, apparently.

Finding interesting systems that you might actually want to explorer before exploring them isn't really going to be an option now, it seems. [blah]

 

[WR3ND]

I'm an idiot and don't know how.

Thanks, +1.

You can just click on next dev post on the top right of one of their posts. The little Elite icon there.

 

[mossfoot]

Reposting for the new people.

I gathered all the official answers and their questions for convenience.

Q: I do have a question though: when we fully map a planet with probes does it reveal the exact locations of all POI's on the surface? Or does it reveal search zones to find the POI's?
A: 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.

Q: Are we going to see combined scanner racks?
A: Unfortunately this is not planned at the current time.
Q: Will the full map add a POI or marker for things like alien sites once they are found? One that is targetable
[/LIST]
A: Alien sites will be targetable once a surface scan has been completed.

Q: Will payouts be increased to compensate for this extra time requirement?
A: We believe that players should receive greater credit rewards for the same amount of time and effort.

Q: Will you overhaul the engineer blueprints for the scanners? Such as more efficient probes, better accuracy, stuff like that?
A: We will be maintaining an Engineering option on the DSS, the new upgrade will provide it with a larger probe capacity.

Q: Will scanning the nav beacon reveal the system?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you still need to travel to a system in order to discover its planets ? Or can you discover planets from a nearby system ?
A: You can only discover stellar bodies in the system you are currently in.

Q: Will the nav beacon still work?
A: Players will automatically gain the location of starports and outposts when they enter the system.

Q: Will you have to crash your probes into a planet to get a surface scan, or will getting a probe into orbit be enough?
A: The probes work by impacting on the surface of the planet, you are not attempting to get them into an orbit.

Q: So we can finally have 4 players mixed between both wings and multicrew?
A: I've updated the OP for better clarity on what was meant with that line: 'This allows wings or commanders in multi-crew to engage in exploration together, each earning credits and exploration rank and making the process more efficient.'

Q: Will we still have the means to quickly tell if a system might be worth looking at more, or is that getting nerfed?
A: The intention is that the energy distribution should provide explorers with information they can interpret to help identify if specific body types exist in a system.

Q: Are USSs system or commander specific?
A: USSs are still Commander specific, however you can still use wing beacons to allow friends to join you.

Q: Lots of interesting improvements here, but I've got to say that unless the DSS probes have a REALLY long range then the following statement is nonsense: We currently have to fly to within range of a planet to use the DSS. We will STILL have to fly to within range of a planet to use the DSS.
A: The data you currently earn from the existing Discovery Surface Scanner (DSS) is provided when using the new Discovery Scanner mechanics. The new DSS will provide the player with surface scan data, which currently does not exist in the game. This allows the player to get the first mapped tag on their discoveries.

Q: If the USS are no longer random, does that mean they are finite?
A: The USS will be finite, but we plan to have more that one or two at any one time. The USS do decay, they only last for a certain amount of time, and the remaining time is displayed to the player. More USS will spawn and appear over time.

Q: Will your muticrew member be able to enter SRV?
A: SRVs do not support multicrew at this time.

Q: Will this be stored in the cargo hold or in the DSS's internal storage?
A: The DSS has internal storage for the probes, like ammunition.

Q: How will the system map work/look after the initial honk and later on?
A: 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.

Q: So we can finally have 4 players mixed between both wings and multicrew?
A: I've updated the OP for better clarity on what was meant with that line: 'This allows wings or commanders in multi-crew to engage in exploration together, each earning credits and exploration rank and making the process more efficient.'

Q: For micro-probes, what materials will be needed to synthesise them, and how many can we carry at once?
A: 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.

Q: How does this affect CZ / PP combat areas- are they unaffected and visible <1000L/s as normal, or do we look for them?
A: You can now use the discovery scanner to find them no matter where they are in the system. It's important to note that you still discover USS, CZ etc if you fly close to them in supercruise.

Q: Will there be new contents of signal sources?
A: Yes.
Q: Next, will the logistics of conducting multicrew exploration be made simpler?
A: I'm unsure on the exacts on this one, I have made a note to look into it.

Q: Say, I jump into an unknown - to me - system within the bubble, say for a mission, and I have to go to a given planet. At that time I am not interested in looking around for things - I just want to find that planet and go there fast. Now, I just honk the scanner, detect the planet and set course. What happens with this new mechanism?
A: If you want the location data without using the discovery scanner you can still scan the Nav Beacon to obtain this information.

Q: USS spawn, is it a one off, or will new ones generate if you stay in a system for a long time
A: USS will continue to spawn at set intervals, each one has a timer as well which denotes when it will expire.
Q: Do the different levels of discovery scanner still have the same range limitations?
A: We are considering upgrading all discovery scanners into a single discovery scanner and removing the lesser versions from the game. Those players who have already purchased scanners above the basic level would receive compensation.

Q: But if USS decay, it means others will spawn instead. Right?
A: USS will continue to expire and spawn at set intervals.
Q: Also, will we be getting any new kinds of info on stellar bodies?
A: We aren't presenting any new information on the stellar bodies, but the new tools provide earlier and easier access to data we already presented in the system map.
Q: You mentioned "gravitational anomalies". Care to share an example?
A: These gravitational anomalies represent the gravity produced by stellar bodies and are used to help guide players towards their possible locations.

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

Q: Apart from that, how close do you need to be to a planet for the DSS to work, and can those probes be started from normal space?
A: The DSS is a supercruise only module, we are balancing the range at which it can be used to make it a satisfying experience.

Wish we could pin this right under the original post! Would save a lot of repeated question answering.

 

[CMDR Kyle Donovan]

No, scanning is part of the ADS honk and additional system map mini-game. When you go to a system, you won't know where anything is without having to do the mini game first in addition to honking, apparently. Finding interesting systems that you might actually want to explorer before exploring them isn't really going to be an option now, it seems. [blah]

Oh good. Were they worried about the galaxy getting mapped too fast? Too many balls of rock, ice, rocky ice and icy rocks being scanned too quick? If this is going as described in Wil's post, this is a step backwards. This is not valuing our time, this is finding more ways to waste it. At the very least... the VERY least... give us the number of bodies in system and their locations. Give us wireframes if you have to. To ONLY give us the primary star? That's... asinine. It's crass. It's crassinine!

 

[Ethaidan]

No, scanning is part of the ADS honk and additional system map mini-game. When you go to a system, you won't know where anything is (except for the main star) without having to do the mini game first in addition to honking, apparently.

Finding interesting systems that you might actually want to explorer before exploring them isn't really going to be an option now, it seems. [blah]

Are you certain...

Q: Will we still have the means to quickly tell if a system might be worth looking at more, or is that getting nerfed?
A: The intention is that the energy distribution should provide explorers with information they can interpret to help identify if specific body types exist in a system

 

[cmdr over]

not true Sir - volcanic and Bio-Sites are persistent as well, same the new "phenomena" will be I guess....

Excellent - So I can quickly find geyzers etc. Happy about that... but it's not really driving additional game play much, apart from SRV orbit launches.