Bad luck, it happens. Try tourist ships at tourist beacons for variety.
From what I can tell, pretty much every ship in the game, any multirole ship and the T series ships.
Obviously going into a CZ or a has rez will seriously shorten your chances of getting classified scan banks - but it is possible. I've even picked up many many classified scan databanks when scanning settlements looking for CIF - it's RNG.
I got my 50 by going to a convoy beacon in an outbreak system and scanning all the ships in there, then jumping out and back in again and rinse and repeat, takes a couple or so hours. If the convoy beacon is empty, then find one that is populated. Convoy beacons will be close to planets, so you will need to get to within 1000ls of a plant before a beacon will appear on the radar, if the system is in outbreak.
Another thread on CSD here:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300502-Classified-scans-databanks
I've been to 6 outbreak systems so far.
One had the convoy beacon and I scanned all the ships and got one CSD. Tried to reset the instance but no ships respawned and then the convoy beacon disapeared.
Went to 2 other outbreak systems but there was no convoy beacon.
Went to 3 other outbreak systems and each one had a convoy beacon but no ships in them... empty.
One had the convoy beacon and I scanned all the ships and got one CSD. Tried to reset the instance but no ships respawned and then the convoy beacon disapeared.
Went to 2 other outbreak systems but there was no convoy beacon.
Went to 3 other outbreak systems and each one had a convoy beacon but no ships in them... empty.
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Don't go to a fkn distribution center OR convoy beacon.
Those persistent POI's save you exactly Zero time, what you want is Beluga/Transport scans, bigger ship, higher chance. Now you might think a tourism beacon is the best bet but it isn't, the best is stations.
I did it by doing one jump missions from a certain high population tourism system. You'll see plenty of stations - and therefore plenty of Belugas/T9 and make some money while you are at it.
Those persistent POI's save you exactly Zero time, what you want is Beluga/Transport scans, bigger ship, higher chance. Now you might think a tourism beacon is the best bet but it isn't, the best is stations.
I did it by doing one jump missions from a certain high population tourism system. You'll see plenty of stations - and therefore plenty of Belugas/T9 and make some money while you are at it.
I have been doing passenger missions out of Shinrarta for the last couple of weeks and most go to tourist beacons - Scanning tourist ships at beacons does not seem to yield scan data of any kind, so they are not likely to provide any CSD's.
Actually had more luck just scanning transport and tourist ships in and out of Jameson.
Actually had more luck just scanning transport and tourist ships in and out of Jameson.
Been scanning all the Belugas at Jameson... no luck yet.
I have also been trying to get these so there are two things that are perhaps anecdotal I would add:
1) I seemed to get a lot of CSD at distribution centres
2). When scanning regular transports at a nav beacon for example, I only get odd materials hits when I scan a WANTED vessel not when I scan a regular Joe Schmo
Anyone else found this to be true?
1) I seemed to get a lot of CSD at distribution centres
2). When scanning regular transports at a nav beacon for example, I only get odd materials hits when I scan a WANTED vessel not when I scan a regular Joe Schmo
Anyone else found this to be true?
So... i spent 3 hours last night hunting the CSD Snark.
After nearly an hour in a Distribution centre i got one hit - off a sidewinder no less.
After nearly an hour at a nav beacon in a high traffic system I got nothing at all.
After nearly an hour at a high traffic station i got a hit off a beluga and an adder.
I've been hunting these for a total now of approx 14 hours and I'm at 40. its a horrendous drop rate as far as i can tell. I wouldn't mind if i were after a G5 roll on a rail gun or something - but just to unlock Ram Tah - seems excessive. Re-balance required FDev - all i had to do to unlock Hera Tani was fly out to a station pick up some cigars, wait 24 hours and pick up some more - okay Ram Tah can engineer A LOT of modules but even so the disparity is wanton. 'Ain't no grind' - but sheesh its a long and somewhat unbalanced road eh.
I'll try finding a tourist beacon next as someone has commented or look at mission rewards perhaps... has anyone noticed a concentration of CSD as mission rewards on any particular kind of mission?
UPDATE: Hung out at a coupe of tourist beacons for around an hour - got one hit off a beluga. Then moved on to a high traffic station in a capital system and got two hits in about an hour.
UPDATE 2: Another 2 hours yesterday another 2 hits for CSD. I found out if you hit SC and travel between the nav beacon and a high traffic base you can scan a lot of ships in the shipping lane, especially where they bunch upon approach to the base. There's plenty of rubbish (system security etc.) but you usually get about 5 - 6 transport or tourist ships a time. You need to drop out of SC occasionally to refresh, but it means scanning roughly 50 - 60 ships per hour. Drop rate still blows - 1 hit per hour usually (equates to 3 CSD) but you pick up a lot of other stuff too. Just REMEMBER to keep space in your data storage.
UPDATE 3:Another 90 minutes to get the last 3 CSD to take me over 50. In total since I started scanning I think I've out in around 20 or so hours of scanning to get 50 CSD - pretty low drop rate average of around 1 - 2 per hour. Bit disappointing really when I managed to get Ram Tah to G5 on an hour once he was unlocked. This was the most frustrating engineer so far...and I've unlocked about 9 so far.
After nearly an hour in a Distribution centre i got one hit - off a sidewinder no less.
After nearly an hour at a nav beacon in a high traffic system I got nothing at all.
After nearly an hour at a high traffic station i got a hit off a beluga and an adder.
I've been hunting these for a total now of approx 14 hours and I'm at 40. its a horrendous drop rate as far as i can tell. I wouldn't mind if i were after a G5 roll on a rail gun or something - but just to unlock Ram Tah - seems excessive. Re-balance required FDev - all i had to do to unlock Hera Tani was fly out to a station pick up some cigars, wait 24 hours and pick up some more - okay Ram Tah can engineer A LOT of modules but even so the disparity is wanton. 'Ain't no grind' - but sheesh its a long and somewhat unbalanced road eh.
I'll try finding a tourist beacon next as someone has commented or look at mission rewards perhaps... has anyone noticed a concentration of CSD as mission rewards on any particular kind of mission?
UPDATE: Hung out at a coupe of tourist beacons for around an hour - got one hit off a beluga. Then moved on to a high traffic station in a capital system and got two hits in about an hour.
UPDATE 2: Another 2 hours yesterday another 2 hits for CSD. I found out if you hit SC and travel between the nav beacon and a high traffic base you can scan a lot of ships in the shipping lane, especially where they bunch upon approach to the base. There's plenty of rubbish (system security etc.) but you usually get about 5 - 6 transport or tourist ships a time. You need to drop out of SC occasionally to refresh, but it means scanning roughly 50 - 60 ships per hour. Drop rate still blows - 1 hit per hour usually (equates to 3 CSD) but you pick up a lot of other stuff too. Just REMEMBER to keep space in your data storage.
UPDATE 3:Another 90 minutes to get the last 3 CSD to take me over 50. In total since I started scanning I think I've out in around 20 or so hours of scanning to get 50 CSD - pretty low drop rate average of around 1 - 2 per hour. Bit disappointing really when I managed to get Ram Tah to G5 on an hour once he was unlocked. This was the most frustrating engineer so far...and I've unlocked about 9 so far.
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No argument that it's hilariously poor design but I am a little mystified at your lack of success at the distribution center. Scan the four inbound ships -> scan the three heavy's -> log out, log in (solo play) -> rinse, repeat. It's seven ships and all of them can give you the data you're looking for. Even allowing for woeful RNG, you ought to find more than one in an hour.
But the entire design is very problematic because the game shouldn't encourage this type of abusive gameplay. When I saw how many classified scan databanks I had, I knew I had deleted several in the past. I didn't realize I'd need them, so I trimmed them down to a managable number due to storage limits. Either we should be able to carry X number of each type, or there should be some way for us to know we'll need these things in the future. Yes, it's gamey, but so is relogging 50 times to get enough items to unlock some dude who has to be up to his eyeballs in databanks by now.
Not to mention it just feels terrible deleting things you've collected because your computer is from the 90s and has the capacity of a couple floppies. There are better ways to do this. I would encourage Frontier to think a bit on them.
But the entire design is very problematic because the game shouldn't encourage this type of abusive gameplay. When I saw how many classified scan databanks I had, I knew I had deleted several in the past. I didn't realize I'd need them, so I trimmed them down to a managable number due to storage limits. Either we should be able to carry X number of each type, or there should be some way for us to know we'll need these things in the future. Yes, it's gamey, but so is relogging 50 times to get enough items to unlock some dude who has to be up to his eyeballs in databanks by now.
Not to mention it just feels terrible deleting things you've collected because your computer is from the 90s and has the capacity of a couple floppies. There are better ways to do this. I would encourage Frontier to think a bit on them.
You read threads like this and you wonder why you bother playing the game at all. The gameplay design is so bad that I'm just going to put the game down again for another three months.
You think you miss Elite Dangerous because you haven't played it for a bit, so you play it and it kicks you in the groin with stupidity like this.
You think you miss Elite Dangerous because you haven't played it for a bit, so you play it and it kicks you in the groin with stupidity like this.
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Well, allegedly, the Engineers and the RNG is something that will be in the 'core gameplay' issues they will look into following the commencement of the Thargoid distraction... cant's say its a moment too soon really.
I would HOPE they actually listen to the community, even go so far as opening a board to solicit suggestions specific to the issue at hand might be a good way of garnering involvement an good ideas.
I would HOPE they actually listen to the community, even go so far as opening a board to solicit suggestions specific to the issue at hand might be a good way of garnering involvement an good ideas.
I know this thread is a bit dated but still relevant for me. I have 47 of the data banks. I have gotten them through regular game-play instead of actively seeking them out. Now I want to unlock Ram however, I have been trying to top up those last 3 for a few months and I have not gotten 1. I did the outbreak system approach last night and got lucky with finding a few HUGE convoys however not one of them produced a scan let alone the classified scan data banks.
The thing that kills me is that I probably have abandoned a bunch of them in the past as I didn't know they were an engineer unlock mat, now I know I need them, I cannot find them for the life of me.
Good times!
The thing that kills me is that I probably have abandoned a bunch of them in the past as I didn't know they were an engineer unlock mat, now I know I need them, I cannot find them for the life of me.
Good times!
Sure your data isn't full?
Yup, I maintain it very regularly. Its weird cause I got the first 47, the last 3 are just being very elusive.
I get quite a few base scanning. Might as well give it a go if it's not dropping anywhere else.