News Content Recap: Beyond - Chapter Four Livestream - Exploration and the Codex

[Straha Yeagar]

Fair enough! Certainly would work for the example I provided

For something more minor "Hey, I found this amazing canyon for racing!", that's not going to be in the Codex. Not the end of the world by any means, but it would be nice if there were on-screen 'co-ordinates' in the FSS view to let us make a note of - and let others can enter in - celestial body locations.

It would only show in Codex AFTER is was sold, so your initial point still stands. You can provide exact planetary coordinates, but anyone coming there before you sold the data would still have to go through the scanning and discovery process.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

It would only show in Codex AFTER is was sold, so your initial point still stands. You can provide exact planetary coordinates, but anyone coming there before you sold the data would still have to go through the scanning and discovery process.

We know planets are like that. Not sure about the Codex. We will have to wait an see about that.

 

[dreampage]

While I agree on the lack of planetary bookmarks (cause I want to be able to bookmark canyon racing tracks) and want to see improvements on that part, saying that the planetary navigation is ridiculous is a bit too much I think. I mean, it's a learnable thing and it's very easy once you know how it works. You may not like it, and want an easy way to reach specific coordinates, but really it's not that hard.

Why do we even have planetary maps if all we can do is rotate the planet and look at it? Nothing more. It's not a map. A map displays data, coordinates, you can look for values with a cursor, you can pinpoint given points, lock / bookmark them etc. This is why I say the current method is ridiculous because planetary maps have no functions at all. And yes, I know how the coordinate system works but we are in 3304. When you first arrive at a planet (possibly at quite high speeds) it takes a while to orientate yourself properly. Also, you may be at the completely wrong side of the body, having to circle around the whole thing, because you don't have anything to indicate it. And it's simply laughable that in the age of interstellar travel we have to find surface spots purely by eye.

Imagine if you couldn't lock planets on the System Map. You would arrive in a system, then you would have to turn and look around until you find the planet you're looking for, and then go to it. Or you wouldn't get any data on the System Map, just some planet schematics. It would be useless. Just like planetary maps are currently.

 

[Alieri]

Why do we even have planetary maps if all we can do is rotate the planet and look at it? Nothing more. It's not a map. A map displays data, coordinates, you can look for values with a cursor, you can pinpoint given points, lock / bookmark them etc. This is why I say the current method is ridiculous because planetary maps have no functions at all. And yes, I know how the coordinate system works but we are in 3304. When you first arrive at a planet (possibly at quite high speeds) it takes a while to orientate yourself properly. Also, you may be at the completely wrong side of the body, having to circle around the whole thing, because you don't have anything to indicate it. And it's simply laughable that in the age of interstellar travel we have to find surface spots purely by eye.

Imagine if you couldn't lock planets on the System Map. You would arrive in a system, then you would have to turn and look around until you find the planet you're looking for, and then go to it. Or you wouldn't get any data on the System Map, just some planet schematics. It would be useless. Just like planetary maps are currently.

That's what I was talking about few pages before.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

If I understand correctly, if someone has sold data for a system, the System Map is populated for other users. However this still means we've no way of easily sharing newly discovered stuff on planets in 'virgin' systems. E.g.

Me: OMG! I've just discovered an alien Playboy Mansion in system THARGS-R-US 1000, planet 2B, long 11.5, lat 88.0!
Others: On my way! Wait... where's planet 2B? All I see is an empty system.
Me: Just... you know... second star from the left and straight on 'til morning.

I know. It's not the end of the world, it won't take too long for someone to play the Spot The Planet game and find the planets.

But it's a bit strange that I can give them precise longitude and latitude coordinates, but first they have to go search for the planet itself. If I find something amazing in a new system (most likely place to find something amazing..) I'm not likely to go racing back to the bubble just so everyone else can see the planets. I'll want to hang around and explore.

This is why multicrew needs to include SRVs. Still can't plot it, but at least you can chase alien playboy bunnies together.

 

[Cmdr Bryston]

Reported - When a Commander finds the rumoured item in question, it then shows up as ‘reported’ in the Codex, and update everyone’s Codex . If you then find it, and scan it, that will then become ‘Discovered’ in your codex.

Should be.....

Reported - When a Commander finds the rumoured item in question, it then shows up as ‘reported’ in the Codex, and update everyone’s Codex . If you then scan it, that will then become ‘Discovered’ in your codex.

 

[Rojo Habe]

Imagine if you couldn't lock planets on the System Map. You would arrive in a system, then you would have to turn and look around until you find the planet you're looking for, and then go to it

Isn't that what's coming with the update?

 

[[VR] Deggial]

You can synthethize without horizons, it's just a pain to gather materials. Need to have mining lasers.

You don’t even need mining lasers, if ... if FDev would implement a way to gather those mats without any prerequisite.

Guys, just think out of the box. And not even in a big way. Just a tiny little bit!
The assumption that mining lasers or SRVs would be necessary to gather materials might be true in the current version of the game. But who sais that this couldn’t change in patch 3.3?

All that would be needed would be an USS with some free floating materials to gather. It even wouldn’t have to be a new type of USS. If necessary, an existing type could be “upgraded” with some additional material salvage.
A completely new type, preferably associated with additional gameplay and only located outside the human bubble would be better, of course.

This new USS could even have a specific name that hints towards its material content.
Together with the upcoming change (persistant and easy to find USS locations!), it would be simple enough for explorers to refill their material stocks, if needed - and without any “grind” at all!

 

[dreampage]

Isn't that what's coming with the update?

No, I meant fully discovered systems. Like if you wanted to travel to Abraham Lincoln in Sol and you couldn't lock it before. You would arrive in Sol, then you would have to turn around until you finally see where Earth is, then you could go there and aim at the station. Because this is how finding planetary coordinates feel like with the current method. Planetary maps should have function just like galaxy and system maps have.

 

[aRJay]

No, I meant fully discovered systems. Like if you wanted to travel to Abraham Lincoln in Sol and you couldn't lock it before. You would arrive in Sol, then you would have to turn around until you finally see where Earth is, then you could go there and aim at the station. Because this is how finding planetary coordinates feel like with the current method. Planetary maps should have function just like galaxy and system maps have.

The thing is a system map only shows discrete objects like stations and planets a surface map has to deal with everywhere between the bases as well. But I see what you mean.

 

[Shadowdancer]

At this point, would anything speak against integrating the DSS, a.k.a. "the 1.3 tonne passive brick sitting in that size 2 optional", into the FSS somehow?

 

[M_Biscotti]

Pre-discovered systems :
will they be pre-mapped ? Giving us informations we didn't have.
will they be mappable ? Giving us new informations.
will they have nothing ?

 

[Boomdaddy187]

A Reason to Explore

I am liking these changes fellas. Brings a better balance for those who are exploring for the sake of discovery and those who explore to find what they need because they are trying to find very specific things.

Good job guys! Just make sure any bugs found are addressed quickly. Would hate to be so excited about these changes just to be let down by a glitchy mess.

The new graphics, maps features, UI interface

 

[ever]

I hope the codex will allow players with not much time on their hands to discover new ways of playing the game. For example setting one on a thread and helping him with it. I hope that the codex will open up the game for me, helping me discover parts of the game, that remain closed, due to lack of time.

 

[Assimilator1]

Pre-discovered systems :
will they be pre-mapped ? Giving us informations we didn't have.
will they be mappable ? Giving us new informations.
will they have nothing ?

If by pre-mapped systems you mean systems that are fully mapped from the start in your galaxy map, they didn't mention any change to the existing data, although it did sound like surface mapping would be open to all systems IIRC.
If by pre-mapped systems you meant systems mapped by other cmdrs, then your gal map will be updated with basic info for those systems, as if you had been in there & honked the (current) ADS & done nothing else. So you'll have body positions, some basic info & be able to see them in the system map .

That's my understanding from the stream anyway!

 

[Kaocraft]

You don’t even need mining lasers, if ... if FDev would implement a way to gather those mats without any prerequisite.

Guys, just think out of the box. And not even in a big way. Just a tiny little bit!
The assumption that mining lasers or SRVs would be necessary to gather materials might be true in the current version of the game. But who sais that this couldn’t change in patch 3.3?

All that would be needed would be an USS with some free floating materials to gather. It even wouldn’t have to be a new type of USS. If necessary, an existing type could be “upgraded” with some additional material salvage.
A completely new type, preferably associated with additional gameplay and only located outside the human bubble would be better, of course.

This new USS could even have a specific name that hints towards its material content.
Together with the upcoming change (persistant and easy to find USS locations!), it would be simple enough for explorers to refill their material stocks, if needed - and without any “grind” at all!

Honestly you could just have some materials of the appropriate type floating here and there in rings and asteroid fields as part of the space debris. Material type and frequency would be related to the ring composition. It would be a nice addition even without probe synthesis, but it would also help in that regard.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Honestly you could just have some materials of the appropriate type floating here and there in rings and asteroid fields as part of the space debris. Material type and frequency would be related to the ring composition. It would be a nice addition even without probe synthesis, but it would also help in that regard.

This would be possible too and I was thinking about this option as well.

One issue would be that the RNG would be strong in this solution and many players don't like this.
Furthermore, flying through ring systems without mining gear is not very useful other than for the pure enjoyment of the visuals (which can of course be reason enough).

That's why I think, a USS variant would work best:
With the new gravity well mechanic, they can be found easily (even if it wouldn't be ubiquitous) and explorers in need of materials would be able to refill their stocks targeted.

 

[M_Biscotti]

You don’t even need mining lasers, if ... if FDev would implement a way to gather those mats without any prerequisite.

I completely disagree with this. Gathering is easier with Horizons and that's one among many good points to get it. And even if I don't really like the SRV now (too low volume and/or too high frequencies sounds to be really useful compared to their visual counterparts) it's not that awful to use and it's doesn't take too much time to gather mats.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

I completely disagree with this. Gathering is easier with Horizons and that's one among many good points to get it. And even if I don't really like the SRV now (too low volume and/or too high frequencies sounds to be really useful compared to their visual counterparts) it's not that awful to use and it's doesn't take too much time to gather mats.

Oh, I personally really like the SRV!
That's not where I am coming from.

It's more about those explorers out there who haven't outfitted mining lasers (because why should they up to now?) and who lost their SRV(s) due to some unfortunate driving accidents. FDev's concern was, that those people shouldn't be forced to come back.

Regarding those "freely" available materials: They would be limmited to only those mats required for probe synthesis, which would have been basic grade 1 materials anyway. This wouldn't have made SRV driving obsolet by any means.

 

[DennyMala]

We need a setting to tell limpets not to recover illegal stuffs... high quality of life improvement if you ask me.