Newcomer / Intro D-Scanner Confusion

[Honeycone]

Hi!

So I recently got the Detailed Surface Scanner (or D-Scanner) and I'm very confused. Do I need to "fire" the scanner to use it? Because it says that I'm getting detailed scans if I just face the unexplored object and wait for the "ordinary" scan.

EDIT: Extra question. All the places that all already explored for some reason, if I "shoot" my D-scanner on those objects, will that do anything? Or do the already explored objects already have a detailed scan?

EDIT: The D-Scanner isn't the Detailed Surface Scanner. The D-Scanner is part of the Advanced Scanner that you have to use every time you enter a system if you want to find all the stuffs.

 

[mistohise]

The detailed surface scanner automatically works when you target a planet / star and wait for the scan results (you just need to be close enough.)

 

[azdour]

I believe the detailed surface scanner is basically an add-on to your discovery module - that's why you need both. So it does a combined scan.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

The D-Scanner is the Discovery Scanner. Depending on what you bought, you have either a Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Discovery Scanner. What it does is it maps the system. The Advanced Discovery Scanner discovery every object that is there to find in the system you are in. All of those turn up in your navigation tab as "unexplored". To "explore" them you have to approach them until the "scanning" starts. That's also your Discovery scanner working there. The Detailed Surface Scanner just enables your scan to accumulate more information. So it is an extra module that you do not have to actively use, because it has an automatic effect.

To have a detailed scan, you need to approach an unexplored body and keep it in the middle of your HUD until the message "Detailed Scan Data...." pops up.

 

[Honeycone]

The D-Scanner is the Discovery Scanner. Depending on what you bought, you have either a Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Discovery Scanner. What it does is it maps the system. The Advanced Discovery Scanner discovery every object that is there to find in the system you are in. All of those turn up in your navigation tab as "unexplored". To "explore" them you have to approach them until the "scanning" starts. That's also your Discovery scanner working there. The Detailed Surface Scanner just enables your scan to accumulate more information. So it is an extra module that you do not have to actively use, because it has an automatic effect.

To have a detailed scan, you need to approach an unexplored body and keep it in the middle of your HUD until the message "Detailed Scan Data...." pops up.

Thank you! I wonder why they enable you to map the D-Scanner to a fire group and make a big impressive sound when you've finished firing the D-scanner.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

Thank you! I wonder why they enable you to map the D-Scanner to a fire group and make a big impressive sound when you've finished firing the D-scanner.

The firing sound is a sort of "ping" that your scanner shoots through the whole star system you are in to see whether there are planetary or stellar bodies orbiting the star you have jumped to. So you absolutely need to fire that scanner in order to "discover" any of those bodies. Detail scans start working automatically once you are in an appropriate distance of your target and facing it.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

The D-Scanner is the Discovery Scanner. Depending on what you bought, you have either a Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Discovery Scanner. What it does is it maps the system. The Advanced Discovery Scanner discovery every object that is there to find in the system you are in. All of those turn up in your navigation tab as "unexplored". To "explore" them you have to approach them until the "scanning" starts. That's also your Discovery scanner working there. The Detailed Surface Scanner just enables your scan to accumulate more information. So it is an extra module that you do not have to actively use, because it has an automatic effect.

To have a detailed scan, you need to approach an unexplored body and keep it in the middle of your HUD until the message "Detailed Scan Data...." pops up.

Based on my experience of using both the ADS and DDS, the ADS will find objects (although they might need to be in the 'V' area of the sensor suite, so in front of the ship), but you then need to lock onto the object in order for the DDS to start working. I also believe that you have to have a DDS to get detailed planetary information.

 

[Honeycone]

The firing sound is a sort of "ping" that your scanner shoots through the whole star system you are in to see whether there are planetary or stellar bodies orbiting the star you have jumped to. So you absolutely need to fire that scanner in order to "discover" any of those bodies. Detail scans start working automatically once you are in an appropriate distance of your target and facing it.

Wait what? I thought the advanced scanner discovered objects by itself.

EDIT: Ah, you're right!

 

[Undecided]

Wait what? I thought the advanced scanner discovered objects by itself.

All D-Scanners can passively detect nearby objects, but only at a fraction of the range of their active pulse.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

All my Advanced Discovery scanner has ever discovered automatically was the star in front of my face when I jump into a system. Everything else I had to "ping" for.

 

[KulKulcan]

For a couple of weeks I assumed that you had to drop out of supercruise and open a hatch to fire the discovery scanner and like the OP I was also confused on how to operate the detailed surface scanner. Stating it is an add-on module to the description would be enough to avoid any confusion.

 

[Faerie]

Might be worth mentioning that in 1.1 beta currently being tested, (& after it is rolled out to everyone) the first person to explore a system will be credited with it's discovery, but only if the surface of it's bodies have been scanned, so the DSS will be needed if you wish to get your commander name permanently included in the game.

 

[Midgardsormr]

EDIT: Extra question. All the places that all already explored for some reason, if I "shoot" my D-scanner on those objects, will that do anything? Or do the already explored objects already have a detailed scan?

You can still run the Detailed Surface Scanner on a body that you previously scanned with only your basic sensors. You can also frequently scan bodies that were pre-populated on your charts. To see whether using the DSS will give you additional data, check the System Map. Any planet or moon that has information about the atmosphere (or lack thereof) will yield no additional information. Or you can target a planet. If it shows up with "High Metal Content Planet" or "Icy Planet" or "Class III Gas Giant" or something like that, then it's had a detailed scan already. If it just shows the name, then you can still scan it.

Some of the pre-populated charts are incomplete, so a few planets might have detailed information but others have only basic information, and still others might be completely undiscovered.