DBX is a gem

[Mengy]

my DBX does 55.25 LY on a full tank, making up for slower scooping, so I don't think my rate of travel is very different from my Asp.

I've done a lot of tests, and when comparitively outfitted and modded both the Asp E and the DBE can buckyball at very nearly the same rate of lys/hr. The Asp is only very slightly marginally quicker, like a dozen or so lys/hr quicker. The Asp scoops faster but the range of the DBE makes up for it over a long series of jumps. Yeah I know that 4A scoop feels like such a slog, but in reality it's much, much less of a detriment than it feels like it is.


I love the new DBE, and it's replaced my trusty Asp E as my exploration ship of choice.

 

[Orvidius]

I have to stop reading this thread. You're all tempting me to buy a DBX again. I only flew one briefly before I could afford the AspX. The thing is, I like my mid-size ships... for the internals.

 

[Rankaze]

I've done a lot of tests, and when comparitively outfitted and modded both the Asp E and the DBE can buckyball at very nearly the same rate of lys/hr. The Asp is only very slightly marginally quicker, like a dozen or so lys/hr quicker. The Asp scoops faster but the range of the DBE makes up for it over a long series of jumps. Yeah I know that 4A scoop feels like such a slog, but in reality it's much, much less of a detriment than it feels like it is.


I love the new DBE, and it's replaced my trusty Asp E as my exploration ship of choice.

Check the A* Challenge thread/Classic leaderboard - the DBX is actually a bit faster than the Asp now.

 

[ZeroAi]

Following my last explore trip, I switched from the AspX to the DBX. Both are obviously great craft, but one thing I didn't anticipate about the latter is the extremely cool running aspect.

I'm currently about 30k into a very long trip (planned, anyway). Twice already I have been dropped very close between binary stars. Another time I got distracted (watching son play Overwatch ) and flew directly into the main star, dropping out of supercruise. In all of these cases, heat never rose above 90%.

Fuel scooping is slower, which isn't much of an issue for me since I take time to scan every system. The slower scooping is slightly compensated for by being able to engage the FSD sooner/nearer to the star, again due to cooler temperatures.

I'm starting to think that heat sinks are superfluous on this ship. I could've eeked out a bit more range than the current 58 LY (!)...

Agreed!!!

 

[Mengy]

Check the A* Challenge thread/Classic leaderboard - the DBX is actually a bit faster than the Asp now.

Oh? I suppose if both were stripped for extreme light mass I could see that. My tests have all been with full equivalent explorer builds, and since the DBE is a small ship it seems to be impacted more by extra mass like the SRV bay.

 

[Rankaze]

Oh? I suppose if both were stripped for extreme light mass I could see that. My tests have all been with full equivalent explorer builds, and since the DBE is a small ship it seems to be impacted more by extra mass like the SRV bay.

Yeah, that would make a difference. A fast-scan modified DSS can be fairly chunky, too - putting G5 fast-scan on my Courier's DSS cost me almost 2 light-years! Worth it, though.

 

[marx]

Oh? I suppose if both were stripped for extreme light mass I could see that. My tests have all been with full equivalent explorer builds, and since the DBE is a small ship it seems to be impacted more by extra mass like the SRV bay.

A small ship? Well, technically it's small in that it can land on a small pad, but with the extra mass of the SRV bay, that would likely be phrased better as a light ship. However, that would be wrong: the DBX has a base hull mass of 260 T, making it just slightly lighter than the Asp (280 T), and heavier than an FdL, or many other ships. But what counts is the total mass - FSD class ratio, which is very favourable for both Explorers.

As for fuel scoops: I suppose those challengers didn't fly with stock tanks. The fuel scoop class - fuel tank size ratio of the DBX isn't very good (as noted by plenty of people), but you can improve on that by simply going with a smaller than stock tank. Plus I'm fairly certain that for racing, a tank that can hold seven full jumps might be too heavy.

 

[Rankaze]

A small ship? Well, technically it's small in that it can land on a small pad, but with the extra mass of the SRV bay, that would likely be phrased better as a light ship. However, that would be wrong: the DBX has a base hull mass of 260 T, making it just slightly lighter than the Asp (280 T), and heavier than an FdL, or many other ships. But what counts is the total mass - FSD class ratio, which is very favourable for both Explorers.

As for fuel scoops: I suppose those challengers didn't fly with stock tanks. The fuel scoop class - fuel tank size ratio of the DBX isn't very good (as noted by plenty of people), but you can improve on that by simply going with a smaller than stock tank. Plus I'm fairly certain that for racing, a tank that can hold seven full jumps might be too heavy.

You'd be correct. For some ships in the A* Challenge, a tank which can hold two full jumps is too heavy to be competitive in Classic.

Of course, in the new Neutron class, carrying more fuel has become advantageous again, as it enables multiple successive neutron jumps to be made.

And then there are some ships (Fer-de-Lance comes to mind) that really don't seem to care a whit how much fuel you are carrying.

 

[Hanekura Shizuka]

I've done a lot of tests, and when comparitively outfitted and modded both the Asp E and the DBE can buckyball at very nearly the same rate of lys/hr. The Asp is only very slightly marginally quicker, like a dozen or so lys/hr quicker. The Asp scoops faster but the range of the DBE makes up for it over a long series of jumps. Yeah I know that 4A scoop feels like such a slog, but in reality it's much, much less of a detriment than it feels like it is.


I love the new DBE, and it's replaced my trusty Asp E as my exploration ship of choice.

Just a quick expansion on what Rankaze was pointing out with regard to DBX v. AspX...

A novice pilot will go faster in an AspX then a DBX. However, an experienced pilot who knows how to fly it will go faster in a DBX than an AspX. The reason for this is that using a DBX for distance racing requires a fuel-scooping method that would seem unconventional based on any other ship. The DBX's small fuel scoop is well known. Also, as Velospeed2002 pointed out, the DBX has great heat resistance. As a result, the general way to scoop with a DBX when racing is to continue scooping for several seconds after the FSD charge begins, with the idea that the heat should be around 95-100% once the DBX escapes the star.

 

[Galactic Fork]

I was so happy when they added the extra slot into the DBX. I would've been happy if they hadn't buffed the jump range, but to get both is heavenly. I wanted a DBX for my exploration from the beginning, but I couldn't justify ditching the shield or amfu. With my AspX, I was able to get a shield, amfu AND cargo space. The cargo space turned out to be pointless because everything you grab just slows you down. I'd like to say I ditched the escape pods I found because the crash site was littered with illegal goods, so the pilots were filthy criminals, but in reality, I just didn't want to be slowed down on my way to Sag A. Too be fair, I had made some bad choices and my Asp X only got 31LY a jump... Now I have my lovely DBX, and it's gorgeous. The cool running is nice, but I can get the same with my AspX. And the fuel scoop doesn't bother me, because I was stupid, and for my trip to Sag A, I opted for a 4B scoop to save cost, so am pretty used to it. My love is purely for aesthetics. If the AspX didn't look so horrible I'd drop the DBX for it.

 

[Unuk Elhai]

Don't have a DBX (only ASPX & Annie) but it is for sure a well known and appreciated exploration ship.
No matter which ship you fly, which one has the biggest "insert the word you want", the most important is to fly the ship that suits you the best and the one you enjoy the most

 

[Speccy]

Another DBX convert here. Impressed with the range, mine does 55LY on a full tank and 60LY on vapours, fully equipped for exploring. Took me a while to get used to the cockpit shaking, it's a bit more rickety than the AspX, but it adds to the character imo.

It looks good too when parked on a planet, with the engines at an angle to the ground. Almost insect-like.

 

[Alec Turner]

Took my DBX on a 2 kylie Fuel Rat rescue op' this morning. Approx 40 jumps but boy, that fuel scooping sure does add some time to the journey.

 

[dognosh]

As one of the biggest voices for Asp Explorer use in exploration, I have recently discovered the DBX.

My thoughts on it are WOW !!!
Pros:
Runs as cold as a freezer
Views
Range
Looks
Size
Cute

Cons:
Scoop
Scoop
And Scoop

My DBX is purple

 

[Henkka77]

Ok then, lets throw one negative opinion also..

Never tried it, never will. What i see on "paper" is enough for me:

- IMO fugly, i usually like Lakon ships but DBX looks like a deformed offspring of AspX and T-7.
- lack of internal slots for proper exploring, personally im never going out without at least two SRV´s and two AFMUs.
- scoop
- scoop
- scoop
- scoop
- scoop

Did i say scoop? Oh well, one more time; scoop. Thats just, bad. Really, REALLY bad.

 

[Iron Orchid]

im never going out without at least two SRVs

Come on - "real" explorers at only take one or less.

I've never lost an SRV (even when we had the "blow up at the slightest nudge" bug) - so easy to fix on the go.

 

[Mengy]

A novice pilot will go faster in an AspX then a DBX. However, an experienced pilot who knows how to fly it will go faster in a DBX than an AspX. The reason for this is that using a DBX for distance racing requires a fuel-scooping method that would seem unconventional based on any other ship. The DBX's small fuel scoop is well known. Also, as Velospeed2002 pointed out, the DBX has great heat resistance. As a result, the general way to scoop with a DBX when racing is to continue scooping for several seconds after the FSD charge begins, with the idea that the heat should be around 95-100% once the DBX escapes the star.

Yep, this is precisely how I fly the DBE, and it works vey well. Stacking the scoop with the FSD charge greatly minimizes the negative of the slow scoop, almost to the point of not making much of a difference. It also honestly makes flying the DBE a bit more challenging and fun, in my opinion.

 

[marx]

A novice pilot will go faster in an AspX then a DBX. However, an experienced pilot who knows how to fly it will go faster in a DBX than an AspX. The reason for this is that using a DBX for distance racing requires a fuel-scooping method that would seem unconventional based on any other ship. The DBX's small fuel scoop is well known. Also, as Velospeed2002 pointed out, the DBX has great heat resistance. As a result, the general way to scoop with a DBX when racing is to continue scooping for several seconds after the FSD charge begins, with the idea that the heat should be around 95-100% once the DBX escapes the star.

Hey, that's good to know. Thanks! Out of curiosity, how hard would you say is it to get a routine where you can avoid slipping over 100% heat and taking some module damage? Although I suppose that doesn't matter much even when racing, as you shouldn't rack up enough damage that you'd need to stop and use an AFMU.

 

[Orvidius]

A novice pilot will go faster in an AspX then a DBX.

This also applies to lazy pilots. Not that I'd know anything about that.

 

[Alec Turner]

Quick comment on DBX "hot scooping" - depending on how long you need to sustain it and how much you care about a few dashboard fires breaking out here and there (I wouldn't necessarily recommend this if you're going to Sag A* or beyond, or if you're carrying hard earned UP's in cargo hold) - you can easily cook the thing well over 130/140% without too much bother (might be an idea to remove the smoke alarm batteries first tho). Typically I'll charge FSD as soon as I can and peel away from scooping towards my target when heat gets into the upper 90's. Depending on star type that typically leaves me around 135% before things start to cool down again.