Engineered ASP Explorer for.. exploring

[dzebas]

Hi,

Hello commanders, my first post here.

I'm building my first ship for exploration, ASP Explorer for going to Sagittarius A*. I've browsed this forum and internet in general and came up with this https://s.orbis.zone/uu7pKsUA build, it includes some engineering.

Build:

1C Lightweight Alloy
2A Power Plant (Low emissions G1, stripped down)
4D Thrusters (Clean G1, stripped down)
5A Frame Shift Drive (Increased range G5, Mass Manager)
4D Life Support
2D Power Distributor (Engine Focused G3, stripped down)
5D Sensors (Lightweight G3)
6A Fuel Scoop
2G Planetary Vehicle Hangar
3D Shield Generator (Enhanced low power G3, stripped down)
3A AFMU (2 units)
1C Advanced Discovery scanner
1D Detailed Surface scanner

Does it look ok? Reason for some low grade mods is because those are easily available from Felicity Farseer and Elvira Martuuuk, I've almost upgraded my FSD to G5, but still need to do others.

Couple of questions:

- should I unlock Selene Jean so I can upgrade armour? From what I understand AFMU can't repair hull itself, so extra strength would be nice? (heavy duty with deep plating)
- should I unlock The Dweller and replace 2D power distributor with 1D and G5 engine focused mod, which would still allow me to boost?)

All advise is welcome!

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

Hi,

Hello commanders, my first post here.

I'm building my first ship for exploration, ASP Explorer for going to Sagittarius A*. I've browsed this forum and internet in general and came up with this https://s.orbis.zone/uu7pKsUA build, it includes some engineering.

Build:

1C Lightweight Alloy
2A Power Plant (Low emissions G1, stripped down)
4D Thrusters (Clean G1, stripped down)
5A Frame Shift Drive (Increased range G5, Mass Manager)
4D Life Support
2D Power Distributor (Engine Focused G3, stripped down)
5D Sensors (Lightweight G3)
6A Fuel Scoop
2G Planetary Vehicle Hangar
3D Shield Generator (Enhanced low power G3, stripped down)
3A AFMU (2 units)
1C Advanced Discovery scanner
1D Detailed Surface scanner

Does it look ok? Reason for some low grade mods is because those are easily available from Felicity Farseer and Elvira Martuuuk, I've almost upgraded my FSD to G5, but still need to do others.

Couple of questions:

- should I unlock Selene Jean so I can upgrade armour? From what I understand AFMU can't repair hull itself, so extra strength would be nice? (heavy duty with deep plating)
- should I unlock The Dweller and replace 2D power distributor with 1D and G5 engine focused mod, which would still allow me to boost?)

All advise is welcome!

Looks pretty good.
I say yes on Selene Jean.
You need 14MJ to boost an Asp X, no matter what thrusters etc.
Dweller is one of the bet engineers to have, but I prefer having a little more than the bare minimum to boost.

Only changes I'd make are personal preferences, or are from engineers you don't have unlocked.
I have the c4 SRV hangar so I can drive more recklessly.
I never use clean drives.
They use way more power than dirties and thruster heat is pretty minor to deal with on an AspX set up for exploration, even with G5 dirty drives.

If you go with too small of a powerplant you wont be able to fly with it damaged, so check your priorities etc.

Also, the tiny amount of jump range you sacrifice those QoL things (like better thrusters) for, may not even be usable in most cases.
The stars don't respace themselves when you upgrade your ship.

 

[dzebas]

Looks pretty good.
I say yes on Selene Jean.
You need 14MJ to boost an Asp X, no matter what thrusters etc.
Dweller is one of the bet engineers to have, but I prefer having a little more than the bare minimum to boost.

Only changes I'd make are personal preferences, or are from engineers you don't have unlocked.
I have the c4 SRV hangar so I can drive more recklessly.
I never use clean drives.
They use way more power than dirties and thruster heat is pretty minor to deal with on an AspX set up for exploration, even with G5 dirty drives.

If you go with too small of a powerplant you wont be able to fly with it damaged, so check your priorities etc.

Also, the tiny amount of jump range you sacrifice those QoL things (like better thrusters) for, may not even be usable in most cases.
The stars don't respace themselves when you upgrade your ship.

Thanks Bob!

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, are you saying it would be potentially better to:

- replace thrusters mod G1 clean with G1 dirty (drag drives?)
- get better thrusters than 4D? Perhaps 4A?
- get better power plant, perhaps 3A?

Cheers!

 

[Burke]

As i understand it modules dont even start to malfunction till 50% do they? And according to the wiki you can reboot them all the way down to 5% The more i think about it the more i feel like you can get away with one afmu.

Anyway this is my build, i dont know if its possible to replicate this in game or not.

https://beta.coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/asp?code=A0p0tdFflid3snf5------02---3c1O0i43v62f2i.Iw18WQ%3D%3D.Aw18WQ%3D%3D.H4sIAAAAAAAAA2P8Z8%2FAwPCXFUj8qQcSHEc4GRj4bb79%2Fy%2B2gJ%2BB4T%2FTPwm4fDGQ4A%2F4%2Ff%2B%2FyIM%2F%2F%2F%2BLfuBiYJDYwMLAoDzhxf%2F%2F%2F5n%2FScFVVoBUqvz6%2F19oBzcDg0iNKFDlHaDMf5Z%2FhiBFLCD5hA9A%2BS2PgFpZ%2F1nBtTYCCc4CcQYGLgNBBgZFkCFKIEIVRKjx%2FAMqZ%2FuXAFPOX%2FEGaMiBB%2F%2F%2F64Hc%2FJ%2Fvnxqq1Jl7QFHRfz5w8wsZoP4TAsmLrPgLlD7FAXQfyDn%2F%2FzNAAQBXJsyiGAEAAA%3D%3D.EweloBhBmSQUwIYHMA28QgIwV0A%3D&bn=Asp

 

[KillaALF]

I don't think you need the upgraded armour for an exploration build. I mean, sure, I've done it on my Asp, but only because I already had SJ unlocked and since it does not add mass, why wouldn't I? But would I have gone to the trouble to unlock SJ for that? Definitely not. If trouble comes my way while I'm in that ship, I always run. As for the PD, the difference in jump range between the 2D / 1D is 0.08LY, don't know if that is worth it, frankly. You're better off engineering the Life Support with light weight.

 

[Burke]

Looks pretty good.
You need 14MJ to boost an Asp X, no matter what thrusters etc.

That mean my 13.8 dfinately wont boost? And that site is wrong? Explains the problems i had with other builds

Edit: i chose clean drives on mine cause of how close to optimal mass. Think thats wrong?

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

That mean my 13.8 dfinately wont boost? And that site is wrong? Explains the problems i had with other builds

Edit: i chose clean drives on mine cause of how close to optimal mass. Think thats wrong?

EDSY will have correct values, it may be just below 14.
I was going off of memory.

Optimal mass is kind of an odd name...
Your ship will keep getting faster until minimum mass is reached and the dirties are faster all around.

I would probably not suggest doing Selene Jean *just for this ship* ftr, especially if you hate mining and don't have a suitable ship.
I did it in a couple of hours in a Python and found the painite quickly, so ymmv.
She is one of ones I use the most though (parked there right now in fact, lol), and I think hull strength is often overlooked.
It's a massless upgrade on the stock bulkheads.

 

[Maymo]

Long range or fast scan on your DSS? Scanning is one of the few activities left available to you once you leave the bubble, may as well streamline it...

The only other thing I’d definitely add here is a class 5 guardian FSD booster and lose 1 AFMU. It’s a quick 1000ly trip, pretty easy module to unlock. Here’s the tutorial video I used to get mine: LINK.

It’ll potentially add 10.5ly onto your jump range, that’s going to be noticeable on a SagA trip. If you’re stuck out in deep space and you’re going a little crazy at least you’ll know that you’re going as fast as you can. Great module.

 

[Burke]

They call it painite? *sobs*

Will the upgraded hull save the ship from a bad landing?

Edit: so optimal mass...how much? If the example ship is 400t what should my ideal optimal mass thruster be? The wiki says oversized thrusters bring benefits.

 

[Maymo]

They call it painite? *sobs*

Will the upgraded hull save the ship from a bad landing?

Edit: so optimal mass...how much? If the example ship is 400t what should my ideal optimal mass thruster be? The wiki says oversized thrusters bring benefits.

Yeah potentially...

But if you’re taking hull damage when landing when you’re 1000’s of ly from home you’re doing it wrong!

There’s absolutely no logical reason to go landing on dangerously high gravity planets when you’re out exploring. Just put 4 pips to systems whenever you set down and your shields will tank scruffy landings. They’re stronger than most people give them credit for if used correctly, I park my ship like a psycho on a regular basis...

 

[Numenor1379]

Long range or fast scan on your DSS? Scanning is one of the few activities left available to you once you leave the bubble, may as well streamline it...

The only other thing I’d definitely add here is a class 5 guardian FSD booster and lose 1 AFMU. It’s a quick 1000ly trip, pretty easy module to unlock. Here’s the tutorial video I used to get mine: LINK.

It’ll potentially add 10.5ly onto your jump range, that’s going to be noticeable on a SagA trip. If you’re stuck out in deep space and you’re going a little crazy at least you’ll know that you’re going as fast as you can. Great module.

Eh, personally I'd rather carry 2 SRVs, so I'd go with a Class 3 FSD Booster. 7ish lightyears is still a good boost and it doesn't compromise redundancy, AMFUs you never need more than 1 as you can refill it easily enough and it will work fine down to 1%.

 

[Burke]

There’s absolutely no logical reason to go landing on dangerously high gravity planets when you’re out exploring.

eh??? whats that?

 

[Ian Doncaster]

They call it painite? *sobs*

Will the upgraded hull save the ship from a bad landing?

If you're worried about a bad landing, then 3A Reinforced might be a better shield generator to take, but yes, an upgraded hull will give you more protection either way. In theory you should never be in a situation where you hit the ground that hard ... on the other hand I've seen a few poorly-shielded Asps go from "intact" to "destroyed" from a single lapse of concentration, so better shields may help.

Bear in mind that while the AFMU can't repair hull, provided you survive at all you can meet up with someone who has repair limpets and they can put you back together.

The important thing to remember is that unless you're planning to explore the extreme galactic fringes, the difference between say 55 LY and 60 LY jump range is minimal: it saves you maybe 1 jump per 1000 LY - but dropping to 55 LY lets you take an extra 50 tonnes of equipment on an Asp, which makes your exploration when you get to your destination much more comfortable.

Remember that Beagle Point, which is out near the end of a very sparse spiral arm, is reachable without using FSD boosts with 'only' a 35LYish basic range. If you're heading up or down off the plane there are always stars which an extra 1LY of range will bring into reach, of course - but 55+boosts will still get you almost anywhere.

So unless your plan is to set records for off-plane exploration, you no longer need to (or get much benefit from) hyperoptimised jump ranges.

 

[Maymo]

Eh, personally I'd rather carry 2 SRVs, so I'd go with a Class 3 FSD Booster. 7ish lightyears is still a good boost and it doesn't compromise redundancy, AMFUs you never need more than 1 as you can refill it easily enough and it will work fine down to 1%.

I just feel that if I’m going to go out of my way to complete the guardian ruins I may as well have the best of what they have to offer. I’d rather the additional ly boost and simply not drive my SRV like a donkey and save 4t, each to their own I guess...

 

[elkar]

getting guradian FSD booster would be super great but its such a pain to unlock.

I'm currenlty doing 61000 LY trip with 28.5 LY jump range, so that's about 2170 jumps. no srv tho.

 

[Maymo]

getting guradian FSD booster would be super great but its such a pain to unlock.

I'm currenlty doing 61000 LY trip with 28.5 LY jump range, so that's about 2170 jumps. no srv tho.

The FSD booster isn’t too bad. Look at it another way, the hour or two that it takes to unlock are essentially going to be paid right back to you when you’re on long journeys like yourself.

 

[Orvidius]

Thanks Bob!

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, are you saying it would be potentially better to:

- replace thrusters mod G1 clean with G1 dirty (drag drives?)
- get better thrusters than 4D? Perhaps 4A?
- get better power plant, perhaps 3A?

Cheers!

The AspX runs cool enough that you can usually use Dirty Drives without any problems at all. Personally, what I do is I use a larger Power Plant (4A or 5A) so that I can put a G5 low emissions mod on it, and it runs so cool that you can start jumping while still scooping, and not worry about the thruster heat at all. But even without that, the AspX handles Dirty Drives quite well. Personally I'd still use "stripped down" to save on some mass, but it's a small difference. If you want more thruster performance than the 4D provides, I'd go to 5D and skip the 4A. The 5D will give you more performance, and weigh less than the 4A.

For the size of the power plant, it depends on what mods you put on it, and also how much power your systems require while the AFMUs are turned off (might as well leave them off until needed). Generally, the smallest A-rated one you can get away with. However, the only harm in using a bigger one is the mass. The amount of heat generated is determined by its heat efficiency, and how much power is currently being used.

 

[Bob Lighthouse]

Thanks Bob!

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, are you saying it would be potentially better to:

- replace thrusters mod G1 clean with G1 dirty (drag drives?)
- get better thrusters than 4D? Perhaps 4A?
- get better power plant, perhaps 3A?

Cheers!

Those would all be good choices imo, but I'd suggest G3 dirty drives from Farseer, and G5 when you get Palin open.
It's a good idea to have your PP be able to run your bare essentials with <50% power.
So I always do the PP last.

 

[Zieman]

That mean my 13.8 dfinately wont boost? And that site is wrong? Explains the problems i had with other builds

I don't remember the stats of my 2D distributor, but it is ENG focused (IIRC) and my Asp can boost.

 

[Zieman]

There’s absolutely no logical reason to go landing on dangerously high gravity planets when you’re out exploring. Just put 4 pips to systems whenever you set down and your shields will tank scruffy landings. They’re stronger than most people give them credit for if used correctly, I park my ship like a psycho on a regular basis...

Hehe, I just landed on a 5.88G / 1532K planet, just for fun. I'm on my way towards Beagle Point, but only about 16K LY away, as I took a 10K LY detour to sell a sweet system and returned back to same system to continue my journey.
I do have 3A enhanced low power shields & one 1A shield booster, and 5D thrusters (IIRC) G5 DD.