The Comp Scanner can be used while flying ship at low alt. fire group it, and it will flash when there is something to sample or scan under the reticule for it
Exo-biology: Groping in the dark
- Thread starter [VR] James Constantine
- Start date
All great feedback, here.
I would like to give my take on Exobiology as well, based on my personal experience.
As mentioned all over the place, if you are not a completionist, then some life forms are not worth the time spent sampling them, considering how low the payouts are.
Some species and genera are very low paying, and they only thrive in specific atmospheric compositions.
-Bacterium Acies is the lowest paying bio-signal and it only grows in Neon based atmospheres. When I see a Neon planet with just one signal, I just skip it. Even if I am the first one to sample, the double payout is 100,000cr, still not worth my time.
-Bacterium Vesicula and Fonticulua Campestris are also among the four lowest paying genera, and they only grow in Argon rich atmospheres. As above, I generally tend to skip if I see a single bio-signal on an Argon planet. If two signals appear, then I might decide to land, based on the circumstances (time, scenery, etc.)
One important aspect to keep in mind is that the above are not true 100% of the times: sometimes, on Neon planets I have found something that was not a Bacterium Acies, however, even without having taken notes, after more than 1000 biosignals scanned, the incidence of non standard signals was very low and not worthwhile (in my opinion).
With regards to the SRV, I have completely stopped using it for exobiology. It is a time waster: where I can go with it, I can go quicker with my ship. I can get to the next Tubus/Osseus or other long range specimens (800m or more) much quicker than what it takes me to get to the next Tussock in an SRV, and the Boarding/Disembarking time is roughly the same. OK, the ship's engine has a start up time, but considering how quick I can then hop to the next specimen, I am not really bothered, expecially if the terrain is bumpy and negotiating it with the SRV is a struggle.
Additionally, the vantage point I have with the ship is far superior to the SRV. I used to go in camera mode and drive around looking for bacteria, but since the camera resets every time, and I have to reposition it continually, it's another aspect I am now happily ignoring.
The ship itself is fundamental to my approach: my long range explorer is an AspX, and I have done the bulk of my Exo-biology in it, only to be frustrated at how hard it can be to land on some specific terrains (especially when looking for some Fungoida and frutexa). Now I am using a Hauler and I love her! She lands absolutely everywhere without any need to look for a suitable place. Why the Hauler? Because it's the ship with the smallest footprint that can still jump more than 40ly and still carry an SRV. On top of it, the Enhanced Thrusters allow me a high cruise speed that makes hopping to the next specimen extremely quick. I could also chain boost her never dropping below 600m/s. (Yes, she's fully engineered, but any other consideration still stands.)
In practical terms, I scan a patch of bacteria, jump on the ship, take off, throttle up and the next patch I see is guaranteed to be already over 500m away from the previous: I land on top of it and most times I can sample without even leaving the blue circle.
With regards to dark planets, I have experienced a number of them, too. My gamma settings are fine, so it's not a matter of adjustments: some planets that are far away from their star are truly dark (i.e. if orbiting a Red Dwarf) and I have had cases where it was nearly impossible to tell the night side and the day side apart, especially if the terrain is dark brown/maroon and similar.
In that case, if I'm looking for bacteria I fly with my light on and hope to see them: if they are in a contrasting colour to the terrain, then great, otherwise it's not worth my time.
A real QoL upgrade that I would love to see implemented next is the integration of the sampler pulse with the radar on the suit: any blue/green/purple ping on the terrain should also appear on the radar.
That and the performance.
Hope this helps. ^^
I would like to give my take on Exobiology as well, based on my personal experience.
As mentioned all over the place, if you are not a completionist, then some life forms are not worth the time spent sampling them, considering how low the payouts are.
Some species and genera are very low paying, and they only thrive in specific atmospheric compositions.
-Bacterium Acies is the lowest paying bio-signal and it only grows in Neon based atmospheres. When I see a Neon planet with just one signal, I just skip it. Even if I am the first one to sample, the double payout is 100,000cr, still not worth my time.
-Bacterium Vesicula and Fonticulua Campestris are also among the four lowest paying genera, and they only grow in Argon rich atmospheres. As above, I generally tend to skip if I see a single bio-signal on an Argon planet. If two signals appear, then I might decide to land, based on the circumstances (time, scenery, etc.)
One important aspect to keep in mind is that the above are not true 100% of the times: sometimes, on Neon planets I have found something that was not a Bacterium Acies, however, even without having taken notes, after more than 1000 biosignals scanned, the incidence of non standard signals was very low and not worthwhile (in my opinion).
With regards to the SRV, I have completely stopped using it for exobiology. It is a time waster: where I can go with it, I can go quicker with my ship. I can get to the next Tubus/Osseus or other long range specimens (800m or more) much quicker than what it takes me to get to the next Tussock in an SRV, and the Boarding/Disembarking time is roughly the same. OK, the ship's engine has a start up time, but considering how quick I can then hop to the next specimen, I am not really bothered, expecially if the terrain is bumpy and negotiating it with the SRV is a struggle.
Additionally, the vantage point I have with the ship is far superior to the SRV. I used to go in camera mode and drive around looking for bacteria, but since the camera resets every time, and I have to reposition it continually, it's another aspect I am now happily ignoring.
The ship itself is fundamental to my approach: my long range explorer is an AspX, and I have done the bulk of my Exo-biology in it, only to be frustrated at how hard it can be to land on some specific terrains (especially when looking for some Fungoida and frutexa). Now I am using a Hauler and I love her! She lands absolutely everywhere without any need to look for a suitable place. Why the Hauler? Because it's the ship with the smallest footprint that can still jump more than 40ly and still carry an SRV. On top of it, the Enhanced Thrusters allow me a high cruise speed that makes hopping to the next specimen extremely quick. I could also chain boost her never dropping below 600m/s. (Yes, she's fully engineered, but any other consideration still stands.)
In practical terms, I scan a patch of bacteria, jump on the ship, take off, throttle up and the next patch I see is guaranteed to be already over 500m away from the previous: I land on top of it and most times I can sample without even leaving the blue circle.
With regards to dark planets, I have experienced a number of them, too. My gamma settings are fine, so it's not a matter of adjustments: some planets that are far away from their star are truly dark (i.e. if orbiting a Red Dwarf) and I have had cases where it was nearly impossible to tell the night side and the day side apart, especially if the terrain is dark brown/maroon and similar.
In that case, if I'm looking for bacteria I fly with my light on and hope to see them: if they are in a contrasting colour to the terrain, then great, otherwise it's not worth my time.
A real QoL upgrade that I would love to see implemented next is the integration of the sampler pulse with the radar on the suit: any blue/green/purple ping on the terrain should also appear on the radar.
That and the performance.
Hope this helps. ^^
![[VR] James Constantine](https://d2aefvhu2f0gi9.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/275/275309.jpg?1622437385){kind=avatar}
Thanks for your detailed response!
Good to know.
I'd come to that conclusion myself.
Why don't you use a DBX? Surely it's footprint can't be that much larger than a hauler and it's jump range is far, far greater?
That is a valid point at first glance: I have been mulling about this matter for as long as my previous trip in the black lasted before I came to my conclusion.
My DBX can indeed jump about 75ly, but do I really need it for exobiology? It is a good range for a Bubble courier, or if I want to reach the empty areas of the galaxy. On the other hand, I will spend the vast majority of my time in areas where the closest system is less than 40ly, and when I go on a non pioneer exploration trip, I will be investigating around a specific area, so I am in no rush to go as far as possible in a single jump, but still keeping my options available not to get stranded if I drift away from the galactic plane.
On the other hand, having realspace speed is really important to me in exobiology, and I cannot install the Enhanced Thrusters on the DBX, so it is much slower (almost half) of the Hauler.
Finally, it is true that the DBX is a small ship, its footprint is 45 x 27.3m (L x W), but at 28.6 x 26.2m, the Hauler is sensibly smaller. The longer hull, plus the longer distance of the landing struts make the DBX a bit harder to land. I have had situations when I found very tight spots for the Hauler, and I suspect only a Sidewinder would have been easier to land, or perhaps an Eagle (for what it's worth in such a scenario).
I love my DBX to bits, but the Hauler is my non combat Odyssey ship of choice.
The only downside is the limited view I get in the Hauler (nothing compares to Lakon canopies), but once I got used to it, it was not too bad.
I’ve taken to scouting for those from the air. They tend to stand out better, and it’s quicker to get to them, terrain being the only possible hiccup.