Exploration help

[Dkiki]

hello CMDR's, today i decided that i should make an Sag A trip at last once so i need some tips, i didn't get out of bubble so i don't know much about exploration...

If i equip more than 1 discovery scanner and detailed surface scanner will that shorten the scan time ?

I need extra fuel tanks?

I need the AFMU?

is there anything else that i should know before i go ?

Thx

 

[S~P]

You can only have one of each scanner iirc. Also you may want to add some heatsinks, neutron stars can be a real problem when you get close to galaxy core.

 

[Dkiki]

i forgot about the sink's
thank you
i heard that the neutron stars are not so awesome, but i never saw one

i have an gold asp and an gold Anaconda
what's the best choice between those two ?

 

[goemon]

hey, enjoy preparation!

look to the giudes/tools/... sticky in the exploration subforum: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=139049

you'll find everyting you need,

for exampel a very helpfull guide how to build exploration ships https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=219633 !

can't add a lot to those guides - beside saying: the best ship to explore in is a ship you enjoy exploring in, and - every explorer has is own style! (for exampel: me is flying with reduced fueltanksizes, while other swear on having enough fuel for 1000 ly in economic routing)

___

Asp or Anaconda - i prefer Anaconda, but currently flying my Asp . simply outfit both and take them for a short spin to one of the closer nebulas - yo will find out what fits you.

 

[CMDR Heisenberg B. Damned]

Try a smaller trip first. A trip to Sag A is a big commitment. Select a nebula or prominent star and head out there. Do this a couple of times until you have at least a basic feel for exploring. Take your time - scan interesting/higher value planets depending on your priorities.

Yes people have made it to Sag A in 8 hours but, trust me, that won't be you. You'd need months of experience before you'd get anywhere close to that. Expect to be out weeks. Take Maint and extra fuel tanks. Spend time weighing up module loadout for jump distance. You don't need massive jump distance but if you start going, er, a bit funny then getting back is so much easier with better jump distance.

Oh and good luck

 

[Thetele]

hello CMDR's, today i decided that i should make an Sag A trip at last once so i need some tips, i didn't get out of bubble so i don't know much about exploration...

If i equip more than 1 discovery scanner and detailed surface scanner will that shorten the scan time ?

I need extra fuel tanks?

I need the AFMU?

is there anything else that i should know before i go ?

Thx

I would take aspx or anaconda. I made trip to sag a about a year ago in aspx. It took me 6 weeks to get to sag a (i played about hour per day) there and 2 weeks to get back (powerplay update came so i wanted to take part). I had about 37 ly range.

my ship.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/asp/03D4D...4430i0i2i2f.AwRj4zOUSA==.Aw18WQ==?bn=to sag a

Take the biggest fuel scoop you can afford as it will make the trip much faster. AFMU unit is nice to have, same with heat sinks. If you have Horizon i would replace other afmu with cargo rack and take size 4 planetary vehicle hangar on size 5 slot.

After jump to other system has started move throttle to 0 so you won´t crash to star in other end if you go afk or tab out. Don´t go to asteroid fields as one crash can be lethal. Always keep canopy at 100%. Make sure that you have scoopable star on plotted routs before you run out of fuel or if you are under 50% go to refuel on closest system you can. Plot 1000ly at a time until you are under 500o ly from sag a then plot shorter routs. Look some nebulas to visit small goals on the way helps.

I watched youtube, movies and read books same time so it wasn´t that boring.

 

[Scoopy Doopy]

Perhaps my experience is somewhat relevant as my first exploration trip was to SagA. Firstly, be prepared for a bit of effort. It does take some dedication to get there and the temptation to turn back, especially to claim your first earth like world , will be strong until you are past half way there. The journey back is tougher than the journey there.

I had no AFMU on my trip to SagA and I got back with modules around 95% and hull at 97% but I carry two of them now. Definitely take shields if you plan to land anywhere. That is a must. Shields are not needed if you don't want to land anywhere although I was grateful for them on my return to the bubble when I was interdicted and immediately shot at within two seconds of my return.

Personally, I always plotted to a scoopable star near the max range of my fuel so I never needed to be too concerned about fuel. I still do that but I think this approach is unusual. I made it there and back in fifteen days with a few hours play for most of those. I did the last 8000LY back in one sitting and I don't recommend doing that.

Don't rush, relax and enjoy the ride. Sometimes it is boring and others times you go "Wow" but it is also kind of addictive.

Plotting in the core is really tough and can take ages unless you find the sweet spot for your jump range. For me it was between 187 and 195 LY.


Follow the advice in previous posts for building the ship you want and let us know how you get on.

 

[Dkiki]

Spoiler

thx all for the tips, i hope ill get there and back safe

 

[who?]

Simple suggestion, if it's your first long-ish trip, do a loop around populated space.

That way you can cover a long distance without ever being too far from home if you need to repair, re-outfit, or just get bored. If it's going ok, just go out another few thousand Lys and do a longer loop.

 

[Jackie Silver]

is there anything else that i should know before i go ?

There are more interesting things to see that are much closer than Sgr A*. ^^

 

[Dkiki]

i did the robigo run many times, im not get bored jumping around, if i die (hope not) ill try again till i get there, Sag A is a "must"

 

[Rikk]

My first trip was to SagA about a year ago. It took me about four weeks of steady travel to get there in my 22ly range Clipper.

The first 5000ly were the hardest because on the galmap it looked like I was hardly moving. Then as I got more into it, and better at assessing what to scan, it became relaxing.

So, what would I recommend fitting wise?

No fuel tanks. They just reduce the jump range used to plot routes.
Big fuel scoop, biggest you can afford. You'll thank me about 10k ly in.
AFMU x2. Because you need one to repair the other. Plus it's nice to have plenty of refill ammo (note, if you have horizons, you can craft more AFMU refils)
Cargo rack. This is the best way of manipulating your jump range used for route plotting.
Power plant, you want the smallest A rated powerplant you can get away with. A rated plants run cooler than the rest.
Heat sink. I only have one and i've not needed it in 35k on my current trip. It really is your get out of dodge without hull damage card.
1x Advanced Disco Horn & 1x Details scanner. More than one makes no difference
Everything that is not powerplant or frame shift drive should be as light as you can get away with - so D rated.

If you have Horizons
Shield - smallest D rated you can fit is fine.
Power distributor - big enough to be able to boost
SRV hanger

 

[S~P]

i did the robigo run many times, im not get bored jumping around, if i die (hope not) ill try again till i get there, Sag A is a "must"

Go for it, I would take the Asp, best ship for exploring. And it's not so much the destination that matters, it's the journey!!! Safe travels and good luck.

 

[CMDR Heisenberg B. Damned]

No fuel tanks. They just reduce the jump range used to plot routes.

This is true but you don't have to fill up totally. An extra tank can save you if you spot a barren patch of unscoopables. Say you double your fuel tank size, only fill up to half way normally but if you spot a deadly barren area fill that sucker right up. Only the fuel will limit jump range, not the tank itself.

Perhaps my experience is somewhat relevant as my first exploration trip was to SagA.

I did this as well but about a week after starting Elite! Long and dull story but I had no idea what I was doing as I was waiting for someone on here to give me advice on the etiquette of moving from Solo to Open (yeah really!) and thought whilst I wait I'll pop over to Sag A! Guess my post was in moderation for a while.

Oh man I was so badly outfitted. I had a size 2 fuels scoop! No AFMU, I had shields and Plasma Accelerators! By the time I got back my canopy was more cracks that canopy! So do as I say - not as I do!

 

[Scoopy Doopy]

This is true but you don't have to fill up totally. An extra tank can save you if you spot a barren patch of unscoopables. Say you double your fuel tank size, only fill up to half way normally but if you spot a deadly barren area fill that sucker right up. Only the fuel will limit jump range, not the tank itself.


I did this as well but about a week after starting Elite! Long and dull story but I had no idea what I was doing as I was waiting for someone on here to give me advice on the etiquette of moving from Solo to Open (yeah really!) and thought whilst I wait I'll pop over to Sag A! Guess my post was in moderation for a while.

Oh man I was so badly outfitted. I had a size 2 fuels scoop! No AFMU, I had shields and Plasma Accelerators! By the time I got back my canopy was more cracks that canopy! So do as I say - not as I do!

But you made it! Impressive

I'm doing a much longer journey now but having done SagA and got some earth likes, neutrons etc, I don't feel anything like the pressure to get another 1000LY under my belt any more. It's really nice to just wander about in the general direction I want to go

 

[Rikk]

This is true but you don't have to fill up totally. An extra tank can save you if you spot a barren patch of unscoopables. Say you double your fuel tank size, only fill up to half way normally but if you spot a deadly barren area fill that sucker right up. Only the fuel will limit jump range, not the tank itself.

Unfortunately route plotting assumes your tanks are full all the time, so the benefit of only filling them half full is negated by the fact you have to manually plot every single jump to get the most benefit from it.

Just stay roughly 200ly above or below the galactic plane and never go more than 50% of a tank into a row of unscoopables without checking your next jump and no unscoopable patch will claim you. This comes from a guy who is flying a ship that needs to refuel after three jumps (and has done over 130,000ly exploring in it)

 

[CMDR Heisenberg B. Damned]

Unfortunately route plotting assumes your tanks are full all the time, so the benefit of only filling them half full is negated by the fact you have to manually plot every single jump to get the most benefit from it.

Just stay roughly 200ly above or below the galactic plane and never go more than 50% of a tank into a row of unscoopables without checking your next jump and no unscoopable patch will claim you. This comes from a guy who is flying a ship that needs to refuel after three jumps (and has done over 130,000ly exploring in it)

Well you learn something new every day! Thanks

 

[Jackie Silver]

i did the robigo run many times, im not get bored jumping around, if i die (hope not) ill try again till i get there, Sag A is a "must"

Well if you must you must. At the very least the run to the centre will give you a different view of the galaxy and you'll hopefully get to see lots of interesting sights along the way - it's definitely worth your while taking a look at first half of the Distant Worlds route to see what sights take your fancy on the way to Sadge.