Explorer build

[pck3]

I searched but couldn't find answers. I see most explorer builds don't have cargo racks. Is there a use for one? Any tips for a new guy. I plan on getting the diamondback. I will have repair limpets and hestsinks. I want to explore stuff that have never been explored so I will be way out there. Any tips for a new guy? I have watched videos and googled it but want to be sure before I get 20,000+ lightyears out.

Edit: I assume when I want to leave game I just leave supercruise and just drift in space then quit the game?

 

[Straha Yeagar]

I searched but couldn't find answers. I see most explorer builds don't have cargo racks. Is there a use for one? Any tips for a new guy. I plan on getting the diamondback. I will have repair limpets and hestsinks. I want to explore stuff that have never been explored so I will be way out there. Any tips for a new guy? I have watched videos and googled it but want to be sure before I get 20,000+ lightyears out.

Edit: I assume when I want to leave game I just leave supercruise and just drift in space then quit the game?

First thing I would do is ask a moderator to move this thread to the Exploration subforum where you will get excellent advice from seasoned explorers.

To answer your specific question, No. There is no real use for cargo racks out in the black.

 

[Eliza]

This is my build, I'm currently using for my nebula-tour:

http://www.edshipyard.com/new/#/L=B...Ir42oPc4wMrasPcgxym0KUC1IMC2jwHs21000D4002UI1

Please remind: these Lasers are for RP only

You won't need any cargo-racks or repair limpets. An AFMU is totally sufficient. Just be careful when landing on a high-g body. Always check if your shields are up BEFORE a landing attempt.

Regarding heatsinks:
In a DBX you don't really need one, because this ship runs ice-cold. In SC I rarely exceed the 18%. Same goes with scooping. Max scoop-value at 63% stable. But it's never wrong to have a HS-Launcher onboard in case you jump right between two stars or your at close range to a neutron.

When you're quitting the game, you will always drop out to normal, yes.

And some other Tips:

As soon as you leave the bubble, you can turn EVERYTHING not need off. That said: shields, distributor, heatsinks, boosters...even the scoop when you don't need it. Save lot of fuel and you don't have to scoop at every little plasma-ball out there.

Consider to farm some "Jumponium" before you go out. You'll never know when you need that "extra" range, for getting out of Fuel-Sparce areas

Fly safe out there commander. o7

 

[Stealthie]

Depending how far you travel, you'll find occupied escape pods which (from an RP perspective) you might want to pick up.
As far as anybody knows, however, there's nothing "amazing" out there to be found, collected and bought back home.

And, yeah. You can just quit out of the game at any time in deep space (no need to drop out of SC) and when you log back in you'll just be floating in space near where you were.

*EDIT*

Pro-tip: Fit a single C1 mining laser to your exploration ships. You might never need it but they can be a life-saver if you're desperate to find some specific mat' to replenish your AFMU or provide fuel for an FSD injection etc.

 

[cmdrrdmc]

Edit: I assume when I want to leave game I just leave supercruise and just drift in space then quit the game?

You don't have to leave supercruise, but when you get back in the game you'll spawn out of supercruise.

 

[Conte_Vincero]

Cargo just slows you down, and you don't need repair limpets unless you plan on crashing a lot. An AFMU will repair module damage, and you dont need cargo space for the materials it needs. Finally on the diamondback you're a bit tight for space so fitting a cargo rack takes up space for other equipment. Here's my build https://eddp.co/u/3ProxUgG

 

[VR jefranklin18]

Fuel scoop should be your number 1 priority; without that you won't get very far.

Cargo racks can be useful if you drop into a USS and see an occupied escape pod, plus you'll need a rack for the limpets.

This would be an ok DBX Explorer build based on your requirements: https://eddp.co/u/ZcyU5VqH

 

[Red Anders]

You don't have to leave supercruise, but when you get back in the game you'll spawn out of supercruise.

I always land somewhere for the night, it's pretty much the only roleplay element of my gameplay

 

[Stealthie]

I always land somewhere for the night, it's pretty much the only roleplay element of my gameplay

This.

I always land my exploration ships before quitting the game.
Upon rejoining, I usually spend some time hooning around in my SRV too.
It's a good way to stock up mat's and, when you get bored of it, it actually makes you feel like you want to "get back on the road" too.

 

[-VR- Max Factor]

This.

I always land my exploration ships before quitting the game.
Upon rejoining, I usually spend some time hooning around in my SRV too.
It's a good way to stock up mat's and, when you get bored of it, it actually makes you feel like you want to "get back on the road" too.

Same here. I like landing on planets at interesing looking places to spend the night and mess around and the DBX is great at that.

 

[Eliza]

Okay...glad to read, that I'm not the only "Weirdo" that lands on bodies prior to end a session.

 

[Sir.Tj]

Moved to Exp.

Loads of great info in here.

 

[Eliza]

And it's your fault, that the infos are more useful than in other threads.

 

[marx]

I searched but couldn't find answers. I see most explorer builds don't have cargo racks. Is there a use for one?

There are two, besides carrying cargo of course: one is that with a cargo rack, you can deliberately lower your plotted jump range (for example, to save on fuel - might be good for the DBX, what with its undersized scoop), as you can set the plotter to plan as if your hold was full. The other is that you do need a cargo rack to carry limpets, if you want to use them. Without a rack to hold the limpets (even if you just synthesize them on site), any controller you'd take with yourself would be useless.
On the other hand, you don't really need any limpets. The Diamondback doesn't have enough internals for those, not unless you sacrifice an AFM and the SRV bay - both of which are much more useful.

And sure, you can quit wherever. In "dangerous" situations (fuel scooping, having an NPC that's out to interdict you, close to Thargoid / Guardian surface sites) you'll have to wait out a 15 seconds timer, and might be moved, but that's all.

 

[Eliza]

Well, marx, no offense, but you can switch the route-plotting to "economic"-mode. Just this weekend this option plotted waypoints within a 10LY range, despite of my 53+LY FSD. I scanned over a dozen systems without even thinking about refueling.

 

[Major Klutz]

... I see most explorer builds don't have cargo racks. Is there a use for one? ...

There are two practical uses for cargo racks for exploration.
1. Adjusting fuel use per jump. When you have a cargo rack, you can add weight to the course plotter which reduces the plotted range per jump, which saves fuel.
2. Temporarily holding synthesized limpets.

... I will have repair limpets and hestsinks. ... Any tips for a new guy? ...

IMO the Diamondback does not have room for repair limpets.
To use a repair limpet controller you have to also have cargo space which means it takes two slots

Here's a sample build https://eddp.co/u/UFuP9mC7
You have three optional slots.
You can do without the AFMU if you do not plan to supercharge from Neutron Stars. Otherwise it is absolutely required.
You can do without the Shields if you are a very careful pilot or you never plan to land on planets.
You can do without the SRV if you never plan to land on any planets.

You can sacrifice shields and SRV for repair limpets if you want to but I wouldn't recommend it.
Landing on planets and exploring the surface is a part of exploration for many.
You will also need to land and use an SRV to gather materials for jumponium, or AFM refills or other synthesis.

When you are out in deep space, damage to your ship is rare and unlikely unless you just don't pay attention when you're flying.

1. Damage can come from impacts with a planet or asteroid. This can result in hull damage if the impact is hard enough to take down your shields.
If you are bad at landings, shields are highly recommended.
If you are not bringing an SRV, there's no reason to land anyway.

2. Damage can come from heat. When fuel scooping or when you jump into a system too close to a star.
Heat won't damage your hull until it reaches 150% which is unlikely in either scenario. Heat will not damage your power plant at all.
All other heat damage can be repaired by an AFMU. So many consider a heat sink launcher unnecessary.

3. Damage can come from Emergency stops. Hitting the exclusion zone of a star or planet too fast will cause an emergency drop from super cruise and will damage EVERYTHING including hull and power plant.
This is the only thing that can damage your power plant. An emergency stop can also be caused by attempting to repair your thrusters or FSD while you are still in super cruise.

4. Damage will also happen when supercharging from a Neutron Star or White Dwarf. Normally this will only be damage to the FSD which you will need to repair using the AFMU before the damage gets below 85%.
Supercharging from White Dwarfs is NOT recommended. A WD only provides a minimal boost and the exclusion zone on a WD is so large that the chance of hitting it is high. It's just not worth the risk.
If you hit the exclusion zone on a WD or NS and you are dropped out of super cruse while you are inside the jet cone, your ship will take a lot of damage to all systems.

See this video for a demo of how to supercharge and how to use the AFM for repairs at the end. https://youtu.be/8C0YMEI7guc

 

[ick]

A few thoughts on exploration:

1. Most of the time on an exploration trip I land before I sign off. Good idea for immersion like the commander said above.
2. I DO take a really weak shield. I just wasn't enjoying it without that security blanket. I think of the weak shield as "navigation deflectors".
3. I run an AFMU and a repair limpet controller because I think it is best to be prepared. Plus I am paranoid. To be honest I should either run a shield OR an AFMU and Repair limpet, not both.
4. My Exploraconda is equipped with a fighter. Doesn't serve a documentation role in exploration but it is fun to fly around interesting planets. Perhaps some day we will get a dedicated exploration delta flyer.
5. I DO bring a small cargo rack. An empty rack doesn't affect jump range AND if you are lucky enough to find a crash and get a large exploration data cache the payoff can be pretty large. Plus there is some kind of consolation in bringung some deceased commanders data back to civilization.
6. I do bring a very small fuel transfer limpet controller since I have limpets anyway. I expect some day this will pay off for someone else. It also just seemed like the thing to do. This is coming from my Boy Scout days. Be prepared and be prepared to help others.
7. Bring enough engineering materials so that you can fabricate limpets. This way you don't have to drag them through the galaxy. You can just make them if you need them. Also, bring engineering materials so you can refil AMFU and Heat Sinks.
8. I run a small extra fuel tank for those gaps containing brown dwarfs. With my engineered FSD boost I found myself dangerously low on fuel in some trips.

A word of advice on Boosting at Neutron Stars, etc.
I got a wake up call on this. Lost a ship and exploration data. At one of the odd neutron stars I bumped into the exclusion zone whilst in the cone gathering for a FSD boost. When you get "too close" you come out inside the cone and death is near. My thrusters were engineered for weight and jump.... which left me without enough maneuverability that I could get out of the cone. I could select a system and boost my FSD... but I never could align with the target destination. THEREFORE before you go into the black I suggest you find a neutron star and purposely come out of supercruise inside the cone and experience the pucker factor BEFORE you have hundreds of thousands of credits in exploration data. You will then know if your exploration build is certain death or "survivable".

My exploraconda is still engineered with those weak thrusters.... so sometimes I avoid a jet cone boost if I feel like the cone is too small or the exclusion zone too close to the cone area.

A rough approximation of my build. This has a passenger cabin instead of cargo rack. It should say cargo rack. FSD, sensors, and thrusters enginereed to reduce weight and/or get maximum jump range. That is not shown in the numbers.

https://eddp.co/u/oGakb7Uq

 

[Stealthie]

IMO the Diamondback does not have room for repair limpets.
To use a repair limpet controller you have to also have cargo space which means it takes two slots

Here's a sample build https://eddp.co/u/UFuP9mC7
You have three optional slots.
You can do without the AFMU if you do not plan to supercharge from Neutron Stars. Otherwise it is absolutely required.
You can do without the Shields if you are a very careful pilot or you never plan to land on planets.
You can do without the SRV if you never plan to land on any planets.

This is it, in a nutshell.

My priorities, for an exploration ship (generally) are:-

1) Fuel Scoop.
2) ADS/DSS.
2) SRV.
2) AFMU.
3) Shields.
4) Anything else.

Given the amount of slots available to a DBX, by the time you're done with the absolute priorities, there's no slots left for anything else.
You can monkey around, deciding whether to go for a C4 AFMU, shields or SRV bay but, at the end of the day, they're still going to take up the same number of slots regardless of which module you fit where.
Equally, an explorer can do without shields but that only frees up one slot rather than the 2 required for repair limpets.
To free up the required two slots you're going to have to get rid of something important/useful.

 

[ick]

Oh, he is in a Diamondback. I missed that.

Still would be a good idea to test jet cone boosting failure before going out for a long journey.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

Pro-tip: Fit a single C1 mining laser to your exploration ships. You might never need it but they can be a life-saver if you're desperate to find some specific mat' to replenish your AFMU or provide fuel for an FSD injection etc.

If he is travelling to a high stellar density area then he'll be fine without it especially if he pretends to bring more than 40 Lys of jump range.