I am looking to begin exploring... What path would you take/have you taken to maximize the experience, both in terms of bodies explored and sights seen? What specific techniques maximize the trip? Thanks ahead of time for any insights.
Exploring: How to Maxmize it...
- Thread starter CaptainSeriousFun
- Start date
Aim for the galactic center, the systems get closer together the further in you go so it costs less fuel per jump. additionally, Get a DSS to scan bodies for profit. Upgrade you disco scanner(space elvis am I right) as soon as you can! Suggested ships, Cobra MKIII, Adder (from hearsay, never actually flown it), and I hear that you can decently kit a hauler if your willing to drop the dough to pay for upgrades. Thrusters, and FSD upgrades should be your secondary priority behind a decent fuel scoop and a scanner. Upgrading your sensors is your 2nd lowest priority. Your lowest priority should be weapons and combat kit.
Thanks for the post. I was also thinking about going "up" to the "ceiling" of the Milky Way disc, and proceeding inward from there...thoughts?
Oh, also the ASP is apparently great, but I'm sentimental bout my cobra so I'm not upgrading just yet.
Pro tipz:
Buy a heat sink launcher incase you get too close to the sun fuel scooping.
Sell as many cargo racks as you can to increase jump distance
A chaff launcher also won't go amiss, it can buy you valuable time while running away from combat
Set map to "realistic" to get some basic star-type info (the darker the star the less likely you can fuel scoop) go to white stars to refuel with Ur scoop
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
I've never actually tried that, it might be cool, I doubt most players think about that. you could possibly get to the point where you can only see stars in one direction which would be cool. Best strategy if your particularly interested in doing that is going diagonally upwards to maximize travel in both directions
Pro tipz:
Buy a heat sink launcher incase you get too close to the sun fuel scooping.
Sell as many cargo racks as you can to increase jump distance
A chaff launcher also won't go amiss, it can buy you valuable time while running away from combat
Set map to "realistic" to get some basic star-type info (the darker the star the less likely you can fuel scoop) go to white stars to refuel with Ur scoop
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
I've never actually tried that, it might be cool, I doubt most players think about that. you could possibly get to the point where you can only see stars in one direction which would be cool. Best strategy if your particularly interested in doing that is going diagonally upwards to maximize travel in both directions
Last edited:
Great insights, thanks a lot!
NP, welcome to the noble ranks of the explorers
Obtain a time machine, be an early backer, and have months of head start on everyone else.
I did that, it's pretty cool to see one side of space completely dark. If you can't jump > 30 LY, you will have trouble approaching the edge. Even at 32 LY in an Asp, there were some stars I couldn't reach, and you have to check the star types carefully so you can refuel and not get stranded.
Here's a few "straight down" from the core pics:
If you do decide go upwards, then your top priority should be jump range, as the lower density of stars will be the limiting factor in how close to the 'edge' you can actually get. If I remember right, the ships that can get up around 35ly per jump are the Anaconda and the Asp. The Type-6 also gets over 30ly, for a lot less cash, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you like watching sparks fly, as that ship runs really hot.
I've just started my own exploration, following the well trodden path into the core. I decided to go with a much shorter jump range (only ~25.5ly) in exchange for the wide open views given by the Clipper. I'm regretting the decision slightly - it means I'll end up having to make several hundred more jumps. The ship runs really cool though, it's nice being able to spool up the FSD at 100% heat, before the fuel scoop even closes
Also... Buy the biggest class fuel scoop that you can fit, of the best grade you can afford, it will save you a lot of time if you're planning a long (distance) trip. I thought maybe my 7B was a bit absurd (it cost more than the Clipper did in the first place...), but scooping up fuel at 1 ton per second means more time exploring and less time watching timers.
EDIT: More tips:
On the galaxy nav screen, choose to colour the stars by class, then hide all the types you're less interested in. This saves a lot of time whenever you want to make sure that you're not about to run out of fuel. It's also useful if you want to check if any of the really rare star types are in your vicinity (although I think this trick will only highlight them if they're the primary.)
If you still have space after getting the modules you really need (i.e. even after fitting a repair module or two), consider a cargo rack(!) By having some cargo capacity, you can 'trick' the route finder into plotting 'fastest' routes that don't get too close to your maximum range (max range jumps are much more expensive.) This can be helpfully if you're trying to cover a lot of distance very quickly (more jumps per tank = decreased chance of running low enough that you have to manually plot a jump to a scoopable star.)
EDIT: @Andargor - those pics are pretty awesome. I'm surprised that the core is that bright. I'm definitely going to have to try this, if I make it to the core in good condition.
I've just started my own exploration, following the well trodden path into the core. I decided to go with a much shorter jump range (only ~25.5ly) in exchange for the wide open views given by the Clipper. I'm regretting the decision slightly - it means I'll end up having to make several hundred more jumps. The ship runs really cool though, it's nice being able to spool up the FSD at 100% heat, before the fuel scoop even closes
Also... Buy the biggest class fuel scoop that you can fit, of the best grade you can afford, it will save you a lot of time if you're planning a long (distance) trip. I thought maybe my 7B was a bit absurd (it cost more than the Clipper did in the first place...), but scooping up fuel at 1 ton per second means more time exploring and less time watching timers.
EDIT: More tips:
On the galaxy nav screen, choose to colour the stars by class, then hide all the types you're less interested in. This saves a lot of time whenever you want to make sure that you're not about to run out of fuel. It's also useful if you want to check if any of the really rare star types are in your vicinity (although I think this trick will only highlight them if they're the primary.)
If you still have space after getting the modules you really need (i.e. even after fitting a repair module or two), consider a cargo rack(!) By having some cargo capacity, you can 'trick' the route finder into plotting 'fastest' routes that don't get too close to your maximum range (max range jumps are much more expensive.) This can be helpfully if you're trying to cover a lot of distance very quickly (more jumps per tank = decreased chance of running low enough that you have to manually plot a jump to a scoopable star.)
EDIT: @Andargor - those pics are pretty awesome. I'm surprised that the core is that bright. I'm definitely going to have to try this, if I make it to the core in good condition.
Last edited:
If you are going to get a nice big jump range, and don't want to be where everyone else has been already, then try heading AWAY from the core. Everyone goes towards the core it seems. I picked a nice little spot in the other direction and I haven't seen an explored system in about 2000 ly. I get a little jolt knowing I am the first, and only, person that has seen this spot. (The fact that I will get to have my name on it for the life of the game isn't anything to sneeze at either )
Lok Anload
)Lok Anload
Very cool!
- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -
If you do decide go upwards, then your top priority should be jump range, as the lower density of stars will be the limiting factor in how close to the 'edge' you can actually get. If I remember right, the ships that can get up around 35ly per jump are the Anaconda and the Asp. The Type-6 also gets over 30ly, for a lot less cash, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you like watching sparks fly, as that ship runs really hot.
I've just started my own exploration, following the well trodden path into the core. I decided to go with a much shorter jump range (only ~25.5ly) in exchange for the wide open views given by the Clipper. I'm regretting the decision slightly - it means I'll end up having to make several hundred more jumps. The ship runs really cool though, it's nice being able to spool up the FSD at 100% heat, before the fuel scoop even closes
Also... Buy the biggest class fuel scoop that you can fit, of the best grade you can afford, it will save you a lot of time if you're planning a long (distance) trip. I thought maybe my 7B was a bit absurd (it cost more than the Clipper did in the first place...), but scooping up fuel at 1 ton per second means more time exploring and less time watching timers.
EDIT: More tips:
On the galaxy nav screen, choose to colour the stars by class, then hide all the types you're less interested in. This saves a lot of time whenever you want to make sure that you're not about to run out of fuel. It's also useful if you want to check if any of the really rare star types are in your vicinity (although I think this trick will only highlight them if they're the primary.)
If you still have space after getting the modules you really need (i.e. even after fitting a repair module or two), consider a cargo rack(!) By having some cargo capacity, you can 'trick' the route finder into plotting 'fastest' routes that don't get too close to your maximum range (max range jumps are much more expensive.) This can be helpfully if you're trying to cover a lot of distance very quickly (more jumps per tank = decreased chance of running low enough that you have to manually plot a jump to a scoopable star.)
EDIT: @Andargor - those pics are pretty awesome. I'm surprised that the core is that bright. I'm definitely going to have to try this, if I make it to the core in good condition.
Good stuff thanks!
I use an Adder to explore with lightweight modules, a middle grade scoop and Detailed Scanner. No racks, shields or gadgets. I upgraded my plant, distributor, FS drive and thrusters to max out my jump distance and weight. I have a plasma accelerator for weapon, that's it.
I'm having a gas just cruising away from centre. I scoop every star I can sideways in a tight spiral until the tank is full and then jump. I'm rarely interdicted as I've gotten fairly good at the mini-game. If I am snatched, I submit and suffer zero damage. The interdictor has to wait longer for his cool-down then his victim. Then I spool up and get out of town. I just wish the Adder had a bigger window for screen captures.
Good Luck CMDR!
I'm having a gas just cruising away from centre. I scoop every star I can sideways in a tight spiral until the tank is full and then jump. I'm rarely interdicted as I've gotten fairly good at the mini-game. If I am snatched, I submit and suffer zero damage. The interdictor has to wait longer for his cool-down then his victim. Then I spool up and get out of town. I just wish the Adder had a bigger window for screen captures.
Good Luck CMDR!
Not sure what you're getting at with this one: the racks themselves don't weigh anything, do they?
Additional thoughts:-
Adder is a nice little explorer but with a horribly restricted cockpit view.
Hauler is the best all 'round cheap exploration vessel. Easy to get >25Ly jumps. Fit "A" class FSD, the biggest "A" class fuel scoop you can, "D" class everything else. Have shield generator if you want (I always do), but forget weapons and all the other stuff. If you're going far enough you will simply not see anything to shoot. Disclaimer: this may change in the future with aliens, I guess. I've just done about 8,000Ly in a Hauler like this.
Type-6: I've just come back from a 1,500Ly explo-trip in one. The nicest cockpit views I've had yet, slower to manoeuvre but easy to fly. Didn't have any heat problems. Fitted out with similar specs to the Hauler. 28Ly jump range.
Watch Nutter's videos!
Good luck, Commander o7
Last edited:
AFAIK cargo racks have zero mass. In my Asp, I switched out the cargo bays with useful items, the main cargo hold was replaced with a high-grade fuel scoop. As mentioned above, this saves a lot of time when refuelling (and if you're getting to the galactic core, you'll be refuelling dozens of times).
Correct. If they did, it'd be a terrible idea.
There's a slider in the nav screen that lets you specify the amount of cargo you want it to assume you're carrying. It defaults to your current load, but you can set it anywhere up to your maximum capacity.
By moving this slider up from 0kt (since my explorer is, of course, always empty) to 64kt, the route planner is restricted to jumps that I could make IF I were carrying that much extra weight. This means it never assigns a gas guzzling near-max-range jump.
I think the route planner could do with a lot more features (e.g. instead of 'efficient' or 'fastest' mode, give me a slider! How about waypoints? What about a setting that rejects routes that go too far between scoopable star classes.) This is just a way to trick it into giving me a weak version of one of them
EDIT: the reason I do this, is that on my 1000ly trial run (for the much longer trip to the core) I quickly realised that the most time consuming part of travelling was actually having to keep plotting new routes, whenever my current route took me too far without a scoopable star. The solutions were to either
1) manually plot trips of around 100ly or so, so they always ended at a scoopable star. That might be as many as 400 plots on the round trip. Ouch.
2) find some way to plot 1000ly trips that were less likely to run low on fuel (but which still made decent length jumps.)
I'm actually tempted to fly back and swap my 7B fuel scoop for a class 6, so I can pretend to have 128kt of cargo. I think I could probably go a very long way with out needing to visit the nav screen then.
Last edited: