Finding bio signals

[Queex]

Can someone explain what the gameplay is supposed to be with these things? Searching finds a lot of threads with bad information (no, the colour of the DSS does not correspond to signal likelihood any more, as per official word).

I can filter the DSS to a particular type of life, fly down to a patch of it, but it's completely random what life you find, particularly if multiple types are in the area. The SRV scanner does not show anything for bio signs. Are you really supposed to drive for hundred of kilometres until you see something, with absolutely no aids to locate anything?

 

[torloisk]

Thanks for bringing this up. I also wonder how this is supposed to work.

 

[Queex]

I flew to an area that supposed to have fungus, and saw something lit up in yellow. Now I'm closer it looks like tussocks with a rendering error but I can't check because there is literally nowhere nearby I'm allowed to land, no matter how flat it is.

 

[sam445]

Thanks, it's impossible to find anything. The "heatmap" puts 99% of a planet in blue. All of the same hue. It's almost impossible to find anything.

 

[goemon]

you can use the ships composition scanner (and land after you have verified it is something you want to investigate).

 

[Deleted member 38366]

@Queex

Step 1 : DSS the Body

(The blue areas are your Target areas, anything else is Terrain - this specific Body has only 1 Biological type, thus no Filters are listed on top in DSS - otherwise they are)

Step 2 : when multiple types of Biologicals are present, make sure you have the Controls setup to toggle through them in DSS (they're new and in the Ship Controls -> DSS)

(I use : Mouse to move the DSS, Left Mouse to switch front/back of Planet, Middle Mouse wheel Up/Down to toggle through Filters, Right Mouse to fire probes)

Step 3 : descend down onto Planet into blue area. Toggle Analysis/Combat mode to identify smoother landing areas (smooth terrain is your friend, ugly mountains not so much)

Step 4 : if only 1 Biological is indicated, chances are it might be Bacteria... otherwise you'll get names and can look them up in the Codex to get a rough idea

In my example, it turns out to be Bacteria Colonies.... that means you're looking for flat and discolored/patterned spots on the Ground.

(Note that I have the Composition Scanner reticle as a search helper, as it'll flash when moving over something that can be scanned - very useful helper)

Step 5 : You can Composition scan it first and land next to it to disembark.

(I got me some Bacteria I didn't have scanned yet)

Step 6 : get out and Sample it with the Sampling tool of the Artemis Suit (reminder : only the Artemis Suit comes with the Sampling Tool - the Flight Suit or any other Suit would be useless for this task)

(pulsing it will highlight anything Scannable nearby - Green indicates either 1st Sample or sufficient Genetic Diversity for 2nd and 3rd (final) scan)

(1st Sample successful)

Being close to the same Bio type but with insufficient distance (Genetic Diversity) will show up when close as well.

Step 7 : get sufficient distance (Codex entry will tell exactly how far needed) and sample the mandatory 2nd and final 3rd time to attain the Data. If pulsing the next nearby Bio of the same type is blue, distance is insufficient.
Doing so is often the most easy from the Ship... maintain 200m or less Altitude and seek the next matching visual mark of the type of Bio you need.
Note that after the 1st and 2nd Sample, you'll have HUD Markers for the precise sampling locations in your HUD on foot + distance. This can be helpful for orientation anytime you're on foot.

Caution : if there's other types of Biologicals Present, pulsing the Sampling tool will indicate them in a different color - and getting close enough for a scan will issue a warning (existing incomplete samples will be destroyed if a separate new one of different type is sampled)

(3rd Sample successful)

Step 8 : Don't panic that you can't find anything in your Inventory or Transactions! Sampling Data is stored similar to Universal Cartographics Data and is essentially invisible.
Head to the nearest Vista Genomics store at a Station or Planetary Installation to sell the Data. Unsure about Outposts having these at all.

After sale, enjoy your Rank progression as an Exobiologist.

---------------------

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample,while the Composition Scanner reticle is an excellent helper to detect anything useful
• the Composition Scanner reticle on the SRV while driving in Turret mode works similar and it has the advantage of being able to move it around freely to detect Biologicals; best to have it in a separate 2nd Fire Group in the SRV to deconflict it from the Data Link Scanner
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan
• Exceptions that seem to prefer proximity of steeper Terrain or even Mountains : Frutexa (DSS displays them as "Shrubs"), and Fungoids
• keep in mind that the Sampling Tool draws alot of Suit energy - with an unengineered Suit, taking a single Sample consumes roughly 10% of the Suit Reserve... so be careful not to continue Sampling when your Suit Energy is low already!
• in SRV or on foot and lost in rough terrain? If no high ground or vantage point is available nearby, remember you have the Vanity Camera. This can be very helpful for orientation
• as a reminder : whereas Horizons had a very limited amount of Biological Sites, the new Planets will have Millions of them scattered all over their blue areas; expect some patches or isolated Bios from every few hundred meters upto spread out roughly 1-2km tops in most cases
• a hidden nice thing you could easily miss : as you progress through Exobiology Ranks, you'll unlock Paint customizations you can apply to your Suit. The one for the Rank "Compiler" for example is Metallic Green
• stay alive , be that on foot, in SRV or in the Ship... If you mess up, all collected Biological Sampling Data will be lost - very important to remember when you're "feeling lucky" and start messing with Planetary Signal Sources or your SRV's Hull Integrity drops low! The longer you collect in Deep Space, the more valuable your Collection will be - so be increasingly careful until you sell it somewhere.

Want to know the environmental requirements or price for some of the Samples? Check out marx' Compendium of Codex Requirements :

Compendium of Codex requirements

To get a better look at all the requirements that NSPs and surface Biological sites might spawn at, I made a compendium of what the Codex lists for them. You can find it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nV_UD_0kIxkWAHhAqvf62ILHpbYzdZpJ53CqPHn3qlA/edit?usp=sharing Note that there...

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[J Michaelson]

@Queex

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan

This was an excellent aid, thanks very much!

 

[Iron Golem]

@Queex

Step 1 : DSS the Body

View attachment 228889
(The blue areas are your Target areas, anything else is Terrain - this specific Body has only 1 Biological type, thus no Filters are listed on top in DSS - otherwise they are)

Step 2 : when multiple Bios are present, make sure you have the Controls setup to toggle through them in DSS (they're new and in the Ship Controls -> DSS)
View attachment 228890
(I use : Mouse to move the DSS, Left Mouse to switch front/back of Planet, Middle Mouse Up/Down to toggle through Filters, Right Mouse to fire probes)

Step 3 : descend down onto Planet into blue area. Toggle Analysis/Combat mode to identify smoother landing areas (smooth terrain is your friend, ugly mountains not so much)

Step 4 : if only 1 Biological is indicated, chances are it might be Bacteria... otherwise you'll get names and can look them up in the Codex to get a rough idea

In my example, it turns out to be Bacteria Colonies.... that means you're looking for flat and discolored/patterned spots on the Ground.
View attachment 228893
(Note that I have the Composition Scanner Reticule as a search helper, as it'll flash when moving over something that can be scanned - very useful helper)

Step 5 : You can Composition scan it first or land next to it and disembark.
View attachment 228894
(I got me some Bacteria I didn't have scanned yet)

Step 6 : get out and Sample it with the Sampling tool of the Artemis Suit (reminder : only the Artemis Suit comes with the Sampling Tool - the Flight Suit or any other Suit would be useless for this task)
View attachment 228895
(pulsing it will highlight anything Scannable nearby - Green indicates either 1st Sample or sufficient Genetic Diversity for 2nd and 3rd (final) scan)

View attachment 228898
(1st Sample successful)

Being close to the same Bio type but with insufficient distance (Genetic Diversity) will show up when close as well.
View attachment 228899

Step 7 : get sufficient distance (Codex entry will tell exactly how far needed) and sample the mandatory 2nd and final 3rd time to attain the Data. If pulsing the next nearby Bio of the same type is blue, distance is insufficient.
Doing so is often the most easy from the Ship... maintain 200m or less Altitude and seek the next matching visual mark of the type of Bio you need.
Note that after the 1st and 2nd Sample, you'll have HUD Markers for the precise sampling locations in your HUD on foot + distance. This can be helpful for orientation.

Caution : if there's other types of Biologicals Present, pulsing the Sampling tool will indicate them in a different color - and getting close enough for a scan will issue a warning (existing incomplete samples will be destroyed if a separate new one of different type is scanned)

View attachment 228901
(3rt Sample successful)

Step 8 : Don't panic that you can't find anything in your Inventory or Transactions! Sampling Data is stored similar to Universal Cartographics Data and is essentially invisible.
Head to the nearest Vista Genomics store at a Station, Outpost or Planetary Installation to sell the Data.
View attachment 228902

After sale, enjoy your Rank progression as an Exobiologist.
View attachment 228903

---------------------

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan

Excellent Cmdr. This is exactly what I came here for, thank you.

 

[CMDR Saigon]

@Queex

Step 1 : DSS the Body

View attachment 228889
(The blue areas are your Target areas, anything else is Terrain - this specific Body has only 1 Biological type, thus no Filters are listed on top in DSS - otherwise they are)

Step 2 : when multiple Bios are present, make sure you have the Controls setup to toggle through them in DSS (they're new and in the Ship Controls -> DSS)
View attachment 228890
(I use : Mouse to move the DSS, Left Mouse to switch front/back of Planet, Middle Mouse Up/Down to toggle through Filters, Right Mouse to fire probes)

Step 3 : descend down onto Planet into blue area. Toggle Analysis/Combat mode to identify smoother landing areas (smooth terrain is your friend, ugly mountains not so much)

Step 4 : if only 1 Biological is indicated, chances are it might be Bacteria... otherwise you'll get names and can look them up in the Codex to get a rough idea

In my example, it turns out to be Bacteria Colonies.... that means you're looking for flat and discolored/patterned spots on the Ground.
View attachment 228893
(Note that I have the Composition Scanner Reticule as a search helper, as it'll flash when moving over something that can be scanned - very useful helper)

Step 5 : You can Composition scan it first or land next to it and disembark.
View attachment 228894
(I got me some Bacteria I didn't have scanned yet)

Step 6 : get out and Sample it with the Sampling tool of the Artemis Suit (reminder : only the Artemis Suit comes with the Sampling Tool - the Flight Suit or any other Suit would be useless for this task)
View attachment 228895
(pulsing it will highlight anything Scannable nearby - Green indicates either 1st Sample or sufficient Genetic Diversity for 2nd and 3rd (final) scan)

View attachment 228898
(1st Sample successful)

Being close to the same Bio type but with insufficient distance (Genetic Diversity) will show up when close as well.
View attachment 228899

Step 7 : get sufficient distance (Codex entry will tell exactly how far needed) and sample the mandatory 2nd and final 3rd time to attain the Data. If pulsing the next nearby Bio of the same type is blue, distance is insufficient.
Doing so is often the most easy from the Ship... maintain 200m or less Altitude and seek the next matching visual mark of the type of Bio you need.
Note that after the 1st and 2nd Sample, you'll have HUD Markers for the precise sampling locations in your HUD on foot + distance. This can be helpful for orientation.

Caution : if there's other types of Biologicals Present, pulsing the Sampling tool will indicate them in a different color - and getting close enough for a scan will issue a warning (existing incomplete samples will be destroyed if a separate new one of different type is scanned)

View attachment 228901
(3rt Sample successful)

Step 8 : Don't panic that you can't find anything in your Inventory or Transactions! Sampling Data is stored similar to Universal Cartographics Data and is essentially invisible.
Head to the nearest Vista Genomics store at a Station, Outpost or Planetary Installation to sell the Data.
View attachment 228902

After sale, enjoy your Rank progression as an Exobiologist.
View attachment 228903

---------------------

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan

Great CMDR! This should go on some key websites to help new/existing CMDRs.

 

[LifesAJourney]

Is Vista Genomics available at outposts? I checked two of them after getting genome of some bacteria but couldn't find...

 

[Queex]

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan

This entire post has been very helpful, thanks you! A lot of it I had already worked out but it's good to have all the steps in one place.

It really sucks that there's no meaningful way of finding signals from the SRV. I hadn't considered using the reticule in flight to comb the surface. I'm really annoyed that you lose sampling progress for changing species; as if we could carry additional sampling cannisters. Pure luck that didn't happen to me.

For one type in the planet I've been trying, the hot areas are only on broken terrain. I'm not looking forward to trying to sample there as there are literally no spots to land and there's no effective way of marking a location to get to it in the SRV if you have to land some distance away.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Overall tips :


This entire post has been very helpful, thanks you! A lot of it I had already worked out but it's good to have all the steps in one place.

It really sucks that there's no meaningful way of finding signals from the SRV. I hadn't considered using the reticule in flight to comb the surface. I'm really annoyed that you lose sampling progress for changing species; as if we could carry additional sampling cannisters. Pure luck that didn't happen to me.

For one type in the planet I've been trying, the hot areas are only on broken terrain. I'm not looking forward to trying to sample there as there are literally no spots to land and there's no effective way of marking a location to get to it in the SRV if you have to land some distance away.

Although not able to do magic (i.e. rough mountain ranges), equipping the Advanced Docking Computer provides an optional Auto-Land feature on Planets now.
During tests, this was extremely helpful to land at the nearest suitable spot and worked quite well.

Might not find a parking spot for an Anaconda, Cutter or Beluga in rough terrain - but if there is one, it'll likely find it.
So especially in some Medium or any Large Ship, this might be considered an extremely useful Option.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Is Vista Genomics available at outposts? I checked two of them after getting genome of some bacteria but couldn't find...

That's actually a good question - and I'm not really sure about that. I edited my Text to reflect that.

 

[Queex]

Although not able to do magic (i.e. rough mountain ranges), equipping the Advanced Docking Computer provides an optional Auto-Land feature on Planets now.
During tests, this was extremely helpful to land at the nearest suitable spot and worked quite well.

Might not find a parking spot for an Anaconda, Cutter or Beluga in rough terrain - but if there is one, it'll likely find it.
So especially in some Medium or any Large Ship, this might be considered an extremely useful Option.

I've not had luck with it finding somewhere for my AspX, sadly.

 

[Crackensan]

Although not able to do magic (i.e. rough mountain ranges), equipping the Advanced Docking Computer provides an optional Auto-Land feature on Planets now.
During tests, this was extremely helpful to land at the nearest suitable spot and worked quite well.

Might not find a parking spot for an Anaconda, Cutter or Beluga in rough terrain - but if there is one, it'll likely find it.
So especially in some Medium or any Large Ship, this might be considered an extremely useful Option.

Does the number of Biological Signals the DSS detect indicate the number of lifeforms on the world? I.e: Biological (1) is one lifeform - Biological (2) would be two life forms, etc?

 

[Queex]

Does the number of Biological Signals the DSS detect indicate the number of lifeforms on the world? I.e: Biological (1) is one lifeform - Biological (2) would be two life forms, etc?

It's the number of different bio types you can find. So bio (1) is one species, in the areas the DSS highlights in the overlay. Bio (2) is two species, with potentially different (but probably overlapping) ranges. You need to sample each species 3 times to fully analyse it, from different patches.

 

[Crackensan]

It's the number of different bio types you can find. So bio (1) is one species, in the areas the DSS highlights in the overlay. Bio (2) is two species, with potentially different (but probably overlapping) ranges. You need to sample each species 3 times to fully analyse it, from different patches.

... So yes.

 

[AndrewA]

Question about heat map. I scan planet with DSS and gain heat map, choose via filter bio signal and found something. How I can recall heat map, from planet to choose next bio type?

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

@Queex

Step 1 : DSS the Body

View attachment 228889
(The blue areas are your Target areas, anything else is Terrain - this specific Body has only 1 Biological type, thus no Filters are listed on top in DSS - otherwise they are)

Step 2 : when multiple types of Biologicals are present, make sure you have the Controls setup to toggle through them in DSS (they're new and in the Ship Controls -> DSS)
View attachment 228890
(I use : Mouse to move the DSS, Left Mouse to switch front/back of Planet, Middle Mouse wheel Up/Down to toggle through Filters, Right Mouse to fire probes)

Step 3 : descend down onto Planet into blue area. Toggle Analysis/Combat mode to identify smoother landing areas (smooth terrain is your friend, ugly mountains not so much)

Step 4 : if only 1 Biological is indicated, chances are it might be Bacteria... otherwise you'll get names and can look them up in the Codex to get a rough idea

In my example, it turns out to be Bacteria Colonies.... that means you're looking for flat and discolored/patterned spots on the Ground.
View attachment 228893
(Note that I have the Composition Scanner Reticule as a search helper, as it'll flash when moving over something that can be scanned - very useful helper)

Step 5 : You can Composition scan it first and land next to it to disembark.
View attachment 228894
(I got me some Bacteria I didn't have scanned yet)

Step 6 : get out and Sample it with the Sampling tool of the Artemis Suit (reminder : only the Artemis Suit comes with the Sampling Tool - the Flight Suit or any other Suit would be useless for this task)
View attachment 228895
(pulsing it will highlight anything Scannable nearby - Green indicates either 1st Sample or sufficient Genetic Diversity for 2nd and 3rd (final) scan)

View attachment 228898
(1st Sample successful)

Being close to the same Bio type but with insufficient distance (Genetic Diversity) will show up when close as well.
View attachment 228899

Step 7 : get sufficient distance (Codex entry will tell exactly how far needed) and sample the mandatory 2nd and final 3rd time to attain the Data. If pulsing the next nearby Bio of the same type is blue, distance is insufficient.
Doing so is often the most easy from the Ship... maintain 200m or less Altitude and seek the next matching visual mark of the type of Bio you need.
Note that after the 1st and 2nd Sample, you'll have HUD Markers for the precise sampling locations in your HUD on foot + distance. This can be helpful for orientation anytime you're on foot.

Caution : if there's other types of Biologicals Present, pulsing the Sampling tool will indicate them in a different color - and getting close enough for a scan will issue a warning (existing incomplete samples will be destroyed if a separate new one of different type is sampled)

View attachment 228901
(3rd Sample successful)

Step 8 : Don't panic that you can't find anything in your Inventory or Transactions! Sampling Data is stored similar to Universal Cartographics Data and is essentially invisible.
Head to the nearest Vista Genomics store at a Station or Planetary Installation to sell the Data. Unsure about Outposts having these at all.
View attachment 228902

After sale, enjoy your Rank progression as an Exobiologist.
View attachment 228903

---------------------

Overall tips :

• overview and visual range on foot is rather poor and the Sampling Tool Pulse Range is very limited
• SRV Wave Scanner does not react to new Biologicals - but you'll travel much faster and have a better view (Turret View improves that even further)
• Visual Search from the Ship is clearly the fastest overall to identify Biologicals or quickly move to the 2nd and 3rd Sample,while the Composition Scanner Reticule is an excellent helper to detect anything useful
• the Composition Scanner Reticule on the SRV while driving in Turret mode works similar and it has the advantage of being able to move it around freely to detect Biologicals; best to have it in a separate 2nd Fire Group in the SRV to deconflict it from the Data Link Scanner
• with a little practice and at low Altitude (for me, <200m works the best at Ultra Graphics Settings), new Bios or 2nd/3rd sampling locations can be quickly identified
• Night Vision can be used to increase contrast of on-surface items even in daylight locations to assist finding stuff
• Flat (smooth) areas on the Ground are where things seem to be most often ,so seeking larger areas of that smooth Terrain appears to be helpful to quickly find more things to scan
• keep in mind that the Sampling Tool draws alot of Suit energy - with an unengineered Suit, taking a single Sample consumes roughly 10% of the Suit Reserve... so be careful not to continue Sampling when your Suit Energy is low already!
• in SRV or on foot and lost in rough terrain? If no high ground or vantage point is available nearby, remember you have the Vanity Camera. This can be very helpful for orientation
• as a reminder : whereas Horizons had a very limited amount of Biological Sites, the new Planets will have Millions of them scattered all over their blue areas; expect some patches or isolated Bios from every few hundred meters upto spread out roughly 1-2km tops in most cases

/we are not worthy kneeling bow

Thank you!!!

 

[Queex]

Question about heat map. I scan planet with DSS and gain heat map, choose via filter bio signal and found something. How I can recall heat map, from planet to choose next bio type?

Currently, you can't. You can only enter the DSS screen when in flight, above a certain altitude.

No, I have no idea why they made it that way.