Option 1: Try extraction bases, especially the larger ones - both the habitats and warehouses have HAB data ports, and they seem generally better for material quality than tourism bases.
Option 2: Get the modifications some other way. Kit Fowler doesn't himself offer anything that other bubble engineers don't; Yarden Bond only has two mods (Audio Masking and Quieter Footsteps) that aren't otherwise available from bubble engineers. For those you can either find pre-engineered items with those mods to use as a baseline, or you can unlock Yi Shen instead (fairly easy unlock route, you just need to take a side-trip to Colonia with the items you want modifying)
It has been 1.5 years since I did this, but it may be worth a look at Aria Hospitality Zone in Bilonesses. Below is a link to the forum thread that led me to this place. I got all I need in four to five hours of farming.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/opinion-polls-how-to-get-them.586804/
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/opinion-polls-how-to-get-them.586804/
Same problem with a lot of other materials too... The materials that are really needed to engineers are difficult to get, game doesn't tell you if you need it or not or witch kind of modification use that specific material. Data and Goods they cannot be exchanged with the normal bartenders, you can do it on Fleet Carriers but it is not possible to know on which Fleet Carrier you should buy or exchange them... in short, the whole mechanics of the Odyssey engineers it's, in my opinion, a real hell, bad realized, confused, too randomly and extremely worst and anacronystic than old ships engineers, and the whole mechanism should be completely reviewed by scratch.
For example, in my case I can't find the "Manufacturing instructions" in any way. I have only recovered 3 units since the launch of Odyssey!!! I'm full of useless data materials downloaded from settlements or planetary POI, but I need a lot of these "Manufacturing Instructions" for almost every type of modification. Sometimes I could take some from mission rewards, but usually are hard and stealth mission that require some already modified equipments to complete them correctly (like simple silencers, opticals... that humanity seems had banned from the entire Milky Way except for engineers. Absurd! -_-' )
I could buy pre-modified suits or weapons, but obviusly reach them and know where to buy is impossible. And these random "gifts" are available only for lucky players that are passing in right place in the right time. No sense for me!
In my opinion there are some ways to improove this:
For example, in my case I can't find the "Manufacturing instructions" in any way. I have only recovered 3 units since the launch of Odyssey!!! I'm full of useless data materials downloaded from settlements or planetary POI, but I need a lot of these "Manufacturing Instructions" for almost every type of modification. Sometimes I could take some from mission rewards, but usually are hard and stealth mission that require some already modified equipments to complete them correctly (like simple silencers, opticals... that humanity seems had banned from the entire Milky Way except for engineers. Absurd! -_-' )
I could buy pre-modified suits or weapons, but obviusly reach them and know where to buy is impossible. And these random "gifts" are available only for lucky players that are passing in right place in the right time. No sense for me!
In my opinion there are some ways to improove this:
- They have to review quantity of materials for any kind of Odyssey engineering.
- Simplify suits and weapons engineering. Modifications could be unlocked by using that specific suit or weapon. Simple like other games do
- Simply sell all suits/weapons modification at Pioneer's store, like the ships and modules, then engineering that single module.
- Adding a way to load/unload suite or weapons modules (like ships again). It's absurd take one item, spend months to upgrade and engineering it and then buy a new one to try other enginnerings and upgrades only because it's not possible to unmount a simple silencer from the gun (for example)
- Create an in-game material manager, review the UI, add more material descriptions and usefull a "used for" list, creating blueprints, give players some way to know exactly how and where get materials they needs. It's not possible spent hours on Inara, EDSM, EDDB etc... every time i want play Elite!
- Less materials spowned only as random lucky event. It's evident that I'm not a lucky guy, ok?!? It's Frustrating! LOL
Go to youtube and search for "manufacturing insructions".
First vid should be the burr pit.
Tried many times but I can't find available missions to get these materials when i needs.
I like to land on planetary random POI, like the crash sites suggested on video, but nothing
I'm very unlucky maybeBut problem is not only for specified material, it's only an example. In my opinion the entire Odyssey engineering crafting process is an hell, and they can't rely everytime the entire game to external community tools and their approximate data due to FDev that's unable to build a simple UI to manage or understand stuff in his own game
"Just play the game," and "It works for me," are not particularly helpful, nor statistically valid. I know that I have cleared out over 150 bases and looted all data elements. So far I have 12 financial projections after a massive time sink over months of playing. Financial projections are not ever offered as mission rewards, and although they can be downloaded without alarms, you can't access the data ports without going into restricted areas. So other than massacre of entire settlements...
I guess there is a possible way to game the system, so to speak. Farming a la relog x 1000, etc. If you have to exploit and relog endlessly to advance, it is a lousy game element.
I guess there is a possible way to game the system, so to speak. Farming a la relog x 1000, etc. If you have to exploit and relog endlessly to advance, it is a lousy game element.
If you cleared over 150 bases and you haven't got the required number, it should be an obvious hint you are hitting the wrong bases.
Generally speaking, Touristic bases are one of the worst for Data materials with some exceptions (Smear Campaigns in certain Touristic Settlements and Digital Designs which imo are more prevalent in Touristic settlements than in other settlement types)
In my experience (and seemingly others people experience too) best to settle in a system that is heavy on Extraction/Industrial/Agri settlements (see the edit below)
And do restore missions for them
That's what i do and i simply stopped collecting them since they're clogging my inventory
So... look for Extraction systems, where a significant number of settlement are owned by Factions in favorable states
Or do restore missions in Post Thargoid Recovery systems - pick a system heavy on Extraction settlements (you dont need to visit, just get the name from the Galmap, then check Inara), then go there and confirm the settlements are actually abandoned (grey X marker) and then work on them
Edit: i just picked 8-9 restore missions tonight in an Industrial/Extraction system - and got 2 Financial projections (1 from an agri settlement, one from an industrial) - just my luck because obviously i dont need them, what i needed i didnt found
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Yep, I usually find FP in the extraction site where the settlement alarm is in the Office overlooking the processing floor. Also found it in CMD dataports in military bases.
Can't remember where I got my OPs but I have a vague memory of HAB ports. Can't remember if election or Democracy helped.
Can't remember where I got my OPs but I have a vague memory of HAB ports. Can't remember if election or Democracy helped.
Tourist bases are a noob trap. While they have a lot of hab ports, they're all in restricted areas and the rest of the loot on site is pretty poor.
Extraction ports tend to be reliable as they can have up to four hab ports, none of which are in restricted zones. At most you'll have to cut open the back door to a warehouse, which is easy enough to do without being spotted. Look for the large extraction settlement with a second small landing pad next to a combined hab/command building.
As others have pointed out, these settlements tend to be good for other materials too.
Extraction ports tend to be reliable as they can have up to four hab ports, none of which are in restricted zones. At most you'll have to cut open the back door to a warehouse, which is easy enough to do without being spotted. Look for the large extraction settlement with a second small landing pad next to a combined hab/command building.
As others have pointed out, these settlements tend to be good for other materials too.
Maybe a bit late, but may I ask if one can just walk into those HAB and warehouse builings and to their data ports in said large extraction settlememts without running off an alarm? And is it an illegal action to download opinion polls there? Best thing for me would be to enter the buildings in a Maverick suit without weapons and peacefully relog in front of a data panel until some of these damn polls spawn
. Is that possbile there ? Tia, MikeNot possible. Re-logging at a settlement will always clear out all materials, including data. There won't be anything to collect when you log back in.Maybe a bit late, but may I ask if one can just walk into those HAB and warehouse builings and to their data ports in said large extraction settlememts without running off an alarm? And is it an illegal action to download opinion polls there? Best thing for me would be to enter the buildings in a Maverick suit without weapons and peacefully relog in front of a data panel until some of these damn polls spawn
Ok. So you would have to leave and then fly back. Would be ok for me if I do not alarm the whole settlement and can just calmly download the data in an area without access restriction. I also heard that you need only 1 poll if you do the bartender sell and rebuy trick at a fleet carrier with it,
You certainly can collect them that way. I didn't have a carrier when I used my opinion polls, so I can't say for certain that the FC sell/buy trick will work. I do know it worked for other data/engineers after I did get my carrier. I'd assume it would work for any data that must be sold to bartenders. Just remember to re-log after you've made enough sales. I've never had an engineer invite me without a re-log.
I tended to do it as part of restore missions, so yes, I could definitely walk straight in. That's the easy way to do avoid worrying about it...Maybe a bit late, but may I ask if one can just walk into those HAB and warehouse builings and to their data ports in said large extraction settlememts without running off an alarm? And is it an illegal action to download opinion polls there? Best thing for me would be to enter the buildings in a Maverick suit without weapons and peacefully relog in front of a data panel until some of these damn polls spawn
A lot of HAB and Warehouse are security-0 but not all, and opinion polls won't set off the alarm to download in an inhabited base, I think, but it's been a while...
There is one particularly good tourism settlement which has many seperate units, each with its own data port. You need to just hit those and do many repeated runs, I remember I had it down to the point where I would know the exact timings of when people would patrol out of the building and it felt like clockwork when I shot someone with plasma before they opened the door and the hit landed after the door opened.
That said the Opinion Polls and other similar unlocks (Smear Campaign Plans, Settlement Defence Plans) just aren't a good way to introduce players to odyssey. It's not challenging in a fun way because it requires essentially out of game knowledge (other people putting in huge amounts of work to figure out where these things drop because the droprates are so poor you'd never figure it out for yourself) and the activities you do you do for the easier to gather stuff too, it's just that these are a random huge roadblock for everyone.
I don't think anyone remembers these parts of the game fondly and it's one of the clear points where people might end up quitting odyssey because they don't want to deal with that.
To add, even if a place is not sec-0, as long as it's not actually restricted you can go in. You can just follow NPCs on their routines or trick a security into scanning you close enough to the door to open it.