Fuel scoops - reality check required.

Riverside

Riverside
I'm enjoying reading through this thread, seeing so many variations of style.

I think it's a good indication of a well balanced mechanism that there are so many different choices that make sense.

I particularly like the way Novo Mundus describes using heatsinks, an option I would never think to take - I'm far too miserly with my store of mats and should be less risk averse ;)
 

Drelthar

Drelthar
Riverside said:
I'm enjoying reading through this thread, seeing so many variations of style.

I think it's a good indication of a well balanced mechanism that there are so many different choices that make sense.

I particularly like the way Novo Mundus describes using heatsinks, an option I would never think to take - I'm far too miserly with my store of mats and should be less risk averse ;)
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It's fun, and the mats are -very- common, you can trade down to entirely fill them up really easily too.

You can also get quite good at synthesising new sinks, while scooping and charging, if you time it right, it's perfectly efficient, if not.... well, not so much...
 

Hanerib

Hanerib
dognosh said:
I have to disagree with most, providing you run a cold Power Plant.
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Low emissions build can help if you need to fill entire tank quickly, and stay in maximum fuel scooping range for some time without overheating. (It's a DBX thing) Heat isn't really that dangerous though, my overcharged Type-7 with assorted Guardian modules and other important space stuff would heat to 90% or more from a quick scoop and jump, and mostly without any problems.
 

aRJay

aRJay
Un1k0rn said:
My rule is two classes smaller than fuel tank = minimum, one class smaller = standard, same size/bigger = oversized.

In the bubble you do not need a fuel scoop at all. As much as this may shock people, many stations offer a service allowing one to buy fuel with credits. It is a service inspired by the following 21st century establishment:


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Very effective. It does require the pilot to pay attention to his fuel, but if he's a legend like me then he will never need a fuel scoop.
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I am familiar with the history of such establishments including the knowledge that in many areas they were used to generate huge profits for governments and (they said) modest ones for the fuel companies. This is why I like being able to collect free fuel.
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
dognosh said:
I have to disagree with most, providing you run a cold Power Plant.
I run a Phantom with size 5 fuel scoop and a cold ship(PP is Low Emissions/Thernal Spead). Just did over 90000 LYs going to Beagle Point(in a roundabout way) and not only does it scoop fast enough to honk-scoop-jump(which I did about 20% of the time), but at max scoop rate my heat never hit 70%, even if I stop dead by the star.
p.s. My scoop method is skim round star at max throttle
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See, this was something I did look at for my Exploraconda.

I think I worked out (via Coriolis) that it'd require a PP two sizes larger to produce the same power (Overcharged 3A vs Low Emmisions 5A).
Fitting that would allow me to engage my FSD while in the red-zone but it'd also reduce the jump-range of my ship by 2.5Ly.
A ship that has a G5 Light Weight HSL, just to improve the jump-range by 0.1Ly and which also has a 4G SRV bay which requires more power than a 7A Fuel Scoop.

Seems like I'd be reducing my jump-range by 2Ly for no power-saving and the only "benefit" would be that I could engage my FSD while scooping instead of scooping faster and then engaging my FSD.

More often than not, I tend to find that (when honk-jumping) I've completed scooping and exited the red-zone before I'm pointing at my destination system, anyway.
It's the steering that dictates how long I'm in a system rather than the scooping or the FSD cool-down.
 

dognosh

dognosh
Hanerib said:
Low emissions build can help if you need to fill entire tank quickly, and stay in maximum fuel scooping range for some time without overheating. (It's a DBX thing) Heat isn't really that dangerous though, my overcharged Type-7 with assorted Guardian modules and other important space stuff would heat to 90% or more from a quick scoop and jump, and mostly without any problems.
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I had another reason for a cold setup, If I was in a rush to catch up with the others on DW2 I can start the FSD whilst still scooping at max rate, very difficult to do with the setups you described :)
 

GunnerBill

GunnerBill
I’ve got class A scoops in all sizes just in case.

Actually multiple size 4A scoops and 2 or 3 7A’s for various Anaconda/ Vette scenarios.

Just the 1 8A though! ;)
 

Bloodsign

Bloodsign
Star skimming, while fun, is not the best way to scoop; you can find the sweet spot and sit still while scooping.

I generally throw the biggest B-rated scoops I can on my traveling ships. A-rated are super expensive luxury items, but occasionally I'll fit an A-rated scoop if the scoop rate is still bad.

It will be slow though, especially in a Beluga with its huge core fuel tank.

Sometimes it's not worth it to have a scoop at all; it is easier for any intra-Bubble travel to equip fuel tanks instead, way faster than stopping to scoop.
 

dognosh

dognosh
J.States said:
Star skimming, while fun, is not the best way to scoop; you can find the sweet spot and sit still while scooping.
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Nearly always my next destination is behind star so sitting still is not an option. Also momentum helps shave a little off the time when you start FSD and break away from the star :)
 

Drelthar

Drelthar
J.States said:
Star skimming, while fun, is not the best way to scoop; you can find the sweet spot and sit still while scooping.
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Depends what you mean by "best"

Because any "sweet spot" is unlikely to be at maximum scooping speed, unless you are going to be overheating while sat still, and it's probably better to be moving already if you are overheating, so you can escape the heat zone faster.

If you mean "best" as in, you can sit there and wait for it to fill without overheating, sure. But for scooping as much as fast as possible, you probably want to skim.
 

Jakester13

Jakester13
I'd never correlated the size of my fuel scoop with any other components, but purchased based upon affordability and availability of slots and in outfitting.

My Asp Explorer has a 5B, Cutter a 6B and Clipper (usually) a 6B or A.

I never really learned to fuel scoop like a pro until I made the trek to Sag A* equipped with a 3A scoop before neutrons and engineers: I almost never overheat, whether speeding past for a top-up, or a stationary refuel while FSS-ing the system objects.

o7
 

Vash627

Vash627
Exploration Clipper, 5a FSD... 7a Fuel scoop. It cost more than the ship and probably everything else in it but I'm not out there to get a tan. :cool:
 

Skip Rockbounder

Skip Rockbounder
Exploration Clipper... yeah, and everything else, run the one ship for just about everything,
I just can't get used to the idea of chucking out my 128 ton cargo bay... all the coffins I rescue, whatever though, I suppose that the 'new' FSS will ensure I don't find as many coffins 30-40klys out now I suppose I could drop in a bigger scoop and a 64 ton cargo bay if only to stop her telling me I'm overheating everytime I scoop, I guess when I get back to the bubble I'll have to have a module change round... or buy another Clipper.. I'll probably end up with twins!
 

Drelthar

Drelthar
777Driver said:
You can scoop at max rate whilst traveling at 30m/s
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Absolutely correct, it's purely distance based.

However, I was responding the "finding the sweet spot" which I assumed (my fault I suppose!) meant somewhere you could sit, and be gathering fuel, without melting your ship, which generally (except with certain set ups) means you won't be at maximum scoop speed.

Just clarifying.
 

dognosh

dognosh
Once again, it depends.
If you're just wanting to scoop fast, then sitting still or skimming is the same.
If you're honk-scoop-jumping, then sitting still is not an option as you lose lots of time.
All depends... :)
 

Drelthar

Drelthar
dognosh said:
Once again, it depends.
If you're just wanting to scoop fast, then sitting still or skimming is the same.
If you're honk-scoop-jumping, then sitting still is not an option as you lose lots of time.
All depends... :)
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People do something other than honk scoop jump?!
 
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