Has 'Discovered By' Changed Exploration?

[grae3107]

I have started to see quite a few threads about commanders being disappointed by not being the first to get somewhere. This got me thinking, has the way we explore changed?

I know from my own experience (currently out in deep space thousands of LY from home) that sometimes I have seen a system that has been completely scanned and I have just jumped on. Some of the systems would have still been worth a lot of credits to scan due to the number of metal rich.

I enjoy exploring an find it relaxing, but it was completely unintentional to skip by systems and it wasn't until I had done it several times I realized what I was doing.

 

[BobbyConkers]

People being disappointed by something completely out of their control, and which also shouldn't be a surprise to me is disappointing in itself. But they may do as they wish.

Those atop Everest have still achieved even though they weren't the first to do so. I personally will take the discovery tag when I find it, but it's about seeing or being there. So, so, so not broken.

 

[QziQza]

I would have thought that many commanders were heading out into the unknown with a simple desire to explore, get some peace and quite and make some coin while just seeing whats out there.. I never really pictured it as being competative. Does this new system take something away from that? Has it added a layer of dissapointment to what was mostly just a journey? Or has the new challenge taken exploration and discovery back to our old earth roots of battling sea and foreign lands to be forever immortalised and being granted wealth and reputation for our discoveries? Or at the very least a T-Shirt to say 'I was [.....]'

 

[nr.]

Depends on the situation. I explore for the fun of it - not to get my name on systems. That said, I did fancy having my name on LGM-1 (my avatar should give that away really) so that kind of 'trophy hunting' exploration can lead to a certain sense of disappointment, sure. But it's not going to change the way I do things. If I'm out in the middle of nowhere and see an interesting looking planet I'll go and have a closer look. If I drop into a system and see there's a class M star and five lumps of rock, I probably won't hang around too long, whether they're tagged or not.

 

[Chummy62]

If you seem to keep finding places that have already been scanned, and your goal is to be the first, then keep going. As I fly further away from SOL, I find more unexplored systems. Once you find one that you know you are the first, then by all means, fly back to a station and upload the data. I've done this twice so far and it is very exciting to see the congratulations screen as being the first. Now that I have my name officially stating I'm the first on a few systems, I intend to make a long excursion over this weekend. To be honest, I always intended to go exploring, but had not gotten started yet. Having the "First Discovered By" certainly got me pointed towards points unknown.

 

[Vorxian]

Being in an uncharted system is what brings the exploration thing to life for me. Finding an unexplored system, and getting your signature there is pretty cool. Landing an explored system takes that away for you. If it's just cash you're after, or the adventure into deep space, it probably wont matter.. but if exploring for you is charting the uncharted, then finding an explored system is a cue to move on.

 

[Pete]

It actually encouraged me to scan in some cases...as I was leaving civilized space, most systems were already "tagged", but one had a gas giant still unclaimed (I think the system was just a binary system and a gas giant around the primary star). Normally as it was so far out from the star, I would have just jumped on - but I took the change to fly out and scan it, then fly back a few systems to sell the data and get the claim.

It is nice to be the first to scan a system, but it's not the end of the world, and if you come across a tagged system out in the deepest parts of space, then sometimes it can be nice to see the names of other commanders who made the same trip - possibly with the same attraction catching their eye.

-- Pete.

 

[Mack]

It's changed it a little for me, I scan the system and then check the system view, check for any undiscovered objects, and then depending on what they are and how far they are depends if I bother to detail scan them. But generally, if it has the discovered tag, then I will just scan the star whilst refuelling and move on after that annoying interdiction attempt that is bound to happen.

 

[Krunchie]

Other (please state)
So far since 1.1 I have scanned about 600 systems and not a single one was previously visited by anyone. That's what happens when you're on the other side of the galactic core.

But hypothetically, even if someone was there first, I'd still scan as usual.

 

[Egan]

It depends on what is in the system, i suppose. If its worth it I'll still probably scan it if we're not talking about 400,000ls journeys out to secondary stars or anything.

On a related note, one things the discovery tags have done is made me like the game a lot, lot less. I've no interest in being the first somewhere - not really - but I'm fed up of jumping into a system thousands of ly away and finding some rubbish text speak name plastered all over stuff. Talk about an immersion killer. If people want or like this, that's cool, but I just want an option to turn tags off and restore my ever increasingly missed feeling of solitude.

 

[Vasious]

Still get paid for the scan even if not first.

The Discovered by Tag under your name is a nice to have, but not essential

 

[Zieman]

My current logic is if the discovered system has worthy objects to detail scan I'll stay for the credits, but if I see asteroids and icy planets I'm going to jump.

Same here.

 

[Feldspar]

Like others, I will now scan icy balls if it says no-one has discovered them, previously if I jumped into a icy ball system I would just scan the main star and jump on.

 

[Starlanced]

Trust me there are places that haven't really been touched not that far off, I'm about 3500 lys out and after the first 500ish 99% of every system I jump in is undiscovered. I still usually only scan the star and objects of interest and keep jumping, though I wish we could get a way to filter systems I've been in.

The thing that does get me are one star nebula that I never saw a single system near by discovered but that one system with the nebula was ready explored so of course people are cherry picking and that's only going to get worse.

 

[LaveLubber]

FD need to implement a new filter on the galaxy map to show a) undiscovered systems b) partially discovered systems and c) fully discovered systems.

People could then avoid as they wish. You would find most of the "highways" to the major nebulas ~6000ly out are heavily mapped.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I chose 'Other.' It hasn't really changed what I scan in individual systems. What it has changed is the character of my trips. Rather than just keeping on, I'm coming back to civilized space more often to sell data - every few days.

 

[iain666]

I'm usually quite OCD about it, and if I scan anything I will scan everything. A system full of icy planets is probably more likely to be skipped now if everything's already got a discovered by tag.

(that's my 'Other', btw)

 

[TheLastCall]

I explore to discover, has the discover tag changed the way I play much??? A little, as I refuel and scan the stat I check out the system map. If it a dull system with mostly ice I'll only scan the close planets, even if previously discovered or not. An interesting system I'll check out no matter what, although I might not scan everything. A undiscovered system that has a lot of interesting planets I'll scan the lot.

 

[Jintosh]

The only change it's made for me is make the times I'm the first to find that much more special. Apart from that I'm scanning and exploring the same as I ever was.

Have Fun,
Jintosh

 

[Sergio Smegolia]

Have yet to look at the discovered by tag once yet. I just pick a destination and go stopping every now and then to do a bit of scanning.

I just relax back and enjoy the view.

Edit: Also when I actually did get a First Discovered By award back in 1.1 beta it was for a system called Turd Wu. Not something I'd permanently want to stick my name on