Hat's off to the Explorers out there

I have to tip my hat to all the dedicated Explorers out there!

After relocating to a new system, I found myself being sent to a few systems that were still marked (to me at least) as Unexplored so I decided to do the right thing and do a complete scan of said systems:


  • NJUWAI: 1 Sun, 27 bodies plus a belt, longest distance from the primary - 1.275 LS
  • LTT 8679: 3 Suns, 31 bodies and belt, longest distance from the primary - 325,558 LS (although it was twice that as the 3rd and 4th suns were on the opposite side of the primary, distance between the two was around 820,000 LS)
  • Wen Cher: 1 Sun, 16 bodies, longest distance from the primary - 4,370 LS
  • Hanung Tzu: 1 Sun, 26 bodies, longest distance from the primary - 1,335 LS

I did a full surface scan of every body, including the belts and for all my efforts I received the grand total or just over 300,000 credits. This was for just over 90 minutes work.

After completing this little task, one I will not be doing again, I must say I had new admiration for those brave souls who venture out into the black and do this day in day out for god knows how long. Well done to all Explorers out there, well done, but how did you not go crazy lol
 
If systems are too big, I just scan the nav beacon. Lol

If the system has no beacon, I only scan a few bits and bobs.

:p

*World's worst explorer*

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
 
If systems are too big, I just scan the nav beacon. Lol

If the system has no beacon, I only scan a few bits and bobs.

:p

*World's worst explorer*

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

That is what I normally do, one honk and I am out of there. But I was continually being sent to those four systems on missions so I thought it prudent to 'do the right thing' - NEVER AGAIN lol
 
There is good money in exploration but not done like this :) Either go road to riches or while doing "real" exploring just scan only the valuable planets close to the sun. Scanning everything is for enthusiasts only :)

Well, or people that like to see their name a lot :>
 
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[*]LTT 8679: 3 Suns, 31 bodies and belt, longest distance from the primary - 325,558 LS (although it was twice that as the 3rd and 4th suns were on the opposite side of the primary, distance between the two was around 820,000 LS)

Once you'd scanned the second star, you couldv'e jumped out of the system and then back in again. It would put you back at the primary within two minutes instead of having to supercruise all the way back.
 
You can't go crazy if you're crazy already.

As for exploration itself, while I'm heading towards my target I just honk, check the system and FSD out. The only time I scan things is when I find valuable planet. Interestingly, this seems to be the strategy for majority of others. I'm 4k LYs away from the bubble, having a streak of unexplored and undiscovered systems for past 1.5k LYs. Then I enter this one system with water world and earth-like. Bingo....nope. "First discovered by" tag already present...

But when I'm at my destination I just go into the system and scan everything from the star to the smallest rock out there. And see my anger rise as it takes ages to travel between planets. So what that next two are 1.200 and 1350 Ls from the star (150 Ls difference, right?) when latter is exactly opposite to the first and instead of 150 Ls i have 2550 Ls distance. Because system map is a schematic and I cannot plan system route beforehand to save time...

Ok, rant's over. Time to get back to jumping. Still 18.5k LYs till Sag*A.
 
There are the Purists out there who will scan everything in a system then move on to the next.

I'm not one of those. If I'm out on a jaunt, I'll scan the main star, and if there's no Earth-like world, Water World, or Ammonia World, I'll scan any nearby Metal Rich or High Metal Content planet, or anything 'interesting' like a very close by Hot Jupiter-type, for example.

However, if I find a system with an Earth-like, or a terraformable Water World, everything's getting scanned. You can have a scan! And you! And you too!... ;)
 
I hunt Terraformables mainly. At ~Cr400k each, they are highly lucrative. Extra bonus when the rocky moon is also a TF. I've not yet been back to the bubble since the new payout scheme was introduced so I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like. My previous largest payout was Cr515k for NYUENAA MC-D D12-2069.

Edit: Should also give honourable mention to Eol Prou AR-T d4-1660 which has 8 x Terraformables. ~CR3.2m by todays standard! (I got CR418k)
 
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If its a good system ie lots of nice looking stuff ringed L Y T types various GG's and any good looking HM, WW or ELW then yeah distance is not an issue and ill take the time to scan the lot, but most of the time its scan the sun honk the system and move on.

Im not going to go over 10klys tbh if all it is a M class with 5 ice balls, but if there is a ELW or then Ill go and make a coffee whislt I sc the 400kls to it :) and yeah 9/10 if Im just scanning a WW I will do the rest depending on distance. I do like to do mulit sun systems but again anything over " its not scanning and im looking right at it" then I move on.

Saying all of this tho Im not logging on every day as being out in the black and doing honk scan honk ohhh somthing nice to scan gets old and very very very boring.
 
When I'm exploring, my purpose is to find worlds for future colonization, in order to spread the light of civilization and prosperity throughout the Galaxy. As such, I'm searching for inhabitable worlds: Earthlikes, waterworlds, and terraforming candidates. If there isn't any of the former, I'll scan any world with an atmosphere in the habitable zone, with sufficient mass, as having potential for the latter.

Only then do I scan the entire system, to ensure that future colonists will have sufficient data about their new system to flourish.

I also keep my eye out for ammonia worlds, and life-bearing gas giants... but that's more for curiosity's sake.
 
I think scanning everything would quickly sap the fun out of exploration for a lot of people. Sometimes I like the look of a system and scan gas giant and moons, other times I'll honk on by looking for ELWs or WWs. The most important rule that I have for exploring is never to do anything I don't really feel like. It keeps it fun :)
 
Nobody scans all bodies in every system he comes across, maybe once in a while but not all of them. That would take way to much time ^^

This. If they are interesting heavy metal worlds then yes I scan them, but nobody scans every rock in every system they visit. I scan the gas giants but not the moons. How do we cope? a bottle of red and some decent music helps, and personally I don't explore all the time. I come back and do other stuff for a while before the itch starts to get back out in the void.
 
Respect to you for taking the time to carefully scan each and every celestial body. We are not worthy, we are not worthy. On the other-hand....don't scan everything you selfish b*****d :D.
I recently left the bubble for Colonia before embarking on a trip to the remote far western edge of the galaxy, why? Because I spotted a tiny tiny Neutron star nebula that surely nobody else could have spotted, only to find it discovered and all 3 of its planets tagged.
ALL 3 little worthless piggies tagged! Sorry but that's just rude. I came a long long way mother******s and I couldn't even leave my name on something. A 100,000ly round trip in a cheap unmodified B rated scoop machine with 40% hull.
Thanks!, thanks a lot Mr Scan everything! :(

PS: Don't waste your time with belts, there's no money inside. Rep up.
 
Respect to you for taking the time to carefully scan each and every celestial body. We are not worthy, we are not worthy. On the other-hand....don't scan everything you selfish b*****d :D.
I recently left the bubble for Colonia before embarking on a trip to the remote far western edge of the galaxy, why? Because I spotted a tiny tiny Neutron star nebula that surely nobody else could have spotted, only to find it discovered and all 3 of its planets tagged.
ALL 3 little worthless piggies tagged! Sorry but that's just rude. I came a long long way mother******s and I couldn't even leave my name on something. A 100,000ly round trip in a cheap unmodified B rated scoop machine with 40% hull.
Thanks!, thanks a lot Mr Scan everything! :(

PS: Don't waste your time with belts, there's no money inside. Rep up.

I don't bother with nebulae as they've mostly been visited and exhausted. Instead, I pick a sector name and specific set, e.g. CLOOKIA ZM-H d11 and rinse the lot. Usually in out of the way locations. Plenty of fresh content for us all to tag.
 
I have to tip my hat to all the dedicated Explorers out there!

After relocating to a new system, I found myself being sent to a few systems that were still marked (to me at least) as Unexplored so I decided to do the right thing and do a complete scan of said systems:


  • NJUWAI: 1 Sun, 27 bodies plus a belt, longest distance from the primary - 1.275 LS
  • LTT 8679: 3 Suns, 31 bodies and belt, longest distance from the primary - 325,558 LS (although it was twice that as the 3rd and 4th suns were on the opposite side of the primary, distance between the two was around 820,000 LS)
  • Wen Cher: 1 Sun, 16 bodies, longest distance from the primary - 4,370 LS
  • Hanung Tzu: 1 Sun, 26 bodies, longest distance from the primary - 1,335 LS

I did a full surface scan of every body, including the belts and for all my efforts I received the grand total or just over 300,000 credits. This was for just over 90 minutes work.

After completing this little task, one I will not be doing again, I must say I had new admiration for those brave souls who venture out into the black and do this day in day out for god knows how long. Well done to all Explorers out there, well done, but how did you not go crazy lol

When you get over 600k for a terraformable water world (plus undiscovered bonus) it suddenly becomes worthwhile. You'll soon learn where the goldilocks zone lies
Goldilocks zone - where planets may become terraformable - solar mass gives a strong indicator of where and how large this zone is.
Exploration can be extremely profitable.
 
I started the Colonia Connection route and navigated maybe 200ly above and/or below the main route and scanned everything - pretty much every system was undiscovered. I suicided back to the bubble just after leaving Eagles Landing, it got too much for me. I applaud the genuine pioneers out there but I ain't one.

However, I've just signed up for DWE2 because a) it could be fun with others and b) I can change my mind!

Hibachi, needs a conversation every millenia or so.
 
Scanning an entire system was never for the money, but because I liked that particular system, or it was easy scannable. It's more like Pokemon. See a system I like, claim a system I like.

Lately though I hardly ever scan entire systems.
 
I typically only scan the HMC / EL / WW and some of the bigger gas giants if not too far away. Pointless scanning moons.

I'm amazed how many planets are tagged - I'm on route back to the bubble from Sag A via the Conflux, I landed at one of the distant surface stations ( around 4K ly from Sol ) then I when up ( or down ) about 1K then just started making my way towards the bubble on a slow downward path.
I'd say only 1 in 5 systems are not already tagged by someone!
After I hit a couple of tagged systems in a row - I just pick a random system off the path and jump there, sometimes those are tagged already too! - I was hoping to make Elite in exploration by the time I get back, but given how few 'first discovered's' I getting I doubt it ( already 8% Pioneer )
 
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