How do I determine a high quality system?
- Thread starter Thorasta
- Start date
Depends on what you're looking for. If you're scanning for the explora-bucks, they're pointless unless they're listed as terraformable in the system map. If you're looking for materials, wait for your FSS scan to tell you if they have geo formations on them, and if you're exploring for cool/fun stuff, map them all. 
My general order of business on arrival in an unexplored system:
I generally don't map anything else, unless I'm in partially-explored space and mapping a distant iceball is the only untagged thing left in the system. And sometimes, if a planet (particularly a metal-rich planet) is very close to the star and also almost in line with my exit vector, I'll stop and map it too. After all, if I'm literally flying right past the thing, I might as well. And, of course, if I'm in the need for particular surface mats for synthesis, I'll Map the planet I'm landing on for mat-hunting.
I never Map every single thing in a system (unless there's only a tiny number of planets and they're all "interesting"). There's no need, the cost-benefit is tiny, and leaving some planets for others allows you to revisit the system map of the system at a later date and see if anyone else has visited your system and left their tags there.
- Honk the Discovery Scanner.
- Open FSS.
- Scan every object in system.
- Open system map.
- Check for terraformables.
- Fly to and Map any interesting/valuable planets (terraformables, AW, ELW, planets in odd/unusual/rare configurations, biologicals). If nothing worth mapping, then do fuel scoop run to line up next system. Except for ELWs, this step can be skipped if in a hurry, or the terraformables are too far away. I always Map ELWs, even if someone else has discovered them first.
- Jump to next system.
I generally don't map anything else, unless I'm in partially-explored space and mapping a distant iceball is the only untagged thing left in the system. And sometimes, if a planet (particularly a metal-rich planet) is very close to the star and also almost in line with my exit vector, I'll stop and map it too. After all, if I'm literally flying right past the thing, I might as well. And, of course, if I'm in the need for particular surface mats for synthesis, I'll Map the planet I'm landing on for mat-hunting.
I never Map every single thing in a system (unless there's only a tiny number of planets and they're all "interesting"). There's no need, the cost-benefit is tiny, and leaving some planets for others allows you to revisit the system map of the system at a later date and see if anyone else has visited your system and left their tags there.
If you are looking for mining opportunities it makes sense to probe the rings in the system.
If you are looking for exploration profits, it's basically Earth-likes, waterworlds and any terraformable high metal content world you can find.
This is basically the master chart for exploration payouts:
The "Habitable Zone" plugin for EDMC might also help with finding value planets.
github.com
If you are looking for exploration profits, it's basically Earth-likes, waterworlds and any terraformable high metal content world you can find.
This is basically the master chart for exploration payouts:
The "Habitable Zone" plugin for EDMC might also help with finding value planets.
Plugins
Downloads commodity market and other station data from the game Elite: Dangerous for use with all popular online and offline trading tools. - EDCD/EDMarketConnector
github.com
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It's personal choice depending on what your goals are & what available time you have to play.
Before FSS & more so when payouts were poor, I would only visit (you had to go to the Planet to scan back then) all but not Ice or Rock Worlds. Back then I was still pushing for credits & 1st Discovery tags.
When FSS came along, I could scan an entire System completely, quicker than the old method of flying to each interesting Planet, so did that.....wasn't too bothered about playing the Planet Golf minigame after the novelty wore off.
Now with Carriers & being in the black, to help generate some cashflow for my weekly upkeep, I'm currently back playing Golf but only on Terraformable Planets, ELW's, WW's & Ammonia's....the rest I just FSS scan.
But as I say, it's personal choice, I've got 11bil credits, don't really care now about tagging 1st Discoveries & can play for hours every day if I wish.
Before FSS & more so when payouts were poor, I would only visit (you had to go to the Planet to scan back then) all but not Ice or Rock Worlds. Back then I was still pushing for credits & 1st Discovery tags.
When FSS came along, I could scan an entire System completely, quicker than the old method of flying to each interesting Planet, so did that.....wasn't too bothered about playing the Planet Golf minigame after the novelty wore off.
Now with Carriers & being in the black, to help generate some cashflow for my weekly upkeep, I'm currently back playing Golf but only on Terraformable Planets, ELW's, WW's & Ammonia's....the rest I just FSS scan.
But as I say, it's personal choice, I've got 11bil credits, don't really care now about tagging 1st Discoveries & can play for hours every day if I wish.
Yeah, for me it's WW, ELW, Ammonia, if there are terraformables in binary pairs with them I will map, or if there are only one or two bodies left in the system regardless of type I will map them to get the full system.
How do you determine whether they are terraformables? System map or FSS scanner?
System map. If you happen to have a second monitor, auxiliary programs like EDDiscovery can lift that info from your journal and display it for your convenience. Very handy.
Thank you Valorin, that gives me WAY more answer than I knew I needed to know!If you are looking for mining opportunities it makes sense to probe the rings in the system.
If you are looking for exploration profits, it's basically Earth-likes, waterworlds and any terraformable high metal content world you can find.
This is basically the master chart for exploration payouts:
The "Habitable Zone" plugin for EDMC might also help with finding value planets.
Plugins
Downloads commodity market and other station data from the game Elite: Dangerous for use with all popular online and offline trading tools. - EDCD/EDMarketConnector
Can someone please tell me what ELW and WW stands for... ah, nevermind, just figured it out. Earthlike worlds (seen NONE in 65 systems). Water Worlds (seen ONE in 65 virgin systems).
I am far enough out in the black that it is unusual for a system to NOT be a virgin. I'm headed 5000 l.y. out to unlock an engineer and figured I'd do something while doing it.
When you say ammonia based... Does that include gas planets? 90% of what I'm finding out here is icy, rocky, icy rocky, and metallic. Even Gas Giants have been pretty rare, but occasionally a system will have a bunch of them. Haven't seen one terraformable yet, but it might be because I haven't been looking at the system closely enough when I'm done scanning.
My OOP goes like this - Skim sun and initiate the system map. count the bodies. Close the system map, by this time I ought to be going faster than c and be far enough from the star it doesn't get in the way of scanning. I FSS everything. start my FSD jumping and go back and look at the system map to see if there's anything I want to look at closer.
I am far enough out in the black that it is unusual for a system to NOT be a virgin. I'm headed 5000 l.y. out to unlock an engineer and figured I'd do something while doing it.
When you say ammonia based... Does that include gas planets? 90% of what I'm finding out here is icy, rocky, icy rocky, and metallic. Even Gas Giants have been pretty rare, but occasionally a system will have a bunch of them. Haven't seen one terraformable yet, but it might be because I haven't been looking at the system closely enough when I'm done scanning.
My OOP goes like this - Skim sun and initiate the system map. count the bodies. Close the system map, by this time I ought to be going faster than c and be far enough from the star it doesn't get in the way of scanning. I FSS everything. start my FSD jumping and go back and look at the system map to see if there's anything I want to look at closer.
Landable bodies. If there is a half circle with little lines on it that means a landable body with a permanent settlement.
Ammonia based means an ammonia world. It will specify it in the system map. They are pretty rare and not the same as a regular gas giant. Mapping them will get you about the same as a water world if I remember correctly. There are also gas giants with ammonia based life, but they aren't usually worth much.
Not to highjack this thread, but I think there is already some good exploration tips in here, and the answer to my next question would add to that.
I am currently hunting for my last unconfirmed Codex entries in a region. Are all Geo signals on a planet of the same type (.e.g. water ice geysers) or can the geo signals vary between types on a planet?
I really don't want to visit all 40-something geo signals on my current planet just to discover they were all the same...
I am currently hunting for my last unconfirmed Codex entries in a region. Are all Geo signals on a planet of the same type (.e.g. water ice geysers) or can the geo signals vary between types on a planet?
I really don't want to visit all 40-something geo signals on my current planet just to discover they were all the same...