How do you keep from getting bored with exploration?

Evil_Merlin

Evil_Merlin
I've hit Elite in combat, its what I do best.


But with exploration, I've gone only about 2500 LY out from my "home station", and just found it to be utterly boring.

I'm not slamming anyone for anything, but how do you long distance explorers keep from getting bored during those 10000 LY+ exploration missions.


I've jumped, honked, explored the things that look like they need exploring, but I just find myself just wanting to turn around and get back to the HiRez in my local neighborhood.


I've gone as far as selling my Vulutre, upgrading to the Asp Explorer to get that much better jump range, but after a night of exploring, its back to the pew-pews...


Help?
 

thundernuns

thundernuns
Evil_Merlin said:
I've hit Elite in combat, its what I do best.


But with exploration, I've gone only about 2500 LY out from my "home station", and just found it to be utterly boring.

I'm not slamming anyone for anything, but how do you long distance explorers keep from getting bored during those 10000 LY+ exploration missions.


I've jumped, honked, explored the things that look like they need exploring, but I just find myself just wanting to turn around and get back to the HiRez in my local neighborhood.


I've gone as far as selling my Vulutre, upgrading to the Asp Explorer to get that much better jump range, but after a night of exploring, its back to the pew-pews...


Help?
Click to expand...
90% of exploration is honking and jumping, but it's the 10%, finding something rare/seeing an awesome view, that makes it worthwhile. But if you don't enjoy the sights, or the feeling of being away from everything, there isn't much going for it. Putting on music or a podcast, might help with the boredom though
 

goemon

goemon
- listening to astronomy podcast while out. i learned of ton of stuff, and you start thinking about stars, planets and everything else you encounter.

- looking for extreme canditates for universalcartographics

- having targets. for exampel: visiting 7 real galaxy hypergiants on the way to jaques. trying to reach -3000 ly below sag a. nebulas

- visiting different star-classes. for exampel: all kind of s-class stars in the game

- changing ships. i have explored in an adder, aspe, t6, cobra, dbe, dbs, python, clipper, courier, conda.
 

iain666

iain666
Does not compute ;)

Exploring isn't going to be for everyone. Yes, it can be very repetitive but I find that oddly relaxing, the rare things that pop up from time to time genuinely exciting and the views that sometimes make me go 'just wow!' reward in and of themselves. I've gone 476,000ly give or take since I was last in an inhabited system and I'm not bored yet but I can definitely see that it's not going to click with some people. I've been out since 1.3 so I don't even have an SRV for a bit of planet-side diversion...

If you don't enjoy it then do something you do enjoy - if you're determined to get triple elite then head for the neutron fields (guide in the stickies at the top of this forum) and grind out the credits. If the journey there and back still leaves you feeling that exploration is just not enjoyable then go back to enjoying shooting things.

Play your way and all that...
 

Macedonica

Macedonica
I guess for me it's the slow-burn versus high octane excitement: there is something about the anticipation of jumping into an unknown system every time which is utterly addictive. Yes, 70% of the systems are the usual candidates - but when you see an odd alignment of planetary bodies, or a trinary star, or those little icy worlds around a gas giant and wonder if there is volcanic activity, it all pays off.

It's not for every one. It helps that in real life I get out and explore mountains a lot and the simple joy of seeing a new peak or horizon open up seems to me hard to beat. Here, while exploring, I find a similar enjoyment. It's all about the unknown; anticipation - and that delicious, once in a thousand light years moment when you see something no one else has set eyes on . . .
 

YinYin

YinYin
Drop into a neutron jet :D

edit: also get a combat explorer (DBS) and explore around colonia or the colonia connection - you can have your combat action any time that way
 
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osser

osser
I can't agree with iain666 more. His post sums it up perfectly. Exploring is definitely not for everyone.
For me it's finding rare stuff.
For instance I found a stand alone T-Tauri system sporting an ELW in orbit.
I also have a huge (count is at 322 at the moment) bucket list.
When I find things getting monotonous, I check the bucket list for things to do:

Need to find an ELW orbiting a B type star... ok lets take a few days and give it a go.
No luck after a few days.. no worries lets head to that nebula in the distance while checking A0 - A4 stars for ELW's.
Oh yeah need a G3 too! hit the D mass ones!

Nebula done ok let's head down 1500k and hit some neutrons and WD's all the while checking out herbigs & carbon stars for the elusive ELW..

Remove all filters except O stars.. oh there's a few. Bookmark em!

Check for black holes. I keep a list of their masses.

So you just switch things up.

It works great for me. It definitely keeps me going.

I've also been out for a long time so I dont have a SRV either.

CMDR Tootiny
 

Duckfat

Duckfat
I bought a second account to pew pew around the bubble when bored of exploration. I play the game for fun, so the moment I'm bored or don't feel like doing something I stop immediately. But after a few days of doing whatever I inevitably get the itch again and switch accounts and get exploring.
 

SpaceMonkeyz

SpaceMonkeyz
As many other people have said, not only is exploring not for everyone, it is also great to have goals. Or bucket list items, I like that too.

For myself, I have a lifelong love of astronomy, so it helps a ton. There is always something interesting just around the corner, you never know. Go visit Betelgeuse, see if you like it. Play around on the planet in orbit and get a screen shot like this:

nCEzqgn.jpg


Just try different things and see if you like them. When it gets boring on the long haul between place to place it's fun to listen to music, watch a show if you have more than one monitor, or find a podcast you like.

Cheers, hope you find something explorish that you enjoy, this game needs more of us.

o7

Space
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
Have something else to focus on when exploring. When you're out in the black you're at little risk. I went through my music collection twice and started a 3rd cycle when I hit the bubble. But I'd also suggest movies or podcasts. I do the same for long distance trips.
 

Paul Brimble

Paul Brimble
Evil_Merlin said:
I've hit Elite in combat, its what I do best.


But with exploration, I've gone only about 2500 LY out from my "home station", and just found it to be utterly boring.

I'm not slamming anyone for anything, but how do you long distance explorers keep from getting bored during those 10000 LY+ exploration missions.


I've jumped, honked, explored the things that look like they need exploring, but I just find myself just wanting to turn around and get back to the HiRez in my local neighborhood.


I've gone as far as selling my Vulutre, upgrading to the Asp Explorer to get that much better jump range, but after a night of exploring, its back to the pew-pews...


Help?
Click to expand...

Play something else.
Go outside and talk to Girls.
Explore the real World or Pubs.
 

Mengy

Mengy
Evil_Merlin said:
I'm not slamming anyone for anything, but how do you long distance explorers keep from getting bored during those 10000 LY+ exploration missions.

I've jumped, honked, explored the things that look like they need exploring, but I just find myself just wanting to turn around and get back to the HiRez in my local neighborhood.
Click to expand...

Exploring in Elite isn't for everyone. Truthfully the core mechanics of exploration are barebones and lackluster, there really isn't much of any actual gameplay there. And yet some of us are able to find enjoyment in exploration despite those shortcomings. Not everyone can though, and it's both understandable and normal to not like exploration in Elite. Sounds like it just ain't for you Merlin.

However, there are some things a lot of us do to make the tedium of exploring bearable. Things like:


  1. Listen to podcasts or watch videos while we explore
  2. Take part in community exploration trips, groups can alleviate the tedium
  3. Search for certain kinds of things like Earth likes, or ringed stars, or geysers & fumeroles
  4. Try to reach difficult to get to systems. I do this a lot, I like the challenge of exploring along the galactic rims.
  5. Sightseeing. Personally I explore almost completely to find beautiful screenshots. Yes, I go Kodak Moment hunting.

You can try some of those tactics Merlin, otherwise I'd put off getting Elite in Exploration until Frontier improves it a ton, if they ever decide to bother.
 

Evil_Merlin

Evil_Merlin
Paul Brimble said:
Play something else.
Go outside and talk to Girls.
Explore the real World or Pubs.
Click to expand...

That was real useful. Thanks for nothing.

1.) I play Elite and other games
2.) I own a small farm. Outside is part of my daily life. I don't talk to girls, I talk with women.
3.) See above, pubs are for folks that have to drown reality via booze because they cannot handle it.
 
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