i have done a fair bit of exploring now but never gone too far out and always get frustrated because i get stuck without an obvious way forward because i run out of stars. the last time, i headed towards the lagoon nebula across the sagittarius gap but that didnt work, i lost direction and headed back after constantly getting the 'route unavailable' message. so could you excellent folks give me some pointers, way points, general information on good routes to take? i have a pretty bog standard asp with about 32ly range. also i find it difficult to plot 1k routes using the clunky galactic map..
How to get to the core?
- Thread starter Mikey2305
- Start date
Good morning Cdr.
I am currently exploring core-wards in my Asp. I'm currently 13KLY out in a dense neutron field and have plotted my route towards SagA*
You can follow my progress and adapt your own route from my ongoing log in my signature.
Feel free to check my Asp explorer setup too. It's working well for me and is not too expensive a build (16mil).
If you need any advice just ask Cdr.
Good luck and happy trails.
I am currently exploring core-wards in my Asp. I'm currently 13KLY out in a dense neutron field and have plotted my route towards SagA*
You can follow my progress and adapt your own route from my ongoing log in my signature.
Feel free to check my Asp explorer setup too. It's working well for me and is not too expensive a build (16mil).
If you need any advice just ask Cdr.
Good luck and happy trails.
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First off, how are you planning your routes? If you plan in shorter 200-300 LY rounds, it is much more reliable than trying to plot 1000 LY jumps at once. You can also target scoopable/interesting stars more reliably. Doing a longer plot means you hit more M and K classes, where if you plot shorter hops, you can be sure to hit more G and F class, which are more likely to have interesting objects in orbit.
Also, just for that first Sagittarius Gap, stay close to the galactic plane: don't wander too far up or down. Stars get sparse in the Gap, and they stay denser closer to the center.
You also do not have to drive straight across the Gap. Follow our spiral arm up closer to where the Omega/Eagle nebulae are and cross there. The arms are closer together, and there are many more stars filling the gap.
32 LY jumps should be plenty to get you there, some people have made it in ships with only 15-17 LY jump range. It seems to be more of an issue with your route planning than it is with the overall space or ship. Try it in shorter hops and see if the route planning is more successful.
Also, just for that first Sagittarius Gap, stay close to the galactic plane: don't wander too far up or down. Stars get sparse in the Gap, and they stay denser closer to the center.
You also do not have to drive straight across the Gap. Follow our spiral arm up closer to where the Omega/Eagle nebulae are and cross there. The arms are closer together, and there are many more stars filling the gap.
32 LY jumps should be plenty to get you there, some people have made it in ships with only 15-17 LY jump range. It seems to be more of an issue with your route planning than it is with the overall space or ship. Try it in shorter hops and see if the route planning is more successful.
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I used to rush here there and everywhere.
These days i set my map to show only F types and other interesting stars, and head in the general direction i want one jump at a time (or 2 jumps if there is no F type in single jump range, but that's rare until you get into the areas between arms).
These days i set my map to show only F types and other interesting stars, and head in the general direction i want one jump at a time (or 2 jumps if there is no F type in single jump range, but that's rare until you get into the areas between arms).
Stay with the maxium plotting distance of 1000LY, if it takes more than a few seconds, select a star nearby and try again.
It's a bit cumbersome, but usually after a few tries, it works out.
If you let it calculate, it might take some minutes until it finishes.
If you just want to pass the core, just fly under or above it, you'll have no issues.
It's a bit cumbersome, but usually after a few tries, it works out.
If you let it calculate, it might take some minutes until it finishes.
If you just want to pass the core, just fly under or above it, you'll have no issues.
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not even sure i want to go to the core just get past the local bit without running out of stars. i need missus as a passenger frantically trying to read a map so that i can shout when she misses the turn. i really dont find the galmap very easy and it would be nice if there was a recommended route, ie head to *** nebula, turn left at ***. doesnt seem to be any such thing!
the map uses a 3 dimensional coordinate system, with 0,0,0 being sol. The middle number must increase. Just go straight towards the core. Quite simple. However, I recommend going up or down roughly 1000LY first, because there is a "disc" of non-scoopable brown stars that you may otherwise frequently encounter.
There is also the option at roughly 13k LY into the trip to take the "Neutron highway" (see the neutron field threads). It's a little detour, but you can scan quite a few neutrons until you're there.
If you're bad with maps and don't have any other ships, buy a sidewinder and leave it somewhere, then you have a reference where home is without looking at the coordinates.
For plotting: the star map displays cubes/rectangles, e.g. at 100 and 1000LY edge length. Use that together with the displayed coordinates to find the general area of where your next 1000LY waypoint should be, then zoom in very close and select a star.
There is also the option at roughly 13k LY into the trip to take the "Neutron highway" (see the neutron field threads). It's a little detour, but you can scan quite a few neutrons until you're there.
If you're bad with maps and don't have any other ships, buy a sidewinder and leave it somewhere, then you have a reference where home is without looking at the coordinates.
For plotting: the star map displays cubes/rectangles, e.g. at 100 and 1000LY edge length. Use that together with the displayed coordinates to find the general area of where your next 1000LY waypoint should be, then zoom in very close and select a star.
The most direct way (not necessarily the best) to Sag A* is to follow the galactic meridian north (the 0 line that runs straight north/south through Sol) all the way to 25,500Ly. Once there you can plot to Sag A*, it is slightly east of the galactic meridian but not too far. Sag A* is about 26,000 Ly from Sol, due north along the meridian.
As another poster said, at about the 15,000 Ly mark there are fields full of neutron stars and black holes, which pay decent money for cartographic data. There are 4 such fields on the way to the core. They all begin around 15,000Ly north, and 1000Ly above or below the galactic plane, and 1,000Ly to the east or west of the galactic meridian (hence the 4 individual fields). Well worth it to take the detour (unless you are racing of course).
As another poster said, at about the 15,000 Ly mark there are fields full of neutron stars and black holes, which pay decent money for cartographic data. There are 4 such fields on the way to the core. They all begin around 15,000Ly north, and 1000Ly above or below the galactic plane, and 1,000Ly to the east or west of the galactic meridian (hence the 4 individual fields). Well worth it to take the detour (unless you are racing of course).
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I went 500ly up then followed the zero line mentioned above. Once in the dense star fields I moved up to 1k above for the approach to SAG A* for easier plotting. Had trouble once I got to within about 700ly of it though. I couldn't plot more than a single jump without my game dropping to basically 0fps and having to quit. My computer's not terrible, so I don't know what that was about. Still made it there, so you will too, OP. Good luck!
Sometimes the route planner can't work out a course for you so its best to try shorter routes, say 100, or 200 LYs at a time. Once you reach the core regions it becomes almost useless due to the sheer amount of routes it tries to plot, slowing everything down. Once that starts happening, again try to plot much shorter 'hops' than the full 1,000 LY thing.
I made a post about how to get to the core via the scenic route. It takes longer, but is much more fun imho. It has some waypoints listed that you may find useful if you give it another attempt.
Good luck!
Scenic route to the core.
If you go across sparse sectors, there will be very few stars up and down from the plane.
Before you enter such a system, scout it out. Navigate towards it and scroll up and down. You'll notice the density increase and decrease, which gives you an 'altitude' where you have the most stars and the most chance to cross without having to backtrack.