The probe launcher is the DSS, so no new equipment there. Where we'll actually store the probes is an open question... too bad that nobody who was there thought to ask about it during the Q&A.
Lavecon FD Panel Quick Summary (Exploration/Mining News)
- Thread starter Qohen Leth
- Start date
Okay so on thinking about it here's what I think...
It's great that Frontier will be doing lots of stuff to the visuals. It's great that the Detailed Surface Scanner mechanics are being expanded on. It'll be interesting trying out these probes. I don't think Frontier should make the material requirements to synthesize more planetary probes too odious - just enough to get us out on a planet surface scavenging for enough mats to synth more of them. Maybe use a couple of the commonly found elements.
I hope though that there will be more things to do on planets other than just seeing the sights and collecting materials - making ice planets looks great is wonderful but that'll soon wear off if at the end of the day landing on a planet is nothing more than the usual drive around, take photos, and collect materials.
That's all for now.
It's great that Frontier will be doing lots of stuff to the visuals. It's great that the Detailed Surface Scanner mechanics are being expanded on. It'll be interesting trying out these probes. I don't think Frontier should make the material requirements to synthesize more planetary probes too odious - just enough to get us out on a planet surface scavenging for enough mats to synth more of them. Maybe use a couple of the commonly found elements.
I hope though that there will be more things to do on planets other than just seeing the sights and collecting materials - making ice planets looks great is wonderful but that'll soon wear off if at the end of the day landing on a planet is nothing more than the usual drive around, take photos, and collect materials.
That's all for now.
What would you like to see added ?
I'm optimist because with all these tools it will be much more easier to find interesting stuff as settlements, ruins & geological/biological things...and they are starting to add more and more interaction with what we can find (space stations in Q2). I think that if they continue on this road and we match that with the CODEX we'll have really interesting stuff linked to planetary surface exploration.
I would like to an expansion of chained missions that tie in with mining and exploration. with an goal to pursue or try to secure info on anomalies.
alot of scenarios could be used to tie in with the current storyline,
FD is missing a bet if they dont pursue this angle IMO.
![[VR] optimal_909](https://d2aefvhu2f0gi9.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/109/109067.jpg?1553781733){kind=avatar}
What (activities) should be expect on airless worlds far away from the bubble, apart of having prettier sights? I can't think on any apart of stuff that should leave a permanent mark on the surface (mining, for example), but that's not technically feasible.
I think the only meaningful stuff FDev can add is more wizardy in the Stellar Forge to produce unique worlds.
I'm more concerned about the exploration mechanics - that it will be more time consuming to find the same stuff we do now with a simple scan.
Please let me skill my npc crew member with exploration ranks while launching probes 
Ahem, allow me:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...loration-Development-a-Galaxy-of-Possibilitie
- New Natural Surface POI’s – These are not fixed POI’s like geysers, but a new category of randomly generated instanced POI’s (like cargo dumps and mat nodes) which are located via probes and the SRV scanners. Gives explorers things to find while driving around on planet surfaces in deep space which can be scanned for valuable data. Things like geologic formations, meteor impact sites, more kinds of fungal life, and surface core samples (more on this below), all in varying degrees of value and quality. These data scans become more valuable with distance from SOL, this encourages explorers to get out into deep space while rewarding the time and effort to get there.
- SRV MkII (The Rhino) – This is a new, slower but slightly larger version of the Scarab, with a weaker main turret but much more cargo space. The MkII also carries a surface drill rig which can be used for various things, like surface ore mining, and collecting surface core samples!
- Surface Core Samples – These are rare random locations found in conjunction with the SRV scanner and probes which allow the commander to use the drill rig on the SRV MkII to drill through the surface and collect a planet core sample, which takes 1T of cargo rack space and can be flown back to civilization and sold for large credit values. Again the cores increase in value with distance from SOL. The new DSS probes can be used to locate areas on planets with the best chances of finding surface core spots, but much SRV searching will still be required to find them. In general though they will procedurally spawn around areas of increased surface terrain geometry, like large canyon or mountain networks or inside craters.
- Surface Mining - The new probes can be used to locate ores which are mineable with the drill rig on the Rhino SRV.
Just a couple of ideas.
![mtt9999 [Parabolus]](https://d2aefvhu2f0gi9.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/124/124206.jpg?1553527149){kind=avatar}
Thanks Qohen and Marx! The ice worlds look fantastic! Finally surface level changes!
Yeah, I thought of that after I posted it. I guess there are a few possibilities:
1. Probes are stored in the DSS. Does this mean there will be multiple DSS sizes (different ammo capacities), or just still the same one?
2. Probes are just limpets, and the DSS is more like a limpet controller.
3. Something entirely new (separate module, different type of probe cargo, etc).
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Thanks for the recap/review. I think anything added for exploration will be welcome!
As to finding more things on planets, I find it difficult to envisage why anything would be lying around on the surface of a planet 30k odd light years from the bubble. It would take a lot of background lore insertion into the game to make it meaningful, I’m not really keen on just finding things based on rng. We already have enough of that....
Anyway, it’s all good that exploration and mining are getting some long needed attention
Regards
G
As to finding more things on planets, I find it difficult to envisage why anything would be lying around on the surface of a planet 30k odd light years from the bubble. It would take a lot of background lore insertion into the game to make it meaningful, I’m not really keen on just finding things based on rng. We already have enough of that....
Anyway, it’s all good that exploration and mining are getting some long needed attention
Regards
G
I love the first and second images, exactly what I was hoping for. Where is the ship and HUD? I think this be some sort of probe info - view from the probe perhaps - or view from the DSS?
Ships:
My guess is that they are planning with three Alliance ships in total, so in that sense the Challenger would be "one of three".
Since we allready have the Chieftain this would imply the addition of another Alliance ship in some future update.
- Two new ships in the Q2 update, then said (referring to the Challenger) "one of three"
My guess is that they are planning with three Alliance ships in total, so in that sense the Challenger would be "one of three".
Since we allready have the Chieftain this would imply the addition of another Alliance ship in some future update.
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AFAIK the first two images are concept art. They are drawn up by artists, and the others (coders, modellers, and so on) use them as a target. It's standard practice in game development, as it's quicker to draw up alternatives, in-progress stuff can be changed much more easily (according to feedback) and it's better for, say, modellers to have a specific image that the asset should look like, as opposed to some vague guidelines.
For example, take a look at the FdL concept art.
@ Corbin Moran: Yeah, it's vague, especially since "One of the three" was the whole sentence. Corrected this in my first post. (Also said "Medium" right before, probably in reply to some question that we can't hear.) They certainly said one of two ships in chapter two at first, so best to set expectations there.
For example, take a look at the FdL concept art.
@ Corbin Moran: Yeah, it's vague, especially since "One of the three" was the whole sentence. Corrected this in my first post. (Also said "Medium" right before, probably in reply to some question that we can't hear.) They certainly said one of two ships in chapter two at first, so best to set expectations there.
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Surface mining in a new type of SRV for rare and valuable commodity and materials.
Yeh I figured it was concept art, just was wondering what everyone thought about the interface. Do you think this would be visible from within the cockpit on the HUD, or enter some sort of "probe" view for more detailed information?
I'd say separate. You'll likely want a unified interface for both the host and the crew, you might need a zoomed-in view, or perhaps additional information that needs more screen estate. Plus the concept art could have had a cockpit HUD mock-up, to illustrate where the new elements would go.
Sandro mentioned that the probe interface would work directly from the cockpit, and that there wouldn't be a new separate and isolated screen. I think the pics they showed were just concept art, and that the final result will look entirely different. Just my gut feeling on it.
I'll be super curious to see how this works in game.