Lavecon FD Panel Quick Summary (Exploration/Mining News)

Well, the FD Panel at Lavecon was pretty interesting! Some info and pretty pictures, that I'm gonna try to quickly summarize here. Please post anything I might have overlooked.

See post #2 for other points/more details because Marx listens more than I do.

Twitch Clips (Lave Twitch)
Panel Replay



Q4:

- New asteroid scanning system, to find potentially profitable asteroids amongst the local ring region around the ship
- MC/Wings made relevant in mining
- Blasting charges to crack open the asteroids, set up by limpets
- Prospector limpets gaining new features
- Various degrees of ore strength, from tough and burried deep in the asteroid to fragile ore on surface that could be evaporated with a mining laser
- Potentially explosive ore

- Detailed Surface Scanner will launch sensor probes (from supercruise) to scan the system, with technique and gameplay added
- MC can operate the probes, probe management being an active gameplay
- Probes can be refilled via synthesis
- "We're gonna eliminate the need to eyeball planets to find interesting sights on them"
- Amongst the new phenomena, an electricly charged gas cloud was shown (with electric arcs)
- New ice shader
- The Galaxy will be divided into regions, to facilitate the search for POIs

- New lighting system (adaptive), with color grading, with seemingly zero impact on performance


Q2:

- Installation interactions (module hacking etc.)
- Challenger!

Now for some pics:

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Thanks Frontier for the eye candy and the much desired info!
 
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Ah, I was about to post, but you beat me to it. Thanks for the pictures! Here's my list:


DSS can launch sensor probes, while the current functionality will still stay:
  • Launching sensor probes at planets in supercruise, which will travel on "partial guided orbits" to survey an area of the planet's surface
  • Planet's gravity arcs the flight path, trick-shots possible
  • Multiple probes can be launched to get wider coverage
  • No more need for eyeballing: coverage will find the "interesting" stuff (existing geological features, crash sites and xeno stuff mentioned), let you know about them, give markers or something - last part is not finalised yet
  • "Multicrew is high on the agenda", all crew members can use the DSS simultaneously, will be rewarded as well (didn't go into details on the rewards)
  • Mentioned that probes can be synthesized
  • Can fire probes into rings as well, to find rich deposits to mine

Generic exploration stuff:
  • One of the goals is to reduce randomness (see sensor probes above), give players info whether they should proceed with closer looks or not
  • Want to find more things in the galaxy; geological, biological phenomena, new environments, which can be both beneficial and baneful (video showed a blue gas cloud with lightning strikes, in space)
  • No atmospheres and no gas giants for Q4
  • Going to add regions to the game, for people to explore, possibly tied in with the Codex (nothing more on that)
  • Seeding the galaxy with more discoveries, "unique things to find"
  • Showed rescuing escape pods (via hatches) from a megaship, mentioned damaged megaships being found in the galaxy
  • Reply during Q&A: there are plans to improve the gameplay for signal sources (didn't go into detail)

Planetary stuff:
  • Icy worlds: in-engine video of an SRV on ice (not icy ground), showing off the ice shader
  • More jagged shapes on icy worlds, no new shots of this yet, WIP, they are working on it with the earlier concept art as target
  • More interaction with surface installations, similar to megaships, showed a Thargoid ship flying above what looked like an infected human settlement
  • Reply during Q&A: surface bookmarks / GPS system possible, might not make it into Q4 yet

Improved lighting:
  • Global across the entire game, all platforms
  • Adaptive lighting, with color grading as well - nice comparison shots showed
  • Multiple star sources currently not on schedule, they have looked at them

Ships:
  • Two new ships in the Q2 update, then said (referring to the Challenger) "one of the three"
  • Reply during Q&A: likely exploration-based module slots on existing ships, similar to passenger / military slots, mining as well, didn't answer if there'll be any new explorer ships

There was also plenty of stuff about mining, some mentions that it might tie in with exploration. Also large versions of Guardian weapons and the shock cannon shown.
 
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Excellent! Keep it there, as a 2-part OP :D

Regarding ships, I think I heard "... one of two new ships, the Challenger", but unclear if the two are coming in Q2, didn't sound like it to me. So, Krait, I dunno.
 
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This looks promising - great post - thank you +1 :)
I have been thinking about the idea of survey drones for ages but never thought we would get them.
Semi-autonomous so we can fly off and leave them for a while would be good ;)

OK - lots more posted as I was writing +1 Exciting :D
 
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Video of the whole thing is at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/271209822. Exploration starts six minutes in, plenty of videos about mining before that.

Video cuts are starting to come in:
blue cloud with lightning
SRV on ice

Also, about two new ships: they definitely said two at first, but a few minutes later, I think I heard someone correct it to three? Not sure. I think they said the two for Q2, but would be willing to bet they won't clarify this :D
Edit: 23:58: "One of two new ships coming in Chapter Two, the Challenger", then 24:34: "One of the three"
 
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Yeah, I watched the whole stream, it all sounds and looks pretty great so far.

My biggest concern about what they showed was the DSS probe mechanic. I hope they don't use limpets but rather use an internal ammo counter like the AFMU, which can be replenished with synthesis. If explorers need to carry cargo racks and limpets then a lot of currently viable exploration ships will suddenly become much less viable. I hope Frontier kept that in mind when designing the new DSS.
 
Yeah, I watched the whole stream, it all sounds and looks pretty great so far.

My biggest concern about what they showed was the DSS probe mechanic. I hope they don't use limpets but rather use an internal ammo counter like the AFMU, which can be replenished with synthesis. If explorers need to carry cargo racks and limpets then a lot of currently viable exploration ships will suddenly become much less viable. I hope Frontier kept that in mind when designing the new DSS.

They didn't mentionned limpets with probes and said the probes would be synthesizable (is that the correct spelling?)
 
So excited about all this !

It can only be better than what we actually (don't) have for mining / exploration content...it will defintely add much more hours into the game for me =D

Wouldn't thought they would share that much stuff during the Lavecon =)
 
So excited about all this !

It can only be better than what we actually (don't) have for mining / exploration content...it will defintely add much more hours into the game for me =D

Wouldn't thought they would share that much stuff during the Lavecon =)

They've done Lavecon proud this year :)
 
O.g.m. This looks absolutely gorgeous, this is exactly what ed needs.

if we had virtual keyboards and buttons nobody would ever play outside of vr again. look stunning
 
Ah, I was about to post, but you beat me to it. Thanks for the pictures! Here's my list:


DSS can launch sensor probes, while the current functionality will still stay:
  • Launching sensor probes at planets in supercruise, which will travel on "partial guided orbits" to survey an area of the planet's surface
  • Planet's gravity arcs the flight path, trick-shots possible
  • Multiple probes can be launched to get wider coverage
  • No more need for eyeballing: coverage will find the "interesting" stuff (existing geological features, crash sites and xeno stuff mentioned), let you know about them, give markers or something - last part is not finalised yet
  • "Multicrew is high on the agenda", all crew members can use the DSS simultaneously, will be rewarded as well (didn't go into details on the rewards)
  • Mentioned that probes can be synthesized
  • Can fire probes into rings as well, to find rich deposits to mine

Thanks for going more into detail here ;) When i rode Qohen Leth's summary i feared a moment they would replace DSS scanning with probes that force us to grind materials
 
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Yeah, I watched the whole stream, it all sounds and looks pretty great so far.

My biggest concern about what they showed was the DSS probe mechanic. I hope they don't use limpets but rather use an internal ammo counter like the AFMU, which can be replenished with synthesis. If explorers need to carry cargo racks and limpets then a lot of currently viable exploration ships will suddenly become much less viable. I hope Frontier kept that in mind when designing the new DSS.

You do know that you can synthesize limpets now, yes? It's too expensive, if you ask me, but you can do it.

Still I hear what you're saying. Whatever synthesis is needed, it better not require stuff that's only available in the bubble!
 
My biggest concern about what they showed was the DSS probe mechanic. I hope they don't use limpets but rather use an internal ammo counter like the AFMU, which can be replenished with synthesis. If explorers need to carry cargo racks and limpets then a lot of currently viable exploration ships will suddenly become much less viable. I hope Frontier kept that in mind when designing the new DSS.

That's my hope as well. In fact, I would love for the probe launchers+ammo to sit in hardpoints. It would give us a use for them, and not compete for already tight module space in the internals.
 
Good times ahead!
Watched the live stream which left me feeling pretty optimistic, and impressed! Plus we have yet to see what the codex brings, and more details mentioned for ice planets.

Flimley
 
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