Long Range Exploration - Advice & Tips

Jakben Imble · Dec 20, 2014

Not sure if this is useful to all but even if I don't scan a system fully down (after seeing it's mainly ice bodies) I still scan the sun so I know I've at least seen it before.

Also I've noticed that systems with dwarf suns tend to be the least profitable... so far

Finally, I found that someone had put together an awesome Elite: Dangerous playlist on spotify which is nice to listen to while exploring the depths of space

This should be a sticky thread tbh, really useful info in here.

Dwardeen · Dec 21, 2014

Bumped for future explorer

Morticielle · Dec 22, 2014

Dwardeen said:
-Basic Scanner Range: 500ly

-Intermediate Scanner range: 1000 ly

You mean ls (= lightseconds), not ly (= lightyears).

Morticielle · Dec 22, 2014

Loki_666 said:
Apparently interdictions no longer happen when you are a long way from civilization now as well, so weapons are just deadweight.

The before yesterday I got interdicted and killed by an NPC Anaconda while scooping fuel 170 LY away from civilization.

Nutter · Dec 22, 2014

Morticielle said:
The before yesterday I got interdicted and killed by an NPC Anaconda while scooping fuel 170 LY away from civilization.

I think the NPC range is 450ly out, I found a Clipper 417ly out from the nearest station

Dwardeen · Dec 22, 2014

Morticielle said:
You mean ls (= lightseconds), not ly (= lightyears).

Yes right, I don't know why but I always mixed up both !
Updated on First page

Bruce Warren · Dec 22, 2014

I'm going to go against the crowd and advise against going for the smaller fuel tank. D grade gear to save weight on most kit, but not the tank.

Yes you can lighten the ship, but there's the risk of encountering a string of stars you can't scoop from. If you run of fuel you die. It's not worth the risk imo.

Cliché · Dec 29, 2014

What's the deal with detail surface scanning belt clusters? The thing's been scanning and analyzing for 15 minutes and is still going. If I look at the system map there is no detail about the belt - just a new name. I'm thinking this must be a glitch.

Cliché · Dec 29, 2014

Never mind. Unless I missed something, you apparently need to scan several areas in each belt before the map will display metal rich or rocky and etc. I still never saw a pop-up on the info panel that said the belt scanning was complete.

TESI303 · Feb 23, 2015

- I never tried scooping by aiming directly at the star. I usually do a close orbit around with throttle just touching the blue. Helps from being interdicted I guess.

Also found after the last patch that NPCs are much better at playing the interdiction mini-game and are quite a number of them out there in deep-space for some reason, so weapons are recommended IMO.

BTW, When I jump into a system and scan for objects, then look at my system map, all the planets appear exactly the same. The same size and with the same pinkish color. When I scan them (Advanced scanner and Detailed Surface scanner) they all still appear exactly the same on the system map. Am I doing something wrong? Is that a bug?

[EDIT]
Nevermind about the planet/system map thing.