After a recent ship->planet interface issue* I realised that classic explorer builds probably aren't great for Exobiology in the remoter regions:
So - anyone have changes** they recommend for an Exobiology build? At the moment I'm thinking:
Looks like I can do all that and drop maybe 4 Ly, which is fine. The range doesn't matter for exploring, but it is nice to get to your start quicker.
* yes, I crashed into a planet, losing lots of Exo data - oops
** I am aware of 'git gud and don't crash into planets bro!', no need to recommend that
- Paper hulls & shields are fine for space, but really bad when you need to land on planets a lot
- Lightweight undersized Power Distributors that can boost every 10 seconds are ok in space, but not when you need to land on planets (come out of Glide, boost towards planet, watch planet get closer, realise you can't boost back up yet - you know, the usual )
- 'Take 1 SRV into the shower?' maybe not if you plan to do a lot of landing
- Larger ships are fine for space, but some of that Exobiology shows up in bumpy places which are hard to land in
So - anyone have changes** they recommend for an Exobiology build? At the moment I'm thinking:
- Full size PD with perma-boost for those difficult occasions when the planet wants to say 'hi' a little forcefully
- Bigger shields (any specifics, IIRC it's just absolute shield strength for impacts?). I don't have a good feeling for how strong I want the shields to be.
- More SRVs? I never lost mine, but I think a spare might be useful. Last time I looked I was 11K from the nearest FC, so restock is not easy
- Better thrusters? Not sure about this - the faster you can boost the more likely I am to charge into a planet, so small thrusters may still be better (not planning any very high G landings)
- Smaller ship - probably swapping the Phantom to a DBX - looks like the drop in range will be marginal, and I can still take 2 SRV
Looks like I can do all that and drop maybe 4 Ly, which is fine. The range doesn't matter for exploring, but it is nice to get to your start quicker.
* yes, I crashed into a planet, losing lots of Exo data - oops
** I am aware of 'git gud and don't crash into planets bro!', no need to recommend that