Make Exploration Worth it

[GeneralSpecific]

To be an explorer, a commander needs to invest at least 2 Million credits in scanners alone. What do they get for that investment? Little more than 100,000 credits for the most valuable systems.
Some simple changes could be implemented.

For Example:

• The first commander to map a valuable system could name the system or even bodies within the system! That the names of a so called changing galaxy are static is a huge opportunity for improvement.
• Submitting data that leads to future profits (colonization or mining) can be paid in the form of royalties.
• Submitting data to different parties (rather than just Universal Cartographics) gets different rewards. Imagine selling the location of a resource rich system to a corporation for money or to a government for ranks!
• Periodic galaxy wide updates to commanders' maps. Why are so many systems in the core regions unmapped when numerous commanders are repeatedly gathering and selling the same data? Maybe at some point a system can enter the public domain.
• Possibly rebalancing the sale price of data and re-implementing the sell all function.

That's about all I could think of at the moment. Thoughts, criticisms and ideas?

 

[adrinker]

To be an explorer, a commander needs to invest at least 2 Million credits in scanners alone. What do they get for that investment? Little more than 100,000 credits for the most valuable systems.
Some simple changes could be implemented.

For Example:

• The first commander to map a valuable system could name the system or even bodies within the system! That the names of a so called changing galaxy are static is a huge opportunity for improvement.
  Agreed to an extent. I wouldn't want to see stuff named planet SarahPalin
• Submitting data that leads to future profits (colonization or mining) can be paid in the form of royalties.
  Agreed, though this would take a while for the royalties to be generated
• Submitting data to different parties (rather than just Universal Cartographics) gets different rewards. Imagine selling the location of a resource rich system to a corporation for money or to a government for ranks!
  Agreed tenfold. It's frustrating that neither distance nor faction changes the price.
• Periodic galaxy wide updates to commanders' maps. Why are so many systems in the core regions unmapped when numerous commanders are repeatedly gathering and selling the same data? Maybe at some point a system can enter the public domain.
  Agreed. I think we have more than enough systems that we should be able to share mapping data. This is only going to be acceptable when we can expand outwards, otherwise explorers will be required massive jumps before they can even earn
• Possibly rebalancing the sale price of data and re-implementing the sell all function.
  Agreed. I just came back from a run with 200+ data and selling them all was boring me to tears.

That's about all I could think of at the moment. Thoughts, criticisms and ideas?

responses in quote

 

[adrinker]

Adding to this:

It would be really great to see an exploration-only ship. It would be a deep-space craft, run and scan craft. Ideas would be:

Bonuses:
Extra warp range
Extra scan bonus
Fuel consumption bonus
Faster super cruise / jump countdown

Negatives:
No other module options
No weapons
Limited shields

I think something like this would be extra useful because unlike trading and combat, those of us on deep space runs are more concerned with the inability to dock resulting in frantic runs back any time you see anything in the system rather than risk losing all your data.

 

[talshiarr]

Naming system/bodies: subject to the approval of FD, sure, but that means thousands and thousands of submissions. I don't know that they'll want to spend time enough to keep stupid frivolous names out. I don't want to see the Paris system next door to the Hilton system next to the Lohan system.

Profits via royalties: Again, the amounts would have to be trivial per system. Some people are knocking out hundreds and hundreds of systems per expedition.

Submitting to other parties: YES. Very good idea, although technically 'Universal Cartographics' is just a front. You gain reputation with every region you sell to whoever controls the station where you sell it.

Periodic updates: I'm sure they will be doing this but they have to be careful and not just turn the whole populated core into already explored space or no one will bother exploring. It's a good way for new players to earn money and upgrade their starter ship.

Rebalance prices, sell all data: Sale price should definitely increase based on distance traveled from selling point. The sell all function overloaded the transaction server, it must be tracking more than just an aggregate total of exploration credits earned or it would be no different than bounties.

 

[Crank Larson]

Sell all is an absolute necessity. Got back to populated space last night after a long and roundabout trip to the Horsehead Nebula, and it took literally half an hour to sell my data. Frankly, it wasn't even worth it... I earned about 1,000,000 credits - which I can earn in an hour when trading rare commodities. Considering I'd travelled around 4000 light years and collected data on hundreds of systems, this really wasn't a reasonable reward... The most expensive system came in at around 50000, but that was one I'd fully scanned (I only do that at the Nebulas or other points of interest, it takes far too long...).

Hopefully the universal cartographics system will be improved as we go along - there are many things that could make it more worthwhile and enjoyable (though naming planets isn't one of them, imo ).

 

[snailmaster]

lots of good ideas! to me exploration is about exploring the unknown. right now there is a lot of unknown elements missing: finding valuable system is ok, but finding from time to time rare belts or ore ressources, famous abandoned ships and other artefacts worth 1m to 5m in one shot would make things even more interresting and challenging.. what about "exploration missions?" missions specific to the explorers skills to find lost valuables in wide sectors?