Montpellier Explorer (new ship)

[goemon]

Personally I don't care what most other explorers do. Some of us, (I for one) do want to get somewhere quickly and would love a ship like this.

this is totally fine, but i think it isn't wrong to look at sideeffects of a ship-design, one is rare goods trading, one is long-range missions, if it comes to design. bigger FSD makes a bigger fuelscoop necessary for an explorer, which can also be used as a cargo internal. good heatmanagement may make it a valid cold-running smuggler or silent-running combat ship (you can see, how the FDL buff in heatmanagement is one reason, why it is one of the most preferred pvp ships now... if it has a class 5 fsd, it would be an explorers dream ship...), landing pad size would be important, too, which depends on shape of ship. etc.

that said, I'm all for a ship with similar specs of an anaconda if outfitted for exploration, but less hardpoints, therefore a better cockpit....

 

[DHMeyer]

a python is already a ship with one of the better jumpranges (28 ly stripped down - it beats a cobra and gets close to a DBS). a python with FSD class 6 would end up at 48 ly jumprange...

Exactly Though of course, you won't strip it down, you still need scanners, auto repair, shields, SRV... Maybe a refinery for those resource samples as well.

 

[DHMeyer]

That's kind of what I'm looking for. An exploration ship in a jump class all it's own. It would need to be sufficiently expensive of course, because it would be the "end-game" exploration ship that all explorers would dream of flying and save up for throughout their careers.

IMO a jump range between 40 and 50 sounds about right. Keep in mind a stripped down anaconda can get up to 40. But the anaconda also has lots of weapon hardpoints and internals for cargo. This exploration ship doesn't need either of those.

As for the end game exploration ship, I was thinking about something completely new and unique, something that is capable jumping 40 Ly or slightly more, with cost double the imperial cutter or so, with a big crew, big bridge with an awesome canopy offering good field of view and plenty of internal compartments, capable of carrying other ships inside (anything that uses small landing pads). Something that's really cumbersome to dock at a station or perhaps maybe even not capable of docking at a space station at all. But that's something we may never see in Elite unless there are means of re-supplying such a behemoth. Or, maybe a Panther Clipper will come close to that, we have to wait and see. If they give it good jump range when they finally create it, maybe it will be the new best exploration vessel for serious and wealthy explorers.

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There is no end-game, even if you put it in inverted commas. What does an extra 5-15 Ly jump range (compared to the Asp, obviously less comparing to an Anaconda) really get you? Most explorers don't care about jump range because they're out to explore, not to try and get somewhere quickly.

Extra few Ly of jump range can give you quite a lot in terms of exploration. Do an experiment: get a stock Sidey and try to plot a route somewhere far away in it. And then get some ship with 30-35Ly jump range and do the same. Fuel is not that much of an issue as long as you can find a star to scoop it from, but a bigger jump range means being able to get to places that are impossible to get to otherwise.

 

[dayrth]

I thought it would be nice to have a dedicated exploration ship that has jump ranges better than the anaconda

Asp Explorer. Dedicated exploration ship with a jump range better than an Anaconda.

 

[Chrystoph]

Asp Explorer. Dedicated exploration ship with a jump range better than an Anaconda.

Incorrect, mate. An Exploraconda fitted for exploration gets 3.61 LY more than an as identical as possible fitted AspE.

Unfortunately, you are getting a whole lot of ship that you are not using when you buy a 'Conda for exploration.

 

[Ozric]

The extra range gets you to, or through, otherwise inaccessible places, dead zones, etc.

This is my current Asp Explorer.

I have actually been to places where I only had one star leading forward. Having extra range in those cases would have been a very nice option.

Extra few Ly of jump range can give you quite a lot in terms of exploration. Do an experiment: get a stock Sidey and try to plot a route somewhere far away in it. And then get some ship with 30-35Ly jump range and do the same. Fuel is not that much of an issue as long as you can find a star to scoop it from, but a bigger jump range means being able to get to places that are impossible to get to otherwise.

Why do you think they added jumponium to the game? To cater for those who want that extra burst. I made it to the Crab Nebula then "down" the galactic plane until there were no more stars around in an Asp with 32Ly jump range. There are only a very few select places in the galaxy where you need a jump range of more than 34Ly to get between 2 stars, also consider the fact that sometimes they might not want you to be able to make multiple jumps beyond 40LY without using jumponium. As for comparing a Sidewinder and an Asp when we're talking about dedicated explorer ships... pointless even gracing that with a response.

Bottom line is Internals are far more important for exploring than a slightly bigger FSD

Asp Explorer. Dedicated exploration ship with a jump range better than an Anaconda.

This, exactly this. So funny how people moaning about things and saying that certain things needs to be made better, don't even appear to know what it is they're complaining against.

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Incorrect, mate. An Exploraconda fitted for exploration gets 3.61 LY more than an as identical as possible fitted AspE.

Unfortunately, you are getting a whole lot of ship that you are not using when you buy a 'Conda for exploration.

And for a potential 3.61Ly you would rather fly and Anaconda as a dedicated exploration ship would you? How's the turning circle, general movement, ease of landing, view..?

 

[iofhua]

That 3.61 LY could mean the difference between crossing a gap in the galaxy or going hundreds of LY around, or even whether or not you are able to reach a lone star or not.

Does jump range trump ship cost and handling? For an explorer absolutely yes.

 

[Ozric]

Does jump range trump ship cost and handling? For an explorer absolutely yes.

No

8 chars

 

[iofhua]

No

8 chars

It sounds like you don't enjoy exploring. Most explorers would love to find that out of the way star system that no one else can reach because they don't have the necessary jump range. Perhaps you should post in a different thread?

 

[Ozric]

It sounds like you don't enjoy exploring. Most explorers would love to find that out of the way star system that no one else can reach because they don't have the necessary jump range. Perhaps you should post in a different thread?

You're funny, but I obviously have to be careful.

I left for the Pleiades Cluster the day Gamma started in a stock Cobra, minus weapons, and quite possibly posted one of the first threads about an exploration trip on these forums. At least 80% of my time in this game since Gamma has been out in the void, but no, I suppose I have no valid opinion.

You've already made it clear that you don't care what other explorers want anyway, so I'm not sure why you asked our opinions. Anyway I'm out.