Needing some exploration advice

[Alimorae]

So I have a couple questions for all you experienced explorers out there. I'm looking to plan an epic journey and I wanted to confirm a few things.

First, I know that you experience normal wear and tear as you travel, does anyone know how far you can go before it becomes impossible for you to continue? As a continuation, does the auto-maintenance module repair critical modules or just the hull?

I want to plan a loop along the rim to the far side of the galaxy and then bisect it through Sag A on my return, basically creating a half circle. Is this doable or am I biting off more than my ship can handle?

 

[streki]

Auto doesn't repair hull, but I'm pretty sure that wear and tear was at 100 percent after my last long trip and I survived. The auto repair will fix most modules, but as these don't degrade unless you burn yourself, you may not even use it.

 

[Katejina]

I have suffered no "wear and tear" after 6500 systems visited. Damage I have taken has been from dropping out of SC into stars, black holes and rings. After 5500+ systems on my current trip, my hull is down to 86% from those mistakes. Hull cannot be repaired. AMFUs will repair modules which also take damage from said mistakes, as well as heat reaching degrees of ~90% and higher.

 

[Andrew Gaspurr]

Same here: 97% Hull after 15 Kaylies. Percentage only dropped after roughly exiting supercruise. I have not witnessed any other 'wear and tear' just due to flying on a prolonged mission.

Fly safe CMDR!

 

[Eminor]

The AFMU only repairs modules. Most modules - not Power Plant, possibly not Power Distributor either.
Your biggest enemy is yourself - running into stars/planets from S.C.
For instance crashing full speed into a star while posting on the forums. Cough - twice - Cough. .
Hull is unrepairable outside of a Space Station, I believe...

 

[Allitnil]

I have suffered no "wear and tear" after 6500 systems visited.

Wear & tear reduces the ship integrity percentage which you can only see from the repairs screen when docked. So you can't tell what it is when out on a trip. But it's fairly safe to assume that it will be down to zero after about 3000 systems. And it doesn't matter, the ship won't fall apart. Just means you will get a bit more damage if shot at on your return than you would when departing.

Good luck OP. What you propose is certainly doable.

 

[Dommarraa]

Take an amfu to keep your fsd and thrusters in shape. Fix some other things if they actually start to fail, but it will be your canopy that sends you scurrying back to the bubble, I bet a virtual Guinness on it.

That said, you have to be in a flimsy ship, a crappy (that's harsh) pilot, serially unlucky, or be on your second lap of the Galaxy for that to happen.

 

[Col Frost]

The best single piece of advice that anyone could give you would be to make sure that you throttle down during the countdown to FSD and you will be fine. You really don't need to worry after you get this simple tactic

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Yeah, as other said. If you can keep your focus and not hit stars then you will be fine.
AFMU's don't repair Hull, Canopy, Powerplant and themselves. Everything else can be repaired, if you have 2+ they can repair each other.

I find canopy is the first to go, since it cracks on the RNG it is unpredictable. I had a trip in an ASP where cracks appeared in the 2nd emergency drop and got so bad by the 7th that I turned back. On the other hand in my Anaconda it was at least 9 drops (I wasn't paying attention ) before it even started to crack.

Anyway, more than the ship, are you ready? Thats quite a trip, at least 100 hours gameplay even in fastest mode. Remember unless you are willing to take that self destruct shortcut home you have to travel all the way back should you wish to return early.

I'd post your final setup here a day or so before leaving and let people post suggestions

 

[Kancro Vantas]

Hmm. Before I answer this question, may I ask the OP what's the farthest and longest exploration you have done so far??

As Alex, your route proposal its very interesting but it's also quite challenging for even the most ecperienced of explorers.

W&T should be the last of your worries as CMDR's have travelled up to 130,000 ly in sidewinders and never reported a ship exhausted to anywhere near destruction.

Your mental attitude, on the other hand, would be long worn out if not properly prepared for this trip. Depending on your free available time we are talking between 2 to 9 months to complete, if you are exploring. If you just race it, is at least 3 weeks playing 8 hours a day.

With exploration you want to exercise your mental discipline and patience. Because unlike other professions, if you just keep going until tired, you will be at halfway your trip: you still will need to muster patience to come back!!

I recommend going for a couple of round trips to some destinations 10,000 and 15,000 ly out to have a taste and training to make the trip a success.

 

[PCJimmmy]

Agree with Kancro - make a few test runs for training. Do some high speed honk and run - some economy runs with lots of scans. Do them while doing your favorite other tasks. When you crash and burn, turn around and head home for repairs. Explore up and down as well as out. When you find yourself 10KL from home without getting sun burnt, than keep on going.

After several training runs you will develop your skills and decide if this is really the thing to do. Your planned trip is a real long one - do the training runs to confirm you like it. Nothing will be more of a killer than to get half way there and decide you don't like it. Its a real long trip back.

IF you try to multi-task that will be the time you crash into the sun. I am close to 20,000 systems scanned and been elite for long time - but I still ran into suns three times tonight doing a short run to top off my CG at Lembava numbers - that's cause I was trying to Netflix a movie that flashed too much skin for my pilot skills. Not a bad thing to burn down less that 1000ly from a repair port - a whole other thing to do this on the far side of the galaxy.