No geological signal sources anywhere in several weeks of exploring

[aXeL]

Hi All,

I've stumbled across something weird in that, for about two, maybe three weeks, all my scans of any high metal content worlds, anywhere, never give me any geological surface signals at all. I kind feel I've broken something or just gone mad but I can't think what it is I'm suddenly doing wrong after years of exploring. I've tried system after system and mapped numerous promising worlds, no atmo, rich in numerous metals, landable but always it's nothing.

Even using Rogueys site for nearby raws, which almost always gives me reliable locations for raws which were recently updated, now always comes up empty. I used to scan such systems and they were almost always a sure fire deal. Now, none of them ever yield geo surface signals to me.

I can go back to planets with geo signals which I've already mapped and re-farm those once they refresh but I don't get why in the last few weeks no world anywhere is giving me hits. I'm currently scooting around Pleides not that the location is making any difference to the DSS result.

 

[Sapyx]

The planets that you're finding... do they have anything listed under Volcanism? Geo sites only occur on worlds where Volcanism is not "None". If you're finding volcanic, landable worlds and they still have no geo sites, then there's either a bug, or something not right with your sensors.

Volcanism is caused, obviously, by internal heat within a planet or moon. There are several possible sources of that heat:

• Being too close to a star. The hotter the star, the better.
• Retained heat from the planet's formation. This is seen on worlds where the star system age is still quite young. The larger the planet the slower it cools, which also links in with the third factor below.
• Radioactive decay in the planet's core. Again, only larger planets are big enough to accumulate enough potassium-40, uranium, etc to keep their cores hot enough to cause volcanism. In our own solar system, compare Earth and Venus (highly volcanic) with Mars (ex-Volcanic, now dead).
• Tidal friction from being in a close or eccentric orbit of another body.

The only one of those four factors that is likely to vary with your location in the galaxy is star system age, as different sectors and subsectors and different layers in the galactic disc have different average ages.

If you find worlds in those configurations - close to the star, large worlds, young worlds and close-orbiting or co-orbiting bodies - you're more likely to find volcanism, and therefore geo sites.

 

[Anticon]

Either you are stunningly/outrageously unlucky statistically, or there's a bug. (Or maybe FDEV just don't like you). Have you validated your game files?

 

[aXeL]

The planets that you're finding... do they have anything listed under Volcanism? Geo sites only occur on worlds where Volcanism is not "None". If you're finding volcanic, landable worlds and they still have no geo sites, then there's either a bug, or something not right with your sensors.

Volcanism is caused, obviously, by internal heat within a planet or moon. There are several possible sources of that heat:

• Being too close to a star. The hotter the star, the better.
• Retained heat from the planet's formation. This is seen on worlds where the star system age is still quite young. The larger the planet the slower it cools, which also links in with the third factor below.
• Radioactive decay in the planet's core. Again, only larger planets are big enough to accumulate enough potassium-40, uranium, etc to keep their cores hot enough to cause volcanism. In our own solar system, compare Earth and Venus (highly volcanic) with Mars (ex-Volcanic, now dead).
• Tidal friction from being in a close or eccentric orbit of another body.

The only one of those four factors that is likely to vary with your location in the galaxy is star system age, as different sectors and subsectors and different layers in the galactic disc have different average ages.

If you find worlds in those configurations - close to the star, large worlds, young worlds and close-orbiting or co-orbiting bodies - you're more likely to find volcanism, and therefore geo sites.

Thanks for the sentiment Sapyx, however this is exploration for beginners and, as per my OP, I've been doing it for years. That said, for people who've not done exploring, I think you should pop this into the relevant section as a sticky because when I first started, I didn't know what I should be looking for. This will be helpful I think.

 

[aXeL]

Either you are stunningly/outrageously unlucky statistically, or there's a bug. (Or maybe FDEV just don't like you). Have you validated your game files?

Good thinking, not tried that.

Just thinking, is anyone near the bubble where they've mapped recently, got signals and I could try the same location and see if I get signals also.

 

[aXeL]

Either you are stunningly/outrageously unlucky statistically, or there's a bug. (Or maybe FDEV just don't like you). Have you validated your game files?

Thanks for the tip, validated the game files and the first planet I scanned afterward gave me 21 signals

 

[varonica]

Thanks for the tip, validated the game files and the first planet I scanned afterward gave me 21 signals

I suggest going back to a few you have previously scanned just in case this was just an extreme statistical anomaly, on a bell curve there's always going to be one poor "unlucky" person way out on the end of the curve, it just may have been you turn for a while.

 

[varonica]

Oh yes just let me add, it's always possible to verify just by observing the body properties, I had a 90%+ rate of identifying volcanic bodies before the FSS was released, it essentially uses the same system, looking at the size and gravitational effects, the tidal effects and even possibly radiation to predict possible vulcanism. So if you think a body should have vulcansim and doesn't becoming familiar with the body properties that do indicate vulcanism is very useful as a double check.

 

[aXeL]

I suggest going back to a few you have previously scanned just in case this was just an extreme statistical anomaly, on a bell curve there's always going to be one poor "unlucky" person way out on the end of the curve, it just may have been you turn for a while.

Eminently possible, luck has no memory.

Oh yes just let me add, it's always possible to verify just by observing the body properties, I had a 90%+ rate of identifying volcanic bodies before the FSS was released, it essentially uses the same system, looking at the size and gravitational effects, the tidal effects and even possibly radiation to predict possible vulcanism. So if you think a body should have vulcansim and doesn't becoming familiar with the body properties that do indicate vulcanism is very useful as a double check.

This is what's throwing me because this is what I do; adding to the list, bodies closer to their primary where material with higher specific gravity is more likely to accumulate.

Now I'm going to go all 'hermit' on this one planet in case it's the only one in my galaxy with raws

 

[varonica]

This is what's throwing me because this is what I do; adding to the list, bodies closer to their primary where material with higher specific gravity is more likely to accumulate.

That's pretty much irrelevent, only large bodies well over 3,000km radius and up will have inherent vulcanism due to retained heat from primordial formation and/or radiometric heating, that's why Earth has molten core and Mars doesn't, and that also depends on the age of the system. For most of the bodies it's distance from the object they are orbiting that will be the primary determiner of whether or not they are volcanic, there are a few other factors but you will find that most volcanic bodies have orbital periods of 4 days or under, that can go up to 5 days or just over for icy bodies due to less energy required to generate vulcanism.

 

[GroG79]

How much distance have you travelled since? I have visited areas where there was very few geo activity to find. I gave up and moved on to a different spot.

Calling what you do not understand a bug is a little premature btw

 

[aXeL]

 

[varonica]

How much distance have you travelled since? I have visited areas where there was very few geo activity to find. I gave up and moved on to a different spot.

Calling what you do not understand a bug is a little premature btw

Some of it also depends in stars filtered, for instance if you don't filter out M class stars it's quite possible to travel thousands of light years with no interesting things to be seen including vulcanism.