Newcomer / Intro old questions from a *new* player ( sorta late to the pilot party here ) ...

[Fnord Velkor]

...
However, i'm not exactly sure how to read the DSS post-scanned map ui ( filtering thru each Bio type as you said ) of the globe surface itself , to know exactly where to LAND in order to maximize the spot area whereby the Bio 'plant' ( or resource or bacteria or whatever ) is actually located. Is it just a matter of land random area and then use SRV to search & explore?
...

Although the various shades of blue might look like a "heat map", in fact it is not. The shade variation is just caused by the underlying topography. So, in essence the map shows where the bio/geo in question can be found (the blue) and where it can't (the rest).

The way to actually find the bio/geo is to fly down to the surface and then fly along about (or under) 100m and just rely on the Mk I eyeball to spot what you are after. You soon learn where to look for certain things and what they look like - some things are easy to spot, some things can be infuriating. I tend to use the ship to fly from sample to sample, others prefer to use the SRV to travel on the surface, you will find your preference as you go on.

 

[aRJay]

Although the various shades of blue might look like a "heat map", in fact it is not. The shade variation is just caused by the underlying topography. So, in essence the map shows where the bio/geo in question can be found (the blue) and where it can't (the rest).

The way to actually find the bio/geo is to fly down to the surface and then fly along about (or under) 100m and just rely on the Mk I eyeball to spot what you are after. You soon learn where to look for certain things and what they look like - some things are easy to spot, some things can be infuriating. I tend to use the ship to fly from sample to sample, others prefer to use the SRV to travel on the surface, you will find your preference as you go on.

In time you will get a feel for the type of terrain a certain type favours, don’t get to rigid about that sometimes the plants go rogue and turn up somewhere different, I find it helps to pick smaller patches of blue it gives a smaller search area.

I am now one of the air search brigade but the SRV is fine for most plant types.

 

[Neestar]

Although the various shades of blue might look like a "heat map", in fact it is not. The shade variation is just caused by the underlying topography. So, in essence the map shows where the bio/geo in question can be found (the blue) and where it can't (the rest).

ahhh ok, cool thanks it's starting to make more sense now to me

I am now one of the air search brigade but the SRV is fine for most plant types.

Yeah the semi-RP'er in me prefers to use my SRV ...but gosh i really need to practice driving in zero-G yipes!

----------------------------
By the way, more questions ugh sorry:

42. Recently i've noticed , at Chamberlain's Rest computer console ( aka "concourse" ? ) , that the Support mission tab is grayed-out and unavailable 0/0 for me. Is that because the "war" has calmed down within that System ?​

​

43. Some settlements for me are now 'green' ( friendly? ) , which is cool , but still for some reason even though the NPC patrollers are also 'green' for me on radar they still STOP me to scan me "or else!" . Is this normal? Shouldn't they just ignore me as being green/friendly and not need to always stop & scan me anymore?​

​

44. A couple times while flying in Space i will see & target something like a 'Silver Comet' ( object ) ... Should i be chasing those or mining them or anything? Or is it just another random thing to simply scan?​

​

45. Does anyone have any idea what this person here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/ship-interiors-will-they-happen.625789/post-10381575 is referring to exactly? ( he hasn't replied yet , but that thread is up to page 3 now so i was just curious so i wouldn't make a mistake possibly purchasing any 'ship kits' in the future )​

 

[varonica]

42. Recently i've noticed , at Chamberlain's Rest computer console ( aka "concourse" ? ) , that the Support mission tab is grayed-out and unavailable 0/0 for me. Is that because the "war" has calmed down within that System ?

That varies indeed depending in system state and other factors, others will be able to give more details.

43. Some settlements for me are now 'green' ( friendly? ) , which is cool , but still for some reason even though the NPC patrollers are also 'green' for me on radar they still STOP me to scan me "or else!" . Is this normal? Shouldn't they just ignore me as being green/friendly and not need to always stop & scan me anymore?

Until you have highest reputation with all faction you will get scanned just about every time if you hang around....smugglers you see, some times good paying cargo runs include goods that are illegal in those systems and stations, lucrative but dangerous, so they will scan you often looking for those smugglers.

44. A couple times while flying in Space i will see & target something like a 'Silver Comet' ( object ) ... Should i be chasing those or mining them or anything? Or is it just another random thing to simply scan?

Ship flying around in SC, that's what they look like@

45. Does anyone have any idea what this person here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/ship-interiors-will-they-happen.625789/post-10381575 is referring to exactly? ( he hasn't replied yet , but that thread is up to page 3 now so i was just curious so i wouldn't make a mistake possibly purchasing any 'ship kits' in the future )

The "ship interiors" threads have been an ongoing thing for ages on the forums, but this one is about ship kits for the exterior of the ships, sometimes by mistake the ship kits block hard points so you can end up shooting your own ship, but that's a bug and I believe most of them have been fixed.

 

[Fnord Velkor]

...

​

44. A couple times while flying in Space i will see & target something like a 'Silver Comet' ( object ) ... Should i be chasing those or mining them or anything? Or is it just another random thing to simply scan?​

...​

There are structures floating in space in some systems which are not stations, you cannot dock at them but there are some with activities available (data scanning, etc) but I have not bothered with them much since I got blown up once for being too nosey.

They are called "Orbital Installations" and there are two that carry the monicker "Silver Comet", one in Polus and one in Wu Te Ti. So you probably saw one of those - they show up in your Nav panel with a different type of icon next to the name but they do not get displayed on the System Map (you can detect them in FSS mode) and they show up in your HUD, as with signal sources.

The Canonn website (well worth bookmarking generally) has an illustrated list of some of these (The Squirrel's Nest Bar is worth a visit), complete with info about stuff to do there (there are a lot more) and there is a forum thread authored by @Alec Turner with info about these and other neat stuffs.

So those are probably what you saw, if not, sorry but go visit an installation at least once for the joy of "what might have been" if FDEV had not lost their way:

 

[varonica]

They are called "Orbital Installations" and there are two that carry the monicker "Silver Comet"

Ah of course, I though the reference was to how players ships looked in SC and not the facility name, lots of those around, they are usually targets for missions, areas for CZ's etc.

 

[metatheurgist]

Wasn't there also a Silver Comet that was a mythical missing ship from Galnet?

 

[Fnord Velkor]

Wasn't there also a Silver Comet that was a mythical missing ship from Galnet?

Oh yes the Johanna Meister story ... something else that withered away. Honestly, there was so much potential in ED, lost with certain people leaving and now even worse with the FPS and 'goid combat fixations. Why on Earth (or "in space" I suppose) they abandoned stuff like this in their "space adventure" development, I'll never understand:

Source: https://youtu.be/Mp1oYrzsOQ8?t=195

 

[Fnord Velkor]

Wasn't there also a Silver Comet that was a mythical missing ship from Galnet?

Piqued my OCD so I found the Galnet article you mentioned:

Galnet News | Elite Dangerous Community Site

community.elitedangerous.com

 

[Alec Turner]

Wasn't there also a Silver Comet that was a mythical missing ship from Galnet?

Coincidentally, Cmdr Exorcist recently speculated on that story when there was no real Galnet news to discuss.

Source: https://youtu.be/J6sOcZXpt-8

 

[BetaToaster]

Yeah the semi-RP'er in me prefers to use my SRV ...but gosh i really need to practice driving in zero-G yipes!

SRV driving is a lot easier if you turn drive assist OFF (there's even an option in the "SRV Controls" option menu to set it to default-off).
And while we're talking about SRV driving: there's no penalty for having the SRV cargo scoop deployed.

 

[Neestar]

There are structures floating in space in some systems which are not stations, you cannot dock at them but there are some with activities available (data scanning, etc)

They are called "Orbital Installations" and there are two that carry the monicker "Silver Comet", one in Polus and one in Wu Te Ti. So you probably saw one of those -

ok but umm the one i found wasn't on either of those 2 Systems you mention ^ .... hmm.... Guess i'll found out more later when i try to approach it.

Wasn't there also a Silver Comet that was a mythical missing ship from Galnet?

Intriguing ....

SRV driving is a lot easier if you turn drive assist OFF (there's even an option in the "SRV Controls" option menu to set it to default-off).
And while we're talking about SRV driving: there's no penalty for having the SRV cargo scoop deployed.

Yeah i already been turned OFF the 'drive assist' feature , but gosh the darn SRV handles amazingly speedy and the Training session wasn't enough to get me used to it.

i need to set aside some time to just test-drive a bit on some safe-ish planet somewhere.

-----
By the way, quick question # 46. How the heck do u guys keep switching into 3rd-person mode??? ( both in Space and on-Land ) -- i've been looking in-game Options and just cannot seem to find the toggle keyind for 3rd-person mode anywhere.....ugh.

 

[aRJay]

...
By the way, quick question # 46. How the heck do u guys keep switching into 3rd-person mode??? ( both in Space and on-Land ) -- i've been looking in-game Options and just cannot seem to find the toggle keyind for 3rd-person mode anywhere.....ugh.

There isn't really a 3rd-person mode, there is a camera suite with predictably a lot of bindings but it is much more for photo ops than playing the game, though I have used it when landed for a look round.

 

[Neestar]

There isn't really a 3rd-person mode, there is a camera suite with predictably a lot of bindings but it is much more for photo ops than playing the game, though I have used it when landed for a look round.

ok yeah i certainly don't wanna play in 3rd-person mode , but i would like to take cool screenshots as well as look around like you mention.

i guess i will try to mess with this 'camera suite' Options section later yep thanks!

 

[Alec Turner]

Yeah i already been turned OFF the 'drive assist' feature , but gosh the darn SRV handles amazingly speedy and the Training session wasn't enough to get me used to it.

i need to set aside some time to just test-drive a bit on some safe-ish planet somewhere.

A little bit of further viewing for you courtesy of the sadly now defunct Sagittarius Eye magazine.

Source: https://youtu.be/yL38GYNs1xo

 

[Neestar]

A little bit of further viewing for you courtesy of the sadly now defunct Sagittarius Eye magazine.

Why "defunct" ?

--------
Also, apparently we're in Server Maintenance PATCH mode for a few hours ( always seems to happen whenever i had planned a long play-session lol bad luck ) ... So of course i have a few more questions please for if anyone has time to reply THANKS! -->

# 47. Earlier i was checking out my Galaxy Map and noticed some new ICONS that didn't seem to have any reference within that ui leftside filter 'key' . So i googled real quick and found this link from EliteD 'reddit' page. Anyways, apparently these are green-pyramid ( export ) and blue-diamond ( import ) Commodities icons that my character is supposedly "looking for" ? But how/why does the game know what i'm looking for? And heck, i didn't even know i was looking for any commodity ? Does it somehow auto-relate to the new Engineer in-game MAILS i've been unlocking/receiving lately?​

​

# 48. Speaking of Engineers.... So tonite i received 2 new in-game mails from 2 new Engineers , but this time they didn't give me their locations within the mail itself. Instead, the mail just said "i've marked my location on your MAP" . Okay cool np , so i goto my Galaxy Map and i find the little orange Engineer icons ....but.... They are marked in systems wayyyyyy far away from my current location AND they seem to be within a system for which i don't have any info nor beacon nor travel-point. So, my question is: How do i hyperspace to a new system that is blank ( no clickable jump-point ) on my Galaxy Map ? Do i just travel as close as possible, bit by bit , and then eventually it will show up on map? Or do i have to get hitch a ride with a buddy in-game first to take me there once? Or do i have to 'APEX shuttle' there first?​

​

# 49. When do i know it's a good ( wise ) time for me to "pledge" my 1st allegience into PowerPlay leader(s) ? Or would it be better/smarter for a somewhat fresh newbie player like myself to just wait until the revamp PowerPlay 2.0 is released first?​

​

# 50. i finally travelled to my very first 'ORBITAL STATION' !!!!! Sooooo AWESOME!!!!! ( reminds me of StarTrek 'Borg' cube , which i'm guessing was sorta the Dev inspiration? ) --- Anyways, this particular Orbital Station had some really nice ship outfitting upgrades for my Python mk2 and so i was able to finally get my ship up to a relatively decent level of parts. ( Class C biweave shields , for example ) --- And anyways, after some power management swapping modules around a bit , i'm now able to have a max jump-range of 20 Ly .... Is this considered good for a newbie player like me in their 1st Python mk2 ship ?​

 

[Ashnak]

How do i hyperspace to a new system that is blank ( no clickable jump-point ) on my Galaxy Map ?

Screenshot could help here. But I'd guess you need to move the map around so you get close enough to center your targeting circle on the "foot point" cyan circle of your target system. Then plot a route (on my setup, I need to hold the space bar for a couple of seconds). The route will lead you through several intermediate systems (usually), depending on the current jump range of your ship. If that route is composed of solid orange lines, you can get there with the fuel you have. If you get dotted orange lines, you need to refuel on the way - either by scooping fuel from suitable stars in passing, or by landing at a (suitable) station and refuelling your ship.
But you can travel to any system within the limits of your ship's jump capabilities - if you have no in-system data, you'll end up at the primary star and then need to set another nav point manually once you're in the system.

Is this considered good for a newbie player like me in their 1st Python mk2 ship ?

LOL. I'm an old fart - a newbie player shouldn't even have a Python Mk.II . But seriously, yes, that's about the jump range you can get from an unenginered Python Mk.II. See Coriolis.

 

[varonica]

Do i just travel as close as possible, bit by bit , and then eventually it will show up on map? Or do i have to get hitch a ride with a buddy in-game first to take me there once? Or do i have to 'APEX shuttle' there first?

I think Ashnak missed a point here, fact is you can scroll through your galaxy map using the default scroll keys (I think Q/E left right A/D pan and up and down should be F/R on kerboard, and move backward and forward W/S, you can set a route to a star up to 20kly away by just scrolling through the galaxy map, note it will be very slow unless you zoom out a bit, that way you can set a route to the engineers system without having to go near them first. You can also navigate using the mouse and mouse buttons.

 

[Fnord Velkor]

ok but umm the one i found wasn't on either of those 2 Systems you mention ^ .... hmm.... Guess i'll found out more later when i try to approach it.
...

Which system did you see this in, I'd like to visit it if it is another Silver Comet installation.

Why "defunct" ?

--------
....

# 47. ... these are green-pyramid ( export ) and blue-diamond ( import ) Commodities icons that my character is supposedly "looking for" ? ...​

​

# 48. ... So, my question is: How do i hyperspace to a new system that is blank ( no clickable jump-point ) on my Galaxy Map ? ..​

​

# 49. When do i know it's a good ( wise ) time for me to "pledge" my 1st allegience into PowerPlay leader(s) ? Or would it be better/smarter for a somewhat fresh newbie player like myself to just wait until the revamp PowerPlay 2.0 is released first?​

​

# 50. ... .... Is this considered good for a newbie player like me in their 1st Python mk2 ship ?​

They stopped producing them, I miss Sag Jane...



47 - the in-game trading tools are set by you in one of the left-hand-icons - I don't use them, I prefer 3rd party tools like INARA.

48 - Yes the Engineers are located all over the bubble and some are in Colonia over 22,000 ly away. You don't "click a jump point" - you "plot a route" TO THE SYSTEM if you don't have the system map available. You would know how to get to them if you had learned how to operate a space-ship instead of buying one. (Sorry, but this is one reason I said the "buy-a-ship" is breaking the game.) To travel around, you have to fit your ship so as to be able to make a decent jump distance, be able to fuel scoop or have to break your journey by docking and refuelling on the way.

BTW - in your Engineers panel on the HUD, you will see for each engineer in the lower right a "show on galaxy map" (words like that) button.

49 - Why bother? Unless you want a powerplay reward or want to role-play, there is no need to pledge.

50 - See @Ashnak remark and my #48 answer.

 

[BetaToaster]

# 47. Earlier i was checking out my Galaxy Map [..] Anyways, apparently these are green-pyramid ( export ) and blue-diamond ( import ) Commodities icons that my character is supposedly "looking for" ? But how/why does the game know what i'm looking for? And heck, i didn't even know i was looking for any commodity ?

There's a map mode for displaying trade things, I think you can select which commodities to display from there. Seems like you accidentally activated it, because that also answers your next question:

# 48. So, my question is: How do i hyperspace to a new system that is blank ( no clickable jump-point ) on my Galaxy Map ? Do i just travel as close as possible, bit by bit , and then eventually it will show up on map? Or do i have to get hitch a ride with a buddy in-game first to take me there once? Or do i have to 'APEX shuttle' there first?

Make sure you haven't set any special map mode on the left sidebar. Those can filter out non-matching stars, and you won't be able to click them. Pick "Realistic Mode" if in doubt.
Also, there's a limit to the number of stars shown: You might need to move your camera around so your target is in the middle of the screen and not too close.

# 49. When do i know it's a good ( wise ) time for me to "pledge" my 1st allegience into PowerPlay leader(s) ?

Immediately.

If you want any PowerPlay modules, getting those involves pledging to the appropriate Power, doing nothing for 3 weeks, doing a bit of PP gameplay for 750 merits, and waiting for the Thursday tick: Then you'll be pledged for 4 weeks with rank 3, so you can buy a bunch of the modules, and defect to the next power.
I recommend starting with Zachary Hudson for Pacifiers or Archon Delaine for Cytoscramblers. Prismatic Shields from Aisling Duval are also popular, but expensive, so leave them for later.

And if you like (to try) the actual PP gameplay, you can do that right away. Combat is optional, so lack of engineering won't hold you back. You can also find someone better equipped, wing up and earn combat merits as a sidekick.