Opinions, please - first budget explorer

[Whitmann]

I've seen there are no shortage of opinions on these boards - I'd appreciate some here from you explorers.

I've been trading and helping out a minor faction - taking the game pretty steady. But due to a very generous helping hand from a fellow CMDR, I now have enough credits for a basic ship to go exploring in - the reason I took the plunge and bought Elite in the first place. (And Horizons.)

So I have just over 13 million CR. Not planning a huge trip yet, just a 500-1000ly wander to "get my eye in". So. Which ship? I can see pros and cons but have no experience, which is where you lot come in.

I can see two real choices -

Asp Scout (fantastic views for sightseeing, way quicker scooping, cost is 10.4 million, sloooow, have to scoop more often)
Diamondback Explorer (fairly quick, 11.8 million, sturdier than the Asp, ages to scoop, runs nice and cool, but views are like sitting in a crane or helicopter or something)

Of course a massive thing is jump range - the loadout I've done on Coriolis give me 30.87 (28.87) for the Asp, but 35.77 (33.17) for the DBX.

So which is best? I'm in no particular hurry, I'm not going too far - YET! - but I want to spend my dough on something I can stick with for awhile and might be good enough for longer trips to nebulae and so on.

Opinions massively appreciated. Go!

 

[Alex Brentnall]

Cobra is great, good range, decent internals etc.
Cobra IV if you have it makes a decent explorer too.
Type 6 is also very nice.

There is no "Best explorer" but depending on what you want to do some are easier to work than others.

Edit in progress with further thoughts:
If you wish to land on planets I'd advise the T6 as it has a good number of spare internals for SRV's etc
http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_6_transporter/02A4D4A2D1D2D4C--0202-380u0pv4432i2f.AwRj41mig===.Aw1-kA==

Both the Asp and Diamondback are also very valid.

Basically all you really need is the 2 scanners, a fuel scoop, 1 or 2 AFMU's.
For landing add in Shield and Hanger bay.
If you can fit those just D rate everything on the left apart from powerplant and FSD which you want A grade.

Any ship can explore provided you have the internal capacity to satisfy your needs. Higher jump ranges make it quicker to get to targets such as nebula etc.. Better manoeuvrability gives faster planet scanning in supercruise. Besides those 3 all ships are identical except for the view

 

[Flash_Baggins]

AspX is the best all round explorer for a good price- If you want a high jump range with landing abilities then The Asp is the way to go- need about 20million for a good build though. Id recommend getting the Alioth permit, there is an Asp there with a 20% discount and then outfitting it in LYR space for the 15% module discount:
My build: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70g,,2-3I8S7_6u5K8S8I,52M1LU0Ko05U7Q42jw2UI , less with 15% discount so you should be able to afford it

But thats for long range exploring, a DBX is my favourite for short range : http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70i,,2-3I6u7_5K5K5K8I,4_w1LU7Q42jw2UI

 

[popuptoaster]

Use a hauler, get advanced discovery scanner, surface scanner largest fuel scoop and FSD you can and get the weight down as low as possible.

you really don't need anything flash to go exploring to start with.

 

[Whitmann]

Use a hauler, get advanced discovery scanner, surface scanner largest fuel scoop and FSD you can and get the weight down as low as possible.

you really don't need anything flash to go exploring to start with.

Sure, and I welcome your opinion - but I'm in it for the views - the hauler's is not so good. That on its own is enough for me to dismiss it.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

AspX is the best all round explorer for a good price- If you want a high jump range with landing abilities then The Asp is the way to go- need about 20million for a good build though. Id recommend getting the Alioth permit, there is an Asp there with a 20% discount and then outfitting it in LYR space for the 15% module discount:
My build: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70g,,2-3I8S7_6u5K8S8I,52M1LU0Ko05U7Q42jw2UI , less with 15% discount so you should be able to afford it

But thats for long range exploring, a DBX is my favourite for short range : http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70i,,2-3I6u7_5K5K5K8I,4_w1LU7Q42jw2UI

Yeah, I'm going to get an Asp X further down the line. Thanks for the build - just like the one I did on Coriolis [cool]
So you'd recommend the DBX, cool. Can it go a long way without having to scoop?

 

[popuptoaster]

Sure, and I welcome your opinion - but I'm in it for the views - the hauler's is not so good. That on its own is enough for me to dismiss it.

That's what the debug camera is for, you can get uninterrupted views from any ship now by activating the external camera drone.

 

[Jackie Silver]

If you build up a little Imperial rank, the Courier has a good jump range and excellent view from the cockpit.

 

[Whitmann]

That's what the debug camera is for, you can get uninterrupted views from any ship now by activating the external camera drone.

Ok, then having just looked at the Hauler I'll say there aren't enough compartments for what I want to take. But ta for the tip.

 

[Brother Sabathius]

With that budget, a T6 fitted like this can't be beaten IMO:
http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_6_tr...2D4C-----38030dv4432i2f.AwRj41mig===.Aw1-kA==

The Diamondback has a slower scoop, but runs cooler. Its drawback is that if you want to land, you can't have an AFMU. Longer range though.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondback_explorer/02A4D5A3D3D3D5C-------32v4432i2f.AwRj4yKA.Aw1-kA==

Note that I have a small A class AFMU in the T6. Since you can easily refill them with materials, there is no need to take a big one any more unless you aren't taking an SRV.

On a short trip an AFMU is not essential.

 

[Whitmann]

With that budget, a T6 fitted like this can't be beaten IMO:
http://coriolis.io/outfit/type_6_tr...2D4C-----38030dv4432i2f.AwRj41mig===.Aw1-kA==

The Diamondback has a slower scoop, but runs cooler. Its drawback is that if you want to land, you can't have an AFMU. Longer range though.
http://coriolis.io/outfit/diamondback_explorer/02A4D5A3D3D3D5C-------32v4432i2f.AwRj4yKA.Aw1-kA==

Note that I have a small A class AFMU in the T6. Since you can easily refill them with materials, there is no need to take a big one any more unless you aren't taking an SRV.

On a short trip an AFMU is not essential.

On my first trip I'll be landing but perhaps not taking the SRV [noob]

 

[Flash_Baggins]

Yeah, I'm going to get an Asp X further down the line. Thanks for the build - just like the one I did on Coriolis [cool]
So you'd recommend the DBX, cool. Can it go a long way without having to scoop?

I did a lot of exploring in the DBX before horizons- thoroughly enjoy it
If you will be landing, I recommend taking the srv instead of an afmu like in my design. You can easily avoid heat damage in a dbx, it runs so cool (cooler than an Asp, with an a class powerplant I highly doubt you will ever take heat damage) but like I said before, the DBX is not too good to fly very far compared to the Asp or the Anaconda (but still a lot better than other ships )

It can go about 10-15 jumps from what I remember (havent flown one since I got my Asp last summer), but a lot further if you scoop a little at every star, meaning you wont have to stop so often

 

[newman1702]

Given your budget and desire for good cockpit visibility, I suggest getting a Type 6 fitted with ADS, DSS and the best scoop you can fit on it. Go exploring for a few weeks or a month and don't skip hmc's that could be TC's (you'll soon get a feel for the terraformable zones of different star types). Come back, sell the data at 78 Ursae Majoris, which should get you allied with the Alioth Independents faction. Visit the bulletin board when you're allied with them and there should be a mission there that gives you the Alioth system permit. Go there, dock, buy an Asp Explorer at 20% off. Congrats, you're now the proud owner of one of the best exploration ships in the game and your rebuy value on it is permanently 20% lower for the hull price (I suggest outfitting her at a system under LYR control like Diaguandri for a 15% discount on all modules, will make a massive difference for that 6A scoop especially, and keep your rebuy lower).

Since you are so big on cockpit visibility, the Asp Explorer is probably your end game exploration ship here, and she can be acquired after one decent trip if you do it right.

 

[goemon]

you are planning a short trip, and that is a wise choice.

for such a "short" trip ship choice isn't as crucial as if you plan on spending month in your ship.

i started exploring in an adder and earned my exploration aspE with it... talk about view

- i personally love the look and feel of a DBE. on a total of 2500 ly you'll scoop maybe 80 times; the difference will be minor. i use my exploration DBE for that kind of trips - for longer trips using an anaconda.

- without landing i did a lot of smaller tours around the bubble in a DBS - great supercruise handling!

- for the money of a tricked out DBE you'll get a non-maxed out AspE which will outperform your DBE

- t6 is very much underestimated. on buckyball races it beats the DBE by far - because it fuelscoops so much better.

tl;dr: fly any ship you enjoy flying for exploration, because you'll spend a lot of time in it. use short trips either to fly an unusual build, or as a test for your explorer build.

enjoy!

 

[marx]

Since you're not planning on going far yet (a good choice), I'd say that your jump range is not really a factor. Sure, having a bigger range is more comfortable, but within 500-1000 ly nearly anything will do. Even if you fly up/down from the galactic plane.
Having a bigger jump range means that you can traverse regions where stars are more sparse (for which you'll have to travel farther), and you can get from A to B faster. If you're not in a hurry, then that doesn't mean much.

On the other hand, having a cockpit view that you like is actually quite important in my experience, especially if you're staying out there long.
So, if you like the Asp Scout's view better, go for it. It has the same cockpit view as the Asp Explorer anyway, which you'll likely want to stick with. Especially after the 2.1 update goes live.

 

[Whitmann]

Thanks everyone; there's some terrific insight to mull over. I think on reflection it's going to be the Asp Scout - as like some have said on a shorter explore, jump range isn't critical, and neither will speed particularly. Carrying what I need and good windows are the main criteria, after that, as long as I can escape interdiction on my way back I'll be happy. And ultimately that's the main thing innit - if I'm out there in a DBX, never mind its speed and cool running, if the windows are bugging me whenever I'm looking at the wonders of the galaxy it will not be such a fun experience.

 

[Cdr Voorheez]

I have explored in the following:

Cobra MKIII
Type 6
DBE
Asp(E)
Anaconda (current explorer)

No one exploration ship can be categorically termed as 'the best', that is true of all the ships I have explored in and has already been eloquently discussed here so I won't repeat already sound advice.
Personally though In answer to your question I will say that the 'best' explorer ship in the above list was DBE up to the 12mil budget range. Once you have the cash for an Asp(E) (approx 17 mil) the difference in exploring potential between the uber expensive Conda and the uber efficient Asp(E) is in module space and range.
Cobra MKIII is ok but has limited range and limited cockpit visibility.
Type 6 is great for its price, good range great visibility and with a cult following. Sadly it's got the flammability factor of a bale of hay soaked in petrol with a ton of fireworks strapped to it sitting in the Mediterranean sunshine gently cooking.
I am exploring in the Conda at the minute and I personally love it. To me it is the zenith of my exploring efforts and is also in my opinion the alpha explorer (currently) in game. However that doesn't really answer your original question as its a bit out of your budget at the moment.

Conclusion: Explore in a DBE or a Type 6. Save for an Asp(E) and fall in love with it. Asp(E) will serve your exploring needs forever, or until you have the cash to buy an Anaconda.

 

[Jaredd]

Just thought I would add to the discussion: after doing the 65k ly to beagle point and back, I hardly needed to use the AFMU at all, in-fact it was not really needed at all as my important modules always stayed above 90% and I repaired just for the hell of it!

I have grown to love my AspE but on my next trip, maybe if I go to crab nebulae I am considering the DBE as I love the look of that little ship. Just tested the Anaconda for first time (in beta), I dunno, it is too large, slow and OP so I did not enjoy flying that, I like small agile ships with great views to enjoy exploration in.

For your budget, DBE or a Type 6 I think.

 

[Whitmann]

Again, thanks

One last thing - would I be better off finding somewhere in Li Yong Rui territory to buy and outfit an Asp Scout? Anyone know an appropriate spaceport for this (assuming the 15% outfitting discount in LYR systems is still active)?

 

[newman1702]

Again, thanks

One last thing - would I be better off finding somewhere in Li Yong Rui territory to buy and outfit an Asp Scout? Anyone know an appropriate spaceport for this (assuming the 15% outfitting discount in LYR systems is still active)?

The discount is indeed active, and yes, I think it's worth getting. Goldstein Port at the Lembava system should have the Asp scout and most, if not all modules you need. If you're missing a module or two there, Ray Gateway at Diaguandri is very, very close to that system and I managed to completely outfit my exploration conda there, so there's a good chance you'll find everything you want between those two ports.

 

[Brother Sabathius]

Oh yes, definately buy and outfit in LYR territory. I always will now.

If it's your first time out, you might be interested in the Crab Nebula Expedition. There's a couple of hundred signed up so far, the same idea as Distant Worlds, but nowhere near as far to go. It's a perfect trip for a first-timer. They are having a warm-up trip that sets off within the next two weeks.

Asp Scout build:
http://coriolis.io/outfit/asp_scout/02A4D4A3D3D4D4C------32v6432i2f.AwRj4zyA.Aw19kA==

I'd take an SRV, they're great fun at meetups