Newcomer / Intro Overheating / Burning Up when Attempting Supercruise

kronovan · May 4, 2017

Well I read the accompanying ED manual cover -to- cover as well as a few fan-made guides, but I can't seem to find a way not to end up a smoking hulk when supercruising near any sun. What I've been doing is hyperjumping to a system and upon entry ensuring I'm immediately headed away from the sun, then go to supercruise. I have confirmed these things; made sure silent mode (non-venting of heat) isn't enabled and that I'm not mass locked by the sun and heading away from it. I've been able to master docking, repair and upgrade of my ship and successfully perform some missions, but the ongoing overheating is stopping me dead in my tracks; actually at $35k and penniless rank. It was killing my enjoyment of the game that I had to take a week off due to the frustration, but I'm ready to plunge in again.

If it matters, I'm using the default Sidewinder and the only upgrade I've purchased and fitted is a fuel scoop. Tried fuel-scooping once, but right after the computer acknowledged I'd got my fill, I burned up.

I'm sure it's something simple I've overlooked since everyone else seems to do it without problems, but I'm just not sure where I'm going wrong.

Yaffle · May 4, 2017

You should be in supercruise automatically when you exit hyperspace.

Just point the nose so you're well clear of the star's horizon (I think there's a HUD guide you can aim above) and you should be good to go. Watch the temperature, if it's too hot pull away more.

It may be you're dropping from SC into normal space, and then cooking as you're getting star heat and FSD heat.

the100thmonkey · May 4, 2017

Fuel scooping is best done as an orbit, rather than diving in. You should also know that scooping causes the ship to heat up, but if you kill your speed so that you're moving at 30KM/S when the scoop is about 75-85% of the fill rate, the heating is dramatically slowed.

As for overheating on entering supercruise, your problem is that you're dropping out of supercruise. Set your throttle to zero as the hyperspace countdown starts, and when you arrive immediately turn your ship away from the star without dropping to normal space. Then set your throttle to 100% and cruise away.

kronovan · May 4, 2017

Yep, for a while I was making the mistake of dropping out of supercruise when 1st entering a system and then trying to reengage it with the FSD. The last few times I played though, I was getting heat/FSD warninge even when staying in SC and ensuring the HUD was pointed the way you mentioned. It's as if I was getting FSD / overheating failures even though the conditions for them to occur didn't seem to be present? Whenever I received such an error and dropped out of SC my ship would cool down, but reengaging it would start a new overheat cycle and an eventual complete system failure and ship destruction.

the100thmonkey · May 4, 2017

Is it possible for you to post a video of this happening?

From what you say, it shouldn't happen, but it seems it is.

Strangepork · May 4, 2017

kronovan said:
Well I read the accompanying ED manual cover -to- cover as well as a few fan-made guides, but I can't seem to find a way not to end up a smoking hulk when supercruising near any sun. What I've been doing is hyperjumping to a system and upon entry ensuring I'm immediately headed away from the sun, then go to supercruise. I have confirmed these things; made sure silent mode (non-venting of heat) isn't enabled and that I'm not mass locked by the sun and heading away from it. I've been able to master docking, repair and upgrade of my ship and successfully perform some missions, but the ongoing overheating is stopping me dead in my tracks; actually at $35k and penniless rank. It was killing my enjoyment of the game that I had to take a week off due to the frustration, but I'm ready to plunge in again.

If it matters, I'm using the default Sidewinder and the only upgrade I've purchased and fitted is a fuel scoop. Tried fuel-scooping once, but right after the computer acknowledged I'd got my fill, I burned up. I'm sure it's something simple I've overlooked since everyone else seems to do it without problems, but I'm just not sure where I'm going wrong.

Thing is, if you have a rubbish net connection, your heat rises as your client tries to continually connect. It's not quite right. Occasionally I have to boot the process rather that gather extreme heat because of a poor Internet connection. I guess as they develop the game, they are in an ideal net framework. They might consider developing the game at some stage in non ideal network circumstances...

Para Handy · May 4, 2017

You are overheating because you are fuel scooping. period

You need to travel slower and not so close whilst fuel scooping - watch the temperature in the fuel scooping gauge in the HUD - as it gets to 70%, nose away from the star and slow down. You should try to scoop at about 0.12c to 0.18c max and learn where the "sweet spot" is for your ship and fuel-scoop combination (it varies) both in terms of speed but also in where to hold the star's yellow exclusion-line in your view.

Always set your throttle to zero when you make a h-jump so that you arrive at the destination star with no speed (or the minimum of 30m/s) - your fuel scoop won't kick in until you manoeuvre from there.

the100thmonkey · May 4, 2017

john willi said:
Thing is, if you have a rubbish net connection, your heat rises as your client tries to continually connect. It's not quite right. Occasionally I have to boot the process rather that gather extreme heat because of a poor Internet connection. I guess as they develop the game, they are in an ideal net framework. They might consider developing the game at some stage in non ideal network circumstances...

That problem only manifests in transtions between instances.

If you don't drop out of supercruise, it doesn't happen because you haven't switched instances.

kronovan · May 4, 2017

Many thanks for the replies everyone. In my last play sessions I was receiving the overheating even when I stayed in SC and wasn't attempting to scoop fuel. All the while ensuring my ship was pointed at a safe angle away from the sun and that I was keeping midpoint or lower in the blue for SC speed. I'm not sure how to create and share a video, but I'm all ears for anyone that can suggest a way or point me to a good resource or youtube. I do have FRAPS (which I believe can record game video) and a dropbox account.

Intermittent or weak Internet connection may be a problem, because my gaming PC has a wireless NIC and it's 30 ft or more away from the router. I have received connection errors during play and now that I think of it, I didn't seem to have this overheating occur when I was playing in offline mode.

Rustnsawdust · May 4, 2017

A couple of things. If you haven't already, set a key binding for zero-throttle. After you hyperjump (while you're in witchspace) hit that key. When you arrive at your destination star you'll automatically drop to 30km/s (effectively at a standstill), which will stop you getting too close to the star.

If you need to fuel scoop, do it so the star itself is just offscreen and you can only see the outer edge of the corona. Your temperature will rise anyway as you scoop, but if you manage your orbit it shouldn't get above 60-65%.

And always watch your temperature and make sure it's less than 40% before you activate your FSD, which generates enormous amounts of heat itself. The only trouble I've ever had with heat damage has been when I've tried to hyperjump too soon and/or too close to a star.

Hope that helps

Maymo · May 4, 2017

My bet is that OP is in a Sidewinder hull with that "emergency" cheapo fuel scoop. That thing is more of a liability than an aid...

OP should simply focus on other upgrades for the Sidewinder, an improved FSD will get you to your target destinations without needing to scoop, just re-fuel at stations as you play. An improved power plant will reduce the heat build up and allow for longer scooping, as it stands the poor heat efficiency of the stock Sidewinder combined with that god awful scoop is likely to be your problem.... not your actual scooping technique.

Rob_the_Sparky · May 5, 2017

I think you are going to have to figure this out but here are the heat sources:
.
1) the sun(!) if you are too close then you will get too hot
2) FSD, it generates a huge amount of heat so if you are not cool when you start then you can over heat
3) Power supply rating. Higher rated power supplies (A being the best) dump heat much better than lower rated ones (E being the worst). Get this wrong and your ship will overheat much more easily
4) Module power consumption. More power consumed = more heat generated
5) ship type. I have found some ships are much more prone to over heating that others
.
Most likely I think is that you have a ship build that is running hot making you prone to over heating and you are then engaging FSD while you are too close to the sun. It is easy to cook some ships like this.