Possible way to make exploring in wings beneficial and awesome

[Imgran]

I made a suggestion in a general discussion thread that I really want to signal boost here if I can

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ship-from-FD?p=6305431&viewfull=1#post6305431

The gist of the proposal is to expand exploration features until no one ship can do everything. Split the detailed surface scanner into 5 distinct scanners and slide them over to the utility slot. The 5 different scanners would measure the temperature, chemical, gravity, atmosphere and mineral properties of the scanned body.

Add modules for processing and refining data, and for transmitting data to UC, to replace the internal module. With the ability to send data home remotely, some explorers would never visit a station again.

The idea is to create enough diversity in exploration options that one ship can't do everything, and thus, exploration wings would be required to captute all the available data.

My ideal goal would be enough roles for a 4 man wing to each have a job to do, but 2-3 big ships could also split the roles between them well enough.

The 4 man band setup would be 1 scout, to jump into new systems and identify interesting ones worth scanning, 2 ships that between them had the full suite of scanners, to work together to scan each system found by the scout, and 1 server ship with the processors and transmission infrastructure to send the collected data home. Everyone split the credits for exploration data equally since everyone played a role in getting it to UC.

Obviously, 2 Anacondas could probably also mount all this equipment -- which is fine. Versatility is the hallmark of the large science vessel, and while I want to create roles for multiple different explorer classes, roping people into exactly one way of doing things wouldn't end well for anyone.

Just as obviously, solo exploration would seem to suffer, but it would still be possible, especially with a large ship. You wouldn't be able to do everything yourself, but you ought to be able to do enough to cash in pretty well when you get home, so that's cool. Come back with mineral and temperature scans on a whole range of systems and planets and even if you don't have the last word on each planet, you have data worth paying for, so it's all good.

Anyway, thoughts?

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

Exploration isn't about the credits, it's about going to new places and seeing new things.

Right now you can explore in any ship you like, from a Sidey to a Cutter.
Your suggestion totally destroys that ability and forces players into cooperative play against their will.

So that's a big fat No from me.

 

[The space tyrant]

A better philosophy for a "wing mission" would be to add 4X more to do, rather than make the existing job 4X harder...

But I don't think anything hampers exploring as a wing currently. It's the one part of the game that's not about getting rich

 

[Ian Doncaster]

The gist of the proposal is to expand exploration features until no one ship can do everything.

I think this is an excellent idea - obviously it benefits wings, but it also means that someone can have a good time exploring by returning to the same system over and over to look for different things.

However, I think this has to be implemented by adding more major exploration features requiring new equipment, rather than by artificially splitting what little there currently is into five even smaller bits just to make it harder to carry.

If there were five new ways to explore a system - maybe a mineral prospecting one which required bringing mining gear, an orbital mechanics one which requires dropping probes throughout the system and leaving them for a week while they get more detail on orbits than your ADS can manage, a solar monitoring one which requires flying extremely close to the star but gives bonuses to future fuel scooping rate in the system, a lifeform analysis one where you for now deploy probes in orbit around worlds with life but in future need the "butterfly net" SRV variant, etc. etc. ... I think that's fine even if there aren't any exploration ships with 20 internals, 12 hardpoints, 10 utility mounts and a 50 LY jump range that can do everything at once, especially if the various ways of exploring work in mechanically different ways so people will have preferences over which they enjoy - and therefore equip for - just as current explorers can decide how much of a system they enjoy scanning before they move on.

If it's just breaking down the existing DSS data for the sake of it I don't see the point.

 

[Bobio]

I do like the idea of people exploring in wings, having a "scout", a "rare mineral loader" and a "techie", etc.

Providing some incentive for that, like having more exploration options/rewards in general, doesn't sound like a bad thing.

 

[Red Anders]

I made a suggestion in a general discussion thread that I really want to signal boost here if I can

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ship-from-FD?p=6305431&viewfull=1#post6305431

The gist of the proposal is to expand exploration features until no one ship can do everything. Split the detailed surface scanner into 5 distinct scanners and slide them over to the utility slot. The 5 different scanners would measure the temperature, chemical, gravity, atmosphere and mineral properties of the scanned body.

Add modules for processing and refining data, and for transmitting data to UC, to replace the internal module. With the ability to send data home remotely, some explorers would never visit a station again.

The idea is to create enough diversity in exploration options that one ship can't do everything, and thus, exploration wings would be required to captute all the available data.

My ideal goal would be enough roles for a 4 man wing to each have a job to do, but 2-3 big ships could also split the roles between them well enough.

The 4 man band setup would be 1 scout, to jump into new systems and identify interesting ones worth scanning, 2 ships that between them had the full suite of scanners, to work together to scan each system found by the scout, and 1 server ship with the processors and transmission infrastructure to send the collected data home. Everyone split the credits for exploration data equally since everyone played a role in getting it to UC.

Obviously, 2 Anacondas could probably also mount all this equipment -- which is fine. Versatility is the hallmark of the large science vessel, and while I want to create roles for multiple different explorer classes, roping people into exactly one way of doing things wouldn't end well for anyone.

Just as obviously, solo exploration would seem to suffer, but it would still be possible, especially with a large ship. You wouldn't be able to do everything yourself, but you ought to be able to do enough to cash in pretty well when you get home, so that's cool. Come back with mineral and temperature scans on a whole range of systems and planets and even if you don't have the last word on each planet, you have data worth paying for, so it's all good.

Anyway, thoughts?

I think the idea of making exploration something that requires collaborative play to fully engage with is literally the worst suggestion I have ever heard on here. Sorry, I'm sure you're not a terrible human being or anything but if you want honest feedback there it is.

I would like to see more depth to exploration gameplay as much as anybody but the idea of restricting 'full' exploration to co-op play and pretty much requiring anybody looking to do it solo to use a large ship just to partially scan a system is frankly mindblowing to me and not in the good Las Vegas way.

I'm not against more content for co-op play at all, in fact I've said before now that the game should provide it but dear God, not that.

 

[Nilt]

I think the idea of making exploration something that requires collaborative play to fully engage with is literally the worst suggestion I have ever heard on here. Sorry, I'm sure you're not a terrible human being or anything but if you want honest feedback there it is.

I couldn't possibly agree more. Enhancements all need to be able to be soloable with the exception of possibly things like WIng Missions.