Probe idea. Unlimited with drawbacks.

[Lestat]

Ok. My idea is you can have 250 probes already made. When you use a probe it takes 5 minutes to have a new probe made. That the Unlimited part. Now if your Surface scanner is in a larger Module slot up to 5. you can have up to 1,250 already made probes. This would work for non-Horizon players or Horizon player.

Now You can bypass the 5-minute timer by using common materials. When you run out of 250 probes it will automatically refill up to 150 times if your common materials resource is full. So you can have 37,500 probes.

Or an added idea. Any unclaimed module space could be used for Probe storage but Weight might be a factor.

Supercruise speed affect the time at how fast Probes are made.

Galactic arms and the core of the galaxy would have more dust than the certain area. So the probes would be made faster than outer rims.

(Note the number of ammo Probes listed is a general idea Frontier could change the amount)

 

[Weps]

I like the idea of buffered probes. Practically infinite, but you prevent spamming.

Even if they forgo synthesis altogether on account of dev time, the buffering is still a great mechanic on it's own.

 

[Lestat]

I like the idea of buffered probes. Practically infinite, but you prevent spamming.

Even if they forgo synthesis altogether on account of dev time, the buffering is still a great mechanic on it's own.

That what I thinking. I don't want a player to spam probes on the surface of a planet I want that skill factor.

 

[CMDR MICHAEL AAGAARD]

I like the idea of buffered probes. Practically infinite, but you prevent spamming.

Even if they forgo synthesis altogether on account of dev time, the buffering is still a great mechanic on it's own.

That what I thinking. I don't want a player to spam probes on the surface of a planet I want that skill factor.

FDev said on the stream that there would be a limit on how many probes you could spam in rapid succession. (Starts out a 3 and can be increased with the use of engineers)

 

[Weps]

FDev said on the stream that there would be a limit on how many probes you could spam in rapid succession. (Starts out a 3 and can be increased with the use of engineers)

Was watching the stream again (for other reasons) and I realized just this: the mechanic is already there. Except it's tuned to a different effect.

There seems to be a probe clip which holds 3 rounds, you fire one probe and it literally takes 3 seconds (time it if you don't believe me) to rearm. You can spam your initial probes, then keep firing one every 3 seconds, which is still spamming in my book.

Instead, why not rework the current mechanic numbers to match the proposal from this thread?

First of all, increase the clip size substantially, for example to 30. This is now your existing probe pool. Then increase the clip rearm time to 1 minute, this is now the probe synthesis / 3D printing / assembly / magical creation mechanic. I don't know how fast players will be able to fully map a planet and then fly to the next one, but if they do it at an average rate of 6 minutes per planet, and assuming they will try to stay within the "6 probes per planet" target, they can essentially map continuously forever, without worrying about running out of probes. But if they spam 30 probes at a single planet for lulz, then they have to wait 30 minutes before they can map again.

The numbers above are of course right from the top of my head, but since FDEV have said they analyzed how players explore and they certainly have these statistics, they can also tweak the probe numbers (for example maybe not 1 minute refresh, maybe 45 seconds).

PS: This is essentially exactly like the OP proposal but with smaller numbers because I thought that you might need to have smaller numbers to somehow fit the clip graphic (which you would need to redesign from the current "3 vertical bars") but now I just realized that in the end it doesn't matter, you could just have the 250 or the 1250 indicator as a number on the HUD just as well.... In the end all that matters is to find balance between the probe refresh rate and how fast players are able to map, and the clip / module ammo size can be higher or lower depending if you make the statistic over a longer or shorter period of time.

 

[RamirezKurita]

Quite like this idea, using a limited probe pool combined with a slow regeneration. This would reward both exploring systems to make the most of the down-time during probe generation as well as giving more module flexibility to explorers as they can opt into the larger DSSs to improve their scanning efficiency and giving exploration the scaling that it so desperately needs.

The one suggestion I would make would be for the scanners' reserves to follow the proper exponential scaling rather than the rather odd linear scaling. Give the scanner a basic magazine of 20 probes with an 8 minute regen period per probe (so an inefficient method, but enough to give prospective explorers a taste of what exploration is about) with the regen rate and probe capacity doubling with every classification increase, so a class 2 DSS would have 40 probes with a 4 minute regen, a class 3 would have 80 probes in reserve with a 2 minute regen, all the way up to a class 7 which would have 1280 probes in reserve with a 7.5 second reload period (I'd suspect that having a class 8 would be completely pointless concept, as actually using a probe every 3.75 seconds isn't likely unless you are truly terrible at using them efficiently).

 

[Lestat]

I have been tweaking the idea. Added Galatic dust could affect the speed of probes being made. So the centre of the galaxy and Arms of the galaxy you would be able to make probes faster.

 

[EWanderer]

Okay. Okay. No. What is the problem with unlimited probes? I mean yeah it isn't realisitc, but it is a game. There is already a skill factor for you, its called efficency target, so it is like planet golf.

Another big reason is that for Non-Horizon Players gathering materials is currently a , as asteriods have a really low chance of containing materials and it would require them to have a survery drone on hand. <- This is probably the main reason to remove synthesis in the first place.

Probing is mostly for explorers to get the location of stuff on the surface, since we know it is there. Most of the credits will probably be still locked in first scan. So if you take this feature away, you will only slow down progress of locating things, which will feel frustrating.

It is one of the few times FDev listend to their players, as we rose those concern in the first place and I just wish, you could all wait with your critizm until you held at least the beta in your hands and got a feel for the new exploration flow. Thank you.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I kinda have to disagree.

I actually want to spam probes and see how quickly and accurately I can map a planet. I'd imagine that being kinda fun.
I can pretend I'm going all Judgment Day on the surface... Lol

So while I support infinite probes at the moment, I guess I'd actually like a much larger "clip size".

But I'll wait and see how it feels on beta or live, before suggesting changes.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[AdmiralXanos]

Quite like this idea, using a limited probe pool combined with a slow regeneration. This would reward both exploring systems to make the most of the down-time during probe generation as well as giving more module flexibility to explorers as they can opt into the larger DSSs to improve their scanning efficiency and giving exploration the scaling that it so desperately needs.

The one suggestion I would make would be for the scanners' reserves to follow the proper exponential scaling rather than the rather odd linear scaling. Give the scanner a basic magazine of 20 probes with an 8 minute regen period per probe (so an inefficient method, but enough to give prospective explorers a taste of what exploration is about) with the regen rate and probe capacity doubling with every classification increase, so a class 2 DSS would have 40 probes with a 4 minute regen, a class 3 would have 80 probes in reserve with a 2 minute regen, all the way up to a class 7 which would have 1280 probes in reserve with a 7.5 second reload period (I'd suspect that having a class 8 would be completely pointless concept, as actually using a probe every 3.75 seconds isn't likely unless you are truly terrible at using them efficiently).

Great idea, but instead of module size have it based on grade:

Basic = 20 probes & 8 minute regen (160min from empty to full)
Intermediate = 30 probes & 4 minute regen (120min)
Advanced= 40 probes & 2 minute regen (80min)

This would effectively make the basic only good at mapping moons and small planets. Intermediate could excel at larger planets. With the advanced allowing an expert pilot to map a system without slowing down. The regen timing and clip size discourages just wildly shooting probes unless you're just trying to map a single planet for something like mission locations.

 

[Lestat]

Well, my idea uses one of the elite dangerous stellar forge interview On the website Space website.

When David Braben talks about dust.

Braben: The night sky […] just looked way too bright. And so we then added more and more dust with a distribution where it was quite concentrated on the galactic plane, like a glorified planetary ring. If you look at the Milky Way in the night sky, particularly [the constellation] Sagittarius, you can actually see that the middle section is dimmer than the outer, bright section. You need such a lot of dust to absorb, or reflect, that amount of light. So we've added all that dust. And that's proper empirical science in the sense that we're getting it to match the sky.

If my idea use. Probes could be made LS+Dust density= How fast the probes are made. With the option to make your own probes if it takes to long.

 

[Mazelinho]

When I heard about unlimited probes in the live stream I thought this isn't good. After some thinking "unlimited" is too unspecific to be a useful term in game context, because essentially every restockable item in Elite is unlimited.

• Fuel is unlimited: It is restocked at stations or scooped from an appropiate star.
• Ammunition is unlimited: Restocked at stations or syntheized.
• Materials for synthesis are unlimited: They are collected from planet surfaces / USS / remains of destroyed ships which spawn infinitely.
• etc..

So a better question for probes would be: How and how fast can you restock mapping probes? I got the impression from the livestream the answer is not fully decided yet.

My idea is something like this: There is a limited pool of mapping probes that can be (almost) simultaneously fired, enough to probe big planets within the efficiency target + some slack. This pool regenerates over time, fast enough that it is restocked after supercruising to the next body, but slow enough so one has to wait an inconvenient time before continueing mapping a planet after mindlessly spamming probes. Avoiding this inconvenient wait is another (main?) incentive to stay within the efficiency target.

I'm someone that doesn't like mechanics that conjure something (probes) out of nothing. So if some kind of resource management around probes makes it into the final game I'm all for it.[heart]

 

[EWanderer]

When I heard about unlimited probes in the live stream I thought this isn't good. After some thinking "unlimited" is too unspecific to be a useful term in game context, because essentially every restockable item in Elite is unlimited.

• Fuel is unlimited: It is restocked at stations or scooped from an appropiate star.
• Ammunition is unlimited: Restocked at stations or syntheized.
• Materials for synthesis are unlimited: They are collected from planet surfaces / USS / remains of destroyed ships which spawn infinitely.
• etc..

So a better question for probes would be: How and how fast can you restock mapping probes? I got the impression from the livestream the answer is not fully decided yet.

My idea is something like this: There is a limited pool of mapping probes that can be (almost) simultaneously fired, enough to probe big planets within the efficiency target + some slack. This pool regenerates over time, fast enough that it is restocked after supercruising to the next body, but slow enough so one has to wait an inconvenient time before continueing mapping a planet after mindlessly spamming probes. Avoiding this inconvenient wait is another (main?) incentive to stay within the efficiency target.

I'm someone that doesn't like mechanics that conjure something (probes) out of nothing. So if some kind of resource management around probes makes it into the final game I'm all for it.[heart]

Their decision is, although only X number of probes can be active at the same time (engineering might raise that limit), you never need to restock them or synthesis them. Which is alrigth in my books for all the reasons I listed earlier.

 

[Wrecked]

Ok. My idea is you can have 250 probes already made. When you use a probe it takes 5 minutes to have a new probe made. That the Unlimited part. Now if your Surface scanner is in a larger Module slot up to 5. you can have up to 1,250 already made probes. This would work for non-Horizon players or Horizon player.

Now You can bypass the 5-minute timer by using common materials. When you run out of 250 probes it will automatically refill up to 150 times if your common materials resource is full. So you can have 37,500 probes.

Or an added idea. Any unclaimed module space could be used for Probe storage but Weight might be a factor.

Supercruise speed affect the time at how fast Probes are made.

Galactic arms and the core of the galaxy would have more dust than the certain area. So the probes would be made faster than outer rims.

(Note the number of ammo Probes listed is a general idea Frontier could change the amount)

Great Idea! Let's add more reasons to GRIND for materials... No, just stop.

 

[Jaylem]

I saw your link on another post, and thought I'd give it a look

I do like the challenge this idea inspires, however I think the general population is a little touchy when it comes to the whole material aspect. I am one of those despite squirreling away all my materials like an OCD hoarder

However, a nice twist on your idea would be to have a range of probes available in the synthesis menu that comply with your suggestion. Instead of crafting the ammo (only to be lost when you reload at the station.... I will rant about that some other day) you can select an ammo type, basic (current unlimited spammy version ) advanced (bigger scan radius, however must regenerate like you suggested, has an ammo limit that required materials to reload) Premium (like advanced, it will reveal a much larger area, however it will take significantly longer to regenerate, has limited ammo, and requires more expensive materials to craft) this way EVERYONE wins!!!


The idea is you select an ammo type, it will auto load, if you want to bypass then you have to craft out of materials. the basic version remains unaltered.