Newcomer / Intro Profits from exploring versus trading

FlyingBlind

F
Hey guys.
I've been looking into different ways to earn money, started as a trader then got into some fighting but really wanted to explore stuff, so today got myself a cobra with surface scanner and went to scan some systems, after about 30 minutes I scanned 2 systems with only stars and 1 with 3 stars and about 20 planets/asteroid belts. When I came to check on my profit it wasn't even 20k. That's terrible, I was making around 10k a minute when trading even killing random ships in USS and smuggling their cargo made waaaaay more money. How do I increase my profits from exploring? Afaik buying the better scanner for 1 mil or something doesn't increase my profits just makes it easier to find planets, so what am I doing wrong?
 

thorn-

thorn-
How far away from the explored system did you fly to sell the Map Data?

(Edit: 20K CR for 2 systems actually isn't terrible profit. But i've found the further i get from the explored system, the more money offered for the data.)
 
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FlyingBlind

F
I haven't gotten very far just to see how much I'll get. Maybe 20k isn't very bad but it took a loooooong time to scan this the stars were 250k ls apart and scanning each planet.. Just at first glance exploring can't even begin to compete with trading. Just doing simple math I get easily around 15 times more money per minute doing trading. I mean exploring is def more fun but not a serious way to progress.
 
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Fiddlesticks

F
thorn- said:
How far away from the explored system did you fly to sell the Map Data?

(Edit: 20K CR for 2 systems actually isn't terrible profit. But i've found the further i get from the explored system, the more money offered for the data.)
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Where you sell the data doesn't matter. The sell price remains the same.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
Fiddlesticks said:
Where you sell the data doesn't matter. The sell price remains the same.
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True for inhabited systems and those close to habitation. If you fly a long way out into deep space the returns increase.

Earth-type planets, mineral and metal rich mining areas and unusual objects are the best value. A detailed suface scanner increases the return, as well.
 
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Haggis McMoose

Haggis McMoose
Ok, I'm planning to go onto my first great exploration starting on the 25th of December... so I'm very interested in the question if the distance between a scanned system and the place you sell the data has any impact on the money you're offered...

So, Fiddlesticks and Hellhawk666, can you please elaborate? I don't think many people know these rules yet.

Haggis McMoose
Void Vanity case
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
FlyingBlind said:
Do I need any special equipment to scan asteroid belts? Cause now I use just discovery scanner and the surface one for 250k.
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You don't need anything different to do the scanning. The 3 grades of scanner just increase range for discovery (500LY, 1000LY, infinite). The detail surface scanner increases profit.

It's possible that this system might be developed more later in - there is mention of type 2 and 3 scans, but so far no clue as to what they are.
 

Fiddlesticks

F
Hellhawk666 said:
True for inhabited systems and those close to habitation. If you fly a long way out into deep space the returns increase.
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I'm sure thats true, but I'm just trying to bust the myth that if instead of selling at the first station you come across, and find a station further away, that you'll earn more. This is simply false.

Summarized:
If you wanna earn: Move deep.
When heading back: Sell at first station you come across.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
Fiddlesticks said:
If you wanna earn: Move deep.
When heading back: Sell at first station you come across.
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^^^
This, and if you want to increase rep with a major faction choose one of their stations, but the specific one does not matter. Exploration data, particularly deep-space data is also very effective at improving your standing with the controlling local faction at a station.
 

FlyingBlind

F
Also I'm having trouble docking with some of the stations I had to go back nearly all the way back to my usual trading systems. All the time every station "docking request denied" for no reason.. I tried reloging, solo nothing helps.. Are there any other reasons why I wouldn't be able to get docking permission? I'm 100% positive there was room at the station because there was barely anyone in the system and not a soul docking/leaving this station.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
FlyingBlind said:
Also I'm having trouble docking with some of the stations I had to go back nearly all the way back to my usual trading systems. All the time every station "docking request denied" for no reason.. I tried reloging, solo nothing helps.. Are there any other reasons why I wouldn't be able to get docking permission? I'm 100% positive there was room at the station because there was barely anyone in the system and not a soul docking/leaving this station.
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I've read this problem often, but never experienced it myself as a consistent issue - just once in a while and it is generally a communication problem with the server. You should be able to land anywhere in a Cobra. The only other thing that trips up new players is asking for permission too far out - but I'm guessing you know about that.
 

FlyingBlind

F
Yeah I've read most of the docking problems thread but nothing I already haven't tried on my own. Sometimes reloging helps but if it doesn;t there's nothing I can do, it's extremely frustrating, hope it gets patched soon.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
Lu Bu said:
The wiki seems to have all the profits from exploring: http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Explorer

Seems to me that exploration is probably about as boring as trading with a side of making far less money, ugh.
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I'm currently in the Statue of Liberty nebula, 6,000LY from Sol, and on my way to Eta Carina. I have some amazing screenshots, great discoveries, potentially millions in exploration data to cash in when I return, and I should jump a couple of ranks as an explorer. The ship is in good condition, but one slip of concentration when scooping could spell disaster and I loose everything. It's a mixture of meditative repetition of jumps, and edge of the seat focus.

I'm not bored :D
 

Ransurias

R
Hellhawk666 said:
I'm currently in the Statue of Liberty nebula, 6,000LY from Sol, and on my way to Eta Carina. I have some amazing screenshots, great discoveries, potentially millions in exploration data to cash in when I return, and I should jump a couple of ranks as an explorer. The ship is in good condition, but one slip of concentration when scooping could spell disaster and I loose everything. It's a mixture of meditative repetition of jumps, and edge of the seat focus.

I'm not bored :D
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You're doing something very, very wrong if you die while accidentally strafing too close to a star. You'll take some light hull damage from excess heat, but you won't blow up and die unless you're intentionally flying into the star's corona for an extended period of time like a complete imbecile.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
Ransurias said:
You're doing something very, very wrong if you die while accidentally strafing too close to a star. You'll take some light hull damage from excess heat, but you won't blow up and die unless you're intentionally flying into the star's corona for an extended period of time like a complete imbecile.
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it's not a matter of doing something wrong per se, but of face-planting during a jump after playing 9 hours straight and suddenly realizing you're flying straight into a star at full speed :p

Not so far on this trip, but it did happen once on a previous voyage. Once. That light hull damage stacks up, too - a few points here and there if you're careless. It only takes one slip-up every 100 jumps to become a concern. So far the ship is at 98% hull, and that damage was from an interdiction that happened near the start of the voyage.

There used to be the added annoyance of interdictions in deep space, but these have been removed now. I havn't seen another ship since The Coalsack.
 
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FlyingBlind

F
Besides stuff happens here. I once had like 300k in bounty to cash in and in the last USS I was scanning a trading ship turned my head for a moment to see what's going on on the other monitor and when I looked back I was just in time to see my ship crashing into random NPC blowing myself up.
 

Lu Bu

Lu Bu
Well exploration is definitely fun for explorers for sure, but I can't imagine the income be a lot more. Although, if they add in alien lifeforms or something interesting like that I might travel 40,000 lys as well! Oh man I wish I can see the Kilrathi again
 

FlyingBlind

F
I wish they added atmospheric scans where you could actually descend onto planet surface instead of scanning it in supercruise from millions of miles away but I guess that will be implemented along with the whole planet landing thingy.
 
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