Route Plotting Procedure

[Javert]

Hi all,

Never been outside the bubble much and now thinking of heading out.

Is this the correct process for route plotting:

1) Type the name of your target system.
2) Select your target system so there is a yellow arrow.
3) Click back to the system you are currently in by clicking its name.
4) Twist the Galaxy map until the yellow arrow is dead in the middle of the screen.
5) Use the W key (or whatever is bound) to go forwards until you have moved about 980LY and select any random system at that distance.

Is this the best way to plot your way along the route (although I guess if you go on a straight line you are unlikely to find any undiscovered systems)?

 

[Qohen Leth]

Open GalMap, unzoom a bit, you'll see the thousand-lightyear markers on the grid, pick a system up to 1,000ly from your location, plot to it, that's basically it (for the travel part at least). Don't bother with names unless you know exactly what system you want to go to.

Straight line is not a problem, depends which orientation. Straight line towards Colonia, less likely to find undiscovered systems, but there are so many stars quite early in the trip that you'll find them sooner than you think. To find undiscovered systems quicker, simply travel through less obvious routes (30° from the straight, up or down the plane a bit, etc.)

 

[Pinda Gupta]

Additionally, if you do decide to venture off the beaten path a bit (like Qohen suggested), then I'd recommend not plotting any random system about 1,000 light years away. Instead, turn on Non-Sequence Stars, Wolf-Rayets, White Dwarfs, Carbon Stars, and any other star type you find interesting, and see if you can find some high value systems on the way. Target these systems and plot a route there instead, and you'll be sure to hit it. Plotting routes to systems with the 1,000 light year distance will almost never place you in a high value system randomly (unless it has an Earth-like or something).

 

[iain666]

(although I guess if you go on a straight line you are unlikely to find any undiscovered systems)?

If you're heading from the bubble to a popular destination that is not too far away then that is likely true - although even then the discovered systems will start to peter out after a couple of kylies on all but the most travelled routes.

Just go perpendicular for a couple of hundred ly first and start from there and even that will largely vanish.

 

[Javert]

I probably should have mentioned this (duh!) - I am heading for Colonia to drop off leaflets for the Hutton Truckers - hence my comment about picking a particular system. I was thinking of stopping off at the intermediate stations as I found a list of them on another thread.

 

[goemon]

I probably should have mentioned this (duh!) - I am heading for Colonia to drop off leaflets for the Hutton Truckers - hence my comment about picking a particular system. I was thinking of stopping off at the intermediate stations as I found a list of them on another thread.

i recommend this tool: https://www.spansh.co.uk/

if you set efficiency to 100%, it will break down the route in 1000 ly legs.

works nicely for well known targets, so perfect in your case - if you are setting out somewhere unknown to edsm, i use a spreadsheet and some basic trigonometry to give me the next coordinates.