Some help outfitting an Anaconda for long range exploration

[Shir]

I am currently trying to prep an Anaconda for some exploration. I 've done a couple of 5000 ly trips so far with an Asp Explorer but this is going to be my first major trip, since i recently finished the corvette grind, lots of missions, battle etc, so i would enjoy some peaceful weeks of exploring. Probably will start with Colonia and take it from there. I have all engineers unlocked and will mod all modules. Anaconda cause i enjoy the ship, fuel limpet controller cause i like the idea of being able to help someone in the middle of nowhere if it were the case.
Thats the build so far.

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/ana...eloBhBGA2KoFMCGBzANokMK6A=&bn=Explor anaconda

I am looking for suggestions on power distributor and shields, thrusters maybe? What would be enough to land on high G planets and take off? Would you say a boost in necessary, i m not really gonna use newtron stars. Not really concerned about interdictions, i can return to the bubble solo or jump away. Also would you advise taking extra AFMU instead of the extra fuel tanks?

Thanks for any help and suuggestions!

 

[GunnerBill]

I think most would tell you that you don't need any extra fuel tanks*

And you defo don't need that many HSL! Some won't take any however far they go but in an Anaconda, which ain't the most agile, I'd be inclined to take 3.

I think you'll need a better PD as you probably won't be able to boost with the one you have at the moment.

You should also take a 2D mining laser as they also weight 2T and get the job done quicker.

And yes take an extra AFMU.

Do you really need the fuel limpets, especially as you have no cargo space for them...

* When I first got he explo bug I also naturally assumed extra fuel tanks. Not required. What you need is jump range - assuming of course you going to the edge.

 

[Shir]

Thanks for the suggestions, changed the mining laser, also had forgotten the cargo space . I thought having an extra fuel tank might come in handy in case scoopable stars are far away. Can always land and replenish afmus. I guess maybe i should replace them, and also lessen the HSLs.

So build so far is, still looking to decide on smallest distributor that works, not sure about the 3d shield either

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/ana...OA2EoFMCGBzANokICMF9A===&bn=Explorer anaconda

 

[Aura Lorell]

Depends where you want to go and what you want to do. For anything over 2G you'd probably need boost but I'm not the right person to give advice on that as I always fly my exploration ships without boost. I'd change the shield to a 4D and take a G5 low power efficient shields that can yield a good mass reduction. If you want extreme range there are ways to do that (see Aurora which I am flying now). If you want to use the fighter bay to do exploration and let the NPC handle the ship, then definitely get some boost and potentially better thrusters as well as the best NPC you can get (expert?). Unless you are planning to go to top or bottom extremes, I'd drop the 64T extra fuel tank.

 

[GunnerBill]

This is where I'm at with mine. "Other builds are available" and you'll note the engineered roles are "best" so my jump range is a bit lower... and she's still kinda rigged for some cargo hauling.

https://eddp.co/u/e6Day22h

 

[Major Klutz]

This is my personal build https://eddp.co/u/YD9QzXJa

Fuel Transfer Limpet Controller? Are you a Fuel Rat? I'm not qualified to advise on fuel rat outfitting but I think the extra tanks are a waste of added weight.
You certainly don't need more than one extra small tank. You only need to transfer enough fuel to get your customer to the nearest scoopable star.

As stated above, HSLs are way too many. One is enough. I carry two since they tend to absorb heat damage first.

You don't need to keep your AFMs powered on all the time. It wastes power and generates added heat. Only power them on when you need to repair. So you can downsize your power plant and save some extra weight. Like this https://eddp.co/u/SfEZ86jA

You can boost with a 5D power distributor if you mod it with "Engine Focused". I like to have boost but you really don't need it, even on High G landings.
3D Shield is fine IMO.

Any thrusters will allow you to land on high G planets. Even 4D if you can get them fitted. See this thread for details. Or this video for a demo landing an Anaconda in 9.7G with 5D thrusters.
The gist of it is that even just 1.2G exceeds the acceleration of even 7A vertical thrusters on an Anaconda.
You shouldn't be able to take off in that gravity, but the game overcharges vertical and aft thrusters so they can always exceed the local gravity by at least 5m/s, no matter the thrusters or the local gravity.
So over 1.2G, 7A thrusters and 4D thrusters will both give you the same 5m/s of acceleration against gravity.

 

[Jezzah]

There are some good ideas there Klutz that I hadnt considered. Lost my way a bit with my exploraconda build since starting on the path to unlock palin. Now that path is over at last ill redress some of my silliness and fit something similar to you. Need to get on my way to something or other and see what's round about.

 

[Shir]

2A power plant is sufficient, but when things start to deteriorate you cannot repair the power plant, so isn't it better to get something like a 3A or 4A, to also afford you grade 5 low emissions mod for easier scooping?

 

[khaos526]

Yes, no need for fuel limpets or the extra fuel tanks. There are rare areas that have limited scoopable stars, but even in those areas, you can usually find a route through the dead zone...

 

[Codger]

Well, everyone's a bit different in what they want to take. This is the build I used when I went out to visit the Zurara and the Formidine Rift area.

https://eddp.co/u/gSbmX43c

No extra fuel tanks, they just reduce jump range. Not sure why you need so many heat sinks, either. I didn't even use the ones I brought with me.

Anyway, the build I used had no issues and was quite fun to fly (no heat issues or anything). I didn't land on any high-G planets, but I'm sure I could have done so. My 7D thrusters modded with G5 dirty drives actually perform about the same as 7As with G1 dirty drive mod.

Food for thought, anyway, right?

 

[Major Klutz]

2A power plant is sufficient, but when things start to deteriorate you cannot repair the power plant, so isn't it better to get something like a 3A or 4A, to also afford you grade 5 low emissions mod for easier scooping?

Power output is not reduced by damage so I don't see an advantage to taking a larger one just in case it takes any damage.
Although a larger one might have more overall durability, I consider the lower weight to be more of an advantage.

Low Emissions, in my experience, doesn't help fuel scooping or have a significant effect on idle heat. I usually only apply a grade 1 low emissions on the off chance that I get a secondary weight reduction or a slight power boost.
AFAIK, Heat output is primarily about how much power you are using. The less you use, the cooler you run. Any mod that reduces power use, such as Enhanced Low Power mod on shields will help more than low emissions on the PP.

Side note also, It's been determined through testing that clean drive tuning mod on thrusters actually increases heat output since it increases power use.
I didn't know this before I left the bubble. My primary purpose for clean drive tuning is the added speed but it turns out that dirty tuning is more efficient since you get more speed for the same or less power use.

In any case an Anaconda is very heat efficient and can sit at max scooping range indefinitely without overheating. Even without any mods.

 

[gooddoc]

My 40LY 'conda is returning back to the bubble, after a brief stay at Colonia, from a trek out to Beagle Point. It passed through the Abyss with ease at a random point I chose. The jump range served me well, though I would look at increasing it further should I want to visit sparser regions of space than a trip to BP.

I only fit 1 fuel tank & never ever had ANY Heat Sinks fitted to any of my ships since day 1 of ED, Iv only had overheating a few times on the trip, more so when not paying attention when scooping. The 2 AMFU's I always carry outside the bubble take care of those issues.
I do have Hull Reinforcement & 3 Shield Booster's fitted - just in case. Also carrying a fighter module (in case those 'goids start spawning!) & a SRV module for mat collection.

Although improvements could always be made, it's each to their own with a bit of trial & error thrown in.

 

[Aura Lorell]

2A power plant is sufficient, but when things start to deteriorate you cannot repair the power plant, so isn't it better to get something like a 3A or 4A, to also afford you grade 5 low emissions mod for easier scooping?

As someone else said, the power output does not deteriorate with damage. Also damage does not happen unless you crash onto a star or a planet from supercruise. Even then it's a couple of percent.

I have a G1 overcharge on my power plant and that's enough to get me running. Even though the overcharge is not heat efficient the difference is not observable. I sit happily at max fuel scoop range at around 62% heat, indefinitely. In supercruise (away from a star) my heat is 18% on max speed and 16% on min speed.

I also run a G5 clean drive tuning but I have not observed any adverse effects. I know people love their numbers and perhaps clean drive tuning is less efficient and whatnot but for exploration and if one does not want to do canyon racing while tens of thousands of light years from the nearest station, clean drive is fine. Doing canyon racing in an Anaconda is not exactly on my to-do list. So far I've been more than happy with the drive modification and how it behaves on land/take off. I don't need more speed and I don't observe noticeable effects on heat generation.

 

[GunnerBill]

Some great tips and info in this thread - I'm already planning to rebuild my Annie on return to the bubble.

 

[newman1702]

As someone who flew his Anaconda beyond Beagle Point and back with a downsized tank (50% less fuel than default) and never had a problem, I can advise to get rid of that other extra fuel tank, it's not necessary. The thin layer of unscoopables is easily avoided if you go up or down by a few hundred ly, those brown dwarf systems aren't exactly interesting anyway for the most part. And my Beagle trip was during the DWE, so this was well before you could set filters to not plot through unscoopables, and before you could see the star type you're jumping to in the upper right corner when you engage FSD. Unless you're doing a niche build intended to explore unscoopables, extra fuel is useless.

As for other stuff, I'd bring more than one buggy, especially if you ever take the ship to expeditions. When there are other players present, such as basecamps, it's incredibly easy to lose a buggy - not to hostile action, but to bugs that crop up when other players are around. I've had buggies just blow up for no apparent reason on checkpoints. If you only bring one, you will be without a buggy until you return to port. For most uses I'd say two is enough.

I'd also suggest boosting ability, it can be useful to break your fall if you decide to land on a high g. You can do this and still be pretty light by taking a smaller distributor you normally wouldn't be able to boost with, and applying an engine focused mod on it (assuming you've unlocked the dweller).


Here's my suggestion: https://eddp.co/u/5m4M9LnA


As for mods, go for g5 range increase at felicity, lightweight sensors and life support, engine focused distributor, hsl's either extra ammo or lightweight - your choice, I'd do lightweight. Then you can do a low emissions plant / clean drives to bring down the thermal signature even further, if you like, though this step is skippable since it won't do much difference (Anaconda already runs pretty cool, not DBX cool but with a 7A scoop it more than compensates, and clean drives won't do that much tbh).

As for the detailed surface scanner, the viable options are either scanning speed increase or long range - I think long range is probably better in most cases. Ofc, this all depends on which engis you have access to, so engineer as possible Good luck!

 

[Eros]

What I would do in terms of power distributer - (BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE APPROPRIATE ENGINEER)

5A is the minimum that allows you to boost, the Engine cap is 29MJ
The ability to boost is really useful to pull you out of sticky situations, so my advice is as follows

Fit the 5D, it is 12 T lighter than the 5A, and you can engineer it to give you the 29MJ you need to do a boost, you can then either save that 12 T or you can use it for... an SRV bay? etc

 

[Jackie Silver]

I use a lightweight, but not super-lightweight, build on my Anaconda at the moment. 5D thrusters (Clean Drive Tuning), 5D shield (Enhanced, Low Power), and a 5D power distributor (Engine Focused, to allow the ship to boost.)
Fuel load is slightly reduced from the usual, but I don't like to run too close to the edge when it comes to jumping.

Apart from those it has the usual fittings; ADS, DSS (Fast), Fuel Scoop, AFMU (only one), a Panetary Vehicle Hangar for one SRV and a single Heat Sink Launcher.

It's not especially versatile - I've considered fitting more than one SRV, a Mining Laser and a Fuel Limpet Controller. Perhaps a single class 2 Pulse Laser to match the Mining Laser.

 

[Valije]

Just a few tips:

- Dont get a 6A scoop when you can get a 7C. 7C is a bit faster and only costs 1/5th of the 6A.
- If you are concerned about PP durability, use lvl 1 armoured power plant. With a few tries you can get a module that has 30% more integrity and is a bit lighter and heat efficient.
- additional fuel tanks are a waste IMHO. With the engineered conda you should be in range of a scoopable star almost anywhere but the very sparse areas. If you use jumponium you should be able to get 40+ ly with a single ton of fuel.
- always carry mats enough for a few jumps.
- With the anaconda the 2 more important modifications to get better range are FSD (of course) and sensors. With lvl 5 lightweight sensors you can get 5 ly more out of the blue.

and the most important... enjoy your trip.

 

[StiTch]

You can either run with the cookie cutter build (featuring cutbacks to everything in the name of a couple of LY extra jump) or do it to your preference.

Cookie cutter builds can be found everywhere on this forum. For exploration they are pretty much one and the same thing for all ships, adjusted slightly to fit into or take advantage of differing internal space levels.

But as for any kind of personal build, only you can decide what you want. My only real advice: take a damn fighter. They are much better for buzzing around an asteroid field in than the 'conda itself, and there's no real penalty for smashing the fighter into a floating rock.

 

[Darth Krayt]

My only real advice: take a damn fighter. They are much better for buzzing around an asteroid field in than the 'conda itself, and there's no real penalty for smashing the fighter into a floating rock.

Seconded. I missed not having one on my trip to Beagle and have now added a fighter hangar at Colonia.