Horizons Surface Scanning -> Bounty -> Ship destroyed

[ChipStar65]

I hope this isn't necromancy, but how do you scan the data point and be outside the trespass area?

I've figured an approach that works all the time for me, based on the type of site the Data Point is at:

Spoiler

For Outposts with security barriers (Trespass perimeters), the structures are always arranged the same, and there is a spot on the side of the rectangular perimeter near the large turret where you can slowly approach the Data Link, and it will become selectable (Active) before you trigger the Trespass Alert. If you approach this end of the barrier such that the small turret is hidden completely behind the Data Point structure, you will eventually find this point as you approach -- SLOWLY! 2mps is as fast as you want to go here. Use full zoom on your scanner when close to the perimeter. It may look like you are "under" it but that's just a perspective thing. Make sure the path directly behind you is clear of obstructions like boulders. Stop as soon as the DP is selectable. Put yourself in reverse, scan the Private Data Point, then immediately bug out in reverse -- if you lined things up properly the Data Point structure will interrupt the small turret's line of sight and it cannot fire on you. The big turret will ignore you if you don't trip the barrier alert. Stay in reverse for a few hundred meters if you can, then swing around and head for your ship. You may take a few hits from the small turret but not if you get far enough away.

I always park my ship 1.5 km away from the Outpost, out of range of the big turret, which fires on your ship if it can when you scan the Private DP. If you follow your own tracks back to your ship you can go quite fast, I usually hit 20+mps depending on terrain and gravity. Board the ship, launch, immediately go to pitch 85-90 (Escape Vector) and boost to break Mass Lock, then supercruise out. I usually have an escape Route set up, so I go into Navigation, select my Route target as destination, and as soon as it's possible to do so, jump to it. Eight minutes or so later I can jump back in and the bounty has become a fine.

IMPORTANT: Always check your scanner for wandering ships before scanning any Private Data Point. Wait until they go out of your scan range before proceeding. If one is parked nearby (you should see it when flying in), abort the landing, do a fast low-altitude supercruise, abort that by hitting the Glide point too shallow, and return to the Outpost, the ship will usually be gone.

TIP: When landing 1.5km from the site, point your ship away from the Outpost, so when you bug out you're instantly putting distance between you and the big turret.

It's not necromancy but it can be somewhat perilous so be careful and good luck!

EDIT: So far I have identified 4 types of sites where these scans can take place, two Outpost types and two Building types. Those with Public DPs have a different layout than those with Private DPs. Each type of site has its own security arrangement but they are perfectly consistent (so far) and you can learn how to deal with each very quickly, as they can be recognized from the air by their layout.

'NOTHER EDIT: Just finished a PSJ Using this strategy and it worked perfectly again, which was critical as it was a high-G planet -- 4.2 G on the surface. Talk about crawling back into supercruise! Just as I cleared Orbital Flight altitude the Greenies (Fed Authority) started sniffing around me, and I had to dodge not only the planet's influence but also its very extensive ring system while trying to find a clear bead on my jump target. Such funs!

 

[Alecz]

Tried this last night and it seems to work. Out of the four sides of the trespass zone, there seems to be one side that is close enough to the scan tower so that you don't have to be inside the zone to complete the scan.

 

[ChipStar65]

Tried this last night and it seems to work. Out of the four sides of the trespass zone, there seems to be one side that is close enough to the scan tower so that you don't have to be inside the zone to complete the scan.

Keep in mind that this applies only to the Outposts of a specific configuration.

Spoiler

The other Outpost configuration has both large and small turrets but no Trespass Zone, and sports a Public Data Point more centrally located in the midst of the other structures. You can recognize these from the air and plan your approach accordingly.

 

[Lightspeed]

Keep in mind that this applies only to the Outposts of a specific configuration.

Spoiler

The other Outpost configuration has both large and small turrets but no Trespass Zone, and sports a Public Data Point more centrally located in the midst of the other structures. You can recognize these from the air and plan your approach accordingly.

Events in the Beta suggests this is all going to be sorted when 3.0 goes live ..... apart from new bugs, that is

 

[ChipStar65]

Events in the Beta suggests this is all going to be sorted when 3.0 goes live .....

What's to "sort?" I observed closely, tried out a few ideas, found some consistencies and weaknesses in the security systems. I suppose they'll be moving the furniture around now. I'm starting to believe that the devs take positive delight in making this game as annoying and illogical as possible, so as to cause maximum w t f stress among the players. Not a good design philosophy in my book.

 

[d8veh]

Tried this last night and it seems to work. Out of the four sides of the trespass zone, there seems to be one side that is close enough to the scan tower so that you don't have to be inside the zone to complete the scan.

There's no problem to cross into the red zone to get your scan. There's 30 seconds before the alarm goes off, which is plenty of time to get in and out without any penalty. You can see it here at 25:00 to 30:00, where i do it right, and then from 30:00, where I deliberately overstay to show what happens and how to deal with it. Note that if you scan a private beacon, whether from inside or outside of the red zone, you get a bounty on you, so you have to jump to another system and wait a bit before you can go back.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5gSNutiH0M

 

[ChipStar65]

There's no problem to cross into the red zone to get your scan. There's 30 seconds before the alarm goes off, which is plenty of time to get in and out without any penalty. You can see it here at 25:00 to 30:00, where i do it right, and then from 30:00, where I deliberately overstay to show what happens and how to deal with it. Note that if you scan a private beacon, whether from inside or outside of the red zone, you get a bounty on you, so you have to jump to another system and wait a bit before you can go back.

The site you feature in the video at the times you mention is NOT an Outpost, but a Building. Buildings have fundamentally different security than Outposts, just those easy-to-eliminate skimmers, and a public Data Point, so the turrets don't come into play. At a Trespass Zoned Outpost, the small turret will fire on you as soon as you breach the perimeter. The large turret will fire on your ship if it is in range. These always have Private Data Points, which will also trigger the turrets. So the trick for this configuration is to avoid the Trespass trigger, scan the PrivDP while hidden from the small turret, keep your ship out of range of the large turret, and drive like a maniac on the way out. You're welcome to develop your own strategy, mine works every time for me but there may well be others just as viable.

PS: Trespass Zoned Outposts also have 3 skimmers if you trigger the security fence. Why bother if it can be avoided?

 

[d8veh]

The site you feature in the video at the times you mention is NOT an Outpost, but a Building. Buildings have fundamentally different security than Outposts, just those easy-to-eliminate skimmers, and a public Data Point, so the turrets don't come into play. At a Trespass Zoned Outpost, the small turret will fire on you as soon as you breach the perimeter. The large turret will fire on your ship if it is in range. These always have Private Data Points, which will also trigger the turrets. So the trick for this configuration is to avoid the Trespass trigger, scan the PrivDP while hidden from the small turret, keep your ship out of range of the large turret, and drive like a maniac on the way out. You're welcome to develop your own strategy, mine works every time for me but there may well be others just as viable.

PS: Trespass Zoned Outposts also have 3 skimmers if you trigger the security fence. Why bother if it can be avoided?

Alecz mentioned that one side of the fence was closer to the tower than the rest. Sounds like a normal mission-generated base to me, like those in my video. The clue seems to be in the word "the" tower.

 

[ChipStar65]

Alecz mentioned that one side of the fence was closer to the tower than the rest. Sounds like a normal mission-generated base to me, like those in my video. The clue seems to be in the word "the" tower.

Alecz was describing an Outpost emplacement, not a Building like that shown in your video. The nomenclature is definitive. As mentioned above, there are (at least) 4 types of Planetary Scan Job site configurations -- I've identified 2 types of Outpost and 2 types of Building. These are the labels used in the Search Zone:XXXX identifier as you approach the target planetoid. The layout of the structures for each type is consistent and allows you to identify the type from the air. The kind of security (TZ/noTZ, skimmers/no skimmers, active/non-active turrets, public/private DP) is also consistent for each type. You scanned a Public Data Point at a Building-type emplacement, which has a different structures layout and security response than the kind of Outpost Alecz and I are describing, where the Data Points are always Private. Your methodology in the video is perfectly sound for that kind of PSJ site, but at other types it may be more problematic. But if it works for you, cool, keep on flyin', Commander!

 

[Matt Hawkins]

I've given up with planetary scan missions. Last night I did one and ended up with a 4 day bounty because I killed a stupid muppet from the Federal Navy. They are potentially fun but that doesn't last long when you have to carry a wanted status for the next week.

 

[d8veh]

I've given up with planetary scan missions. Last night I did one and ended up with a 4 day bounty because I killed a stupid muppet from the Federal Navy. They are potentially fun but that doesn't last long when you have to carry a wanted status for the next week.

I gave you rep for making me laugh. It reminds me of when i was doing kill skimmer missions. It took ages to find all the wanted ones to keep my reputation clean, then I found out that I could could make a billion a day killing innocent ones. It didn't take long for the bounty on me to go past a million credits, but did I care? After I'd made 5 billion, I figured that I could take a rest for a week until the bounty cleared.

Just remember, that one bounty is the same as two, so you might as well have 100 bounties on you. Now's your chance to be a bad guy for a bit.

 

[Alecz]

I just checked the video by d8veh and there is no trespass zone and the data point is public, so there will be no bounty if you scan and park near the tower.

The trick for Private Data Points (which are also aways surrounded by trespass zones) is to find the side closest to the tower and scan it from outside the zone.
If you scan from outside the trespass zone you only get a 600 Cr bounty for trespassing. If you are also inside the zone when you complete the scan (even for just 1 second), you will get two trespass bounties totaling 1200 Cr.

 

[ChipStar65]

The amount and duration of the Wanted bounty may vary, I've gotten as low as 200cr and as high as 1000cr for just the PrivDP scan. The minimum 8 minute duration may also get higher for some instances with higher fines, but those have been rare in my experience.

EDIT: I just scanned a "Type 2 Building" site -- Trespass Zoned, Private DP, two skimmers as security, no turrets. In this case I took out the skimmers, ignored the Trespass Zone, scanned the Private DP from inside the TZ, & bugged out. I got a 500cr bounty/fine, only for the Private DP scan. Breaking the TZ did nothing except generate an audible warning.

"Type 1 Building" sites have zero active security and a Public DP, and usually have loose canisters laying around for the taking.