With the DBX getting some very nice design buffs in 2.3, I plan on mothballing my trusty Asp X for a spell and exploring with a brand new DBX once again. I’ve not flown one since the week after Horizons launched, but I bought one last week and started modding it up in preparation for when 2.3 releases. It’s moderately engineered now, I need to blow up cargo ships and spend some time in CZ’s to collect more mats to improve it further, but it’s generally comparably modded like my Asp X is, just with somewhat weaker rolls:
FSD Grd5 for range
PP Grd1 low emissions
Distributor Grd3 engine focus
Life Support Grd3 lightweight
Thrusters Grd5 clean tune
The DBX’s Achilles’ heel will still be it’s pathetically small 4A fuel scoop. It will finally have the internals to be able to hold enough equipment for exploration, and it will have the best jump range in the game second only to the Anaconda, but it will still scoop fuel slower than every other ship in the game. A year and a half ago this bothered me greatly; after flying the DBX on a 16,000ly trip I was so disgusted with it that I sold it back and never flew one again. However, that was before the Engineers and 2.3, soon the DBX will pose an interesting choice for commanders who don’t want to fly Anaconda’s: Are you willing to trade scoop speed for top tier exceptional jump range?
I’ve been pondering this question for the past week. Scoop speed only truly affects traveling speed, or buckyballing: the amount of light years you can cover per hour. While truly exploring this doesn’t matter much, but when actually getting into deep space sometimes you just want to get there as fast as you can, or you want to get back to the bubble as fast as you can, this is where travel speed makes a difference. It’s why exploring the Abyssal Plain is so much harder to do in an FDL than an Anaconda, getting there is half the battle. But jump range is also a factor in traveling speed, so I’ve been wondering: When compared to my trusty Asp X, just how much slower will the DBX travel per hour due to that terribly slow fuel scoop?
I decided to figure that out while we wait for 2.3 by doing some test flights between my Asp and DBX. I can’t compare actual travel distances as the 2.2 DBX doesn’t have it’s improved range yet, but I can measure jumps per hour between the two, that won’t be changing in 2.3 as the fuel scoops remain the same. By using the Beta 2.3 Coriolis website I’ve already calculated the new jump ranges both of my ships will be at after I get them modded how I want them, here are the (theoretical) 2.3 jump ranges for each ship, with all mods close to perfect (but a bit below perfect):
Asp X: 54.9 lys (16T fuel)
DBX: 58.6 lys (16T fuel)
By using these values and multiplying them by number of jumps per hour I can calculate how many light years each ship will jump per hour when traveling with the “nose to the grindstone”. I outfitted both of my ships for lean exploration: no hardpoints or utilities, half sized fuel tanks, D versions of all core internals except for A rated FSD’s, both scanners, one SRV each, and 3D shields. Then I took each ship out for several 1000ly routes and measured how long each and every jump took me. I flew for maximum travel speed: throttle maxed constantly, scooping ASAP upon jumping in and engaging the FSD as soon as I could without frying my ship like a cooked ham.
The results kind of surprised me. Here are the numbers I measured, average of all the many dozens of jump times for both ships:
Asp X: average 51 sec/jump, 70 jumps/hr
DBX: average 55 sec/jump, 65 jumps/hr
While the DBX refuels 2.5 times slower than the Asp X does it also runs cooler too. With the Asp I typically engage the FSD a few seconds before I’m done scooping, right as I’m pulling away from the star, if I do it any sooner I’ll often take heat damage on the way out. With the DBX however I’m able to engage the FSD a little bit sooner as it builds heat slower while scooping and charging simultaneously. It’s a tricky balancing act doing this, it took me a dozen or so jumps to learn the timing, but done consistently it can actually make back some of the seconds you lose due to the slower scoop. The DBX still does physically scoop slower though, so there is no way to avoid making less jumps per hour than the Asp X. Still, it only ended up being 5 jumps less per hour on average. Not too bad really.
Now comes the interesting part though, how much will the DBX’s longer range make up for those fewer jumps per hour, distance wise? When calculated this is what it will end up being comparatively after 2.3:
Asp X: 70 jumps/hr X 54.9 lys = 3843 lys/hr
DBX: 65 jumps/hr X 58.6 lys = 3809 lys/hr
Difference in travel distance per hour = 34 lys/hr in favor of the Asp X!!!!!
Yeah, the extra jump range of the DBX almost completely makes up for the slower scoop, I did not expect them to be THAT close in travel speed. I will say this though, the Asp is easier and more forgiving to buckyball than the DBX. With my Asp I really can’t charge the FSD while scooping, not until the last few seconds of scooping anyway. With the DBX, charging the FSD while still solidly refueling needs delicate timing and a bit of practice, and I did end up either cancelling the FSD or cooking the ship a few times due to heat buildup. You could fly the DBX safer but what would be the fun in that!
While using a neutron highway I feel that the 2.3 DBX will actually outpace the Asp X. The longer jump range multiplied by 4X coupled with less scooping per hour will push it ahead IMHO.
If the DBX could fit a 5A scoop it would be a literal beast for exploration (still not as good as the Anaconda though). I think I can now see why Frontier isn’t increasing it, the changes they did make for the DBX in 2.3 really did a good job of making it competitive with the Asp X. Sure it costs less but you get one less internal too, so there are pros and cons to both ships, and I love that dynamic.
Now we just need better DBX paint jobs in the Frontier Store….
FSD Grd5 for range
PP Grd1 low emissions
Distributor Grd3 engine focus
Life Support Grd3 lightweight
Thrusters Grd5 clean tune
The DBX’s Achilles’ heel will still be it’s pathetically small 4A fuel scoop. It will finally have the internals to be able to hold enough equipment for exploration, and it will have the best jump range in the game second only to the Anaconda, but it will still scoop fuel slower than every other ship in the game. A year and a half ago this bothered me greatly; after flying the DBX on a 16,000ly trip I was so disgusted with it that I sold it back and never flew one again. However, that was before the Engineers and 2.3, soon the DBX will pose an interesting choice for commanders who don’t want to fly Anaconda’s: Are you willing to trade scoop speed for top tier exceptional jump range?
I’ve been pondering this question for the past week. Scoop speed only truly affects traveling speed, or buckyballing: the amount of light years you can cover per hour. While truly exploring this doesn’t matter much, but when actually getting into deep space sometimes you just want to get there as fast as you can, or you want to get back to the bubble as fast as you can, this is where travel speed makes a difference. It’s why exploring the Abyssal Plain is so much harder to do in an FDL than an Anaconda, getting there is half the battle. But jump range is also a factor in traveling speed, so I’ve been wondering: When compared to my trusty Asp X, just how much slower will the DBX travel per hour due to that terribly slow fuel scoop?
I decided to figure that out while we wait for 2.3 by doing some test flights between my Asp and DBX. I can’t compare actual travel distances as the 2.2 DBX doesn’t have it’s improved range yet, but I can measure jumps per hour between the two, that won’t be changing in 2.3 as the fuel scoops remain the same. By using the Beta 2.3 Coriolis website I’ve already calculated the new jump ranges both of my ships will be at after I get them modded how I want them, here are the (theoretical) 2.3 jump ranges for each ship, with all mods close to perfect (but a bit below perfect):
Asp X: 54.9 lys (16T fuel)
DBX: 58.6 lys (16T fuel)
By using these values and multiplying them by number of jumps per hour I can calculate how many light years each ship will jump per hour when traveling with the “nose to the grindstone”. I outfitted both of my ships for lean exploration: no hardpoints or utilities, half sized fuel tanks, D versions of all core internals except for A rated FSD’s, both scanners, one SRV each, and 3D shields. Then I took each ship out for several 1000ly routes and measured how long each and every jump took me. I flew for maximum travel speed: throttle maxed constantly, scooping ASAP upon jumping in and engaging the FSD as soon as I could without frying my ship like a cooked ham.
The results kind of surprised me. Here are the numbers I measured, average of all the many dozens of jump times for both ships:
Asp X: average 51 sec/jump, 70 jumps/hr
DBX: average 55 sec/jump, 65 jumps/hr
While the DBX refuels 2.5 times slower than the Asp X does it also runs cooler too. With the Asp I typically engage the FSD a few seconds before I’m done scooping, right as I’m pulling away from the star, if I do it any sooner I’ll often take heat damage on the way out. With the DBX however I’m able to engage the FSD a little bit sooner as it builds heat slower while scooping and charging simultaneously. It’s a tricky balancing act doing this, it took me a dozen or so jumps to learn the timing, but done consistently it can actually make back some of the seconds you lose due to the slower scoop. The DBX still does physically scoop slower though, so there is no way to avoid making less jumps per hour than the Asp X. Still, it only ended up being 5 jumps less per hour on average. Not too bad really.
Now comes the interesting part though, how much will the DBX’s longer range make up for those fewer jumps per hour, distance wise? When calculated this is what it will end up being comparatively after 2.3:
Asp X: 70 jumps/hr X 54.9 lys = 3843 lys/hr
DBX: 65 jumps/hr X 58.6 lys = 3809 lys/hr
Difference in travel distance per hour = 34 lys/hr in favor of the Asp X!!!!!
Yeah, the extra jump range of the DBX almost completely makes up for the slower scoop, I did not expect them to be THAT close in travel speed. I will say this though, the Asp is easier and more forgiving to buckyball than the DBX. With my Asp I really can’t charge the FSD while scooping, not until the last few seconds of scooping anyway. With the DBX, charging the FSD while still solidly refueling needs delicate timing and a bit of practice, and I did end up either cancelling the FSD or cooking the ship a few times due to heat buildup. You could fly the DBX safer but what would be the fun in that!
While using a neutron highway I feel that the 2.3 DBX will actually outpace the Asp X. The longer jump range multiplied by 4X coupled with less scooping per hour will push it ahead IMHO.
If the DBX could fit a 5A scoop it would be a literal beast for exploration (still not as good as the Anaconda though). I think I can now see why Frontier isn’t increasing it, the changes they did make for the DBX in 2.3 really did a good job of making it competitive with the Asp X. Sure it costs less but you get one less internal too, so there are pros and cons to both ships, and I love that dynamic.
Now we just need better DBX paint jobs in the Frontier Store….
