The new exploration system

[Suhono]

So far I really like it, and I started playing this game to be an explorer first and foremost, so this part of the game is very dear to me. I went on a shortish exploration trip (2500 ly away and then back), to a spot that I knew had two ELWs I'd discovered sometime last year, and on the whole found the experience more engaging and fun than I did before. I wish I could somehow look at the FSS without being stopped, but since I explore in a Beluga and am stuck with its inadequate fuel scoop, occasionally I do need to stop, so the short stops to scan weren't that intrusive.

I feel like I found a lot more ELWs/WWs/AWs than I would have before, but the most important thing is that I just had more fun doing it. I actually felt like I was exploring. Honk, system map, and supercruise trip doesn't compare in my book. Admittedly, once I realized I could check for interesting worlds with a quick half-second glance at the FSS screen, it felt a little cheap, but it was a real treat to find systems full of interesting stuff, especially surface POIs. And just as a guesstimate, I don't think it took me longer to make that trip and return than it would have before. I had to do a little more work for it, but it felt rather zen anyways, and I even had Bob Ross on in a picture-in-picture window.

I know I came back with waaaay more credits worth of data than I would have on the live version, but that's kind of an irrelevant issue for me - I explore for the fun of it, not for the money. The interface could use more work (I don't like the switching between "combat" and "analysis" mode, for example - it just feels unpolished and clunky), but in my opinion, this is a good start at the very least.

 

[Klepto]

My vision. To some extent, I admit that the new system is somehow better. But unfortunately, it does not suit me. I have discovered 22,000 systems at the moment and planned to discover another 30,000 over the next year. The galaxy is very large includes more than 400 billion stars. You need to explore as much as possible and quickly to find something interesting. With the new exploration system it will become very slow, unacceptably slow. Anyone who plays in "traveling explorer" mode, like me, will have difficulty with the new system. I understand that such a minority of explorers is probably a few hundred people, but I would like the new system not to break the old one, but to complement it well ... The galaxy will not become more diverse, but now we need to spend time searching for what was already in it.

 

[Night Hawk]

The new FSS and associated scanning system reminds me of when FD upgraded the original debug camera.

The old camera had very basic controls, but was simple to use, but when the new camera suite was rolled out, it seemed complex and it took me a while to set up the bindings (sound familiar?) and get comfortable with using it again.

I generally like the look and feel of the new scanning suite and I think that FD have put a lot of work into it and I am hopeful that the initial teething problems will get sorted out during beta.

Happy scanning CMDR's

 

[varonica]

You need to explore as much as possible and quickly to find something interesting.

On the other hand the chances of finding something interesting is vastly improved with the new system even if you visit fewer star systems.

I've only played around with it briefly, but for the completionist, people who must scan every body in a system, after a bit of practice it will be far faster to gather the same amount of information about the system that you used to get by flying up to each body and scanning it with the old DSS.

For the travelling explorer, I can see where they may have an issue, I tend to do a combination, travel to somewhere I think may be interesting, then do a lot of scanning in that area, I think the new system will suit me well.

 

[Klepto]

Imagine that the system has GGG. How fast will you find it?

 

[varonica]

Imagine that the system has GGG. How fast will you find it?

Beg your pardon?

 

[Klepto]

Glowing Green Giant. And there are more examples of objects that will be very difficult to find with the new exploration system.

 

[Numenor1379]

Finding super-canyon planets now will require scanning everything. Before you could know by looking at the map.

Sigh...like Klepto this new system seems to be killing off the type of gameplay I prefer. =(

 

[Whitmann]

And mine. I'm very apprehensive, and genuinely wish I had the choice of opting out of 3.3 from what I've seen. Killing travelsploring is a bigger loss than the combined gain of a couple of new ships, lighting, the Codex and whatever mining changes arrive - I'm guessing here as we haven't seen mining, but that's how I feel right now.

Will give it a go later - if the game lets me stay logged in for more than 2 minutes - so we'll see.

 

[Zieman]

Glowing Green Giant. And there are more examples of objects that will be very difficult to find with the new exploration system.

Those may well have a special waveform. Or if they're always certain GG type, you just filter for that GG type and inspect them a bit more.
Of course, that's not as quick as honk - system map - jump - honk - rinse & repeat.

I need to give it a go before I can form a strong opinion in any direction.

 

[MattG]

And mine. I'm very apprehensive, and genuinely wish I had the choice of opting out of 3.3 from what I've seen. Killing travelsploring is a bigger loss than the combined gain of a couple of new ships, lighting, the Codex and whatever mining changes arrive - I'm guessing here as we haven't seen mining, but that's how I feel right now.

And mine. I tried it last night, I just don't like it. I will give it more time, but fundamentally I can't play the game how I previously enjoyed it. It is hugely more time consuming finding anything that I find interesting. I would drop all the new features - positive and negative - in a heartbeat to have the ADS/System Map back as it is currently. I find the new mechanics tedious already.

I'm happy others are enjoying it, I really am. I'm skeptical many of them have the staying power to discover 60,000+ systems this way. I'm skeptical I have the staying power to discover 60 systems this way.

But it won't matter, FDev aren't going to change anything beyond a few tweaks. The few of us who've been thrown under the bus will be seen as a price worth paying for the larger number who re-engage with exploring (albeit for what I expect to be short durations, in the main).

 

[Burke]

What a polite way to say they have killed exploration.

Personally being thrown under the bus is not acceptable to me. I would threaten to never buy from fdev again but lets face it they only really had the elite name. Its rude, i am offended that i have been chosen for the bus.

 

[Sunyavadin]

The new FSS and associated scanning system reminds me of when FD upgraded the original debug camera.

The old camera had very basic controls, but was simple to use, but when the new camera suite was rolled out, it seemed complex and it took me a while to set up the bindings (sound familiar?) and get comfortable with using it again.

I've still not gotten the hang of it, and have only managed to get two or three controls mapped in a way that works as well for me.

The probe mechanism is good, although easy - there is very little skill.

The probing system's only real issue is the traumatic memories it brings back for anyone who played Mass Effect 2.
If I ever actually stopped to probe planets, this'd give me nightmares for weeks.
Seriously Bioware, was it worth it all, just for that one "Probing Uranus" pun?

 

[Sunyavadin]

Some things where the interest lay in their configuration will take a bit longer to spot. .

Yeah, this is the majority of what I am looking for. Hence the frustration with the new system.

It definitely needs some form of at a glance info on the relationship of the masses in the system to be usable for this purpose.

 

[adamantan]

Hi
Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong.
When in normal game I'm in new system I just honk then open system map, see if there is something interesting, if not I jump to another system. It takes about 20-30s.
Now in beta, when I honk it doesn't show bodies, I have to find them manually, roll around, adjust spectral analysis, then zoom in and I discover a body with all details.
So i discovered system with 42 bodies, to discover all of them it took me about 20min !!!
Please tell me how I can speed it up, I don't want to know at first all bodies details and spend time for that, I just want to see what bodies are there and choose which ones I want to scan.
Please don't tell me that they changed 20s to 20min. I lately visited about 1000 systems, now to discover all bodies in these systems will take whole life.
Ty

 

[Orvidius]

Those may well have a special waveform. Or if they're always certain GG type, you just filter for that GG type and inspect them a bit more.

For the glowing gas giants, so far we haven't found anything special about them other than their appearance. I doubt they have a special waveform, but that would be extremely useful if they did. Right now it looks we may only find them by being completionists, which is tough when you need to visit a lot of systems since they're exceptionally rare. Like "win the lottery" rare.

Please tell me how I can speed it up, I don't want to know at first all bodies details and spend time for that, I just want to see what bodies are there

Right now I think the expectation is that we need to get good at the scanner, and be willing to use the frequency distribution to figure out what's worth scanning and what isn't. Sadly, we'll probably see a lot of "get gud" comments in the future.

 

[Mengy]

Imagine that the system has GGG. How fast will you find it?

You can find a GGG very fast once in the FSS.

The problem is that GGG's are rare so you need to explore as many systems per hour as possible to even find one, and after 3.3 we will all be exploring a lot less systems per hour than we can now.

 

[Sunyavadin]

So i discovered system with 42 bodies, to discover all of them it took me about 20min !!!
Please tell me how I can speed it up, I don't want to know at first all bodies details and spend time for that, I just want to see what bodies are there and choose which ones I want to scan.
Please don't tell me that they changed 20s to 20min. I lately visited about 1000 systems, now to discover all bodies in these systems will take whole life.

I could tell you they didn't, but it'd be a massive, massive lie.

 

[adamantan]

Hi
So please tell me where is a progress?
We fly in super modern ships across the galaxy with "WARP" speed, and they (ships) can not scan the system to discover the bodies that are present there? We really need to do it manually? And press keys from left to right to adjust frequency to discover bodies one by one? And this modern ships with sophisticated computers can not adjust frequency by itselfs? I just can't imagine how boring and time consuming it will be to scan all bodies in 1000 systems.
And after that fly to each body and send probes... So something that took 10-15min (with flaying to at least 10 bodies in system and detailed scan) will take 40-60min ? Who will do it?
Just imagine that you are 10k LY from bubble and you head home but want still discover new bodies, and you know that it take 3 months, because new system works that way, it's insane.

 

[Allitnil]

Hi
Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong.
When in normal game I'm in new system I just honk then open system map, see if there is something interesting, if not I jump to another system. It takes about 20-30s.
Now in beta, when I honk it doesn't show bodies, I have to find them manually, roll around, adjust spectral analysis, then zoom in and I discover a body with all details.
So i discovered system with 42 bodies, to discover all of them it took me about 20min !!!
Please tell me how I can speed it up, I don't want to know at first all bodies details and spend time for that, I just want to see what bodies are there and choose which ones I want to scan.
Please don't tell me that they changed 20s to 20min. I lately visited about 1000 systems, now to discover all bodies in these systems will take whole life.
Ty

No, you're not doing anything wrong, but you will get quicker with practice. For instance I've just fully scanned (including the asteroids) this system in 10 minutes and I could be quicker still.

Trouble is that (a) I don't want to spend 10 minutes (or even 5) scanning just to get the system layout and (b) by heck it is BORING. Now, of course, people complain that honk & magic ADS is boring too. And, they are right. But it is - to me - a "good" sort of boring. One where I can be doing something else at the same time. With the FSS you have to give it your full attention to do it reasonably quickly.

I'm going to give it a bit longer, but so far after 50 systems today I really can't see the point. Without huge changes, I fully expect to be retiring my CMDR for good. If I want a game that requires my full attention then there are countless better ones out there.