The new exploration system

If gameplay is grind then Space Engine is for you.

Dude somebody already got that in. Fdev make grinds, look at the rest of the game. Its what they know. Until now exploration has been a refuge from it. I used to laugh about the poor gits that did the grinds while i went out exploring but eventualy i wanted to max engineer a ship. Stopped laughing then, but i was hoping to get back out soon. It will be a grind because it will be boring and repetative.
 
Yeps, compromise is always good. I want my unconditional basic income, all millionaires can keep their money. Problems? :p

Life could be so easy - if only ruled by the simple minds and Trumpists. For a while at least and on paper...

You know if we compromised, it would mean both sides get what they want.

Please keep real life politics out of it.
 
Fdev make grinds, look at the rest of the game. Its what they know. Until now exploration has been a refuge from it.

Please, there's nothing more grindy than the current jonking style of exploration/travel.

You know if we compromised, it would mean both sides get what they want.

Ok. So we keep the current scanners for you guys, and add the new one as a fourth scanner.
And you can only have one scanner on the ship. So you'd have to choose old or new style of exploration.
That means if you fit old you'd have to visit every body to scan them for POIs and/or tag them.

Sounds good for a compromise? Which one will you choose?
 
Please, there's nothing more grindy than the current jonking style of exploration/travel.



Ok. So we keep the current scanners for you guys, and add the new one as a fourth scanner.
And you can only have one scanner on the ship. So you'd have to choose old or new style of exploration.
That means if you fit old you'd have to visit every body to scan them for POIs and/or tag them.

Sounds good for a compromise? Which one will you choose?

Thats either / or not compromise.
 
Please, there's nothing more grindy than the current jonking style of exploration/travel.

One button press while I'm scooping, then glancing at the system map to see if there's anything of interest, then jumping out if there's not, vs having to stop every time in order to play a minigame?
Pretty sure we can already say precisely how much more grindy the system could be made.

Ok. So we keep the current scanners for you guys, and add the new one as a fourth scanner.
And you can only have one scanner on the ship. So you'd have to choose old or new style of exploration.
That means if you fit old you'd have to visit every body to scan them for POIs and/or tag them.

Sounds good for a compromise? Which one will you choose?

Yes, that sounds perfect. This is exactly what we're asking for. Precisely zero interest in PoIs, since interesting planetary surface features of the kind some of us look for aren't marked PoIs anyway, and I maybe tag one planet every hundred systems if there's something cool about it.
 
I still believe a compromise about the honk providing a grey globe system map in 3.3 is the best solution. It preserves some semblance of traveling exploration while not ruining the new mechanics in any way. Plus its just better to have multiple tools at our disposal than forcing one specific way to do everything, as this would help to reduce burn out from doing the same one thing over and over again all of the time.

Totally agree. +1

And in any case, why should'nt we have different ways of scanning? Each to their own.

If the player doesn't want the additional information they should not have to spend the additional time.
 
Please, there's nothing more grindy than the current jonking style of exploration/travel.



Ok. So we keep the current scanners for you guys, and add the new one as a fourth scanner.
And you can only have one scanner on the ship. So you'd have to choose old or new style of exploration.
That means if you fit old you'd have to visit every body to scan them for POIs and/or tag them.

Sounds good for a compromise? Which one will you choose?

Personally, I choose the old style.

The point is though that at least you are offering a choice; FD is not.
 
Yes, that sounds perfect. This is exactly what we're asking for. Precisely zero interest in PoIs, since interesting planetary surface features of the kind some of us look for aren't marked PoIs anyway, and I maybe tag one planet every hundred systems if there's something cool about it.

Just curious. How do you spot those interesting planet surfaces by quickly glancing on the system map while the FSD is spooling?
After all, the planet icons are very low res on the current map and you have very limited time to glance over a system of multiple planets and moons.
With the new system you get to see the planet much closer and it will be easier to judge if the planet may have interesting terrain.

With the new mechanics you'll explore less systems than you glance over with the current mechanics.
 
We won't know for certain until next week when we actually play it, but the way it seems now its like this:



[*]For traveling exploration the new system will be worse. You will need to choose between either taking much longer to accomplish the same result as today or simply foregoing all exploration completely while traveling fast.
Not necessarily, I'm sure some thing may be slower, others may be just as fast. I assume when you travel explore you scan the star, most seem to. This takes time. When I am doing this I usually do the honk and look the system map. so instead I will do the 3 second honk as soon as I am in system and look at the FSS. I am sure this will give enough information to decide whether you want to explore more, such as amount of bodies, what types are there, etc.

You will still be able to filter out a lot of systems from the initial honk and FSS look.

[*]For full detail scanning systems the new mechanics should be much faster compared to today.
Yep, agreed.

[*]If you want to full detail scan plus probe all worlds in a system then the new mechanics will take MUCH longer to complete than it does to 100% a system today. This is due to the probing minigame taking longer to complete than detail scanning today does.
As this is completely new gameplay which give us the details of where POI are, it is considerably faster then before, which was cruising around the planet/moon for hours using your eyes. To think that the new system is slower is ridiculous.

If you like to look at every system map while traveling then there is no two ways about it, the new system will take longer than live does today. How much longer is up to whether or not the FSS can be accessed while the FSD is charging.
Yup, never said it wouldn't. I am actually looking forward to building up the map using the FSS.

I still believe a compromise about the honk providing a grey globe system map in 3.3 is the best solution. It preserves some semblance of traveling exploration while not ruining the new mechanics in any way. Plus its just better to have multiple tools at our disposal than forcing one specific way to do everything, as this would help to reduce burn out from doing the same one thing over and over again all of the time.
That depends. As long as there is no other information and they don't show up in the orrery until scanned then I would be okay with that. But people will start complaining that they need the information too to make a snap judgement (I have no idea how as that takes some reading).
 
Totally agree. +1

And in any case, why should'nt we have different ways of scanning? Each to their own.

If the player doesn't want the additional information they should not have to spend the additional time.

I am fine for the old version to stay in, but you cant mix and match. If you have the old version, that means no probes and you need to supercruise to each planet to do a DSS and you will have to fly around in the hope that you drop on to a USS in your area or use a Nav Beacon if there is one. No orrery either, that stays with the new version.

All I can say is good luck looking for your USS's for your engineering.
 
I am fine for the old version to stay in, but you cant mix and match. If you have the old version, that means no probes and you need to supercruise to each planet to do a DSS and you will have to fly around in the hope that you drop on to a USS in your area or use a Nav Beacon if there is one. No orrery either, that stays with the new version.

All I can say is good luck looking for your USS's.

Interesting point. I wonder if the folks clinging to their old ADS would stick it out if it meant not having access to any of the other aspects of the changes?
 
I will wait until I have used the new system for a couple of months before I venture what method is best. As explorers we should be basing our opinions on data and hard fact, not conjecture.
 
It's a case of each cmdr looking at how THEY explore & what THEY are looking for to scan & get information on. Then seeing how the new method fits into their own playstyle.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm expecting with the new method of scanning, that I should be able to scan all Planets in systems, in a much shorter time than than currently having to travel to each Planet in turn.

For me to find POI's on Planets, this will be infinitely better than spending many hours flying upside down, a few KM's above a Planet, trying to spot something using my eyes!

Other cmdr's experience will differ to mine, but that's how I see the game going for me.
 
Totally agree. +1

And in any case, why should'nt we have different ways of scanning? Each to their own.

If the player doesn't want the additional information they should not have to spend the additional time.

We have different ways of scanning now.......it still doesn't stop players purchasing an ADS (when lesser ones are available) & then whinging & moaning that it instantly reveals everything in a system.
 
I am fine for the old version to stay in, but you cant mix and match. If you have the old version, that means no probes and you need to supercruise to each planet to do a DSS and you will have to fly around in the hope that you drop on to a USS in your area or use a Nav Beacon if there is one. No orrery either, that stays with the new version.

All I can say is good luck looking for your USS's for your engineering.

I would disagree there Max.

When we were first shown the Planet scanning months ago, the grahics shown looked good & players were expecting to have this added to the current method. There was no mention of FD dropping the current instahonk & scanning Planets from the main Star.

So I was only expecting the Planetgolf addition for finding POI's.
 
Looking forward to it. But I am mostly interested in what new things we will be able to find. I am not so concerned about the sensors and things. I use the limited range scanner anyway and explore systems visually. I hope some day we can do some proper exobiology surveys. In the meantime, I keep slowly making my way down the Orion arm, noting life-bearing planets so I can come back eventually. Restarted my parked T6 in preparation for the new update.

Just found a very cool system with a main yellow star, a distant binary brown dwarf, with a huge gas giant orbiting one of them.
 
I assume when you travel explore you scan the star, most seem to. This takes time. When I am doing this I usually do the honk and look the system map. so instead I will do the 3 second honk as soon as I am in system and look at the FSS. I am sure this will give enough information to decide whether you want to explore more, such as amount of bodies, what types are there, etc.

Nope, most traveler explorers don't bother scanning the main star unless they break routine to do so.

The standard traveler explorer routine is this:

1. Jump in, immediately throttle up and fuel scoop along the star edge while honking.
2. After the honk but while still fuel scooping, engage the FSD.
3. Quickly glance at the Sys Map while the FSD charges.
a) If system looks interesting, cancel FSD and explore.
b) If system is not interesting, then close Sys Map and align the ship towards next jump point. FSD should be charged by now.

This routine allows for 45~55 sec jumps depending on ship and pilot skill. It allows for optimum travel speed while still enabling exploration along the way, the system map is what presents the quick info which makes this possible. The 3.3 mechanics will slow this down by a factor of half most likely, unless the FSS can be accessed while the FSD is charging and without zeroing the throttle. If the traveling explorer wants to see every system map then it will slow things down by a lot more than half.

Max, you do a more laid back traveling exploration style, so the new mechanics probably won't slow you down nearly as much. This is probably how traveling exploration will be done in 3.3, which I estimate will be about half as fast as today's procedure.


As this is completely new gameplay which give us the details of where POI are, it is considerably faster then before, which was cruising around the planet/moon for hours using your eyes. To think that the new system is slower is ridiculous.

For finding POI's yeah the probes will be MUCH faster than eyeballing, of course. I was talking about 100% scanning a system though, that is what will be slower in 3.3. In 3.2 you only need to honk and then fly up to every body and detail scan it, which simply means you fly close to it and wait for the wheel timer to spin for about 20s. In 3.3 to 100% a system you need to honk, do the FSS minigame, and STILL fly up close to every body but now instead of waiting for the wheel to spin you will need to do the probe golf game, which will take longer than the 20 seconds the current wheel timer does. So, the net effect will be that 100%ing a system in 3.3 will take longer than it does in 3.2, due to the new layer of First Mapped with the probe minigame being added.
 
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