With the coming advent of drones launching a drone / Probe on to the surface or into a stable orbit, would yield a bonus in either credits or reputation but of course, the limit on drones carried and cost against the size of a bonus, means it has a risk reward... This could work with exploration questing also, drop a drone / Probe at XYZ coordinates by such a date.
What can the devs do to improve exploration?
- Thread starter mossfoot
- Start date
With the coming advent of drones launching a drone / Probe on to the surface or into a stable orbit, would yield a bonus in either credits or reputation but of course, the limit on drones carried and cost against the size of a bonus, means it has a risk reward... This could work with exploration questing also, drop a drone / Probe at XYZ coordinates by such a date.
It may of already been said but I am late to the thread. I would like a in game commander's logbook of how many of each star type and planet type I have discovered first. so I can say I have found 10 earth like worlds and 500 icy planets etc
Apologies if some of these have been mentioned, I haven't read the whole post...
When I first played Elite in '84 I read about "factory ships" which were supposed to be the biggest ships in existence with their own private armies and so on. I went out looking for one, but I guess it was just a legend. It would be nice for a few of these things to be drifting their way through space.
I'd also like to see space tourism grow. It would be great if planets could advertise tours on the Galnet "come and watch a star being sucked into a black hole from the comfort of a window seat in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe".... no, but seriously it's a whole industry and there are lots of planets which could do with the economy, and there are a lot of beautiful stars and sights to see. It just needs someone to set up as a tour operator.
The other thing, my biggest disappointment with ED (which I wrote a post about) is the way that only one small section of the galaxy has space stations and trading. It would be nice to make some other areas, even if it does nothing but help dissipate the concentration of real players in the one area of the galaxy. Maybe just some outpost clusters of 3 or 4 systems every 100 light years or so....?
When I first played Elite in '84 I read about "factory ships" which were supposed to be the biggest ships in existence with their own private armies and so on. I went out looking for one, but I guess it was just a legend. It would be nice for a few of these things to be drifting their way through space.
I'd also like to see space tourism grow. It would be great if planets could advertise tours on the Galnet "come and watch a star being sucked into a black hole from the comfort of a window seat in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe".... no, but seriously it's a whole industry and there are lots of planets which could do with the economy, and there are a lot of beautiful stars and sights to see. It just needs someone to set up as a tour operator.
The other thing, my biggest disappointment with ED (which I wrote a post about) is the way that only one small section of the galaxy has space stations and trading. It would be nice to make some other areas, even if it does nothing but help dissipate the concentration of real players in the one area of the galaxy. Maybe just some outpost clusters of 3 or 4 systems every 100 light years or so....?
In addition the log function mentioned by Galten75, I think it would be nice if it was possible to purchase system information from Universal Cartographics on systems farther than the 20LY limit currently imposed. Additionally, I would like the galaxy map to have the ability to show systems that you have the information on when populated, when discovered by you, and when discovered by someone else. Maybe some color coding system for this? This would help those of us whose desire is to cater to our OCD and fill in as much space with discovered information as possible. I don't like the fact that there is the possibility of a single system just outside inhabited space hasn't been discovered and just sitting there.
InMemoriamSirocco
Banned
I have not read all the thread yet... but what about Flare Stars? While fuel scooping, your computer suddenly plays a warning sound: "Warning: Imminent solar flare detected. Evacuate immediately!"
You have a few seconds before a massive solar eruption causes your ship to overheat, even though it has been in a safe distance from the star while scooping, and overloads some of your modules, maybe even causing your FSD to malfunction and rip you out of supercruise...
You have a few seconds before a massive solar eruption causes your ship to overheat, even though it has been in a safe distance from the star while scooping, and overloads some of your modules, maybe even causing your FSD to malfunction and rip you out of supercruise...
Came back to the game to see what's up and here's what I'd like a lot.
-Select destination through the system map. If I want to select *this* planet without having to guess which one it is on the regular selection panel.
- A specific color for systems I've visited already
-Missions. Long term ones, like sponsored trips in the unknown. With a decent payout. (No I'm not taking a mission to discover 3 new earthlike planets for 50K)
-Select destination through the system map. If I want to select *this* planet without having to guess which one it is on the regular selection panel.
- A specific color for systems I've visited already
-Missions. Long term ones, like sponsored trips in the unknown. With a decent payout. (No I'm not taking a mission to discover 3 new earthlike planets for 50K)
- Advanced Scanner should auto scan rock belts.
- Basic & Intermediate scanner should show a generic planet placeholder. Advanced scanner shows current system view with planet surfaces.
- Terraformable marker. Place a marker for other people to find the planet on the galaxy map.
- Real time score on the %age of the galaxy discovered.
- Ship needs to take provisions. You need 3T of different types of foodstuffs per week (or something). When you run out you have a timer countdown to make it back to civvy street before you starve to death. Water can be recycled so thats not an issue.
- Gas giants with lightning flashes on the dark side.
- Planets with aurora in systems with active suns (ie not a stellar remnant)
- Solar storm warning. You get a burst of radio static then the computer voice says "Warning, coronal mass ejection detected - lethal radiation spike inbound in xxx seconds". You have so many seconds to block the sun using the dark side of a planet. If you fail, you have a random number of days to make it back to civvy space before dying. Maybe avoid when walking in ships is added by having a panic room on board thats radiation shielded.
- Supernova! Computer starts up with "Warning - stellar instability detected. Gravitational Collapse Imminent - please get to minimum safe distance or leave system by .... seconds"
- In systems with a white dwarf as a close companion to a main sequence star, put some graphic representing matter accretion and a random chance of a Nova. ie the White Dwarf gets enough material from the companion to briefly start fusing hydrogen again. Get to minimum safe distance or suffer ship damage.
- Special instances for outside civvy space. ie instead of WSS or SSS or USS use "Gravity Anomaly" for derelict ships etc.
That's coming soon. They've said it just barely missed getting into 1.2, so I'd expect it in 1.3.
Considering they read the subreddit for ELite, I'd bet they're also monitoring things here. They actually seem fairly involved, despite what some folks think. I've dealt with devs before who were totally aloof to feedback and this team is anything but.
Yeah, as an explorer I'd like that as well. Of course, some will use it for black hole/neturon farming, but it would also be useful for hunting for specific planet types -- especially if future missions want us to go out and find them (ie terraformable worlds, metal rich worlds, certain gas giants, etc...).
Im going to go ahead and echo the sentiments of many other explorers and ask for more variable stuff out there, alien ruins, ship wrecks, ANYTHING to spice up ice and rock balls, it doesn't even have to be worth money, just something to read or look at or feel proud that I saw. Even "anomalies" in space that randomly appear and disappear would be great.
The other thing though that Im noticing is that most of our ships have at least a few empty slots, either weapons hardpoints, utility points or or empty slots filled with cargo racks we never use. I would love to see more tools to bring back more, and different kinds of data. Atmosphere scoops for ELPs or anything with an atmosphere. Some kind of mineral sampler, or organic sampler to bring back pretty rocks or simple life forms. Maybe devices to measure background radiation, or anything else really. Or how about an "experimental scanner" that can be used inside black holes or those previously mentioned anomalies for bigger payouts due to potentially high risk situations in scientifically important areas.
Importantly these things should not all be able to be carried at one time by any given ship necessitating multiple trips, or focusing on certain data collection on a specific trip. i.e.: "I dont have room for that experimental scanner or radiation scanner because Im bringing an atmosphere scoop, a water sampler, a mineral sampler and a cargo rack to maximize my profits from ELPs instead of focusing on anomalies and experimental data"
Basically give us more scanners, more tools, more lenses, more scoops, and a reason to have a cargo rack to bring back samples and goodies from space. Let us really fit out an exploration and science vessel. It would make each explorer a little more unique in not only where they're going, but also what specific data they're looking for, and what they're bringing back. It may even make some ships more viable as exploration ships (Type 9 etc) simply because they may not have the jump range but they can carry more scanners and equipment, and have more room to bring back samples. A type 9 with the standard exploration equipment, an organic life sampler and stacks of cargo racks for example could be something of an "arc" ship, setting out to bring back as many lifeforms as possible.
Let us get out there and do some science while were exploring.
EDIT: Just realized that could also add another level of "first explored" by granularity, by having a first discovered by, first sampled by, first measured by... etc. tags. That way even if someone else has FOUND an earth like planet, someone else may be the first to bring back life forms, or examples of its atmosphere/water/soil/technology/whatever
EDIT2: Also just realized that hellhawk pretty much beat me to this one. And about 7000 systems Ive passed through
. Its worth repeating though if the devs are reading.
The other thing though that Im noticing is that most of our ships have at least a few empty slots, either weapons hardpoints, utility points or or empty slots filled with cargo racks we never use. I would love to see more tools to bring back more, and different kinds of data. Atmosphere scoops for ELPs or anything with an atmosphere. Some kind of mineral sampler, or organic sampler to bring back pretty rocks or simple life forms. Maybe devices to measure background radiation, or anything else really. Or how about an "experimental scanner" that can be used inside black holes or those previously mentioned anomalies for bigger payouts due to potentially high risk situations in scientifically important areas.
Importantly these things should not all be able to be carried at one time by any given ship necessitating multiple trips, or focusing on certain data collection on a specific trip. i.e.: "I dont have room for that experimental scanner or radiation scanner because Im bringing an atmosphere scoop, a water sampler, a mineral sampler and a cargo rack to maximize my profits from ELPs instead of focusing on anomalies and experimental data"
Basically give us more scanners, more tools, more lenses, more scoops, and a reason to have a cargo rack to bring back samples and goodies from space. Let us really fit out an exploration and science vessel. It would make each explorer a little more unique in not only where they're going, but also what specific data they're looking for, and what they're bringing back. It may even make some ships more viable as exploration ships (Type 9 etc) simply because they may not have the jump range but they can carry more scanners and equipment, and have more room to bring back samples. A type 9 with the standard exploration equipment, an organic life sampler and stacks of cargo racks for example could be something of an "arc" ship, setting out to bring back as many lifeforms as possible.
Let us get out there and do some science while were exploring.
EDIT: Just realized that could also add another level of "first explored" by granularity, by having a first discovered by, first sampled by, first measured by... etc. tags. That way even if someone else has FOUND an earth like planet, someone else may be the first to bring back life forms, or examples of its atmosphere/water/soil/technology/whatever
EDIT2: Also just realized that hellhawk pretty much beat me to this one. And about 7000 systems Ive passed through
. Its worth repeating though if the devs are reading.
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Im going to go ahead and echo the sentiments of many other explorers and ask for more variable stuff out there, alien ruins, ship wrecks, ANYTHING to spice up ice and rock balls, it doesn't even have to be worth money, just something to read or look at or feel proud that I saw. Even "anomalies" in space that randomly appear and disappear would be great.
The other thing though that Im noticing is that most of our ships have at least a few empty slots, either weapons hardpoints, utility points or or empty slots filled with cargo racks we never use. I would love to see more tools to bring back more, and different kinds of data. Atmosphere scoops for ELPs or anything with an atmosphere. Some kind of mineral sampler, or organic sampler to bring back pretty rocks or simple life forms. Maybe devices to measure background radiation, or anything else really. Or how about an "experimental scanner" that can be used inside black holes or those previously mentioned anomalies for bigger payouts due to potentially high risk situations in scientifically important areas.
Importantly these things should not all be able to be carried at one time by any given ship necessitating multiple trips, or focusing on certain data collection on a specific trip. i.e.: "I dont have room for that experimental scanner or radiation scanner because Im bringing an atmosphere scoop, a water sampler, a mineral sampler and a cargo rack to maximize my profits from ELPs instead of focusing on anomalies and experimental data"
Basically give us more scanners, more tools, more lenses, more scoops, and a reason to have a cargo rack to bring back samples and goodies from space. Let us really fit out an exploration and science vessel. It would make each explorer a little more unique in not only where they're going, but also what specific data they're looking for, and what they're bringing back. It may even make some ships more viable as exploration ships (Type 9 etc) simply because they may not have the jump range but they can carry more scanners and equipment, and have more room to bring back samples. A type 9 with the standard exploration equipment, an organic life sampler and stacks of cargo racks for example could be something of an "arc" ship, setting out to bring back as many lifeforms as possible.
Let us get out there and do some science while were exploring.
EDIT: Just realized that could also add another level of "first explored" by granularity, by having a first discovered by, first sampled by, first measured by... etc. tags. That way even if someone else has FOUND an earth like planet, someone else may be the first to bring back life forms, or examples of its atmosphere/water/soil/technology/whatever
EDIT2: Also just realized that hellhawk pretty much beat me to this one. And about 7000 systems Ive passed through
some really great ideas here, and throughout this thread, with the soon to come use of drones in Powerplay i hope that some ideas can be implemented.
Tea!!!!
You are an explorer man!
Alcohol!
1st rule of exploration, rule 1, alcohol and exploring - strawberry's and cream ....
Nuff said *ahem*
Im going to go ahead and echo the sentiments of many other explorers and ask for more variable stuff out there, alien ruins, ship wrecks, ANYTHING to spice up ice and rock balls, it doesn't even have to be worth money, just something to read or look at or feel proud that I saw. Even "anomalies" in space that randomly appear and disappear would be great.
The other thing though that Im noticing is that most of our ships have at least a few empty slots, either weapons hardpoints, utility points or or empty slots filled with cargo racks we never use. I would love to see more tools to bring back more, and different kinds of data. Atmosphere scoops for ELPs or anything with an atmosphere. Some kind of mineral sampler, or organic sampler to bring back pretty rocks or simple life forms. Maybe devices to measure background radiation, or anything else really. Or how about an "experimental scanner" that can be used inside black holes or those previously mentioned anomalies for bigger payouts due to potentially high risk situations in scientifically important areas.
Importantly these things should not all be able to be carried at one time by any given ship necessitating multiple trips, or focusing on certain data collection on a specific trip. i.e.: "I dont have room for that experimental scanner or radiation scanner because Im bringing an atmosphere scoop, a water sampler, a mineral sampler and a cargo rack to maximize my profits from ELPs instead of focusing on anomalies and experimental data"
Basically give us more scanners, more tools, more lenses, more scoops, and a reason to have a cargo rack to bring back samples and goodies from space. Let us really fit out an exploration and science vessel. It would make each explorer a little more unique in not only where they're going, but also what specific data they're looking for, and what they're bringing back. It may even make some ships more viable as exploration ships (Type 9 etc) simply because they may not have the jump range but they can carry more scanners and equipment, and have more room to bring back samples. A type 9 with the standard exploration equipment, an organic life sampler and stacks of cargo racks for example could be something of an "arc" ship, setting out to bring back as many lifeforms as possible.
Let us get out there and do some science while were exploring.
EDIT: Just realized that could also add another level of "first explored" by granularity, by having a first discovered by, first sampled by, first measured by... etc. tags. That way even if someone else has FOUND an earth like planet, someone else may be the first to bring back life forms, or examples of its atmosphere/water/soil/technology/whatever
EDIT2: Also just realized that hellhawk pretty much beat me to this one. And about 7000 systems Ive passed through
Great ideas! I've posted this kind of thread about a dozen times myself. Hopefully the devs are reading. +1 rep for science!!
RL astronomers have actually found clouds of alcohol (and other hydrocarbons) floating in space. Maybe we could modify the fuel scoop? No strawberriesand cream though...