From time to time we get posts from people who find the current exploration mechanic tiresome. It is true that it is time consuming and that it doesn't pay out as much as some would like. Personally though, I like the design. But then, I look at the current mechanic differently to some, from two perspectives - that of discovery, and that of surveying.
You see, I consider that when you enter a new system and do that initial discovery scan, THAT's the exploration piece - it's about going where perhaps no-one has gone before and discovering what's out there.
But that's really only worth so much. Personally I think the current credit return for that bit is about right. After all, just knowing there's a handful of planets there or whatever isn't worth very much. But if you just want to skip through systems, you'll earn credits, just not as much as you can if you make sure you're thorough on the next bit.
The next bit, the MOST IMPORTANT bit, is not actually exploration at all in my books, but SURVEYING! After discovering what's in a system, investing the time in using the Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS) and visiting every object to gather data is the bit that's the most valuable - from a scientific perspective, to various factions, from the point of view of expanding human civilisation into other systems etc. It is the surveying process that should yield the most return credits-wise. And that's what we see when we use the DSS over the basic planetary scans - improved data equals improved income. I agree that the credit return could be a little higher, but if you differentiate between the two components of the mechanic, it all doesn't seem so bad to me. Can't be bothered expending the time to do a complete survey? Fine, but don't expect to earn much from exploration if you don't. If you're more focused on detailed scans of every object you come across, that will take time but you'll earn more (which is why I think things like asteroid clusters should add to income, rather than the current situation).
What I'd really like to see too is the exploration rank not based so much on credits but rather how thorough you are in actually SURVEYING entire systems (let's face it, the simulation knows whether you've scanned the whole system, even if you do or don't). There is already a relationship between the two of course (scan more to get more credits), but I think that a better link of rank to thorough surveying of systems is warranted to a degree.
But don't think of much of what we do now as exploration per se, think of it more as surveying (which should always be more involved and time consuming than simple discovery).
You see, I consider that when you enter a new system and do that initial discovery scan, THAT's the exploration piece - it's about going where perhaps no-one has gone before and discovering what's out there.
But that's really only worth so much. Personally I think the current credit return for that bit is about right. After all, just knowing there's a handful of planets there or whatever isn't worth very much. But if you just want to skip through systems, you'll earn credits, just not as much as you can if you make sure you're thorough on the next bit.
The next bit, the MOST IMPORTANT bit, is not actually exploration at all in my books, but SURVEYING! After discovering what's in a system, investing the time in using the Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS) and visiting every object to gather data is the bit that's the most valuable - from a scientific perspective, to various factions, from the point of view of expanding human civilisation into other systems etc. It is the surveying process that should yield the most return credits-wise. And that's what we see when we use the DSS over the basic planetary scans - improved data equals improved income. I agree that the credit return could be a little higher, but if you differentiate between the two components of the mechanic, it all doesn't seem so bad to me. Can't be bothered expending the time to do a complete survey? Fine, but don't expect to earn much from exploration if you don't. If you're more focused on detailed scans of every object you come across, that will take time but you'll earn more (which is why I think things like asteroid clusters should add to income, rather than the current situation).
What I'd really like to see too is the exploration rank not based so much on credits but rather how thorough you are in actually SURVEYING entire systems (let's face it, the simulation knows whether you've scanned the whole system, even if you do or don't). There is already a relationship between the two of course (scan more to get more credits), but I think that a better link of rank to thorough surveying of systems is warranted to a degree.
But don't think of much of what we do now as exploration per se, think of it more as surveying (which should always be more involved and time consuming than simple discovery).