Where is the exploration?

[[ kraken ]]

So, nobody is actually exploring in this galaxy? We all have an FSS that knows everything, you just have to aim it and it will tell POIs and even divide them into categories? Then we launch probes on a planet, and there's all exact locations... That it?!? If we have sensors that know everything, that's pretty advanced technology alright, so why don't they take care of the trivial business of aiming themselves and be done with it?

Sorry folks, when I first opened the FSS I thought that I had to fiddle with radiations and interpret waves, but tonight... truth stings.

I thought I could be done with posting on the first thread that mentioned FSS, but no.

FSS makes no sense

Tried exploration today and found it real tedious, fast and tedious. I imagine it could have been a more involved process and require at least some planning like the OP suggests but no. Even probes are infinite. Maybe FD just wants us to finish explore the galaxy real quick so it can pull out...

forums.frontier.co.uk

Why not implement actual sensors? Do we really need to scoop through the galaxy doing mindless scans?

 

[Vardaugas]

What do you mean with 'actual sensors' and what kind of gameplay do you want with it?

 

[[ kraken ]]

Has something different changed since they added the fsighsigh last year or is this just people coming round to the realization that its boring?

I only came to the realization because I tried it first time today. I'm only two weeks into the game and I expected exploration and surveying would be much different really.

What do you mean with 'actual sensors' and what kind of gameplay do you want with it?

the thing I loathe the most is the POIs counter that tells you straight a way if a planet is worthy of investigation or not. That alone takes the whole exploration thing away. By "sensor", I mean something that will let me interpret, even with the possibility of failure, if a planet is worth investigating further or not! The thing is picking up emissions, so give these emissions the form of waves and sounds, give it the possibility of interference... Not a plain text telling me there's geological(56) on said planet, that's plain awful.

 

[Riverside]

Quite a few FSS/exploration posts popping up recently.

Has something different changed since they added the fsighsigh last year or is this just people coming round to the realization that its boring?

Perhaps more players have consumed the new (now old) content and are looking for more? As with most updates I'm looking forward to seeing what QoL and bug fixes (and new bugs ) come with the as yet un-numbered April update.

To respond to the OP's question, I think it just depends on how the individual defines 'exploration'.

 

[[ kraken ]]

Perhaps more players have consumed the new (now old) content and are looking for more? As with most updates I'm looking forward to seeing what QoL and bug fixes (and new bugs ) come with the as yet un-numbered April update.

lol, no Riverside actually after trying exploration I've found it so unsatisfying that I went back to trucking, I don't even care to find new content if you take away the joy of looking for it, see...

 

[Riverside]

lol, no Riverside actually after trying exploration I've found it so unsatisfying that I went back to trucking, I don't even care to find new content if you take away the joy of looking for it, see...

I did too. I earned 1.3B Cr in January from exploration data alone, I am now back in the bubble repairing stations (A-B trading) because it's more engaging (for me). For those that enjoy it fair play to them, but the new exploration stuff didn't need to be at the expense of the old stuff, which I enjoyed & used a great deal.

 

[shreddog]

This is only about personal preference really.
Some want it harder(lol) while others wants it to go quick..
Can't please them all

 

[[Diplomacy] Carnegie]

I only came to the realization because I tried it first time today. I'm only two weeks into the game and I expected exploration and surveying would be much different really.


the thing I loathe the most is the POIs counter that tells you straight a way if a planet is worthy of investigation or not. That alone takes the whole exploration thing away. By "sensor", I mean something that will let me interpret, even with the possibility of failure, if a planet is worth investigating further or not! The thing is picking up emissions, so give these emissions the form of waves and sounds, give it the possibility of interference... Not a plain text telling me there's geological(56) on said planet, that's plain awful.

If I didn't know better I'd think I'd created another account just to point out how much better exploration could have been if FDev hadn't chosen to turn it into an unfailable minigame.

 

[[ kraken ]]

This is only about personal preference really.
Some want it harder(lol) while others wants it to go quick..
Can't please them all

yeah, I guess... I just feel it's pointless to have such a huge galaxy when all you have to do is enter a system.
If sensors required reading, then exploration would take much longer (but you could still zip from system to system and map the orbits and put names on things as it is now), but as it is we're not going to map it all in our lifetime anyway, so?

 

[aRJay]

So, nobody is actually exploring in this galaxy? We all have an FSS that knows everything, you just have to aim it and it will tell POIs and even divide them into categories? Then we launch probes on a planet, and there's all exact locations... That it?!? If we have sensors that know everything, that's pretty advanced technology alright, so why don't they take care of the trivial business of aiming themselves and be done with it?

Sorry folks, when I first opened the FSS I thought that I had to fiddle with radiations and interpret waves, but tonight... truth stings.

I thought I could be done with posting on the first thread that mentioned FSS, but no.

FSS makes no sense

Tried exploration today and found it real tedious, fast and tedious. I imagine it could have been a more involved process and require at least some planning like the OP suggests but no. Even probes are infinite. Maybe FD just wants us to finish explore the galaxy real quick so it can pull out...

forums.frontier.co.uk

Why not implement actual sensors? Do we really need to scoop through the galaxy doing mindless scans?

Most complaints I have seen about the new system is that it requires more involvement than the previous one where all you did was arrive in the system, hold a button down for about 10 seconds, line up on the nearest planet whose picture on the map looked interesting, target it and wait for all available information to arrive when you got close enough, line up on the next body of interest and repeat until you had visited all of them or all the high value ones.

 

[[ kraken ]]

Most complaints I have seen about the new system is that it requires more involvement than the previous one where all you did was arrive in the system, hold a button down for about 10 seconds, line up on the nearest planet whose picture on the map looked interesting, target it and wait for all available information to arrive when you got close enough, line up on the next body of interest and repeat until you had visited all of them or all the high value ones.

oh, well, this might be a bit different because it comes from a new player then.

I don't know how things were before, but I know there was no planetary landing, so this issue I have with POIs on planets that are supposed to be unexplored, appearing on my map like I'd search for a fast food on my GPS probably don't apply.

When I opened the FSS on my first day in space I immediately closed it because I didn't believe it was just an unfailable mini-game (thank you DrewCarnegie), I have waited two weeks to give it a try, and now... oh, gosh.

 

[Lightspeed]

Quite a few FSS/exploration posts popping up recently.

Has something different changed since they added the fsighsigh last year or is this just people coming round to the realization that its boring?

Some of us predicted this was likely to happen ..... the initial flush of enthusiasm out in the black for the "new" method, then a realization that it's a tedious design.

Some like it, but I have never got used to it.

 

[samuelb]

Like all good software, the mechanics in this game could (maybe should?) be built in layers.

Take exploration as an example, you could have level 1 exploration which is point and shoot and the information from which returns, oh say, 40% of the potential reward pot for "information". Next level 2 exploration which takes a little longer and is a little more involved but returns 65% of the pot. Lastly, we could have a level 3 exploration branch which involves sensor sweeps, data interpretation, sample mining, atmosphere skimming, etc., etc., etc. and which returns between 85 and 100% of the pot based on skill, expertise, value of information, or something else plausible.

This could apply to mining, trading, piracy, c & p, warfare, BGS, and on and on.

Not only that but it would allow players to partake at levels which suited them whilst making all activities accessible and "fun" for a given value of the concept. It would also allow Frontier to get something bug free, then add another layer on top. They could also, using their metrics, further expand popular roles and re-invigorate those lacking in engagement.

It would also, in my opinion, add a level of depth to the game and help remove the "grinding" tag this games has acquired because all "grinding" would be self-inflicted (i.e. in the pursuit of fun not because you have no alternative.)

Anyway, I love this game as is and if nothing changed, well I certainly got my monies worth and more besides. I guess the reason this game engenders such deep love and hate is because it is a platform which could be used to build something peerless and sate the wonderlust built into us adventurers, yet it never quite seems to scratch that itch fully.

When all is said and done, I have only praise and thanks to David Braben and his team.

Fly safe CMDRs o7

 

[Ralph Vargr]

The Koch Brothers bought exploration.

 

[[ kraken ]]

Like all good software, the mechanics in this game could (maybe should?) be built in layers.

Take exploration as an example, you could have level 1 exploration which is point and shoot and the information from which returns, oh say, 40% of the potential reward pot for "information". Next level 2 exploration which takes a little longer and is a little more involved but returns 65% of the pot. Lastly, we could have a level 3 exploration branch which involves sensor sweeps, data interpretation, sample mining, atmosphere skimming, etc., etc., etc. and which returns between 85 and 100% of the pot based on skill, expertise, value of information, or something else plausible.

This could apply to mining, trading, piracy, c & p, warfare, BGS, and on and on.

Not only that but it would allow players to partake at levels which suited them whilst making all activities accessible and "fun" for a given value of the concept. It would also allow Frontier to get something bug free, then add another layer on top. They could also, using their metrics, further expand popular roles and re-invigorate those lacking in engagement.

It would also, in my opinion, add a level of depth to the game and help remove the "grinding" tag this games has acquired because all "grinding" would be self-inflicted (i.e. in the pursuit of fun not because you have no alternative.)

Anyway, I love this game as is and if nothing changed, well I certainly got my monies worth and more besides. I guess the reason this game engenders such deep love and hate is because it is a platform which could be used to build something peerless and sate the wonderlust built into us adventurers, yet it never quite seems to scratch that itch fully.

When all is said and done, I have only praise and thanks to David Braben and his team.

Fly safe CMDRs o7

Oh, I love it too, and I will keep at it. That's why I want it perfect.
I agree, layers are good, and I've thought if FD was not going to implement deeper exploration at a later stage, and if the POIs counter we get now is not just a dirty fix so we can enjoy content while sensors are being developed. Who knows.

 

[samuelb]

Oh, I love it too, and I will keep at it. That's why I want it perfect.
I agree, layers are good, and I've thought if FD was not going to implement deeper exploration at a later stage, and if the POIs counter we get now is not just a dirty fix so we can enjoy content while sensors are being developed. Who knows.

Here's hoping Kraken, my wife, children, boss and bank manager may not be so pleased should they ever get the game to a more complete state but I (and many others) would be in hog heaven (as well as unshaven, unemployed, unmarried and ungry)

See you in the black CMDR o7

 

[Sysmon]

I find exploration a lot more enjoyable now, and it's not just getting into VR. Before exploration was basically point-and-wait gameplay. Now we can gather more information before committing to exploring a system further. The FSS is very helpful that way, as we can focus our efforts on what's important at the moment: I tend to explore for cool things to look at which can largely be gathered from the orrery. But at times I also look for materials, which is something the FSS is very good at finding.

We could use more varied PoIs of course. There are few types still, but I'm sure FD will throw more at us.

Yes, it was exciting to find stuff with Mk I eyeball before, but it took a long time and there were little logic about where they were to be found. And maybe the simplicity of the PoIs doesn't do them any favour either. Same system could be kept (let's face it, games are mechanics with a varnish of prettiness on top), but we could be given search radii to trawl within. These areas could simply be based on concentrations of the gasses that supposedly are venting from the geological or biological sites. One could say that's what the PoIs are already doing, they just look a bit too much like X-marks-the-spot...

S

 

[Guest193293]

Never tried it, does it really shows directly a planet POIs?

 

[[ kraken ]]

Never tried it, does it really shows directly a planet POIs?

No, not directly, but it tells you the amounts and kinds of POIs so, well, you know immediately which planets are worth probing.

This seems to be a requested feature by most, but I don't like it because, well, it doesn't require any skill at all to find interesting stuff. Take guardian ruins, they're supposed to be a big discovery, but all you really have to do is to aim at all planets until you see "guardian(1)" and you're on it. Failproof. It's not a game of skill, but patience and fortitude, aiming all planets one by one.

I believe it would be fabulous if the scanner would give waves and colors in a more natural matter (imagine a submarine sonar, but stellar!), after scanning a few systems you get to learn what patterns are meaningless, and what corresponds to something, and then one day you get that something alien... This way an experienced explorer would actually learn what to look for, but the best part is that it would not be as failproof as the current thing. The way it is now, it's just tedium. At least for me.

 

[IPFreely]

I have been exploring the Galaxy over 3 years now, and have come to the conclusion that the new scanners, probes, and what have you, elongate the exploration.
Superfluous in the fact that you have to physically go to that targeted planet to "map" it anyway. The FSS can do certain aspects of scanning, but if you have or want to do further investigations of said planet/moon, you have to go there. Coming to the point, I don't bother with the FSS.