Why is the Detailed Surface Scanner so useless?

[Youda]

So i jumped again into the material grind for some nice AX ship. My storage for raw materials was still not depleted, i just needed to refill 2 of the most used ones. So i thought it would not be worth going to that distant system with the Crystalline Clusters, but instead i would just use a web tool to find some planet with high enough percentage of that material fill up there.

But whenever you approach such metal planet and scan it with a detailed surface scanner, this is what appears

The planets are mostly 90% blue even with the correct filter and it gives you no info about where the hotspots are. I tried landing at the different shades of blue, but it appears to make no difference.

And if you're searching for a material that does not grow on the brain trees (like Tellurium) and you land at random blue location, you might as well be driving around for an hour to find a single drop of it.

Why can't just the scanner work the same on planets as it does on the rings, where you see the heatmap and the right spots?

 

[nemolomen]

The blue areas do not show minerals/materials/geologicals. They show where Biologicals(Plants, Fungus, etc...) might be found.

In the DSS view, you can cycle through the available flora using the Q and E keys (by default). In your case above though, there is only one biological.

 

[Razzerman]

A ‘pulse wave analyser’ for planetary surfaces would be a nice feature. Something to refine whereabouts of bios/materials more accurately.

 

[Youda]

I mean, at least they could do it like this

 

[GroG79]

Use the sysmap to see if the required raw materials are on the planet and in what %

 

[Codger]

The blue areas do not show minerals/materials/geologicals.

No, they show geologicals too.

The blue areas show where they are "supported", and that's all. To find them you have to get down close to the surface and scan with your eyeballs. This becomes easier with practice, once you know where the various types of geology (or biology) tend to appear.

The DSS is not useless. You are simply inexperienced with it, that's all. Keep trying

 

[Razzerman]

Any reason why we couldn't have a ship-mounted version of the hand-scanner mcwotsit that's used on foot? Or would that be a quality of life improvement that's just not possible?

 

[Fixitman]

I mean, at least they could do it like this

Any reason why we couldn't have a ship-mounted version of the hand-scanner mcwotsit that's used on foot? Or would that be a quality of life improvement that's just not possible?

Either would remove most of the challenge. Considering the payouts vs most other activities, exobiology is already too easy.

 

[Razzerman]

Either would remove most of the challenge.

Well, make it available for those who have reached elite in exobiology or some such. And it would be an optional module, for those who prefer the challenge. Personally, I find the best challenge is finding landing spots in mountainous areas with my far-too-big-for-the-job asp explorer. Good fun hopping around chasing down cactoida, or frutexa

 

[K Olley]

Well, make it available for those who have reached elite in exobiology or some such. And it would be an optional module, for those who prefer the challenge. Personally, I find the best challenge is finding landing spots in mountainous areas with my far-too-big-for-the-job asp explorer. Good fun hopping around chasing down cactoida, or frutexa

I am not out specifically hunting for Bio's but I keep a Sidewinder on my carrier kitted out to handle these hard to get to Bio's.

 

[Fixitman]

Well, make it available for those who have reached elite in exobiology or some such. And it would be an optional module, for those who prefer the challenge. Personally, I find the best challenge is finding landing spots in mountainous areas with my far-too-big-for-the-job asp explorer. Good fun hopping around chasing down cactoida, or frutexa

That would be an obvious waste of FDev's limited resources. By the time a commander reaches Elite, it's already very easy to find all but the most elusive fungoida. I just reached Ecologist, and I don't have any use at all for such a module.

ED is a game about working towards mastery. It is not about working towards a sudden drop in difficulty.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

With geological features the DSS gives you a vague idea of where to look. Then flip from Analysis to Combat view and look at the surface. Active geology tends to look lumpy from orbit. Coming out of the glide should show volcanoes (mountains with craters in the top) once you have those the SRV can quickly locate the spouts/fumerols/vents and geysers where the mats are.

 

[nemolomen]

No, they show geologicals too.

TIL - I guess its been too long since I've used one...

 

[Red Anders]

Well, make it available for those who have reached elite in exobiology or some such.

Yeah and sell it for 25,000 Arx of course.