Xbox Exploration QuestionsDi

[HRBL]

Enjoying the game a lot so far, but something I can't get my head around is how exploration works and whether it's different on the Xbox to the PC:

One jump out from my starting system is a system called LP 633-12. When I jumped there I was notified that I'd found an undiscovered object (that being the star itself). On looking at the system map the star info has "Discovered By: ME" written underneath it. It originally had unexplored, but I went back with a scanner and scanned it.

Thing is, I cannot be the first person to have jumped to that star and scanned it. A friend with the game also jumped there and said it had "Discovered By: ME" on the star info. (i.e. the word ME, not his or my names).

What is going on here?


I know that to get a first discovery I need to sell the data, but I couldn't sell the surface scan data to a nearby station (needed to be >20 ly away). Are these stars only undiscovered to certain systems? If you get a genuine first discovery can you still only sell to far away stations from the star?


Just a bit confused at the moment. I understand broadly how it works, but I'm not seeing it in game. Thanks for the help.

 

[Janx]

Enjoying the game a lot so far, but something I can't get my head around is how exploration works and whether it's different on the Xbox to the PC:

One jump out from my starting system is a system called LP 633-12. When I jumped there I was notified that I'd found an undiscovered object (that being the star itself). On looking at the system map the star info has "Discovered By: ME" written underneath it. It originally had unexplored, but I went back with a scanner and scanned it.

Thing is, I cannot be the first person to have jumped to that star and scanned it. A friend with the game also jumped there and said it had "Discovered By: ME" on the star info. (i.e. the word ME, not his or my names).

What is going on here?


I know that to get a first discovery I need to sell the data, but I couldn't sell the surface scan data to a nearby station (needed to be >20 ly away). Are these stars only undiscovered to certain systems? If you get a genuine first discovery can you still only sell to far away stations from the star?


Just a bit confused at the moment. I understand broadly how it works, but I'm not seeing it in game. Thanks for the help.

I would assume that somebody who's gamertag is "ME" found it and turned in the data at a station.

 

[Von Adder]

There have been several threads on this issue, the XO version shares various bits n bobs with the pc version, but exploration and discovery at the moment is not one of them. The chances are when the game comes out of beta and merges with the pc version properly, the systems you are starting in will have been discovered and explored already (not chances, will have been)

Until we get a 100% confirmation from the devs on how discovery and exploration is going to work, it seems that on the XO atm it's completely pointless!

 

[HRBL]

I would assume that somebody who's gamertag is "ME" found it and turned in the data at a station.

I just had a search and yup, there's someone called ME who has played Elite Dangerous on the XBone... Causing chaos with their gamertag...!

There have been several threads on this issue, the XO version shares various bits n bobs with the pc version, but exploration and discovery at the moment is not one of them. The chances are when the game comes out of beta and merges with the pc version properly, the systems you are starting in will have been discovered and explored already (not chances, will have been)

Until we get a 100% confirmation from the devs on how discovery and exploration is going to work, it seems that on the XO atm it's completely pointless!

Thanks for the info, it was just baffling seeing an "unexplored" star so close to civilization. Makes a lot more sense knowing the PC/Xbox worlds are separate.


So how does the "undiscovered object" thing work exactly? I gained CR for "discovering" a star that someone had already found. How exactly does the game determine if you get any CR for a system or not? Like I don't get any CR for the central busy systems obviously, but why does this change for the surrounding systems?

 

[n o o d l z]

So how does the "undiscovered object" thing work exactly? I gained CR for "discovering" a star that someone had already found. How exactly does the game determine if you get any CR for a system or not? Like I don't get any CR for the central busy systems obviously, but why does this change for the surrounding systems?

I'm pretty sure the game displays that any time YOU visit a new star/planet, it doesn't matter if it has been discovered by someone else (which you can verify in the system map). It's just the game notifying you that you now have data on that star/planet. You'll know when a star is truly undiscovered when you go to the system map and don't see someone else's name, and when you go to sell the data it'll give you a first discovery bonus.

 

[Nikonthenet]

You should consider your ships Nav system, similar to that of a car.
Your nav computer holds a set of maps which can be updated, its also unique to your ship/car.

You may see an 'Undiscovered system' on your Nav computer in human space, but that doesn't mean, its undiscovered to the rest of the galaxy -just your ships Nav computer needs updating.

Also, you can still sell data for systems that have been discovered. Think of this as 'confirmation' data, or, more data means more accuracy.

Hope that helps

 

[HRBL]

I'm pretty sure the game displays that any time YOU visit a new star/planet, it doesn't matter if it has been discovered by someone else (which you can verify in the system map). It's just the game notifying you that you now have data on that star/planet. You'll know when a star is truly undiscovered when you go to the system map and don't see someone else's name, and when you go to sell the data it'll give you a first discovery bonus.

You should consider your ships Nav system, similar to that of a car.
Your nav computer holds a set of maps which can be updated, its also unique to your ship/car.

You may see an 'Undiscovered system' on your Nav computer in human space, but that doesn't mean, its undiscovered to the rest of the galaxy -just your ships Nav computer needs updating.

Also, you can still sell data for systems that have been discovered. Think of this as 'confirmation' data, or, more data means more accuracy.

Hope that helps

Thanks for the help, that makes a lot more sense to me now

Final final question - does the "unexplored" work the same way? I.e. all/most planets will appear unexplored to me until I surface scan them, but another player may have already surface scanned those planets in the past?

 

[Nikonthenet]

Thanks for the help, that makes a lot more sense to me now

Final final question - does the "unexplored" work the same way? I.e. all/most planets will appear unexplored to me until I surface scan them, but another player may have already surface scanned those planets in the past?

I'm not sure tbh! I've only done a little exploring. I would 'expect' so, given the mechanics: Use the system scanner to locate celestial bodies(could be anything), its only when your in proximity and facing the object, you get the name. You might need to check this for yourself, good luck!

 

[felicitous blue]

Some systems - usually high profile ones eg lave, sol etc - will show as fully discovered. Minor systems - some even with outposts and stations - will be "undiscovered" unless you either scan them or buy the exploration data from the galaxy map (if available).

That's my understanding anyway, playing since premium beta...

 

[Hellhawk666]

Thanks for the help, that makes a lot more sense to me now

Final final question - does the "unexplored" work the same way? I.e. all/most planets will appear unexplored to me until I surface scan them, but another player may have already surface scanned those planets in the past?

Yes - if it is completely unexplored by anyone all you will see is the "UNEXPLORED" tag. If someone else has explored it already it will still say "UNEXPLORED" but also "First discovered by XXXXX".

Also, just a note, you start the game by knowing about the location of all stars in the galaxy, but only their positions - to get the rest of the data you need to scan them. You only know the locations of some planets, and only ever in the inhabited part of space - past that it's completely hidden. Your knowledge of an inhabited system at gamestart might be complete, or just a couple of planets - it varies.

You always know the location of every starport and outpost at gamestart as well.

So, in human space you fill in the blanks - much more blank than preknown In deep space past the frontier you know nothing but star locations.

 

[CaptainKremmen]

I would assume that somebody who's gamertag is "ME" found it and turned in the data at a station.

I'm pretty sure the game displays that any time YOU visit a new star/planet
<snip>

No, CMDR YOU is a different guy to CMDR ME...

(couldn't resist)

 

[Hellhawk666]

Until we get a 100% confirmation from the devs on how discovery and exploration is going to work, it seems that on the XO atm it's completely pointless!

Not completely - it depends on what the devs will do with Xbox player progress. If you have made money from exploration and they allow you to carry that over then it's not pointless doing exploration. If they also allow rank to carry over, then even more so. I'm not sure what the current word is about this.

- - - Updated - - -

No, CMDR YOU is a different guy to CMDR ME...

(couldn't resist)

Worthy of Everett himself

 

[GG7]

I'm pretty sure the game displays that any time YOU visit a new star/planet, it doesn't matter if it has been discovered by someone else (which you can verify in the system map). It's just the game notifying you that you now have data on that star/planet. You'll know when a star is truly undiscovered when you go to the system map and don't see someone else's name, and when you go to sell the data it'll give you a first discovery bonus.

I believe the reason we are finding all these unexplored systems is because the XB1 version is running on a brand new data base that had not been written to in this regard until we all started playing the game. I've gotten over a dozen credits for discovering new systems myself so far. The whole pop-up window with the Congrats message when you sell the map data at a station. Had my brother go check out a cross section of those systems on his machine and sure enough, they all say they were discovered by "Goldengoose7" my XBL gamertag.

So, it is not just displaying that to me, but to everyone on the XB1 version. Most of the new systems I discovered were all brown dwarf systems way out on the "Rim". I was wandering around out there over the weekend trying out my upgraded Discovery Scanner.

And although the folks at Frontier have said numerous times in interviews that all the Galaxy data is going to be merged with the PC and Mac community's activities, I wouldn't be so sure that all those star systems are going to remain discovered by the original PC community when viewed from an Xbox One, playing ED through Xbox Live. For that would certainly take the wind out of all the XB1 space explorer's sails, and I would be surprised if MS and the Xbox Live team would be cool with that.

More than likely they stipulated that the XB1 community gets their own star system discovery database separate from the PC and Mac versions as part of the agreement to support ED on the console. Since the XB1 community is never going to physically be playing alongside the PC and Mac communities via XBL/Steam etc. No one on the PC side is ever going to see if our star system discoverers are the same individuals that are displayed on the PC version of that same star system.

And don't forget that there are achievements attached to system discovery activity, and if all the systems were already played out thanks to the PC and Mac user bases getting there a year ahead of us, then those achievements will never be unlockable.

MS and the XBL Team would NEVER allow that to stand.

NEVER.

 

[ItchyBeard]

Now, does any of this apply to solo play? I'm playing on solo to get the hang of it, and different star systems still say discovered by whoever. Although the names are generic

 

[GG7]

Now, does any of this apply to solo play? I'm playing on solo to get the hang of it, and different star systems still say discovered by whoever. Although the names are generic

I've been playing in SOLO since day one, so all my discoveries were recorded via that mode and are being displayed to everyone else on the XB1 version. No one on my friends list except my brother has had a chance to get started on the game yet, so we both have been just learning the ropes on our own time, and since there were so many issues reported early on with the other modes, we figured it was also the safest mode to use with this first build. I did ask him to check those systems using PRIVATE and Open Play modes however to confirm that the star system discoveries were indeed version wide and not mode dependent.

Besides that, I am hearing reports that the Private and Open Play modes have matchmaking issues that are preventing people from joining each other's games. This is nothing new with BETA versions of games. The Xbox Live hooks usually take some time to tweak and dial in during the first month or so of testing.

 

[PAR4DROID]

What a great GT "ME" is... must be one of the very first live members.

 

[CharlieMike73]

Yes, the discovery data is viewable by others even when discoveries are made in solo play.


Go check out 'Jastreb Sector PT-R B4-7 1 discovered by ME, no really by me, CharlieMike73!!!


I have a whole slew or others too that you will happen upon as you venture around. As has been said with the credits, unlockables and bragging rights they had better stay in our names. There would be a lot of off XBOne players if they just overwrote it with data from the PC camp...honestly cannot ever see that happening. Possibly any that remain undiscovered at time of merge may be claimed on all platforms but those that have been will reflect their platforms original discoverer - at least that's how I see it should be at a very minimum.

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