Let's talk explorers...

[Blind Owl]

Honestly, my initial idea was to use a modded Cutlass Red. It already has a different sensor package on it. Also, the Cutlass is "supposed" to be one of the best ships for changing out equipment. But we don't know anything about how the sensors are going to work, or how the exploration mechanic is going to be implemented. But, seeing how they have handled it in lore so far might give us a clue.

As far as my ships, I might go back down from the Aquila to the Cutlass, cause I still love the Cutlass, and work on getting the Aquila in game. I should be able to pull out the Medi-Bays, and put in some living quarters and mapping equipment, and maybe a bar.... or is that part of the living quarters....

This. If this holds true, and we can use a Cutlass as an explorer, then I've found my smaller explorer. Take out the med bays and extra bunks, etc, and add in expanded fuel pods, mapping equipments, and any addition sensors required...
Yeah. That'd be a beauty.

I would pick up a Carrack or a Reclaimer then get scared off by the crew requirements

I want to upgrade my Star-G to a Carrack, but those crew requirements scare me as well.

my schedule with work absolutely sucks so I foresee a lot soloing for me so I keep my ships small.

For me it's not so much my work schedule as having an infant, and not having the time to dedicate to the game. Different problem, same result.

As such, I'm leaving towards more solo ships, and less multi crew. I think it'd be wee bit more manageable.

But that being said the Carrack imo is the ultimate explorer, if I had close friends or a lighter work schedule I would definitely have this as my explorer.

I really want one, but as I stated above,will I have the time to really use it?

 

[Blind Owl]

I skipped everything and came straight to the posting part.

I fully plan on exploration. There are plenty of opportunities with multiple different ships to be able to do this with. Yes, each will have its advantages and disadvantages. Some will require larger crews than others. All in all ship exploration should be fun.

That guys ship there would be fun to explore and maybe that guys over there. This one here is much bigger and will need a larger crew to wipeout...I mean...extend our greetings to those out among the stars and even assist those we meet along the way to help them see the stars in a way they never would have before.

I have a drake fleet just for this kind of exploration. :)
I reckon we'll have a decent amount of fun.

 

[Blind Owl]

I was thinking about this last night and wondered how this might relate to the notion of building secret bases. I did this in SW Combine for several years and it can be fun, as well as fantastically useful. If for example you want to explore Krell space, you might first build a hidden asteroid base there where you disassemble a Starfarer of questionable origin, and store the fuel in the asteroid, so you don't have to have another Starfarer come in except periodically to drop off and vanish. From there you could run covert ops in Krell space and see what you can see, and your long term crews are much more manageable. Also you can then put purloined Bucks in long term storage so if you ever had a martial action, you have sufficient force as backup on hand. We could do this in a dozen place in the galaxy and it would provide for much more freedom of movement, and a cool storyline.

I think our Privateering enterprise should try this out. I'd be willing to sacrifice time, body parts, and ships to this endeavour.

 

[AstroSam]

If I can get sensors on my 350R, then I will have the fastest explorer in known space. Hop in, run a scan while letting my pursuers read the sign next to my tailpipes: "Kiss my Ass" :cool:

And what will be the point of that? I always *loved* the gameplay within "Mass Effect"(1), to reach new star systems, scan planets, read through the scan results and then enjoyed to land on some planets, driving around a little bit, making some screenshots of beautiful horizons and so on. Exploring still is more like "in and out". But for sure it is also dangerous, because there are perhaps pirates who want to enter your ship or cause you harm. Therefore, exploring on your own possibly will be not the best of all ideas.

Never go in without company ;)
Leave a whole bunch of guns on the other side of the jump point, taunt every ship in the vicinity and lead them to the slaughter. Only one ship will fit through a smal hole

Which one will that finally be? Even Chris Roberts plays ping-pong with his statements about the lancer and her ability fitting or not fitting into small jump holes.

I imagine that with the extended fuel capacity that the DUR offers, CIG is planning on implementing extended range into the game, and the smaller/ standard fuel cap ships will have a hard time coping w/ out some kind of added/external support. Your other option is to get what ever you like best and fix it up in game to be a suitable explorer.

Thats why I'm highly interested in this fuel gameplay part of SC, looking to the Starfarer. If TEST can manage to install a network of farers over the space, we can rename us in ARAL and make ourselves really, really RICH...well, at least in virtual life *sigh* ;)

If I could get bigger engines on my 315P I would have the fastest explorer in the 'Verse.

See my first post: what would be the point of that? If you wanna go exploring you have to be a) invisible OR b) together with other ships for defending yourself, IF the case may be. If I want to go onto a exploring gig, I want to enjoy it, taking all the time I need to be astonished, excited or dreamy - simply far away.

 

[Varku]

Man....I guess I don't know shit about how jump tunnels are going to work. We have to actively guide our craft through the winding wormhole? That's Turbo-Awesome.

thats true, and over time this winding wormhole while slightly move, that's why you need to remap it every once in a while.
This is a Video, where Chris Roberts is explaing the mechanic:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ciVup_sWU#

Also after watching it again, i have to correct myself, there is no autopilot, but at least you get instruction when to make a turn.

And here is a video, showcasing the concept:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E653GWHbo2U

 

[Blind Owl]

I'll have to reevaluate everything now. *sigh*
Why are ships so hard?

 

[NKato]

If you want t' challenge yourself, stick with what you got.

Don't let discussions influence your fleet. Focus on the role not the theoretical capabilities of the ships.

 

[Adiran]

if you havent seen it @Blind Owl here is everything we know about it so far. https://testsquadron.com/threads/exploration-guide-what-we-know-so-far.3952/

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I think our Privateering enterprise should try this out. I'd be willing to sacrifice time, body parts, and ships to this endeavour.

Well the thing is really you want other people, people you don't know; to sacrifice their ships to this endeavor.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

And what will be the point of that?

See my first post: what would be the point of that? If you wanna go exploring you have to be a) invisible OR b) together with other ships for defending yourself. . .

It depends whether you can scan while moving. If you can, a fast ship with a good range can often scan larger amounts of space in a given time than a slower ship that scans a larger area. You want to optimize based on the precise game dynamic and we don't know what it will be yet, but speed is its own defense. So far as I'm aware the 300 series are all safe since they can't be caught if they decide to run. The issue of range is important however. The Reliant was designed as a short haul ship so it will probably never be a great explorer.

 

[FluffyVonRage]

So acquiring a few ships from "Benevolent donations" would really be the way to go..

Definitely gonna be an advantage to jumping a starfarer out to maximum range and setting up shop there - in theory, nobody else would know they could potentially refuel there, so they'd avoid jumping themselves out into the middle of nowhere and not having the fuel to get home? I could be wrong, but that would probably save us a fair amount of hassle from smaller groups and solo players who'd lack the support structure to get themselves out and back.

 

[Metal-Muffin]

Well the thing is really you want other people, people you don't know; to sacrifice their ships to this endeavor.

If other people are willing to do it, what's the harm?

 

[Han Burgundy]

This is a Video, where Chris Roberts is explaing the mechanic:

Thank you for this video! I had never seen it before and the fact that it isnt a press the jump button then watch the colorful tunnel/loading screen is fantastic. This game just got 250x cooler and more in-depth. I shall now be a jumpoint Nav-mapper in my starferer! Cuz you make it easy on yourself, you'll ALWAYS suck

 

[AstroSam]

It depends whether you can scan while moving. If you can, a fast ship with a good range can often scan larger amounts of space in a given time than a slower ship that scans a larger area. You want to optimize based on the precise game dynamic and we don't know what it will be yet, but speed is its own defense. So far as I'm aware the 300 series are all safe since they can't be caught if they decide to run. The issue of range is important however. The Reliant was designed as a short haul ship so it will probably never be a great explorer.

In my understanding, scanning is only a minor part at the very beginning of the operations, but not exploring in its origin meaning ;)

 

[Shadow Reaper]

This above is awesome! Adrian is my kind of player! He obviously knows what is important to making his exploration a success.

I totally love that he has integrated what we know about stealth and EWarfare. And just noting, if you love the exploration dynamic but can't commit to daily play, crewing someone's Carrack is a great way to go. Probably we will all be limited to how many NPC's we can have, so joining someone's crew even when you can't be there every day hopefully means you can use your NPC's to keep someone's Carrack safe from boarders. That is a huge contribution even when you are not playing.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

If other people are willing to do it, what's the harm?

Willing. . .em. . .yeah. Just some people need to be persuaded properly to give us their Carracks, Star-G's and such. I think most of them fly for "The Corporation", those arrogant bastards.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

So acquiring a few ships from "Benevolent donations" would really be the way to go..

Definitely gonna be an advantage to jumping a starfarer out to maximum range and setting up shop there - in theory, nobody else would know they could potentially refuel there, so they'd avoid jumping themselves out into the middle of nowhere and not having the fuel to get home? I could be wrong, but that would probably save us a fair amount of hassle from smaller groups and solo players who'd lack the support structure to get themselves out and back.

Yes, and although a base has less flexibility as compared to a refueling ship, it can be hidden. Its pretty hard to hide a Star-G. If you put it inside a base that is different and you might not need to disassemble the ship. Just store it and fly it when the tanks get low. If however we will be permitted to build the tanks and S5 turrets off a Starfarer into an asteroid base, that would be reason to disassemble the ship. Who knows how many Starfarers people would contribute to our cause? Could be a dozen for each single base.

 

[DansAFK]

Deep space exploring with a reclaimer and a dragonfly. I'll probably be slow but happening upon the inevitable shipwrecks from frontier explorers who have fallen to pirates and vanduul or crashed. Floodlights on, drones dispatched while I salvage then moving onwards and outwards to the fringes of the verse. :D

Also 4 x class 9 anti missile turrets and a size 5 weapon means I won't be easy prey for pirates.

"Civilian surveyors are also a common site on the frontier, where they are adapted as dedicated salvage ships and explorers. A crew traveling deep space in a Reclaimer should be capable of taking home some of whatever mysteries they happen across!"

 

[marcsand2]

Hmmmm. I wonder how that will work when you log out. I can't play 24/7, love to do fighter cover but need to park my ship somewhere while sleeping. Which ship would be big enough to park some fighters but also has exploration capabilities?
The P71 and P52 are funny little fighter which can evade fire with their speed and agility, but if somebody attacks the escorted ships, then you need stopping power, blazing guns, quick killing power, not evasive light fighters who must evade the enemy fire and must grind through their shields an armor.
Only NPCs would be stupid enough to chase a snub fighter and forget about their main target.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Deep space exploring with a reclaimer. . .

My guess is there will be so much work for Reclaimer crews that you won't need to waste time exploring. You can have the explorers call you when they find something and literally move from job to job. If we can taser pirate groups around comm stations with a Warlock, tractor them into a Reclaimer, cut them open and keep them, there is enough work there for any Reclaimer crew that wants to be rich. Even if you can't insure ships taken through such methods, that would imply that stockpiling hundreds of pirate Bucks for time of war as a great idea and that means Reclaimers busy day and night--as much work as one could hope for.

And that's just one kind of work. "Reclaiming" artifact technologies from bygone eras sounds like the holy grail of exploration.