Considering Exploration

[Raveen]

I'm thinking about heading out and exploring for a bit. Does this build look good?

Code: Select all

[Type-6 Transporter]
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher
U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher

BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3D Power Plant
TM: 4D Thrusters
FH: 4A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 2D Life Support
PC: 3D Power Distributor
SS: 2D Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)

5: 5C Fuel Scoop
5: 5B Auto Field-Maintenance Unit
3: 3D Shield Generator
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner
2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
---
Shield: 86.49 MJ
Power : 10.59 MW retracted (118%)
10.59 MW deployed (118%)
9.00 MW available
Cargo : 0 T
Fuel : 16 T
Mass : 184.2 T empty
200.2 T full
Range : 28.93 LY unladen
28.93 LY laden
Price : 7,822,182 CR
Re-Buy: 391,109 CR @ 95% insurance


[id3nt1ty]

No fuel scoop? What's the reason for all the HSL?

[Raveen]

5C fuel scoop

The HSLs are for when you jump in between a close binary pair and start to cook.

[Andon]

Last I checked you can't use Heatsinks in supercruise.

Also, an Asp is a far superior ship if you can afford it.

My exploration builds typically forgo shields and skimp way down on the engines. Neither is particularly required way out in the ass end of nowhere. Then you can cut down on the power distributor and reactor - Size 1 distributor and Size 2 reactor. A 2A reactor puts out the same as a 3D and masses a bit less, I think.

The higher grades of fuel scoops are well worth it if you can afford it.

[Raveen]

The 5c to 5b is 10 seconds quicker to fill the tank on the Lakon - not worth the cost benefit analysis IMO.

It'll be a while before I can reach the Asp whereas I could flog the Cobra and head out now if I wanted to in the type 6.

[Andon]

As said, if you can afford it. If you can't, the C size does just fine.

[Raveen]

And according to the wiki heatsinks should work in SC but don't through the dedicated key because of a bug. They can be fired as a weapon binding though.

[Andon]

That would explain it. I've never bothered binding them as a weapon because I had the key.

I've also had zero need for them while exploring, as well.Got a little hot, sure, but always have had plenty of time to get myself away from things.

[Raveen]

So my first trip out. I was bored for about 15 minutes. Then something changed. I passed out of known space and picked a destination, pausing only to honk each system as I passed through.

What an amazing game this is. The further I got from home, the more profound the experience became. I took a close look at a nebula and then headed up to the edge of the galaxy. Haven't quite got there yet but the stars are thinning and I can see into the void beyond.

[Raveen]

Update on my exploring.

I've named my Type 6 the Persephone, Lady P for short. After my first shakedown cruise I came home and switched to a 2A power plant which runs a bit cooler. I'm heading out again with the Lagoon nebula as my next port of call. I keep getting distracted by cool stuff like water worlds and one Ammonia planet which was mad to look at so progress is slow. The weirdest system so far was a supergiant blue star with a bundle of other starts orbiting it, and further out a cluster of 2 black holes and a neutron star. Jumping out next to a big blue star is frightening let alone the Black Holes.

I love it out here, but slightly miss the pew pew

[Raveen]

Lady P and I found an Earthlike last night so I parked up and enjoyed the view.

[Adept]

Lady P got a laugh out of Spyball as I asked her to take a look

[Raveen]

Found a second earth like last night. And a couple of neutron stars.

I'm about 14k light years from the core so there's a long way to go.

[Adept]

Don't mess up before you get back Rav, and be very, very careful when coming back to inhabited space. The Thargoids are not the only danger out there...

[Raveen]

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago I was away for work and didn't get to play. I finally get an evening online and my ship starts yawing about wildly and then settles into a constant left turn.

After a bit of diagnosis I determined that this was a hardware fault - my Sidewinder FF2 which I've had for years (pre-Allegiance) has finally worn out. I took the stick apart and there was the problem, a single wire had come lose from it's circuit board. Incidently it's a testament to the quality of the stick that this is the first hardware problem I have ever had with it. It was built to last.

Having determined the problem I bought a soldering iron because, hey, it's cheaper than replacing the stick right? Last night I sat down and resoldered the wire into place, tested the pot and bingo! it works!. All I had to do was get the stick back together...

It's a fiddly job fitting the electronics into the handle and not losing any of the loose buttons, I ended up taping half of the thing together with sticky tape, jamming in the circuit boards and then applying the other half of the stick and wiggling it until it all came together. A few screws later and it's done.

So my first night's play in ages and I'm making tracks again. I've been scanning every star and scooping every stop for a while now but I've decided to pick my pace up a bit. I'll only scan interesting stars (non-sequence mostly) and Earth-likes if I'm sure. Hopefully I'll make Sag a* by the end of the week and then start the long trip home.

I've been watching Battlestar Galactica on the other screen all this time so it's not a problem taking time.