Directional scanning: Difference between revisions

Line 132:

So, this section will only discuss the mechanics of using the d-scan for situational awareness.

t is ~~very helpful~~ to ~~pulse~~ (~~i.e. run a scan every few seconds~~) the ~~scanner~~ to ~~check for ships or combat probes close~~ to your ~~current location~~. ~~It will generally take at least 4 probes at 2 AU away~~ to ~~probe~~ you ~~out~~.

==== Spam Scan ====

Naturally, you will scan the system before you set up your operation. Once you are started, however, you should refresh the scan periodically. You can rescan by clicking on the large SCAN buttion, or you can set up the "Refresh Directional Scan" hotkey. This hotkey is off by default, so you will have to set it up manually. Open the Game Preferences window (ESC), go to the "Shortcuts" tab, and then go to the "Combat" tab inside of Shortcuts. Find the hotkey and set it to the key of your choice. You are going to use the key often, so if you plan to be mining or exploring a lot, use a key that's very easy to strike.

Your goal is to spot ships as soon as they come into range, decide whether they are potentially hostile, and then decide how to respond. There are no specific rules for doing this; you will need to develop a plan that is comfortable for you, but here are a few general guidelines.

* Know your ships. Industrials, and even combat ships that are significantly less powerful than yours, can be ignored. You might want to set your Info Window to "Traits". That way if a ship you've never seen before shows up in the scanner, you can do a quick Show Info and immediately see its size and combat characteristics.

*

==== Probes ====

It will generally take at least 4 probes at 2 AU away to probe you out.

*So if you see that many probes on a 360 degrees scan at, for example, 4 AU (roughly 600,000,000km), you need to prepare to defend yourself or run away. Again, to have probes show up on your directional scan, you need to add probes to your overview, or the overview setting box should be unticked.

This is doubly important in ''wormhole space'', where the member list of local chat will not display other people in your system: the directional scanner can be your only warning that you have company.

==== Invisibles ====

*Remember that ''cloaked ships'' will not appear on the directional scanner, so covert ops frigates, stealth bombers, force recons and Tech 3 strategic cruisers (in some configurations) will still be able to warp to you without being detected.

===Scouting===

@@ Line 132: / Line 132: @@
 So, this section will only discuss the mechanics of using the d-scan for situational awareness.
-t is very helpful to pulse (i.e. run a scan every few seconds) the scanner to check for ships or combat probes close to your current location. It will generally take at least 4 probes at 2 AU away to probe you out.
+==== Spam Scan ====
+Naturally, you will scan the system before you set up your operation. Once you are started, however, you should refresh the scan periodically. You can rescan by clicking on the large SCAN buttion, or you can set up the "Refresh Directional Scan" hotkey. This hotkey is off by default, so you will have to set it up manually. Open the Game Preferences window (ESC), go to the "Shortcuts" tab, and then go to the "Combat" tab inside of Shortcuts. Find the hotkey and set it to the key of your choice. You are going to use the key often, so if you plan to be mining or exploring a lot, use a key that's very easy to strike.
+Your goal is to spot ships as soon as they come into range, decide whether they are potentially hostile, and then decide how to respond. There are no specific rules for doing this; you will need to develop a plan that is comfortable for you, but here are a few general guidelines.
+* Know your ships. Industrials, and even combat ships that are significantly less powerful than yours, can be ignored. You might want to set your Info Window to "Traits". That way if a ship you've never seen before shows up in the scanner, you can do a quick Show Info and immediately see its size and combat characteristics.
+*
+*
+*
+==== Probes ====
+It will generally take at least 4 probes at 2 AU away to probe you out.
 *So if you see that many probes on a 360 degrees scan at, for example, 4 AU (roughly 600,000,000km), you need to prepare to defend yourself or run away. Again, to have probes show up on your directional scan, you need to add probes to your overview, or the overview setting box should be unticked.
 This is doubly important in ''wormhole space'', where the member list of local chat will not display other people in your system: the directional scanner can be your only warning that you have company.
+==== Invisibles ====
 *Remember that ''cloaked ships'' will not appear on the directional scanner, so covert ops frigates, stealth bombers, force recons and Tech 3 strategic cruisers (in some configurations) will still be able to warp to you without being detected.
 ===Scouting===