probes and the scanner

[dwindlehop]

I know with the right mod(s) you can locate people in safespots and tell what they're flying. Which mod is it and how do you use it? And the scanner is slightly different from scan probes, isn't it?

[TheDreamr]

You require 1x "Scan Probe Launcher", a minimum of 3 scan probes and the "Astrometrics" skill.



Some guides to explain them far better than I could, plus they have pictures.

here
+
here

[dwindlehop]

Ah, so. There is the scan probe launcher, which uses scan probes as ammo and requires a high slot and lots of CPU. At least 3 are required to triangulate a location, and it seems you can require 6 or so. They are useful for finding players in safespots, abandoned ships, hidden complexes, and possibly mission locations as well. Seems best suited for a dedicated covops-type pilot.

There is also the built-in scanner that comes with every ship and has a button the UI. You can find ships, NPCs, cans, or anything else with this one. Particularly useful is using a directional scan at someplace you want to go to (gate) to see if the pirates in local are there, or somewhere else. It can also be used for pvp as long as your target doesn't have safespots

You know, I had completely forgotten about the built-in scanner, as I never used it. Naturally it occurs to me to learn about the scanner a month before it completely changes for Kali. Turns out the thing is handy, and not just for the Explorer types trying to find unmapped points of interest.

I also found the link in this post to be useful for using the built-in scanner. I hypothesize that the difference between Direction and Range scanner accuracy is the vertical component: range is completely spherical, but direction is constraining vertical without the player even being able to do anything about it (until Kali hits). At any rate, always use F11 when using the Direction scanner.

Here's the official guide, which some of the other guide refer to.
http://www.eve-online.com/guide/en/g05.asp

[dwindlehop]

http://myeve.eve-online.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=347

Kali is removing the need for three probes, making BSs easier to find than frigs, and adding new skills/launchers intended specifically for finding players. No word on if the built-in scanner is getting some love.

[Yegolev]

I just use it for asteroids.  But that is sweet.  It will be great if they don't remove the "use overview settings" filter, otherwise I will cry.

[Yoru]

There's actually supposed to also be an entirely new system-level view associated with the F11 scanner, I believe. My mental image of it was something akin to Homeworld, from what it was described to me, but a lot could've changed in the last 3 months.

[Yegolev]

There is a picture of it in the blog link.

[dwindlehop]

Experiments show the directional built-in scanner not only constrains x and y but also z, which of course you can't see on the current display. Hopefully Kali will fix that. The best bet seems to be to point the center of your screen at what you want to scan.

Couldn't locate somebody's safespot with the directional scanner. I got within 1M km but then I had to give up because I ran out of warp points.

[Yoru]

There is a picture of it in the blog link.

That is merely totally fucking sweet. I am so going to be working on those skills.

[Yegolev]

I already have Astrometrics 3 (req Science 3), which will let me use up to the 12AU probes.  Looks like you'll need Astrometrics 5 for the 192AU ones, and the Observator of course.  Should be easy.

[Yoru]

Yeah, I have the skills to use the current probes, but not the new ones they'll be introducing for... well, I just assume they'll throw more skills into the mix - they seem to love that.

[Yegolev]

I think they might be changing their minds about that sort of thing, what with only two new skills for the Contracts stuff, and those only apply to extra-corp contracts.  They have tasted the sweet, sweet nectar of subscription numbers.

[Yoru]

But then how will I break 200 skills in my head?

[TripleDES]

Yeah, I have the skills to use the current probes, but not the new ones they'll be introducing for... well, I just assume they'll throw more skills into the mix - they seem to love that.

If I remember it correctly, the Astrometrics skill will be turned from a time bonus into a "parallelism" bonus. Instead of ship types, the new probes will scan for object types, where "ships" is a single category for all ships. There will be skills for accuracy improvement and something else. The results and scan accuracy are now dependent on signature radius of the ships in space, the amount of probes whose centers aren't overlapped by other probes scan radius, the probe launcher used (IIRC) and the accuracy skill. Apparently you can launch all probes without maxing any skill, but their accuracy depends on a skill.

Also, jetcans and seccans will be scannable :V

--edit: Well here's the blog entry

http://myeve.eve-online.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=347

[dwindlehop]

http://staff.ccpgames.com/stuart/screenshots/solarsystem1.png
http://staff.ccpgames.com/stuart/screenshots/solarsystem2.png
http://staff.ccpgames.com/stuart/screenshots/solarsystem3.png

More scanning screenshots from the latest dev blog.