The direction scanner may be the most important tool a pirate can use to find ships in a system. Well, maybe every pirate but this one. I read on the forums that a good pirate can scan out a ship in less than 30 seconds. Well, not me! Somewhere in my brain there seems to be a mental block from 180 degrees and less with that scanner.
I have read posts, blogs, and guides about the scanner. I have flown with pilots that use the scanner with ease and find targets quickly. I seem to have a mental block for that skill.
Lately, I have spent a lot of time reading the post: Learning to Use the Scanner and the guide: Grismar's Scanning Guide, two well written articles on using the directional scanner. I have also spent a lot of time in my home systems practicing. I still seem to have trouble locating that target so I can warp in for the lock. I have narrowed ships down to a belt, moon, or planet I believe they are at but, on warp in, I find nothing. The important 5 percent scan eludes me to this day.
I guess this post today is part rant and part a subconscious cry for help. I will keep practicing and not give up. I'm sure it’s not a permanent mental block.
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2 comments:
5 degrees isn't really important. Most scans can be done within a 30 degree radius. Just point your ship in the general direction of the thing you're going to scan and watch the magic unfold.
If you do have multiple objects close together, warp to the parent object but make a bookmark somewhere very close to it(You want a bookmark off the planet warp in, but close enough that everything is distinguishable.)
Sometimes you gotta make do with a bad scan point, but you usually don't have to deal with more than two belts at a time. If you get to that point, warp to one and scan from behind your ship. If the other belt falls behind you, the ship will either be on your scan still, or fall off with that belt. You'll know before you even come out of warp where you'll have to go.
Sometimes it's a good idea to keep scanning the belt you're warping too until you get pretty close, because you'll know if someone else drops in.
As far as I've seen, the really important bit is to use the time you're warping to scan. Objects may be moving, but you spend a fair bit of time "coming out" of warp. When you are slowing down, things aren't moving so fast that a 30 degree arc won't catch it.
Finally, if you get to a belt and don't see your target, do a quick 360 and see if he's perhaps ran off already.
Last but not least: Sometimes people are not on the plane of the solar system. If you're looking for them there you'll have a fit, but using a 90 degree arc up or down(usually up) is usually a good way to narrow that down.
I usually go 360, 90, 30. 360 for the targets, 90 in the direction of the major clusters of objects and 30 to narrow it down between them. Sometimes I have to settle for a 15, but you will almost never need a 5.
Hopefully that helps. Good blog by the way.
Wow, great information Hallan. That has clarified alot for me. I am continuing to practice as much as I can. Now my biggest problem is the target is gone by the time I find them and warp in.
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