What Does 'D-Scanner Switch Mode' Mean?

[Finarfin]

I have this in red on my HUD. What is D-Scanner used for? Should I be actively scanning things, like general space, when I'm in a system? Where's a good spot to learn what all this stuff is for and how to use it? I don't even understand the radar. I different different blips and bleeps and colors and shapes, but where's the key to what I'm seeing?

[Ｍｏｎａｄｎｏｃｋ]

HONK! That's what the D-scanner, or Discovery Scanner is lovingly called.

It means that you're in combat cockpit mode and need to switch to analysis cockpit mode in order to utilize the D-Scanner.

You will know that you've switched when the HUD is rectangular instead of circular.

[Finarfin]

That's confusing to me. If I have the scanner on Primary B and my weapons on Primary A, isn't it just enough to have B active instead of A? I don't understand cockpit mode and analysis mode.

[Ｍｏｎａｄｎｏｃｋ]

Originally posted by Finarfin:

That's confusing to me. If I have the scanner on Primary B and my weapons on Primary A, isn't it just enough to have B active instead of A? I don't understand cockpit mode and analysis mode.

It's just two different modes for your cockpit, nothing more. In order to use any analysis tools (D-scanner, Detailed surface scanner, etc) you need to be in analysis made. Combat weapons requires combat mode.

https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Discovery_Scanner

I know that everything is confusing right now, but stick with it, you'll pick it up quickly. It's really a great game.

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by Finarfin:

That's confusing to me. If I have the scanner on Primary B and my weapons on Primary A, isn't it just enough to have B active instead of A? I don't understand cockpit mode and analysis mode.

No, it's not enough. To use weapons you have to switch to the combat mode, too. And vice versa: to use tools, like scanners, you have to switch to the analysis mode.

[Finarfin]

Is using the D-Scanner a passive activity or do you have to use your trigger to scan? It looks like there's no default key for Switch Cockpit Mode (I'm assuming that's how you switch from combat to analysis and vice versa), so i just mapped to one of my mouse keys.

[Ｍｏｎａｄｎｏｃｋ]

Originally posted by Finarfin:

Is using the D-Scanner a passive activity or do you have to use your trigger to scan? It looks like there's no default key for Switch Cockpit Mode (I'm assuming that's how you switch from combat to analysis and vice versa), so i just mapped to one of my mouse keys.

It's not passive, you will have to activate it and hold down whichever button you set it to for a few seconds. Don't worry, can't miss the sound, that's why it's called "honking".

Yes, you need to set a key to switch cockpit modes, but it's just a single press to switch back and forth.

[Finarfin]

Originally posted by Monadnock:

Originally posted by Finarfin:

Is using the D-Scanner a passive activity or do you have to use your trigger to scan? It looks like there's no default key for Switch Cockpit Mode (I'm assuming that's how you switch from combat to analysis and vice versa), so i just mapped to one of my mouse keys.

It's not passive, you will have to activate it and hold down whichever button you set it to for a few seconds. Don't worry, can't miss the sound, that's why it's called "honking".

Yes, you need to set a key to switch cockpit modes, but it's just a single press to switch back and forth.

Makes sense; thanks! Next step is to get myself a fuel scoop so I can be less limited in my movements.

[funkynutz]

Originally posted by Monadnock:

Originally posted by Finarfin:

Is using the D-Scanner a passive activity or do you have to use your trigger to scan? It looks like there's no default key for Switch Cockpit Mode (I'm assuming that's how you switch from combat to analysis and vice versa), so i just mapped to one of my mouse keys.

It's not passive, you will have to activate it and hold down whichever button you set it to for a few seconds. Don't worry, can't miss the sound, that's why it's called "honking".

Yes, you need to set a key to switch cockpit modes, but it's just a single press to switch back and forth.

It's a little bit passive, it'll automatically scan any bodies you happen to find yourself near (you have to get so close that it may as well not be passive at all in most cases).

[ZombieHunter]

For the record, all of us in the beta said this was a bad idea. We tried to get them to revert it back to what it was before. They did not listen.

[Ｍｏｎａｄｎｏｃｋ]

Originally posted by funkynutz:

Originally posted by Monadnock:

It's not passive, you will have to activate it and hold down whichever button you set it to for a few seconds. Don't worry, can't miss the sound, that's why it's called "honking".

Yes, you need to set a key to switch cockpit modes, but it's just a single press to switch back and forth.

It's a little bit passive, it'll automatically scan any bodies you happen to find yourself near (you have to get so close that it may as well not be passive at all in most cases).

That's fair, I forgot that it does that. I'm just so used to being out in black, honking a system, and then just moving on if there's nothing interesting there.

[1Nf@MOu$( Mr.Thorp )]

When you are in combat mode, your HUD will be orange, when in scan mode it is blue. You can set whatever to whatever fire group, but they will only show up if in the correct mode.

I didnt see that stated , but i also didnt read that well.

[Ｍｏｎａｄｎｏｃｋ]

Originally posted by 1Nf@MOu$( Mr.Thorp ):

When you are in combat mode, your HUD will be orange, when in scan mode it is blue. You can set whatever to whatever fire group, but they will only show up if in the correct mode.

I didnt see that stated , but i also didnt read that well.

You're right, as long as your HUD colors aren't modded.

[Lukas+]

Originally posted by Finarfin:

That's confusing to me. If I have the scanner on Primary B and my weapons on Primary A, isn't it just enough to have B active instead of A? I don't understand cockpit mode and analysis mode.

Yes, it's a question that, at the time, I would have liked to discuss too.
I take advantage of your post.
What's the point?
Let's pretend that in combat mode I have a laser beam on primary fire and a multi-cannon on secondary fire.
At the same time, on the same column of my fire group, let's pretend that I have the detailed surface scanner on the primary focus and the discovery scanner on the secondary focus.
Here, in this case, I would always find a writing, at the top right, that reads "switch mode", whichever of these 4 fires I am using. Well this can be annoying, not only because, little or much, a small portion of the monitor is covered by the warning itself, but also because I have to train my attention not to pay attention to it, when in reality that warning should exist as an aid, as a help, that I have to pay attention to! :-)

And this is why I did not set the combat and analysis mode fires on the same column, but consecutively: primary weapon and secondary weapon (first column), primary weapon and secondary weapon (second column)... primary weapon and secondary weapon (nth column), primary scanner and secondary scanner (nth +1 column), primary scanner and secondary scanner (nth + 2 column) and so on. When I need, I switch.

If I'm not mistaken, if I'm not mistaken, it seems to me that there are f columns available (which would be 6).

Originally posted by Finarfin:

I have this in red on my HUD. What is D-Scanner used for? Should I be actively scanning things, like general space, when I'm in a system? Where's a good spot to learn what all this stuff is for and how to use it? I don't even understand the radar. I different different blips and bleeps and colors and shapes, but where's the key to what I'm seeing?

Ah, the D-scanner, yes.
keep it pressed, in analysis mode, when you enter a new star system, or, if you think better, after you have frequented it for a while. A certain number of stars, asteroids and planets should be credited to you as cartographic data even though you did not spend much time near them. Well, this is what I know. It must be clear that sometimes it tells you the number of celestial bodies in that system but not only are those bodies not all of that system, but they are not even attributed to you as true complete data! So be careful. I won't hide from you that the meaning and usefulness of the D-scanner are not always, after about 800 hours of play, really transparent to me, but it is true that many times it allows me to have recognised important cartographic data (and which are also paid well, if you think that you just had to press a button for some seconds!) without having to reach these bodies one by one.