Confused about radar blips

[68plex]

Ever since I started playing this game long ago, I've either never seen a yellow radar blip, (after many many minutes spent studying the map - even with my reading glasses on) or am too color blind to differentiate the blips popping up... they all look green to me. I've never worried about it, but lately it's bugging me that I never see yellow blips. Do you guys think the color blindness is a thing here?

I do have an exceptional radar upgrade which states it shows yellow blips - as I've had in the past - yet never any yellow blips. Are the yellow blips really that scarce?

And could someone explain the actual difference between a green blip and a yellow one? Thanks.

[Kanaro Min]

Originally posted by 68plex:

I do have an exceptional radar upgrade which states it shows yellow blips - as I've had in the past - yet never any yellow blips. Are the yellow blips really that scarce?

I didn't see the yellow sector blips until I installed a sufficiently advanced radar upgrade, and permanently installed it. As for the difference between green and yellow - I'm still figuring that out. "Contains mass" can mean a lot of things - a station, asteroids, a smuggler's hideout, etc.

[Chaoslink]

You need the radar upgrade to get yellow blips. I believe its the "deep scan" range you need. If you can't see the difference, like I can struggle with myself, just mouse over them. Unknown energy signatures will be faction sectors with stations or the like, though occasionally I believe you'll only find mining ships there. Hidden mass sectors will be the ones where no faction is present, the yellow blips. That's where everything else is found. From smugglers to pirates to just big asteroids or wrecks.

[68plex]

Originally posted by Kanaro Min:

Originally posted by 68plex:

I do have an exceptional radar upgrade which states it shows yellow blips - as I've had in the past - yet never any yellow blips. Are the yellow blips really that scarce?

I didn't see the yellow sector blips until I installed a sufficiently advanced radar upgrade, and permanently installed it. As for the difference between green and yellow - I'm still figuring that out. "Contains mass" can mean a lot of things - a station, asteroids, a smuggler's hideout, etc.

So do you think the permanent install option makes a difference whether or not you're able to see the yellow blips? Like I mentioned in the op, I have an Exceptional Radar Upgrade which states it shows yellow blips. That's why I'm wondering if the permanent install option is necessary... I haven't tried that yet.

[68plex]

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

You need the radar upgrade to get yellow blips. I believe its the "deep scan" range you need. If you can't see the difference, like I can struggle with myself, just mouse over them. Unknown energy signatures will be faction sectors with stations or the like, though occasionally I believe you'll only find mining ships there. Hidden mass sectors will be the ones where no faction is present, the yellow blips. That's where everything else is found. From smugglers to pirates to just big asteroids or wrecks.

That's very helpful info. I'll check out the mouse over thing. Thanks!

[Chaoslink]

Keep in mind that you can remove permanently installed upgrades by doing so in close vicinity to Equipment Docks.

[68plex]

Yes, thx. I learned about and employed that mechanic last night. It's very cool.

I can't believe not only how fun this game is, but also how addicting it can be. It's been so hard to break myself away from the PC last couple of nights to get some much needed shut eye :)

But... "Houston, we have a problem."

While I have you're ear, Chaoslink, what can you tell me about dealing with these Rift Voids? I've been having a blast making my way up to the Xanion belt and building more powerful ships. But I've hit a brick wall trying to move further towards the center. The game seems to have devolved into a boring, never ending hyper jump simulation trying to find a way in. The rifts are actually making me move FARTHER away from center to find a way around. I'm sad to say, but this rift mechanic is completely sucking the fun out of the game for me at this point. Well, at least in my endeavor to finally make it to end game with this playthrough, which I've never done. In that regard, I'm losing patience and becoming really frustrated. Let's just say it was very easy to break away from the PC tonight lol. Can you help with suggestions?

[Chaoslink]

That's literally the wall. Nearby in a mass sector you'll find a ring of asteroids. You need to make a ship for each one and install the associated Xsotan artifact near them. Might wanna look that up for details. You can't just fly to the center. Not until you have Avorion in your ship anyways.

[Kanaro Min]

Originally posted by 68plex:

Originally posted by Kanaro Min:

I didn't see the yellow sector blips until I installed a sufficiently advanced radar upgrade, and permanently installed it. As for the difference between green and yellow - I'm still figuring that out. "Contains mass" can mean a lot of things - a station, asteroids, a smuggler's hideout, etc.

So do you think the permanent install option makes a difference whether or not you're able to see the yellow blips? Like I mentioned in the op, I have an Exceptional Radar Upgrade which states it shows yellow blips. That's why I'm wondering if the permanent install option is necessary... I haven't tried that yet.

I just checked - the yellow blip feature (if listed on the tooltip) doesn't require permanent installation. The only thing you get from a permanent install is what's specifically listed under the permanent tooptip section.

[68plex]

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

That's literally the wall. Nearby in a mass sector you'll find a ring of asteroids. You need to make a ship for each one and install the associated Xsotan artifact near them. Might wanna look that up for details. You can't just fly to the center. Not until you have Avorion in your ship anyways.

Oh boy. That's some involved game play stuff I didn't even know was part of this game. I get so lost in the sandbox aspect that I didn't even know there was this kind of game stuff going on.

Certainly, the game has to lead you to understanding this in some way. I imagine I learn about this stuff by doing that Explorers Quest introduced at game start??? Whether you confirm that's the case or tell me about a different thing to do, you've given me a new goal beyond the futile hyper jump searching. I thank you for that!

[68plex]

Originally posted by Kanaro Min:

Originally posted by 68plex:

So do you think the permanent install option makes a difference whether or not you're able to see the yellow blips? Like I mentioned in the op, I have an Exceptional Radar Upgrade which states it shows yellow blips. That's why I'm wondering if the permanent install option is necessary... I haven't tried that yet.

I just checked - the yellow blip feature (if listed on the tooltip) doesn't require permanent installation. The only thing you get from a permanent install is what's specifically listed under the permanent tooptip section.

Thanks for checking that. I think I need to go to the optometrist lol

[Chaoslink]

Originally posted by 68plex:

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

That's literally the wall. Nearby in a mass sector you'll find a ring of asteroids. You need to make a ship for each one and install the associated Xsotan artifact near them. Might wanna look that up for details. You can't just fly to the center. Not until you have Avorion in your ship anyways.

Oh boy. That's some involved game play stuff I didn't even know was part of this game. I get so lost in the sandbox aspect that I didn't even know there was this kind of game stuff going on.

Certainly, the game has to lead you to understanding this in some way. I imagine I learn about this stuff by doing that Explorers Quest introduced at game start??? Whether you confirm that's the case or tell me about a different thing to do, you've given me a new goal beyond the futile hyper jump searching. I thank you for that!

Yeah, the various artifacts are hinted at if you try talking to various ships and stations. You'll hear rumors of a merchant selling an expensive artifact, a smuggler that can't be caught, a bulletin offering 100mil credits for an artifact and possibly a few others. However, some require you to jump about in random sectors within certain ranges from the center. One is back near titanium and the other is between Naonite and Trinium. You'll want to use a guide to find the right ranges to search for them.

Like this one...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1352347206

[Drascalicus]

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1352347206

This guide is useful, but the author left out one thing from it that would truly make it work and that is how to find radius. Thankfully, we are give square coordinates, which means that you can just use x^2+y^2=r^2 to find your distance from the core.

Also, go after Bottan first. It might seem like a chore, but the upgrade he gives you quite literally gives your the power of not being bored out of your brain as you hunt the rest down.

Finally, the MAD LAB is by far the MOST hated and stupidly scaled boss this entire game has to offer. I recommend you build a ship that is mostly thruster that can go 5k+ KM/S on thrust, no armor, no amenities, just a thruster, what you need to steer and stop, engine, battery, torpedo storage and launchers pointed back. Lob torpedoes at the MAD LAB who has no point defenses (because they when bad scaling systems are at work, non-energy point defense turrets are op as hell and can rip apart stone ships even when the tips say use stone). STAY 20KM+ AWAY FROM THIS BOSS AT ALL TIMES. HE WILL ONE SHOT YOU OTHERWISE.

[Chaoslink]

Originally posted by Drascalicus:

Finally, the MAD LAB is by far the MOST hated and stupidly scaled boss this entire game has to offer. I recommend you build a ship that is mostly thruster that can go 5k+ KM/S on thrust, no armor,....

I mean, I suppose. My only instances of fighting that boss didn't seem that bad to me. All I did was remove my turrets, encase my entire ship in a thin box of stone, apply turrets to outside and fight it. Killed the thing in just a few seconds and didn't really take much damage, if any.

[68plex]

Originally posted by Chaoslink:

Originally posted by 68plex:

Oh boy. That's some involved game play stuff I didn't even know was part of this game. I get so lost in the sandbox aspect that I didn't even know there was this kind of game stuff going on.

Certainly, the game has to lead you to understanding this in some way. I imagine I learn about this stuff by doing that Explorers Quest introduced at game start??? Whether you confirm that's the case or tell me about a different thing to do, you've given me a new goal beyond the futile hyper jump searching. I thank you for that!

Yeah, the various artifacts are hinted at if you try talking to various ships and stations. You'll hear rumors of a merchant selling an expensive artifact, a smuggler that can't be caught, a bulletin offering 100mil credits for an artifact and possibly a few others. However, some require you to jump about in random sectors within certain ranges from the center. One is back near titanium and the other is between Naonite and Trinium. You'll want to use a guide to find the right ranges to search for them.

Like this one...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1352347206

When you say "try talking to various ships and stations." Do you mean within the confines of the Explorers Quest missions, or basically just randomly out and about the galaxy? I hope it's within the missions, because at least they provide coordinates to aim for. If you mean just talking to random entities throughout the sectors on your travels.... wow, that's seems a little ponderous, considering the thousands of entities out there. I really don't want to have to talk to every ship and station I run across. Hopefully you're just talking about salesmen and stations with bulletins on offer.

While I greatly appreciate the link you provided, (and may eventually turn to it) I really don't like the idea that a player has to check an internet guide to progress - for ANY game. I'm gonna try to avoid any guides as long as possible. Thanks so much for the info again. :)

[Chaoslink]

I mean it is talking to any entity, though you only have to hit up one or two random cargo ships or salesman ships and the like. Just ask about rumors and the like and they kinda point you towards what to do. One is a random traveler. You may have seen ships enter the area claiming to be a traveling XXXXX merchant. If you find an equipment seller, they should have one of the artifacts. Some ships will tell you about a trader with an artifact for sale, referring to this guy. The other tips are similar. They just tell you hints as to where you might find things. For the A.I. boss and Boss Swoks, you just have to be in the right area and jump around randomly in empty sectors. They have a 5% chance of spawning with a guaranteed spawn if 8 consecutive attempts all fail.