Mapping makes a map
1st May 2013 – 5.40 pmA-roaming I will go, after checking what's at home. There's nothing different that probes can detect, but my directional scanner is showing me core probes in the system. As there is still only our static wormhole as a route in or out, I loiter there whilst waiting for the scout to make himself known. I could jump ahead and go roaming as planned, but I don't know if the scout is lurking around our tower or on the wormhole, and I'd rather not give away my position quite so readily, particularly as the scout's presence means there is activity somewhere, even if only here.
The scout is taking his merry time scanning our system. We only have a few measly gas harvesting sites, which don't take long to identify. Ah, the probes finally disappear. But have they been recalled or are they scanning a volume of space out of d-scan range? Yep, that second one. The probes return to d-scan within a minute, without a scout passing through the wormhole. Not only that, but a bit more waiting has the probes perhaps die, or perhaps be close enough to death to be recalled, as an Anathema appears on d-scan and launches a new set. I've written a guide to scanning, by the way.
Still, as the covert operations boat is on d-scan it means he's not on the wormhole. I no longer have to wonder if I'll be spotted jumping to our neighbouring class 3 w-space system, so rather than wait for the scout to finish and come past me I ignore him and finally press on. Not that C3a looks any different to when I scouted it earlier. I don't even know if the Anathema is from here or further afield, and maybe even empire space, so I continue forwards through a connection to class 2 w-space.
C2a remains unoccupied, with no one currently settling the system, and the static connection to more class 2 w-space that was dying earlier is dead now, giving me a fresh wormhole to scan for. The replacement connection is nice and obvious amongst the stale signatures, and I barely have to pause in C2a before I'm jumping in to C2b, where d-scan is clear, one planet is in range, and the others are over 40 AU away. I launch probes, blanket the system, and warp away to explore.
Erk. Forty anomalies and twenty-three signatures appearing on my blanket scan make the system look positively unoccupied before d-scan confirms it. So... static connections to class 5 w-space and null-sec k-space? Let's see. There's one wormhole, with a really weak signature. Now gas, rocks, magnetometric sites. A second wormhole also has a weak signature, so neither's a K162. And that's it. Well, would you look at that. An N062 wormhole to class 5 w-space and an E545 to null-sec. Yeah, I'm pretty awesome.
Not caring for null-sec I head to C5a, where a tower appears on d-scan but no ships. I'll be scanning again. Three anomalies and a more manageable eleven signatures give me a D364 wormhole to class 2 w-space early enough for me to assume it's the static connection, and I recall my probes and keep going forwards, jumping through the wormhole and in to C2c. I see a vague sign of activity too, but don't let the mining drones fool you, I know this man is a diabetic there are no ships on d-scan. Only a tower or four.
A previous visit indicates class 1 w-space and high-sec static connections, which makes me want to ignore locating the towers and simply scan hopefully to a system with actual pilots. But opening the system map shows there to be only four moons in range, with seven planets in total. I've found the towers, sir. And I may as well check that sole planet out of range, with its two moons. Yep, two more towers. The system is saturated. But who cares? It could somehow have two towers crammed around each moon and it still wouldn't change the fact that I don't own a car there are no ships.
I launch probes and scan. There's the high-sec wormhole, and that will be the connection to C1 w-space. The extra wormhole to more class 2 w-space is a nice surprise too. Hitting C1 first has a tower but, what a surprise, no ships. I've stopped caring about this system already. And about scanning too, come to think of it. There is probably only a connection to k-space to find here, and I have enough of them already. I drop back to C2c and poke my nose in to C2d, but again I see only a tower and distinct lack of ships on d-scan. It's time to catch some shut-eye. I head home with a fistful of bookmarks, and little else to show for the evening but a cool map. At least the home system finally looks clear of that damned Anathema.
5 Responses to “Mapping makes a map”
How do you make your maps? Is there a tool for that?
Paint, patience, and copy-pasta from previous maps. Plus a decent sense of the schematic. They are all hand-crafted.
"I've written a guide to scanning, by the way."
HAHA, I wonder if you took the time to send a lighthearted and helpful email to help the poor n00b along? Maybe a shameless plug to Tigerears for inspiration?
I didn't see the pilot to let him know, Von. And I'd have only shot him, or tried to, if I had seen him.
I tend to forget my kind, helpful nature when I have huge autocannons at my command.
poor wittle anathema pilot... lost and alone in the big bad dark! crying out for help. lost and alone. wishing someone would take pity on his...
BATATATATATATATA Blap!!!
RIP p00r nub!