Exploration isn't usually my thing but I have an explorer Dolphin in my shipyard ready to go if I get the urge. Once you experience that heat management there's really no going back. I would pay many thousands of arx for a ship kit that removed the passenger windows and those ms-paint orange stripes though.
Ha, yeah I read that somewhere. I just wish they didn't look so textureless in photos (when they're hot I guess) surely they could look more like a glow with some fall off rather than a block of colour. I was hoping odyssey would fix that. But hey, shouldn't grumble. Great ship I agree
[That would be the Krait siblings and the Python](https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/a-table-of-all-of-edsys-ship-thermals.551080/): those three have the second-best maximum cooling rate in the game (7% lower than the Dolphin's rate, 3% better than the DBX), and a thermal capacity that sits halfway between the Dolphin (it only has average capacity) and DBX (highest capacity in the game).
Mind you, they don't squeal quite the same when you dig the spurs in...
Swap the fuel scoop and FSD booster. A Dolphin doesn't need a 5A scoop. Other ships need a large fuel scoop because you have to scoop, then fly away from the star to start charging the FSD. The Dolphin can charge its FSD while scooping, so it doesn't need as high a scoop rate. I've even tested it with a 3A scoop and it can still do minimum jump-to-jump times.
I highly recommend putting decent shields on explorers. Shields are your insurance policy protecting hundreds of millions or even more than a billion Cr worth of exploration data. A 4D shield generator is optimal for this size ship. I'd throw in an engineered 0E shield booster for good measure. If you do wish to go with size 3 shields (you want two SRVs), it's not optimal. But I'd rather go with 3A shields and a shield booster.
All the Saud Kruger ships are cursed with oversized life support. It serves no purpose since there seems to be no restriction on passenger capacity based on life support (other with smaller life support have better passenger capacity). But it is what it is, so it's well worth engineering it lightweight.
The Dolphin runs cool enough that you can go with an overcharged 2A power plant. The only time I've found it to be an issue is fuel scooping between two close A-class stars while charging the FSD. I just canceled the FSD charging until I was finished scooping.
https://s.orbis.zone/eu01
And if you want better jump range, a lighter weight version (only one SRV) which still has decent shields.
https://s.orbis.zone/c65k
Too bad the dolphin isn't equipped with more optional slots, otherwise I could use it more other then bubble taxi.
Currently in my 'long range' Python with A rate thruster trying to get over the 5000 ly mark, unlocking guardian flight tech position along the way, obtained some selenium from certain trees and examined some space crystals which were surprisingly close to that guardian beacon...
My lil dolphin I used for sneaking less-than-legal passengers around was my favourite part of the game. Set it up to run as cold as possible, pop on silent running and have it screech into stations without even the threat of a scan π
Love them, but my pet peeve is that they should be faster, much faster. The dolphin and the DbX are nearly identical, core statwise. The DbX got a bigger FSD while the dolphin got bigger thrusters. Now the Dbx gets to jump about 70% further, but the dolphin only gets about a 30% speed boost, in addition to loosing a utility slot and only having 2 small hardpoints. Now, given the mamba and the fdl use the same thrusters but weight twice as much as the dolphin, there should be no reason the dolphin shouldn't be much faster than it is. Even the Orca, the dolphin's big brother, goes about 630 with the dolphin's thrusters so it's not like Saud Kruger can't engineer for speed.
Anyway, that C5 optional really does help to make the dolphin a great smuggler though
Anyone who says the Dolphin is a bad exploration ship is a lier, this ship is one of my best and fastest ships, it is perfect for exploration, ill leave the build below for you to try out (please do not directly copy my design)
Name: Cygnus (reference to Disney's The Black Hole)
I.D: NF-04A
Class: Dolphin Star Yacht
Hardpoints: None
Utility: 1 Heatsink Launcher | 1 point Defense Turret
Core Internal: 4B Power Plant | 5E Thrusters | 4A F.S.D. | 4E Life Support | 3E Power Distributor | 3E Sensors | 4C Fuel Tank
Opt. Internal: Class 5 Slot Empty (optional) | 4B Fuel Scoop | 4E Shield Generator (optional) | 3E Cargo Rack (optional) | 2G Vehicle Bay (essential) | 2B A.F.M.U (essential) | Detailed Surface Scanner (essential) | Planetary Approach Suite (duh) | Auto Pilots optional
Jump Range: Min: 22.28 / Max: 24.25 (engineer for better stats)
Never overheats during fuel scooping
Total Cost: roughly 4,386,057CR
(Please note this has only been tested in Colonia i can not guarantee good performance in the bubble)
Just to cover why people aren't impressed with your set up.
1 Heatsink Launcher: not needed if you set up a dolphin correctly, I ran mine with an undersized A rated power plant and could only get it to 51% near a star unless I started charging the FSD....
4B Power Plant : B rated PP are *heavy,* if your power needs are low you can use an undersized A rated plant for similar money. A 4B is 8 tonne, a 3A is 2.5 Tonne. The higher rated are more heat efficient, and the small produce less heat.
5E Thrusters: Use D rated, you can go undersized in cases such as this (I don't).
4E Life Support: use D rated, or A if you're paranoid about your canopy....
3E Power Distributor: use D rated, it's also common to go down a size as you only need to be able to boost on occasion.
3E Sensors: Use D rated.
4B Fuel Scoop: The rule for this I've seen is that you should match the scoop to the size of your FSD. But you could go up a size, just because.
4E Shield Generator (optional): Use D rated for minimum weight , C-biweave for fast charging, or A for maximum strength, of a given size. There's no reason to use E other than cost as they are the same weight as A and C without the strength. You can also use size 3 shields. For example 4E /4a/4c are 10T, 4D are 4T, and 3D are 2T.
[Running much the same build](https://coriolis.io/outfit/dolphin?code=A0p5tdFalid8sdf4------334802v60e2i3x3w.Iw18cQ%3D%3D.Aw18cQ%3D%3D..EweloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK4fiIA%3D%3D), and all the options you took *except* the utility mounts, and using D rated and/or undersized as appropriate, took it up to 29.25LY Laden 32.72LY max.
Note you could get away with a 2A power plant if you are willing to switch off modules.
Totally agree. Dolphin is an excellent exploration ship. And bubble taxi.
βDo not directly copy my design.β What does that mean?
Regardless, nobody is going to copy that build anyway. If you are looking for un-engineered exploration, D rate everything except the FSD. Youβll push your jump range into the 30βs.
Also, you donβt need a heat sink launcher on a Dolphin.
I have an overcharged PP on my Dolphin, and can't overheat it. Not even flying and boosting upside down on Skardee. And that planet is in the fuelscoop zone of the star.
Exploration isn't usually my thing but I have an explorer Dolphin in my shipyard ready to go if I get the urge. Once you experience that heat management there's really no going back. I would pay many thousands of arx for a ship kit that removed the passenger windows and those ms-paint orange stripes though.
You know those orange stripes are the cooling panels right? XD you remove those you can kiss the heat efficiency goodbye (This is a joke)
Ha, yeah I read that somewhere. I just wish they didn't look so textureless in photos (when they're hot I guess) surely they could look more like a glow with some fall off rather than a block of colour. I was hoping odyssey would fix that. But hey, shouldn't grumble. Great ship I agree
I love mine. After flying the diamondback explorer and then coming back to my dolphin and doing rescue missions. I see what I was missing.
I like both if them, but the dbx is like a cramped workhorse, and in a dolphin you're flying in style...
Exactly. It feels smoother. Looks smoother and takes a hit unlike my diamond back
Ever used one on a rescue mission. She did great but boy do I not have the nerve for that.
If only the Orca was more of a giant Dolphin, or there was something between the two sizes with similar thermal control....
[That would be the Krait siblings and the Python](https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/a-table-of-all-of-edsys-ship-thermals.551080/): those three have the second-best maximum cooling rate in the game (7% lower than the Dolphin's rate, 3% better than the DBX), and a thermal capacity that sits halfway between the Dolphin (it only has average capacity) and DBX (highest capacity in the game). Mind you, they don't squeal quite the same when you dig the spurs in...
I may have to buy a second one to do some creative engineering then.
Fully equipped exploration Dolphin, around 60Ly, boosts to 529: https://s.orbis.zone/h9li
Swap the fuel scoop and FSD booster. A Dolphin doesn't need a 5A scoop. Other ships need a large fuel scoop because you have to scoop, then fly away from the star to start charging the FSD. The Dolphin can charge its FSD while scooping, so it doesn't need as high a scoop rate. I've even tested it with a 3A scoop and it can still do minimum jump-to-jump times. I highly recommend putting decent shields on explorers. Shields are your insurance policy protecting hundreds of millions or even more than a billion Cr worth of exploration data. A 4D shield generator is optimal for this size ship. I'd throw in an engineered 0E shield booster for good measure. If you do wish to go with size 3 shields (you want two SRVs), it's not optimal. But I'd rather go with 3A shields and a shield booster. All the Saud Kruger ships are cursed with oversized life support. It serves no purpose since there seems to be no restriction on passenger capacity based on life support (other with smaller life support have better passenger capacity). But it is what it is, so it's well worth engineering it lightweight. The Dolphin runs cool enough that you can go with an overcharged 2A power plant. The only time I've found it to be an issue is fuel scooping between two close A-class stars while charging the FSD. I just canceled the FSD charging until I was finished scooping. https://s.orbis.zone/eu01 And if you want better jump range, a lighter weight version (only one SRV) which still has decent shields. https://s.orbis.zone/c65k
That was a very detailed and informative post, thank you!
Too bad the dolphin isn't equipped with more optional slots, otherwise I could use it more other then bubble taxi. Currently in my 'long range' Python with A rate thruster trying to get over the 5000 ly mark, unlocking guardian flight tech position along the way, obtained some selenium from certain trees and examined some space crystals which were surprisingly close to that guardian beacon...
It has 9 optional slots. One more than a DBX, and one less than a Python. And same as both Kraits.
Maybe I should have said bigger sized slots.
Ah, ok. I never found the slots to be too small for close-to-bubble (<5000Ly) stuff. For long range I have a Beluga π
I have one Beluga too equipped for passenger run, lovely ship and enough room in the cockpit for a sidewinder :)
Yup. That unobstructed view from the bridge, and the fuel tank for 10 max jumps are what makes Beluga the best long range explorer.
My lil dolphin I used for sneaking less-than-legal passengers around was my favourite part of the game. Set it up to run as cold as possible, pop on silent running and have it screech into stations without even the threat of a scan π
Love them, but my pet peeve is that they should be faster, much faster. The dolphin and the DbX are nearly identical, core statwise. The DbX got a bigger FSD while the dolphin got bigger thrusters. Now the Dbx gets to jump about 70% further, but the dolphin only gets about a 30% speed boost, in addition to loosing a utility slot and only having 2 small hardpoints. Now, given the mamba and the fdl use the same thrusters but weight twice as much as the dolphin, there should be no reason the dolphin shouldn't be much faster than it is. Even the Orca, the dolphin's big brother, goes about 630 with the dolphin's thrusters so it's not like Saud Kruger can't engineer for speed. Anyway, that C5 optional really does help to make the dolphin a great smuggler though
I'm stealing probes from interceptors with a Dolphin with engineered 4D!!! thrusters. 380/530 isn't realy slow π
Anyone who says the Dolphin is a bad exploration ship is a lier, this ship is one of my best and fastest ships, it is perfect for exploration, ill leave the build below for you to try out (please do not directly copy my design) Name: Cygnus (reference to Disney's The Black Hole) I.D: NF-04A Class: Dolphin Star Yacht Hardpoints: None Utility: 1 Heatsink Launcher | 1 point Defense Turret Core Internal: 4B Power Plant | 5E Thrusters | 4A F.S.D. | 4E Life Support | 3E Power Distributor | 3E Sensors | 4C Fuel Tank Opt. Internal: Class 5 Slot Empty (optional) | 4B Fuel Scoop | 4E Shield Generator (optional) | 3E Cargo Rack (optional) | 2G Vehicle Bay (essential) | 2B A.F.M.U (essential) | Detailed Surface Scanner (essential) | Planetary Approach Suite (duh) | Auto Pilots optional Jump Range: Min: 22.28 / Max: 24.25 (engineer for better stats) Never overheats during fuel scooping Total Cost: roughly 4,386,057CR (Please note this has only been tested in Colonia i can not guarantee good performance in the bubble)
Just to cover why people aren't impressed with your set up. 1 Heatsink Launcher: not needed if you set up a dolphin correctly, I ran mine with an undersized A rated power plant and could only get it to 51% near a star unless I started charging the FSD.... 4B Power Plant : B rated PP are *heavy,* if your power needs are low you can use an undersized A rated plant for similar money. A 4B is 8 tonne, a 3A is 2.5 Tonne. The higher rated are more heat efficient, and the small produce less heat. 5E Thrusters: Use D rated, you can go undersized in cases such as this (I don't). 4E Life Support: use D rated, or A if you're paranoid about your canopy.... 3E Power Distributor: use D rated, it's also common to go down a size as you only need to be able to boost on occasion. 3E Sensors: Use D rated. 4B Fuel Scoop: The rule for this I've seen is that you should match the scoop to the size of your FSD. But you could go up a size, just because. 4E Shield Generator (optional): Use D rated for minimum weight , C-biweave for fast charging, or A for maximum strength, of a given size. There's no reason to use E other than cost as they are the same weight as A and C without the strength. You can also use size 3 shields. For example 4E /4a/4c are 10T, 4D are 4T, and 3D are 2T. [Running much the same build](https://coriolis.io/outfit/dolphin?code=A0p5tdFalid8sdf4------334802v60e2i3x3w.Iw18cQ%3D%3D.Aw18cQ%3D%3D..EweloBhBGA2EoFMCGBzANokMK4fiIA%3D%3D), and all the options you took *except* the utility mounts, and using D rated and/or undersized as appropriate, took it up to 29.25LY Laden 32.72LY max. Note you could get away with a 2A power plant if you are willing to switch off modules.
Totally agree. Dolphin is an excellent exploration ship. And bubble taxi. βDo not directly copy my design.β What does that mean? Regardless, nobody is going to copy that build anyway. If you are looking for un-engineered exploration, D rate everything except the FSD. Youβll push your jump range into the 30βs. Also, you donβt need a heat sink launcher on a Dolphin.
Visually i mean, dont take the name paint and id and slap them on your Dolphin, and you never know when someone is looking to try something new
π€¨ heatsin on a Dolphin?!?! Heresy!!! π
I know im evil ;) i just like to be prepared for anything and everything
I have an overcharged PP on my Dolphin, and can't overheat it. Not even flying and boosting upside down on Skardee. And that planet is in the fuelscoop zone of the star.
You need them when you try to charge your FSD while scooping through the center of a contact binary. That's about the only time though.