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D-scanning someone down in space
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Jonas Sotken
Pandemic Horde Inc.
Pandemic Horde
#1 - 2013-07-12 16:07:38 UTC
I still consider myself a new pilot (I reactivated my account 2 weeks ago), and I am still either not understanding or just plain doing it wrong when I try to scan down another pilot in lowsec space.

I've read several guides and yet I still can't figure out exactly where in the system a ship is that I can see on d-scan when I do the max distance 360 degree scan. I've gotten better at being able to narrow the scan angle down, using the tactical overlay, and figuring out a 5 degree area in which a ship is. But I still can't seem to find the distance they are at in order to drop in on them.

Is the only way to scan someone not around a known planet/station/moon/belt to use a probe scanner? Or is there a way to find someone in open space and be able to at least gauge the distance they are from a known point?

I believe probes negate the surprise attack I am trying to achieve in my Manticore because I know the probes can be seen on d-scan if the pilot is looking for them.

Any help on how I can be a better hunter in lowsec space would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Ciyrine
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#2 - 2013-07-12 18:56:19 UTC
Change the distance in the dscan in halves.

100,000 - ship on scanner
50,000- not on scanner
75,000- on scanner
60,000- not on scan
70,000- on scan
Etc of course their moving around which can mess things up
Jonas Sotken
Pandemic Horde Inc.
Pandemic Horde
#3 - 2013-07-12 19:16:22 UTC
Ciyrine,

Thank you for the response. I've worked with the distance the scan runs at a bit, I'll just keep practicing. Do you have any other recommendations for finding other players in open space or a guide/wiki/howto you used when starting out?
Praxis Ginimic
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#4 - 2013-07-12 19:29:47 UTC
If you've found some one in open space you need probes. If they are at a warpable object then d is useful. Interpreting the d-scanner takes practice and a few custom overview tabs (its helpful for figuring out who is in a pos, belt etc). Just keep at.
Taoist Dragon
x Never Regret x
#5 - 2013-07-12 21:27:55 UTC
First off set your d-scan distance to max by typing loads of 9's until it buzzes at you then hit scan. The number will then go to something 2147XXXXXX km which is the max d-scan range of 14.something AU.

Use this for long range scanning of belts, stations, annoms, FW plex etc

If you enter said annom,plex then just drop the first 2 digits to make it 47xxxxx, this will tell you if something is 'near' you in the system. Since most things you'll be at in space will be pretty far apart (in terms of system scale) this pretty much tells you they are on top of you. You can then decide to warp out or engage if something favourable pops up on scan.


You can get all fancy with the d-scan and stuff but TBH I very rarely do anything other than the above. by just removeing/adding 2 digits I can get a very quick overview of what is happening in my local area of the system I'm in.

That is the Way, the Tao.

Balance is everything.
Inxentas Ultramar
Ultramar Independent Contracting
#6 - 2013-07-15 09:24:57 UTC
Say you notice planet IX has a ton of belts. Start making a bookmark but dont click OK yet. Warp on planet IX and look at the surrounding belts: they will visually 'drift apart' as you warp close. Once they are apart far enough for a 5 degree scan, press OK and warp back on this newly made bookmark: you can now scan the belts at leasure and your enemy has to do far more effort to get on grid with you, then would be the case when you hang around customs offices.
Enochx Kaine
Doomheim
#7 - 2013-07-15 13:00:47 UTC
You know when you open up your D-scanner there is a box that says "current overview settings" or something like that, right? I want to CHECK that box right? I am having trouble scanning people in plexes in FW and I was wondering if maybe the reason I dont' see anyone is because of that.
Tinu Moorhsum
Random Events
#8 - 2013-07-15 14:11:10 UTC
Jonas Sotken wrote:
Do you have any other recommendations for finding other players in open space or a guide/wiki/howto you used when starting out?


When you're using the tracking camera there is a way to move the "focus" of the camera around so instead of showing your ship from a slight angle, which is visually appealing, it can be set right over the middle of your ship.

What that does for you is allows you to put you scan on 5% and just click on celestials in the overview which will automatically adjust the orientation of your ship to point *straight* at that celestial.

So once you've made that adjustment, then finding out *about* what planet or celestial your target is at is a simple matter of

1) jump in the system and optionally warp to a safe spot if you have one
2) open the scanner and set to 100%. If you get a hit on something you want to check out then change to 5%, click on a planet within the 14au range (tracking camera on). your ship will turn, click D-scan.... no result go to next. when you get a hit on 5% from where ever you are then that generally means that your target is very likely either at that planet or some moon/station/belt/etc in orbit around that planet.
3) fly to the planet (or a belt or whatever) and try again, this time using (maybe) belts (need to add them to overview) that are near the planet you're on. Sometimes you can actually watch your target go from one belt to the next if they're ratting like that. Just warp one belt ahead of them as they cycle through and wait for them to land on you. Cool

There are limitations to this. It doesn't work if your target is in a plex, mission, safe spot or a cosmic anomoly. In rare cases you'll get a false reading if your target is in a safe spot directly in line with a celestial from where you are. You can still get an idea if they're at a cosmic site by using the d-scanner but you'll have to move your ship manually, which is slow.

Also, to narrow down the range, think of it like this: your maximum scan range is 2147483647 km, which is 14-odd au and a horrible number to work with in your head.

.... but ....

if change the first two digits from "21" to a "11" you're at +/- 7 au.

Change the "21" to "05" and you're at around +/- 3.5 au.

Change the "21" to "02" and you're at +/- 1.5 au.

That's all you need to remember. When you're doing the d-scan thing you don't need to be precise on the range. When you're tracking your target they usually will already have seen you in local so moving quickly is important. If you try to be too precise it will take too long and you'll lose your window.

Hope that helps.
Jonas Sotken
Pandemic Horde Inc.
Pandemic Horde
#9 - 2013-07-15 18:10:38 UTC
Thanks for all the great advice. I managed to finally scan someone down in lowsec space last night. The pilot was in a Scythe Fleet Issue and I totally got run over. It was great!

I did manage to sneak right up to him, but I was outclassed and outgunned. Now that I can handle the d-scan, I need to learn which ships I can realistically take on in my Manticore.

Thanks.
Machiavelli's Nemesis
Angry Mustellid
#10 - 2013-07-15 19:05:02 UTC
Jonas Sotken wrote:
Is the only way to scan someone not around a known planet/station/moon/belt to use a probe scanner? Or is there a way to find someone in open space and be able to at least gauge the distance they are from a known point?


Finding someone in a safe spot without using probes can be done but it's tricky.

You need to get them on 5 degree scan at a known distance then make a safe spot of your own close to that position, rinse and repeat as you close in on them.

Most people will have got bored and moved on by the time you manage it though.
Dreadeye
F.U.N. Inc.
The Ancients.
#11 - 2013-07-15 22:22:12 UTC
agony unleashed explains dscanning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WydGHvTH7NA
Grandma Squirel
#12 - 2013-07-16 05:07:59 UTC  |  Edited by: Grandma Squirel
Machiavelli's Nemesis wrote:
Jonas Sotken wrote:
Is the only way to scan someone not around a known planet/station/moon/belt to use a probe scanner? Or is there a way to find someone in open space and be able to at least gauge the distance they are from a known point?


Finding someone in a safe spot without using probes can be done but it's tricky.

You need to get them on 5 degree scan at a known distance then make a safe spot of your own close to that position, rinse and repeat as you close in on them.

Most people will have got bored and moved on by the time you manage it though.


It has been known to happen, but I've only heard of it happening with lazy safes directly between two celestials. If you know the two celestials, and you have the same warp speed as the target, you may be able to drop a bookmark directly on grid while warping by due to the tick mechanic, or so I've heard. Its rare enough for anyone to bother trying that it I don't know for sure.

I have never heard of someone at a proper safe (ie not a celestial midpoint) being ferreted out without probes or a bookmark.
Dreadeye
F.U.N. Inc.
The Ancients.
#13 - 2013-07-16 11:20:17 UTC
Grandma Squirel wrote:


I have never heard of someone at a proper safe (ie not a celestial midpoint) being ferreted out without probes or a bookmark.


there exists some 'unprobable' safespots and im sure some still have them. theres 2 tricks i know of that could do this.

1) is to warp somwhere in a carrier with figthers deployed so they warp to you while you warp, then abandon 1 or more fighters. this led to the fighters land somewhere random plae in space and not your warp path, the trick was to scan down the fighters and bm where they landed and they landed way out of the plane. it would be possible to scan it down but the scanner would have to think to scan away from the celestials and of the plane. and you wouldnt be on dscan range either.
How ever CCP changed this so fighters no longer land in a random spot, but some might still have theese safespots

2) Jump thru a system just before the server goes offline before DT. you have to jump exaclty when the server goes offline so you are kind in the jump when it goes offline. if you succed to get thru the system when server starts up you will land in a random spot far away. BM this spot.
Havnt heard any fix of this 'bug' (maybe someone can confirm if it still works) i had few corpies that managed to pull it of some time ago. i tried a few times but didnt succed.

Thats the only 2 'real' safespots i know of.
cosmic signatures and anomalies are also good to bm as you will be a bit more of any celestials. to not get caught have several safespots and warp around them.
Sura Sadiva
Entropic Tactical Crew
#14 - 2013-07-16 12:39:01 UTC
Dreadeye wrote:

there exists some 'unprobable' safespots and im sure some still have them. theres 2 tricks i know of that could do this.



I thought they removed the safespot created with these systems some years ago, if I recall it correctly to fix this CCP said they just cleaned up the database of the spots beyond a certain from celestials
Dreadeye
F.U.N. Inc.
The Ancients.
#15 - 2013-07-16 20:24:44 UTC
I know for certain that the figher trick spots are still around, if saved. I was in one for some months ago, so they are still there.
Substantia Nigra
Polaris Rising
Goonswarm Federation
#16 - 2013-07-16 21:31:31 UTC
If a ship is located within the volume of space contained between celestials, anoms, and any bookmarks you already hold then you can locate that ship with DS alone.

This process can be very fiddly and time consuming, requires a lot of warping around and benefits from a heap of practice.

To practice you might look at dropping a container at a safespot and destroying the bookmark. Then, using your d-scan only, find the can.

It's much easier if your target ship is at a sig/anom or a POS, because then you have other objects in similar direction and range to give you a clue as to their location.

It is also possible to place a ship in a location that cannot be located by d-scan alone .... usually either bookmarked locations from old cosmic signature sites (typically high above or below the main system axis) or old deep safespots that were nerfed back within 10AU of the system confines but are still well outside the main system volume.

I guess I am almost a 'vet' by now. Hopefully not too bitter and managing to help more than I hinder. I build and sell many things, including large collections of bookmarks.
Gizznitt Malikite
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
#17 - 2013-07-16 22:26:05 UTC

D-scan will help you identify where a ship is at in space. You can toggle scan distances and angles to essentially locate the exact distance and direction from you to them.
They could be at a planet, moon, gate, station, anom, .... which you can warp to without needing probes.
They could be at a safespot, mission, or plex.... which you then need probes to get to them (generally).
Sometimes they aren't at a paticularly good safespot, and you can "find" that safe spot by power 100's of km to them, or by clever warping.
Egravant Alduin
Ascendance Rising
Ascendance..
#18 - 2013-07-27 09:24:20 UTC  |  Edited by: Egravant Alduin
Since I went to low sec and couldn't understand how finding a player works with d-scan I read and asked a lot so read this.

First of all right click anywhere in space and choose the option show solar system in map browser.
In the right you can see where the angle of you looking is.

Second in the d scan options choose use active overview settings and use tracking camera.
Now as you can see wherever you move your camera the angle changes in right solar system map browser.

The smallest angle the best chances of you finding someone.

After you have found something in the angle try finding a spot between you and the angle like a star ,planet,etc.

Then warp in and maybe you find someone.I t s very hard to find someone you want with d scan.

Since it was so randomly to find someone i added to my ship expanded core probe launcher with combat probes and training the skills so I can find someone.D scan is very disappointing and complicated.CCP should have make it a little more simple.So many guides to read and have fun in this game.

Feel the wrath of the GECKO!
Tauranon
Weeesearch
CAStabouts
#19 - 2013-07-31 07:40:35 UTC
Praxis Ginimic wrote:
If you've found some one in open space you need probes. If they are at a warpable object then d is useful. Interpreting the d-scanner takes practice and a few custom overview tabs (its helpful for figuring out who is in a pos, belt etc). Just keep at.


if the target is stationary and within the area between celestials or if you have them, your deep safes, then its possible to get onto their grid in about 10 - 15 minutes with just d-scan and bookmarking.

Them moving from one pocket to the next in a deadspace will usually only add a couple of minutes to that process.
Marsan
#20 - 2013-08-01 04:49:18 UTC
In a worm hole system we always use to have odd ball safe spots created from warping between odd ball wormhole sigs. You could get some safe spots that were not any where inline with anything.

What you really need to do is narrow down a safespot with dscan then use your probes.
http://www.tigerears.org/2012/04/17/how-to-hunt-in-w-space-using-d-scan/

Former forum cheerleader CCP, now just a grumpy small portion of the community.