Possible to prioritize where to survey?

[100thMonkey]

Another question about exploration: is there a way, through policies, automation, or any other "automated" means, to specify where my explorers should survey first? For instance:

- First fully survey all systems in my territory
- Then survey the systems in neutral territory, ideally starting with the systems closest to my territory?

I suspect that it isn't possible, but if it is, please let me know how.

And if it isn't, may I suggest that adding such a functionality to the game would be very useful. As it is now, the explorers go all over the place, leaving many systems in my territory surveyed way below what they're currently able to.

Maybe it could be implemented by allowing to specify a region to prioritize by dragging around it...

[fruitgnome]

I help by use at first less fuel cells and then more and more. And to build sometimes new explorers. You can also use all 3 explorer sizes with different number of fuel cells.

[fruitgnome]

Ion armor or ion shield could be also important, I mean explorers dont survey in systems where they get damage and kill the creatures.

[thegreybetween]

+1

It would be nice to see the options suggested by the OP. A priority list for system exploration that let you rank the priorities for exploration ships:

1: Explore as soon as possible if within fuel range
2: Explore if within fuel range and no #1 priority targets remain
3: Explore if within fuel range and no #1 or #2 priority targets remain
4: Do not explore

With the following options:

Systems within our border
Systems not within any border
Systems within friendly/neutral empires (relations over -30)
Systems in enemy empires (relations -30 or worse)

So, as an example, you could have

Systems within our border [1]
Systems not within any border [1]
Systems within friendly/neutral empires [2]
Systems in enemy empires [4]

And this setting would mean that your explorations ships will explore any system within fuel range that is within your border or not within any border. If there are no other targets, they will explore systems in non-enemy empires. They will never explore in enemy empires.

Such a system could also be applied to other areas, too, like construction ship operations (so you can tell the AI not to build mining stations in allied territory unless there are no legal targets in empty space, etc), fleets (so your automated patrolling defense fleets can be blacklisted from leaving your borders) etc.

[scotten_usa]

DW Classic had sectors and you could specify that explorers could survey specific sectors. I'm sure it's been said somewhere, but I don't understand why DW2 removed these.

[RhinoDad]

As Fruitgnome has suggested you can try to throttle the distances by limiting fuel but that only somewhat reduces exploring distant places. You will still find ships, though less, out well beyond their fuel range trying to boldly go where no one from your race has gone before.

With little fuel they will run at half speed and so it takes them longer to fly off, easier to see and order back. So instead of flying half way across the universe before they are running out of fuel in their quest to get to the other side they will be in slow mode just outside of your territory. This makes it faster to get them under control and back to being productive.

[Ax]

Also, putting ion protection on explorers makes them go into nebulas and wake up nasty sleeping things