Scanning

Scanning in Dual Universe is the process of using sensors to scan for resources within a planetary body. Resource deposits are made of voxels, and their shape, size, and location are procedurally generated within pre-defined parameters. Scanning can be specialized with a combination of technology and knowledge; certain resources can only be found in certain environments. Scanning will almost always precede mining. There are several methods of scanning, which are listed below.

Radial Scanner
The Radial Scanner scans a spherical volume around it and reports back with a list of all recognizable resources found in that volume. Each detected resource type will return with a signal strength number that indicates the distance to the detected resource. These original numbers are listed in blue, and remain on the screen until the player scans again. If the player moves and scans again, those number will change value and color, with a green number indicating that the player has moved closer to that particular resource deposit, and an orange number indicating that the player has moves farther away. The range of the scanner can be adjusted, but it always scans in all directions, including strait up and down, so longer ranges are not necessarily more useful.

Example: The player sets their radial scanner to 50 meters and scans. The scanner reports two resources nearby: aluminum, with a signal strength of 20, and iron, with a signal strength of 3. This means that the aluminum deposit is closer than the iron deposit. The player then moves forward 10 meters and scans again. This time the aluminum number register as an orange 15, and the iron number registers as a green 8. This means that the player has moved away from the aluminum deposit and towards the iron deposit.

''Note: The signal strength of a resource is based entirely on its proximity to the player. A higher signal strength does not necessarily indicate a larger deposit of that resource.''

Successfully finding resources can take a significant amount of time, and will produce imperfect results. Players can increase the accuracy of their results by either improving their scanning skills, or by using different scanning methods and tools. Once a scan is completed, the player can place down a marker signifying the location and results of that scan. Intersecting these results can help players to pinpoint the resource they are searching for.

Directional Scanner
The Directional Scanner is more precise and accurate (but much more confined) than the radial scanner. The directional scanner scans a cone shaped volume directly in front of the player and returns a signal pulse with spikes indicating that a resource has been detected. Different resources have different masses, and will therefore return different sized spikes. The directional scanner will register a spike for each resource deposit in its scanning cone, with spikes farther along the pulse line indicating resources that are farther away. The player will need to learn the different types of spikes in order to effectively find the desired resources.

 Example : The player scans a cone 50 meters in front of them and the pulse registers two spikes, one large and close, and one small and farther away. This indicates that there are two types of resources in the scanned volume, with the closer being more dense, and the farther being less dense.

''Note: the size of a return pulse is based entirely on the density of the resource, not on the size of the deposit. A larger pulses does not mean more resources.''

This method, while precise, covers a very insignificant area when compared to the size of planets and moons. It will not be efficient to do all scanning using the directional technique.