Im a bit late to this discussion and only half way through the thread but i think i have an awesome suggestion!



Would it be possible to do both, system scanner AND probing?

If you warp to the signature found by the system scanner you don't enter the ghost site itself, but a site with a few cans that add a bookmark to your journal once opened (like escallations) for the actual ghost site.
On the other hand if you are probing the system to find the ghost site you get the advantage to directly warp to it.
This way the site wouldn't be limited to players with probing ships but still provide a small advantage for someone putting effort into something.


The following part of my post isnt directly related to ghost sites alone so continue if you like to read more about my ideas based on this concept:

I have been thinking about this for some time now and i think it would really add to exploration in general if you would take the current escalation system from anomalies and weave it into signatures and expand the probing system through the use of the escalation mechanics:

1. make multiple anomalies spawn in the surrounding systems of the actual Ghost site and give them a chance to drop an item from hacking/analyzing cans that can be activated to generate an escalation entry in your journal pointing towards the actual ghost site a few jumps away. This wouldn't impact the rarity of ghost sites at all while enabling more player to find the site and tho increasing competition.
I will continue to call those dropped items "hints" and i imagine them to be like those datasheets you get from Data cans in hacking/analyzer sites

2. add those "hints" to regular hacking and analyzer sites data cans which currently are basicly trash if there isnt a faction or good t2 bpc copy in it!

3. "Hints" can be activated to generate entries in your journal that point you to sites with more hints or other cool stuff. Those could be things like DED plexes or directions to constellations with ghost sites.

4. Those shouldn't spawn new sites!!! rather point you to already spawned ones (increases competition and encourages to travel).

5. "hints" can be sold at the market. This adds great choice to the system and new players could focus on hacking/analyzer and sell the "hints" to veteran players who focus on the combat sites requiring more sp and experience all the while everyone could still try to find and complete the sites them self.



I have many more ideas for those "hints" and the expansion of the current anomaly escalation system if there is an interest. If you like it i would make a dedicated thread in the ideas forum!