Agree, also makes the + sensor range trait more valuable if they do not stack.

To my shame I have used this in the past. stopped using it after a while as you said to OP. Not stacking sensors a good idea

Even with a cap, it will be trivial to get around it.  Just build tiny ships with nothing but a scanner(s) and perhaps an engine and fling it out in the middle of nowhere.  In fact, capping scanning encourages building a swarm of tiny ships that do nothing but reveal the map for little or no maintenance.

I did exactly this for all of my games in GC II.  Especially if I got the Galactic Achievement that gave all ships max scanning for free,  But even without that, it would be trivial to put scanner(s) on tiny ships and fling them out into the unknown.

I would also point out that not being able to stack scanners really hurts the early game when you are first exploring and all one has is a short range scanner.  Being able to put two scanners on a small ship while you are first exploring can be very valuable.  And not game breaking at all, IMO.

the biggest problem here is the way that sensor range stacks 

a ship with range 1 shows 7 tiles 

with range 2 it shows 19 tiles 

and range 3 shows 37 tiles 

each additional layer shows 6x its distance in additional tiles meaning a sensor range 50 shows 300 more tiles then a range 49

at very minimal costs this ship could easily reveal whole maps with good research and minituarization not to mention the range bonus's your anomolie ship gets

that being said maybie sensor range needs to be changed to sensor strength and have a certain strength value required to reach each additional range value

I like it the way it is. If you have one search light on a boat, you reveal a narrow path far ahead of you. If you surround your boat with lights you reveal an amount equal to the single light with each additional light. I know that comparisons can always be challenged, but if we were in a room together, I would convince you that stacking sensors is realistic and relatively inexpensive.

I understand the urgent need for some to add challenge to the game and while I think this is could be considered an exploit, it is certainly a tiny exploit. I have known that you can do this forever but beyond just playing around with the beta I have never felt compelled to pile sensors on, in any serious game. I suppose it could be very helpful on smaller maps with fewer habitable planets, but in most of my games I am too busy building colony ships and constructors to use any scouts beyond what the game gives me. That's just me. I know some play differently.

Anyway, there are minor exploits in every game, but you don't have to use them. I am not convinced that this "exploit" is a game changer that needs to be dealt with. Free upgrades is an example of a real exploit that must be fixed.

When you get down to it, the whole idea of stumbling around looking for stuff in the 25th century is unrealistic when you consider that in the early 21st century we are aware of thousands of exo-planets without sending out the first sensor ship. Where are the telescopes and planet finders? We have already beat that horse to death.

Recognizing that this is a game and not real life they have given us the option to turn on blind exploration, so you don't even see the stars. Use it for a greater challenge, but don't go building mega-sensor ships. Where is the fun in that?

BTW, when the game is released there will be a mid-game tech that reveals the entire galaxy. The only thing that would keep you from bee lining to that tech by turn 50 is the dratted "age of" thing.

yes but in this example there is a finite limit unless you get a better light you will not be able to see further so once you've placed lights all around the boat adding more lights is useless. further each extra light adds the same amount of distance in gc3 each additional sensor adds multiple times the originals sensor range

with full sensor tech/ miniaturization and anomolie bonus's i could probably build a single ship that can view the entire map even on the largest map settings. being able to see where all my enemies ships are and how they are arranged is a huge tactical advantage.

from what ive heard the devs have pretty much left the free upgrades infor beta testing this is something that will get fixed by gold release as for sensor range this is definately a worthwhile discussion on if it should be changed and if so how? i think its a mechanic that needs to be fixed.

this becomes more of a seperate argument but imo theres a difference between knowing a planet is there and knowing whats happening on this planet right now

this could lead to a topic about having planets known from the beginning of the game or at least some closer planets

reveal as in no fog of war or reveal as in fully explored? the sensor ship provides the former the latter i dont see as game breaking

from what the devs have said the ai is going to have the same access to information as a human player so it wont know anything that you cant learn similarly 

if this is the case then if i use the sensor ship and the ai doesent know how to take advantage of it then i have a massive advantage over the ai,

on the other hand if the ai uses this ship and i think its cheasy and dont then the ai has a massive advantage over me

Why shouldn't space faring races have AWACS technology? Granted outfitting a tiny ship with max sensors is cheaper than maxing starbase sensors.

The day that the AI builds a sensor ship with a grapefruit sized path, I will eat my hat, (and I love my hat). It will not happen. Yeah, Brad could make them do it, but he won't. The AI are followers of Buddha. They take the middle path in all things.  

So, the AI will not use the "exploit". It is an option that the human player can choose to use, or not. It will be just like the blind exploration option, or the no galactic events option. The only difference is, there will be no check box for "no mega sensors".