Mining or Mining stations?

[Who Cares]

I'm currently running around trying to fix that Xenon Hub.
After seeing that the I needed 150k Teladianium and 450k Ore I wedged the hub sector between Empire's Edge and Savage Spur. This because quite a few Paranid stations consume Teladianium as secondary resource so I could place the complex (just 5 stations seeing that that would only take 50 ingame hours to get the 150k Teladianium) close by and still have it near buyers.

At the moment I'm at the Ore stage.
I know now that my current setup, 15 Mistral SF on mining orders in Savage Spur, is less then optimal (getting the job done but it can be quite a bit more efficient) after reading on this forum.

That's it for background.
The real question is if keep my own mining industry would it be more efficient to upgrade the current setup to dedicated miners, CLS couriers, central collection point(s) and shipping it out to stations that need ore/silicon? Or scrap that and go for mining stations and complex up the lot with the consumers of the ore/silicon?

[insolent1]

Both is the way to go, main thing I try to aim for with the hub is to automate as much of it as possible, thanks to CLS/CAG this is quite easy.

I tend to setup 3-4 closed loops that support the varius stages of the hub, when a part is finished I just turn off the relative stations and place new ones to take up the slack.

For the Ore and silicon its worth just setting up a load of mines all linked together and ship in the ecells. Once the part of it is finished I use self destruct to clear away the spaghetti.

For the teledianium make sure to buy off the market aswell as there is plenty in the universe same really applies for all the pieces.

[Nanook]

For the Teladianium, building your own stations is a waste of time and resources. You can easily collect what you need from the Teladi, if you're patient. And there's virtually no real market for teladianium if you try to sell it later.

As for the ore, don't build mines unless you have plans for them after the Hub plot is complete. Ore on its own doesn't sell well, so you need a plan to use them for other complexes if you do build them. That said, buying from the NPC mines and collecting ore with your miners should complete that phase pretty quickly.

Personally, the only factory complexes I build for the Hub plot are for microchips. Everything else, unless you're in a great hurry and have shiploads of extra cash hanging around, can be readily gathered and/or purchased without building your own stations, even crystals.

[Aragosnat]

While Nanook said is true. But, if you do build them. The only real advantage is that you speed up the plot and can help train new CAGs. Expecially true if your in the need of having 30+ of them. XD

[Who Cares]

Thank you for the input.

Too late for the teladianium complex it is out there already. It doesn't generate a huge profit but there is a steady drip of cash flowing from the complex credit line to mine. Two to three days to recoup the investment since it cost only about 5 million total, excluding the ships I use to buy and sell.
The 80 to 90 million for the 15 fully equipped Mistral super freighters that are currently mining was a lot more painful :D

Currently leveling up CLS pilots (the logic being that if I don't use them for this there will be another place to use them) but at the rate that those Mistrals are bringing in ore (and demanding my attention because they need to be reminded to go back mining) they will only be ready at around 70% done.

That 70% is with the inclusion of the suggested ore buying freighters.

[Kirlack]

And there's virtually no real market for teladianium if you try to sell it later.

I don't know about that. I built a self sufficient Teladianium 'Plex in Gunne's Crusade on my last vanilla play through, 10x L sized plants, and with a 50 jump radius and a handful of high level CAGs it was more or less constantly empty.

[insolent1]

Main problem with Teladianium is its only really a secondary resource which means the amount sold are quite low during each trip.

[pref]

I just built a 20x teladianium foundry complex in Akeela's right next to the SPPs they already had there. Useful to level CAGs, and in about an ingame day 3k got sold - without any transports selling it. Price is a bit lower than average-1.

I'd have expected ore to sell better since its not just secondary resource.

[insolent1]

Ore sells very well but you have to use your own traders to sell it.

[haft2doit]

When it comes to the hub plot, all you need to know is CHIPS! I am 8 game days into a new AP game, and I am learning from my mistakes in TC. I got close to getting all of the (150,000!) microchips to the hub last time around, however before I did I had allready got to a point where I had everything I could want and lost interest. This time around I am setting up good infrastructure at the beginning so I can actually get the HQ before I stop playing again. The chips are the only thing you should worry about. It takes longer (it seems) to get the chips than every other requirement combined. Once I needed chips I built 50 chip plants and it still took too long!

I am in the proccess of setting up powerplant loops. I have crystal complexes supplied by silicon mines, used to train up CLS/CAG. Each separate crystal complex suplies 2 power complexes, 1 to supply the crystal production and another for free energy to fund my bootlegging operation free of charge (all profit). The complexes are linked by CLS in a big web of distribution.

As I go I plan to use half of my expendable energy to run chip plant complexes, offloading chips to TL's. I am still a ways from doing the hub plot but by the time I get there I wnat to have the chips ready.

If I need crystals I can just shut down one of my free energy plexes and use the surplus to fun the hub, and switch back when ready. Same with silicon. But really you can easily get these resources from the universe with CAGS.

So start making chips NOW! The universe can't supply enough.

[Aragosnat]

When it comes to the hub plot, all you need to know is CHIPS! I am 8 game days into a new AP game, and I am learning from my mistakes in TC. I got close to getting all of the (150,000!) microchips to the hub last time around, however before I did I had allready got to a point where I had everything I could want and lost interest. This time around I am setting up good infrastructure at the beginning so I can actually get the HQ before I stop playing again. The chips are the only thing you should worry about. It takes longer (it seems) to get the chips than every other requirement combined. Once I needed chips I built 50 chip plants and it still took too long!

I am in the proccess of setting up powerplant loops. I have crystal complexes supplied by silicon mines, used to train up CLS/CAG. Each separate crystal complex suplies 2 power complexes, 1 to supply the crystal production and another for free energy to fund my bootlegging operation free of charge (all profit). The complexes are linked by CLS in a big web of distribution.

As I go I plan to use half of my expendable energy to run chip plant complexes, offloading chips to TL's. I am still a ways from doing the hub plot but by the time I get there I wnat to have the chips ready.

If I need crystals I can just shut down one of my free energy plexes and use the surplus to fun the hub, and switch back when ready. Same with silicon. But really you can easily get these resources from the universe with CAGS.

So start making chips NOW! The universe can't supply enough.

I dont think you will need that many chips. At least I hopenot. Need to finish my DiD game for the achievements.

[haft2doit]

It is somewhere in that area... At least in TC. It took soooooo long. They may have adjusted it in AP? I guess I'll see.

[Aragosnat]

That I do agree with. TC it was a bit long in the making.

[Sinxar]

Its nothing like that in AP so don't worry. If you have completed the Hub plot in TC, you may find the AP Hub plot kinda humorous [from a commonwealth start].

[haft2doit]

Seems that you need 75,000 chips for AP HUB according ro rougeys. Still will take some time. Each chip plant making 10/hr. 50 plants would still take 150 hrs to complete it. I don't want to make more than that so I don't end up saturating the market to the point I cant sell em after I finish the plot. I'm finding that in AP Space fuel can hit a ceiling unlike TC. I only have 25 L Distillery and they are filling up... So I'm thinking 50 chip plants would do the same.

[Sinxar]

Seems that you need 75,000 chips for AP HUB according ro rougeys.

It doesn't say that anywhere.

http://roguey.co.uk/x3ap/help/guides/hub/

[Who Cares]

Guess I know what I'm going to do with my first self sufficient complex. I went overboard in the usual way and now have a slight overdose of silicon wafers. Seems I'll be stuffing that place with chip factories.

[StarSword]

Seems that you need 75,000 chips for AP HUB according ro rougeys.

No, that's the TC hub requirements.

[Triaxx2]

7,550. That's the number of Chip Plants required to complete the requirements of the Hub Complex in a single hour.

It's insanely difficult to supply the resources necessary, but it would be possible. For simplicities sake that's Boron Chip Plants, and 60 Boron SPP's, all of it built in Akeela's Beacon, to use the 400% sun.

A 1 hour input of 60,000 crystals, 1.1 million BoFu, and not quite 30,000 Silicon. However, after that 1 hour, the entire Hub Plot is done. All for a mere 41 Billion credits.