Mobile Mining from Experiance

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Azordian
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Mobile Mining from Experiance

Post by Azordian »

Yes, guys - mobile mining is a challenging topic. Granted, it's all done by hand, it's all done through hard work, but in the end - if you approach it systematically and logically - thus far I've made 83.000 credits in my bay within 20 minutes.

The problem, as I believe people see it - is the confusion within the asteroid field, and the perception of the asteroids - be it small ones to collect or large ones 20k off that look almost the same!

Scan them, guys. If you are not sure, of course it will take a while, but you are always able to see them targetted! You cannot click on them on the map, but you ARE ABLE to use the TRACKING TARGET option, and the targetted asteroid chunks will be selected. It's a matter of simply pressing the target's detail button, and checking whether it's collectable.

Before you know it, you'll be piloting your buster (in my case Persius) escort through the asteroid debree and pinpointing the small asteroids and the slightly larger chunks that need to still be shot into smaller pieces.

Do not be afraid to approach this systematically! These asteroids break appart into even chunks in around 6 sectors, and they are quite spread out. Handle one chunk at a time, as those chunks break into some 4 quadrants, and those into even smaller ones. Then you end up with Asteroid debree fields. Fly your small buster close up through the fields, and visually - not by colour, but by simplicity, target the asteroids that seem slightly larger than the rest and shoot them up!

Do not feel afraid to back up and take an overview of your current sector, because it is the only way to beat that 'perception' of your eyes, and maintain a good 'eye' on what's still left to be broken up and what asteroids are ready to collect. Once they're all relatively the same size - call in your freighter to "Follow me" and leave the fighter pointing towards the debree field (This'll help you get used to managing pilotting within 3d and avoid that confusion of which field you were working on).

Slowly, and I mean slowly and straight ahead, guide your freighter at each individial asteroid as if it were your last - and make no sudden turns! Asteroid debree fields make it a nightmare to see, and a nightmare to avoid collisions, unless you are very careful. Be aware of your surroundings, and if you aren't sure whether you can turn down, DON'T - simply back away the path you came, and then do so safely.

Eventually you will be able to tell which asteroids are collectable, because they are the same size when completely broken. And collecting an asteroid field of the same size, you'll get used to the pattern. Get out there, miner! :)


One huge problem with mobile mining is the time it takes to get used to it. However, from the developers side - leaving the "Open Bay Doors" command on a 7 second pause everytime you collect an asteroid is a HUGE oversight. It's simply ridiculous to have to go through a field of some 30 asteroids and manually open the door every 7 seconds. Had the doorbay been open for an indefinate duration, I would have the whole asteroid plucked within 20 minutes, instead of only 89 Silicon Waffers. :)

Cheers!
apatel7
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Post by apatel7 »

I've upgraded to 1.3 but minig does not work for me.

All asteriods I approach are Not Collectible when I scan them.

I blast them with the Mobile Drilling System and they break into smaller pieces but no matter how small the pieces, they do not become collectible.

I'm totally confused. Is the bug still there???
Azordian
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Post by Azordian »

Feel free to break the asteroids appart until they disappear. Once they start disappearing from your laser-fire, that is when you know they are ready to be collected.

Thus far I have used the Mobile System on the largest, initial asteroid. The rest I followed up with Alpha Impulses. Perhaps there is a bug if you persist at using the Mobile System even for the smaller chunks. :)
apatel7
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Post by apatel7 »

Thanks for the tip. I have just tried it and it works! :)
7ate9tin11s
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Post by 7ate9tin11s »

One way to tell if an asteroid is small enough is that it 'glows' when you shoot it (I was using 4 aPACs), where a breakable asteroid will absorb the shot(s) until it breaks up. Glow may not be the right word, but it is kinda like the whole asteroid sparkles or has explosions upon the entire surface. Of course the ones that are small enough are also more gold colored than grey too (at least with the silicon I was doing).

-7ate9tin11s
NightSpirit
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Post by NightSpirit »

\o/ I've just completed my first mobile mining session too, netting myself 30k for my troubles :) Once you get the hang of it it's not so bad flying the freighter round and picking up all the golden nuggets :) Still does wierd things when transporting from my buster after breaking up the asteroids but I can live with that.

Didn't have to be too carefull, flying round at a speed of between 5 and 12 and finding the roll and strafe keys very handy to line up the asteroids for a pac-man style gobbling run :D
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hox
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Post by hox »

its a real chore now, and takes ages to actually earn anything.

Iin x2 it was actually a lot of fun and one of my favourite things to do, this version i probably wont bother.
Azordian
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Post by Azordian »

Despite our new found success - hopefully with my small guide :) - would anyone be able to create a script or some kind of modification to leave the Bay doors open for longer than one collection?

The waiting time is very annoying in-between pick-ups.
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humility925
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Post by humility925 »

Azordian wrote:Despite our new found success - hopefully with my small guide :) - would anyone be able to create a script or some kind of modification to leave the Bay doors open for longer than one collection?

The waiting time is very annoying in-between pick-ups.
But dont you feel risk if Hull is damged?
Azordian
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Post by Azordian »

Let me put it this way - you must take down the shield to collect in either case. This only means that you either are certain of your object, or you're learning. ;)

Leaving a nuissance out of the already time consuming task isn't that bad an idea.
Velox
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Post by Velox »

I found mining both annoying & addictive at the same time. Due to not really understanding what I was doing at first I managed to sustain about 50% hull damage over the course of an hour or so in the Paranid Demeter that I purchased for this task. I mined 80 odd silicon and 30 odd ore that I think would sell for about 60k. Unfortunately the 90k hull damage means a loss of 30k for an hours work.

Stuff I think that needs to be examined:

- The long pause on opening the cargo doors.
- Its frustrating that if you were mining in one place for an hour that you could end up making one bad ore pick-up (I.E. hull damage) that would make you want to reload, thus I found myself having to go and save every 15 mins or so.
- If you do bump an astroid you often get 'stuck' on it whilst all the time your hull is being damaged badly..
- Can't target astroids. Think it would be a whole lot easier if you could.
- Numerous graphical glitches (weird stretched lines, Astroids often jump into position etc)
- If you sustain about 50 or 60% hull damage, it tends to glitch when you attempt to collect the ore and cause you even more damage!

The paranid demeter I tried it in was frustratingly slow and cumbersome when compared with my Argon Mercury (which doesn't seem to take a mining laser). The front view is also half obscured too. The above topped with having to mine with the rear turret made then entire experiance quite frustrating!

I might give it a go again once I can find the ship that the tooltip mentions that can use a front mounted mining laser, but until then I think i'll leave it alone =/
Azordian
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Post by Azordian »

Velox - of course I am no pro, but read the first note I've made up on this thread. Perhaps following it, you'll do much better. :)

Things to note:
* The breaking of the asteroids into collectable pieces should be done by a light, quick craft armed with something tiny as Alpha Impulses.
* Make sure to focus on one small cluster of asteroids at a time, and nail every large asteroid that looks twice as big as the others. Once all of them are the same size, it's time to collect!
* Make sure to keep in a circular pattern, and always be aware of your surroundings by the external camera views. Proceed slowly, no more than 10 speed at any given time, and slow down after every pick-up.
* If you're confused on where you are, back out slowly! Take an over-view look of your sector, see where you still have asteroids left, and head over there. :)

In 30 minutes I'm able, though much slowed down by the Bay Doors opening-time oversight, mine some 120 silicone waffers. :)
666Villain666
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Post by 666Villain666 »

when mobile mining, you don't have to collect the broken bits manually. Go to your command console and hit 'collect wares in sector' and then turn your seta drive on and it's done in a fraction of the time by the auto-pilot.
steel chicken
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Post by steel chicken »

666Villain666 wrote:when mobile mining, you don't have to collect the broken bits manually. Go to your command console and hit 'collect wares in sector' and then turn your seta drive on and it's done in a fraction of the time by the auto-pilot.
thats X2, when it worked, it no longer works that way.
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holo_doctor
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Post by holo_doctor »

DOnt use Tankers or Halers use standard frighters being smaller they give you alot more room to move. (have a couple SF near by to beam cargo to if you dont have TL funds yet)

Also use your external view ALOT! you find it alot easyer to line stuff up

I agree X3 mobile mining alot more tedius and dangours and going to be a pain to get an automineing script running but its doable evetualy!

MY goal in X is to get up Huge complex I can just supply mobile mined ore to via TL and some TSs but the inability to complex EQ docks is going to be a pain in unloading

(pls ego we need capital ship docking facilitys for complexes especialy shileds and weapons ones)
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octessence
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Post by octessence »

Velox wrote:- If you do bump an astroid you often get 'stuck' on it whilst all the time your hull is being damaged badly.
This is a big problem. If you turn and your back end hits an asteroid, instead of stopping you turning more the back end passes into the asteroid causing damage. However I found that by stopping and switching quickly (without panicing) to external view, I was able to free myself before my sheilds collapsed and before taking on hull damage.

Octes
jlehtone
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Post by jlehtone »

Azordian, this is a great early guide on the topic. :thumb_up:

Let me summarize some of it and other threads (just to see whether I did understood anything):

- Asteroids have to be broken up recursively into smaller and smaller pieces, until they are small enough to be collected.
- Only big asteroids show up in the sector map.
- Mines can be build only on the big asteroids.
- 1.3 added a lot of smaller asteroids. They can be mined too.
- The big asteroids may respawn almost immediately over your ship?
- It is not known yet whether the smaller roids do respawn.
- The glow on the roid when hit reveals if it can be collected.
- Smaller roids can be targeted too.
- Mining laser is required to break up the big asteroids.
- Smaller roids can be broken with even IRE.
- A small nimble fighter is good for breaking up smaller roids into collectables.
- Collecting is manual and requires a TS class ship.
- The cargo bay has to be opened for each piece individually.
- Split Caimans have front guns of their own. Thus, they can both split and collect.
- It is a lot of hard manual work.
- A full haul of minerals is much profits, but at most 50% more than buying that same silicon from a mine at minimum price.
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perraultpa
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Post by perraultpa »

My expericen with mining.

I got the Paranid Demeter Miner. It can be found in Paranid Prime. It comes with everything but the Mobile Drilling System (MDS).

The Argon Centaur can mount the MDS on the front. A transporter device and a freighter nearby can make this a good collector.

If you shoot a non-collectible astoroid that is near a collectibel astoroid with the MDS the collectible astoroid will be destroyed beyond collecting.

There is a field of Nividium in Kingdoms End. Target the small (not displayed on map) rock at -619m, -27m, 3.77km. Everything around there is a yield 15 Nividium.

You can only sell Nividium to the Paranid Trading Dock in Pontifix Realm and the Pirate Anarchary Port in Loo Monckstrats Legacy. And only two at a time. I am still trying to sell the 115 units I collected a week ago in about 45 min or so. They sell for 16,128 credits each.

I have yet to find a Space Jewerly that will buy Nividium like the "Information Station" says there are. Check the comms in the Equipment Dock in Argon Prime and select "Information Station" to see what I am talking about.

Thats all I have for now.
Launchpad
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Post by Launchpad »

I thing I did to speed up collection was to got to external view and look at the ship from the side, then use my straff drive to pick up the roids, much easier that way but a little ackward to start with.

But 3 things that still need to be done to make it fun:

1. the collectable astroroids need to be a little easier for the non collectable. I can tell by looking at them but the light reflection will some time make me miss judge and one screw up can cause a whole trip to be bust.

2. Turn down the delay on loading new cargo, or get rid of it completly.

3. Please make the pick up wares in sector command work with picking up minerals.

I think if you do this MM will be even better than in X2.

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