Mining Guide Updates Blog

Black Sunder

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scanning in the belts is not a hide and seek fest anymore - don't have to constantly short rescan for stuff in the belt.

the Prospector can mine the much larger gemstone rocks but you have to use SHORT BURSTS, like wax on wax off, not even a second's worth of power. Use a helix. The Prospector though can NOT scoop the gems up though.

8 - yellow
6 blinking orange
4- blinking red
30 seconds till explosion
Reconfirmed quantanium's timer

They also fixed the rocks in the ground issue after fracture. Now the rock comes out of the ground after fracture. ALL the pieces.
 

GPcustoms

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First off thank you for the hard work and effort putting together this informational blog:like:.
Picked up a prospector and have enjoyed it on par with anything in the hanger. With that said I seek some advice since the new patch went live. I cannot for the life of me hover either in VTOL or standard flight orientation to fracture or collect without drifting off into hills,ground,rocks or godzilla himself.
I would think that the future we would have stabilized VTOL capabilities for hovering but perhaps there is a new binding that one of you experienced miners can smack me in the face with:wut:. Thanks again:o7:
 
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Black Sunder

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Updated a picture in the Guide to more accurately reflect the location of the Aaron belt. Its just inside now the CRU-L5 orbit and just beyond the Delemar orbit now.

I'm also reading through the Guide now and revising as I go. Currently at the part where it talks about picking the gems up for FPM.
Aaron Belt.jpg

Note the red arrow. This asteroid belt displayed is wrongly placed.
 

Black Sunder

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I've done a little rearranging of sections by pulling out sections that will be common to both vehicle and ship mining and putting them before Vehicle and Ship Mining. Just makes it easier to slot in additional ships/vehicles later.

Vehicle & Ship Mining Universals
The General Scanner​
The Mining Interface: What does it Mean?​
Mining Laser Power Factors​
Mining Heads​
Mining Heads in Contrast​
Mining Consumables​
Mining Consumables in Contrast​


The introduction sections and FPM are also done being revised I think. I'll need to read it over again tomorrow but I'm confident they are done.
 
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Black Sunder

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Current table of contents but it may change even more. Currently at work on the 2nd main section: Vehicle & Ship Mining Universals

Table of Contents

Introduction to Mining

General Locations to Prospect
List of Ore & Gems​
Ore Location Index​

First Person Mining
FPM Tools & Accessories​
Core Elements​
Temperature Specific Armor​
Additional Items​
FPM Gear Price Table​
Fracturing and Extraction of Hand Mineables​
The Multi-Tool interface​
Fracturing the Rock​
Picking up the Pieces & Personal Inventory​
Selling Hand Mineables​
Miscellaneous​

Vehicle & Ship Mining Universals
The General Scanner​
Vehicle and Ship Mining Interfaces​
The Mining Interface: Fracture Mode​
The Mining Interface: Extraction Mode​
Mining Laser Power Factors​
Mining Heads​
Mining Heads in Contrast​
Mining Consumables​
Mining Consumables in Contrast​

Vehicle & Ship Based Mining
Mining Vehicles & Ships​
Transporting the R.O.C.​
Mole Crew Communication & Roles​
Fracturing & Extraction​
Fracturing The Rock​
The X Factor: Instability​
Quantanium Specifics​
Extraction & Volatile Ore​
Extraction​
Volatile Ore Cargo​
Selling The Cargo​
Strategies for Hard to Crack Rocks​
Other Tips & Tricks​

Miscellaneous
Upgrading Vehicle/Ship Components​

Links Glossary
Final Thoughts

Other items not listed but under consideration:
1. Ore Attribute Index - Basically listing the properties of each individual ore in its more pure form.
2. A more detailed 'guide' to scanning
3. Overclocking
 
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Black Sunder

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Some updates today, with pretty pictures! Current status is that I'm moving on to Tips and Tricks while also going back and rereading things over...and over...and over to be sure its readable. I'm aiming to have this out in a couple weeks with an appendix of other items later after that.

Extraction

To change mining modes click RMB to enter Extraction/Collection Mode from Fracturing Mode. In this Mode, the Mining Scanner is still available to get precise measurements of rock composition by hovering the cursor over each rock. Fractured ship mineable rocks have a variable percentage composition of what the original rock contained. Any gem or rock can be extracted into the cargo hold so long as it is outlined in purple and there is cargo space available in the ship. To activate the extraction process, hit LMB. To gather gems, hover the extraction laser over the gems for a couple seconds. The player should see them visibly be pulled into the mechanism at which point the extractor can be aimed at another location. This process will not automatically turn off and will require the player to hit LMB again. When a ship mineable rock is fully extracted, the process will power off automatically and the rock outlined in purple will disappear. Partial extractions are allowed but, continuing to hold the extraction laser on a rock after filling the cargo hold will result in the rock disappearing and its remaining contents being lost.







It is possible that fracturing a ship mineable will yield a 100% pure rock. 1 SCU is equal to a mass of 50. For example, a pure 100% Agricium rock with a mass of 200 will yield 4 SCU of Agricium. It is up to the miner to decide personal thresholds of what is good enough to be taken and what will be left on the field. Once the cargo hold is full on the vehicle or ship then it is time to head back and sell. Ship mined ore can only be sold at major landing zones. Gems can be sold at any commodity terminal at an Administration Office or inside the Storage building at an Outpost.

Selling The Cargo

After finishing the last extraction and a cargo hold full of valuables is acquired, it is time to sell. Gems can be sold at any trading console at Outposts, Rest Stops, and major landing zones. Selling Gems from the ROC is not unlike selling them from a backpack. Simply go to a trading console and select the ROC. It should be listed first. From here select each gem type to sell.



All of the major landing zones purchase ship extracted ore at a refinery terminal..The refinery terminals are always near an Administration desk. Go up to the terminal and select the ship with a full cargo-hold and sell the ore. A listing of what percentage of each mineral will be displayed. Inert Materials sell for practically no profit while the other entries bring various amounts as determined by their value per SCU.

 
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What is this? Another update?

Sharing Profits Made Easy

Long sought after and introduced in Alpha 3.10, the mo.TRADER app on the mobiGlas allows players to quickly disseminate profits to mining crews and pay security escorts without the need for cumbersome and unreliable public contracts. The app itself is very intuitive and is far quicker and safer to use than current contracts. Start by opening the mobiGlas(‘F1’) and navigating to the icon shown and press the ‘Begin’ button:



At the top the Select Recipient screen is a Search feature in case the recipient is not a member of the party or on the player’s Friends list. From here Party members or Friends can easily be selected. Simply click on the recipient’s name to proceed to the Transfer Details screen.



There are several items to pay attention to on the Transfer Details screen:



  1. Current Player Balance - in aUEC, before any transfer has occurred.
  2. Merits - Prison Merits. Merits can be traded for supplies or to help free another prisoner faster. Not applicable in this example.
  3. Sending To - The recipient.
  4. You Send - The amount in aUEC the player wished to give to another before tax.
  5. Total Cost - Total amount including the 0.5% Service Fee transfer tax The tax is added on top of what the player wishes to send and is taken from the giving player, not the recipient.
Once a transfer amount has been entered, the Service Fee will automatically be calculated and added to the aUEC being sent resulting in the Total Cost. If this is acceptable the player only needs to click ‘Send’. The transaction will then process and a receipt will be shown showing that the transfer was successful. From here the player has the option to make another transfer with a new recipient or to quit the app. If there is any downside to this app it is that multiple recipients can not be selected at once to create an even profit split.
 
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Black Sunder

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And we're back to some more updates. Just got this done tonight. Its the start of the ship upgrades section since I'm done taking a break. :)

Before beginning, one of the most important factors to consider is the Power Draw Request Time of the component. This is the time it takes for the component to go from zero to its maximum rated output of cooling, power, etc. This is important because components with a lower Power Draw Request Time become fully active faster. This also affects how quickly a player can recover from an EMP burst.

For the Prospector the first upgrade should be a new Quantum Drive. The stock Size 1 Goliath(Ind. Grade C) component is very poor overall having long spool, calibration, cool down, and travel times. There are several good choices available depending on application. The VK-00(Mil.Grade A) is the fastest quantum drive available but consumes the most fuel and has a power draw time of over 12 seconds making it the worst in that regard. The long draw time also affects its calibration and spool time as well. The Spectre(Stl. Grade A) drive is almost as fast as the VK-00 but suffers the same fuel consumption drawback making long range flight without frequent stops all but impossible. Unlike the VK-00 the Spectre is much quicker to draw its power of only 5 seconds and can do so without raising its EM/IR signature significantly. On the opposite end of the Spectrum is the Colossus(Ind. Grade B) drive which has the best fuel economy for its class but is also the slowest traveling. As long as non-volatile ores are mined, this drive would be a great fit for a frontier mining operation which would prize its low fuel consumption. The final two quantum drives offer the best mix of attributes: The Atlas(Civ. Grade A) and the FoxFire(Com. Grade B). The FoxFire only slightly beats out the Atlas with a power draw of 3 seconds and spool time but is a slower, more fuel efficient, drive. The Atlas stands out as a drive with a great mix of attributes in quantum speed, average fuel consumption, power draw request time of 5 seconds, and spool time. Players should seriously consider either of these drives as first choice upgrades with the VK-00 and Spectre close behind.
 
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Black Sunder

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So I did a thing:

Before beginning, one of the most important factors to consider is the Power Draw Request Time of the component. This is the time it takes for the component to go from zero to its maximum rated output of cooling, power, etc. This is important because components with a lower Power Draw Request Time become fully active faster. This also affects how quickly a player can recover from an EMP burst.



For the Prospector the first upgrade should be a new Quantum Drive. The stock Size 1 Goliath(Ind. Grade C) component is very poor overall having long spool, calibration, cool down, and travel times. There are several good choices available depending on application. The VK-00(Mil.Grade A) is the fastest quantum drive available but consumes the most fuel and has a power draw time of over 12 seconds making it the worst in that regard. The long draw time also affects its calibration and spool time as well. The Spectre(Stl. Grade A) drive is almost as fast as the VK-00 but suffers the same fuel consumption drawback making long range flight without frequent stops all but impossible. Unlike the VK-00 the Spectre is much quicker to draw its power of only 5 seconds and can do so without raising its EM/IR signature significantly. On the opposite end of the Spectrum is the Colossus(Ind. Grade B) drive which has the best fuel economy for its class but is also the slowest traveling. As long as non-volatile ores are mined, this drive would be a great fit for a frontier mining operation which would prize its low fuel consumption. The final two quantum drives offer the best mix of attributes: The Atlas(Civ. Grade A) and the FoxFire(Com. Grade B). The FoxFire only slightly beats out the Atlas with a power draw of 3 seconds and spool time but is a slower, more fuel efficient, drive. The Atlas stands out as a drive with a great mix of attributes in quantum speed, average fuel consumption, power draw request time of 5 seconds, and spool time. Players should seriously consider either of these drives as first choice upgrades with the VK-00 and Spectre close behind.



The next upgrade should be to the Power Plant and although the stock plant is more than adequate it can still be better. As SubliminaL points out in his video having an overabundance of power is unnecessary and does not give any additional benefit. Instead having an adequate supply plus some extra overhead should be the goal. The stock Size 2 Trommel(ind. Grade D) fulfills this and no upgrade is truly required. However its power draw request time is atrocious at almost 19 seconds. The Genoa(Ind. Grade A) suffers the same problem but has a slightly better draw time of 16.25 seconds. Using Erkul, the LuxCore(Com.Grade B) power plant can be ruled out completely due to a complete lack of power and is only shown in the above table for completeness. Personal testing shows that the ship will drift, drop, or even turn off completely due to insufficient power. In the same vein, the Eclipse(Stl. Grade A) is the lowest that a player should equip as this has just enough power to run all ship systems with a Helix mining head activated. Even still, the ship may begin to drift as power is taken from the thrusters to power other components if they are overclocked or the shields are charging. Its greatest attribute though is its very low EM/IR signature and a power draw request time of only 1.25 seconds. The IonSurge(Civ. Grade B) comes with more than enough power to run all ship systems, even if all are overclocked. Its power draw request time is only three seconds less than the Genoa though. Finally, the JS-400(Mil. Grade A) gives more than enough power but has the third fastest power draw time of 10 seconds making it a viable option no matter how the ship is fit. It does however have the 2nd largest EM/IR emissions of any of the power plants here and will raise the ship’s signature accordingly. Overall the JS-400 or Eclipse power plants are the best depending on the player’s desired build with the IonSurge coming in as a decent alternative.




Shields should be the third upgrade. There are several shields that are viable as upgrades. The main factors to look for are physical absorption %, regeneration delays, and HP regenerated. Shields other than Industrial shields will only absorb 50%-95% physical damage. The stock Size 1 Bulwark(Ind. Grade C) along with others in its class can absorb 70%-98% physical damage. This can be anything from ballistics to rock explosions making the industrial shield a good first choice. The Palisade(ind. Grade A) while being better has a few downsides in the form of a low HP regeneration rate and a long power draw request time. Its regeneration delay values are manageable and the shield gives the largest buffer in terms of overall shield HP. The next three shields are all viable in their own right. The FR-66(Mil. Grade A) has the highest HP regeneration value and very good regeneration delay values. It has the 2nd best power draw request time as well and a total shield HP pool 2nd only to the Palisade. Its only weakness is that it will boost the ship’s EM/IR signature significantly. The Mirage(Stl. Grade A) has a low HP pool but a lightning fast regeneration delay for damaged shields coupled with a very strong HP regeneration value meaning it can take a hit and be at full strength quickly. Note that the delay for a downed shield face is quite long. The power draw request time is the fastest of all the shields. Finally the 7SA Concord(Civ. Grade A) has the same HP pool as the FR-66 and the same HP regen rate as the Palisade. Its regeneration delays are average and its power draw request time is not bad. Making this the best bang for the buck a miner can get. Finally, the Jaghte(Com. Grade B) while being on the list for completeness should not be used. It has an exceedingly low HP pool coupled with a very low HP regeneration rate. Its power draw request time is the highest of all the shields here and its regeneration delays are among the highest. This Guide recommends a Palisade or Mirage with the FR-66 and 75A Concord being close seconds. Miners should carefully consider which attributes are most important to their particular playstyle and choose a shield based on this.



As with Power Plants, SubliminaL points out that upgrading the Cooler purely for overall capacity will not provide any additional cooling above what the ship needs to work with due to how the ‘pipes’ are set up. Still, a good reason to change the stock Size 2 Snowfall(Ind. Grade B) cooler is to reduce the ships overall EM/IR signature or even to have a lower power draw request time which will bring the cooler to full capacity faster. The Snowpack(Ind. Grade A) will give the largest EM/IR signature bloom making the Prospector more of a target. It does however have the lowest power draw request time of 10 seconds. The only reason to upgrade to this cooler is for the increased capacity It provides no other benefit at this time. The Cryo Star EX(Civ. Grade B) ties with the Nightfall(Stl. Grade A) for the longest request time of 15 seconds. Its EM/IR signature bloom is very low and only beaten by the Nighfall which while having a lower capacity has the lowest signature bloom for this size cooler. The Absolute Zero(Com. Grade B) and Avalanche(Mil. Grade A) have a request time of 12.5 seconds putting them between the Snowpack and Cryo Star EX/Nightfall. The Absolute Zero has an EM/IR bloom just above the Cryo Star EX making it a viable alternative to it while also having slightly increased capacity. The Avalanche’s EM/IR output and cooling capacity 2nd only to the Snowpack’s. Any of the coolers would do well meaning that its up to the player to decide what best fits the build and how much aUEC is to be spent.

A full Stealth build is fully viable for a Prospector looking to sneak around and get away fast. It’s only real downsides are fuel consumption, a small shield capacity, and borderline power output. A full Industrial build is the opposite, it will broadcast the player’s position from a great distance but is very robust in the face of an initial attack. Its other downsides are slow power draw time components and a low quantum speed. With the exception of the quantum drive a full Military build is much cheaper than an Industrial one with not much loss of performance. Generally, the same downsides that an Industrial Build has apply here too. A Civilian Build offers the best overall mix of attributes with excellent prices giving players the best ‘bang for buck’ overall with no real downsides. Finally, a full Competition Build should not be attempted. The Power Plant and Shields are too weak but the Quantum Drive and Coolers would work. A mix is best with these components. Before committing to a build, plug it into Erkul’s DPS Calculator to see how it’ll perform.
 
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Black Sunder

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Working on writing a bit about overclocking and its upsides/downsides from my limited TESTing. It'll be improved more in subsequent versions.

]Started getting a list of things down to recheck/update for 3.11:

Recheck:

Scanning
Personal Inventory interaction, screenshots update
Ore Locations Survey - Get a team to do this
ROC inventory can transfer to player
Check Novikov and Pembroke temperature tolerances. Check Rucksack as well.
Check Locations of all FPM gear & Prices.
 

Black Sunder

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Currently in research for 3.11's Guide.

Checklist:

Scanning - done, no change it seems. ROC mineables also still seem to be plentiful.
Personal Inventory interaction, - Need to get screenshots & update + ROC interaction
Ore Locations Survey - @Lima-Seven is heading this up with s afew people for when 3.11 goes Live
Check Novikov and Pembroke temperature tolerances. Check Rucksack as well.
Check Locations of all FPM gear & Prices.
Add discussion on what to mine and why under the Ore Index.
 
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Black Sunder

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Ahh yeah 3.11 has launched. Here we go again. This patch's theme is:



This is a WIP of the new Ore Table for the Guide. People have asked before to have the ore values put in and I never felt it was right but its been asked enough that I've included it this time. What do you think?

Capture.PNG
 
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Vavrik

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This is a WIP of the new Ore Table for the Guide. People have asked before to have the ore values put in and I never felt it was right but its been asked enough that I've included it this time. What do you think?

Capture.PNG
I think it's a good reference. I had some mixed up for a while.
 
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