Some above-average newb questions

[rknight718]

I feel like I'm getting my space legs now but there's some stuff I can't find answers for so I thought I'd try here. I've done some transport missions (smuggling is a rush!) and am making my way towards the highly recommended Cobra MK III. I rather like how the game doesn't hold your hand. Anyway, to the questions:

1. I tried mining at one point. I got a refinery and a mining laser and made my way to a small asteroid belt. Like maybe-a-dozen-asteroids-total small. I managed to get a few chucks off the biggest one and scooped them up. After a while, the asteroid wouldn't give any more chunks. Does the laser have to hit the same point over time or can you drag it along the surface? Can asteroids run out of drops? I went to another smaller rock but none of the chunks had the mineral I was refining.

2. Still related to mining, do the RES stations act like regular station hubs for selling and whatnot? Do you have to use them for any specific purpose or is it just a good sign that there's resources in the area? I also had a lot of trouble targeting and going to the belt I talked about above. You should be able to come out of surpercruise on them just like any other planet or station, right? The gas giants with rings around them, just supercruise to it and fly into the ring to mine its rocks?

3. The 2 times I tried an assassination contract I was able to find the target but he was still in supercruise just flying around. I'm assuming I need an interdiction module to yank him to real space and fight? How do you use one? I'm using a 360 controller and keyboard so is there a button to press or does it kick in when close enough?

4. Is there ways to avoid being scanned when carrying illicit goods? I try to keep my speed below 100 and steer clear of authority ships. Is there a module that cloaks your cargo or does running silent do that for you?

Thanks for reading and any answers you can provide. Really loving the game Frontier!

- - - Updated - - -

One more thing I just remembered. Are ship prices more or less the same across the galaxy or is there a Tiny's Used Spaceships on Ulence Flats somewhere? (+1 if you get the reference )

 

[scorpyon]

Not done much in the way of mining, but can answer these two questions for you:

3. - You need a Frame Shift Interdiction module. It will work in the same way as a weapon / module (in a fire group). Be warned though that interdicting a ship will incur a bounty on your head (as will killing the target, too!)

4 - You can avoid scans using the Silent Running function. (Check what it's bound to for your controller). Otherwise you could always hug the space station wall and zip in quickly if you can (which many do instead).
There's lots of videos on how to get into stations without being scanned on the YooTubs.

 

[AnnuverScotinExile]

1. Yes the asteroids run out after a while. Deliberate ploy to make you move on.
2. RES stations are just like any other spaceport or outpost.

 

[Ian Skippy]

1. Yes the asteroids run out after a while. Deliberate ploy to make you move on.
2. RES stations are just like any other spaceport or outpost.

To add to that: because you indeed have to move from asteroid to asteroid, and asteroids dont always (read: almost never) carry the same resource, having more bins come in handy. You reach maximum efficiency if your number of bins is at least equal to the number of different resources in your field. Also: the less types of resources in a field, the faster you'll get a whole ton of something. Take your time finding the really nice extraction sites: you'll earn so much more that you'll make up for lost time before you know it.

 

[callahan44]

3. You don't need the interdiction module, but it's a lot easier with it.
At some point they will drop out of SC, and you can enter their FSD wake (<1Mm).. but it will disappear after a couple of minutes.

 

[rknight718]

To add to that: because you indeed have to move from asteroid to asteroid, and asteroids dont always (read: almost never) carry the same resource, having more bins come in handy. You reach maximum efficiency if your number of bins is at least equal to the number of different resources in your field. Also: the less types of resources in a field, the faster you'll get a whole ton of something. Take your time finding the really nice extraction sites: you'll earn so much more that you'll make up for lost time before you know it.

Is there a way to tell what and how many resources are in said field? I think I saw a scanner of some kind that talked about determining asteroid makeup.

 

[jacozilla]

1. I tried mining at one point....

Thanks for reading and any answers you can provide. Really loving the game Frontier!

One more thing I just remembered. Are ship prices more or less the same across the galaxy or is there a Tiny's Used Spaceships on Ulence Flats somewhere? (+1 if you get the reference )

For everything you ever wanted to know about mining, read this excellent guide megathread - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=164372

For everything you ever wanted to know about pricing, discounts, where to get them, read this also excellent thread here - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=155377

Both should really be stickied by FD.

 

[Mysturji]

3. The 2 times I tried an assassination contract I was able to find the target but he was still in supercruise just flying around. I'm assuming I need an interdiction module to yank him to real space and fight? How do you use one? I'm using a 360 controller and keyboard so is there a button to press or does it kick in when close enough?

4. Is there ways to avoid being scanned when carrying illicit goods? I try to keep my speed below 100 and steer clear of authority ships. Is there a module that cloaks your cargo or does running silent do that for you?

Thanks for reading and any answers you can provide. Really loving the game Frontier!

- - - Updated - - -

One more thing I just remembered. Are ship prices more or less the same across the galaxy or is there a Tiny's Used Spaceships on Ulence Flats somewhere? (+1 if you get the reference )

3. Buy an FSD interdictor an add it to a button in one of your fire groups. You need to be behind your target, and within a certain rainge (how far depends on how good your Interdiction module is). Get behind him and pull the trigger, then keep him in the circle in the middle of your screen.

4. I tend to avoid Silent Running as it doesn't really do what it says on the tin, it makes you overheat, and it takes your shields offline. When smuggling, I line up with the slot a good 10 km out or so, then throttleit and boost in. At 7.5 km, request docking permission and launch chaff and/or a heat sink. Remember that stations can't scan you: only authority vessals can, so if there are any on your radar, hit the chaff early and hit it again ASAP if you aren't through the slot yet. At about 3 or 4 km out, slow down because it you hit something at speed, you'll get a fine (speed limit around stations is 100 m/s)

The Founder's world and the Alliance homeworld both offer ship discounts, but you need a permit to go there. Occasionally there's a community goal that may give you a discount on a specific type of ship at a specific station, but they're few and far between.

 

[Rauminen]

For mining, try the collector drones (limpets) - you need to buy ammo separately, at munitions. Make sure release them with nothing targeted - so they keep collecting until their timer is out.
Speeds up mining considerably, assuming you can launch 2-3 at a time. You might need the Cobra though to have enough cargo space for them.

The limpets can be configured to be prospectors as well if you have the module - they fly to an asteroid and tell you the mineral content once they arrive (need to target them)
Again these are good when you can carry a few dozen, so you have enough for collecting and prospecting.

I would skip assassinations just yet - they tend to be condas and pythons, often with wingmen... it's not easy. If you careful though, and select targets that are clearly criminals, you can get a nice bounty on top of the mission payout. On the other hand if it's a civilian you get bounty on your head and possibly some system security fighting against you in addition to their wingmen - so choose carefully.

For smuggling I would perfect my speed docking skills. The speed limit only matters if you hit someone
So try to get through the letterbox at, say 150 - 200 - of course that's where you slow down to after boosting all the way inwards.
Works all the time. Except when you get tangled in the grill, splat on the side of the entrance, or impaled by the towers on the back side of the station

 

[edgar]

Hi CMDR!

1. I tried mining at one point. I got a refinery and a mining laser and made my way to a small asteroid belt. Like maybe-a-dozen-asteroids-total small. I managed to get a few chucks off the biggest one and scooped them up. After a while, the asteroid wouldn't give any more chunks. Does the laser have to hit the same point over time or can you drag it along the surface? Can asteroids run out of drops? I went to another smaller rock but none of the chunks had the mineral I was refining.

1) If there were only a dozen or so rocks it sounds like you probably went to a Asteroid Belt Cluster, which are not very good for mining. I suggest you go to Resource Extraction Sites (RES) instead, located inside the Rings of Gas Giant Planets and some stars. They will have NPC miners (and Pirates and police), and come in Low and High Intensity types. You will need to get to within 1000LS in Supercruise before they will appear on your Navigation panel. Each rock will spit out a number of fragments before it is exhausted.

2. Still related to mining, do the RES stations act like regular station hubs for selling and whatnot? Do you have to use them for any specific purpose or is it just a good sign that there's resources in the area? I also had a lot of trouble targeting and going to the belt I talked about above. You should be able to come out of surpercruise on them just like any other planet or station, right? The gas giants with rings around them, just supercruise to it and fly into the ring to mine its rocks?

2) By RES stations do you mean the locations marked as "Resource Extraction Site" on your Navigation? These are the mining zones I mention in answer 1. You don't have to use these locations to mine (although I think they might have more resources? I'm not sure), you could just drop out to any point at all on a Ring and get mining. I think pirates and miner NPC would still spawn though. You can see the quality of a system and/or a particular planet's mining resources by checking the System Map. Highlight a planet with Rings, and in the Info panel it will tell you the quality of the mining reserves (Depleted < Common Reserves < Pristine, etc) and the Type (Rocky, Metal Rich, Metallic). Pristine Metallic Rings are the best, but don't discount the other types.

3. The 2 times I tried an assassination contract I was able to find the target but he was still in supercruise just flying around. I'm assuming I need an interdiction module to yank him to real space and fight? How do you use one? I'm using a 360 controller and keyboard so is there a button to press or does it kick in when close enough?

3) As others have answered you need to use an Interdiction Module, by assigning it to a Firegroup and using it like a weapon in Supercruise. You need to get within range and get directly behind the target; then you need to win the Interdiction mini-game, by keeping the target in the middle of the tunnle until the gauge fills up blue. You will be Fined for Interdicting Clean targets, or if you are already a Wanted criminal then instead the value of the Fine will be added to your existing Bounty. If you don't want to use an Interdictor then you can follow the target in Supercruise and eventually they will drop out, leaving behind a Low Energy Wake, which you can target like a location (although they are tricky to catch, like those rubbish Belt Clusters).

4. Is there ways to avoid being scanned when carrying illicit goods? I try to keep my speed below 100 and steer clear of authority ships. Is there a module that cloaks your cargo or does running silent do that for you?

4) I tend to just rush through the letterbox quickly before the scan completes, once you're in, you're in and you've gotten away with it. Alternatively use Silent Running (although this will overheat your ship as you don't vent heat from systems AND YOU WILL DIE if you forget to turn it off).

One more thing I just remembered. Are ship prices more or less the same across the galaxy or is there a Tiny's Used Spaceships on Ulence Flats somewhere? (+1 if you get the reference )

As for cheaper ship prices, I think Control Systems of Li Yong-Rui give a discount on ships and outfitting, you can use a Powerplay filter in the Galaxy Map to find the nearest one to you.

Is there a way to tell what and how many resources are in said field? I think I saw a scanner of some kind that talked about determining asteroid makeup.

Look into getting a Prospector Drone Controller, which programs Limpets that you fire at asteroids, it then analyses the rock and displays the minerals and percentages of purity, as well as the percentage of how much the rock is exhausted. Prospector Controller, plus Collector Controller, plus lots of Limpets, a Mining Laser and a good Refinery were really fun to play with in 1.3 Beta for me (others will disagree), but I haven't yet returned to it in the proper game. You might need a big ship to get the most out of it though.