Hi, i'm new to the forums but have been playing Elite in many incarnations over the years (started on amstrad 6128) and wish you would bring back the surface miners from Elite Frontier II where you could drop a miner on the surface and come back to retrieve the processed ore [yesnod]
This is taken from the original manual:
SURFACE MINING
Once you are established, this type of mining is a more predictable means
of getting ore. It does, however, demand a large initial outlay in order
to acquire the installations and possibly a larger ship (minimum of 30
tonnes of free cargo space) to transport them The only recommended device
is the MB4 Mining Machine which, alas is still not widely available. The
MB4 is impressive in that it not only mines but also refines the material,
so you put it in place, leave it and come back to pick up the results. The
MB4 can mine, separate and refine minerals, alloys and even on occasions
precious metals and gem stones.
The disadvantage is the risk of mining others' claims, resulting in an
aggresive response to your activities. In some areas it is illegal to mine
and police, depending their mood, may not be too interested in maintaining
a public image of fairness and understanding and may blast you to pieces.
SETTING UP YOUR WB4
Choose a mining site with a temperature below 200 degrees Centigrade. The
most likely suitable locations will be on systems' inner planets which are
more likely to be mineral rich. Ones which humans have hardly touched are
more likely to be mineral rich as machines like the MB4 and its
predecessors are very thorough, and will have scoured most of the surface
of core worlds by now. To test the composition of the crust, you need to
land.
Land at the chosen site and select the Weapons Control Panel by clicking on
the Scanner
Activate the Unload Rig icon (Fig 78) which will cause the mining rig to be
unloaded whereupon it will analyse a sample of the crust and relay the
results to your on board computer. If the prospects are good it will bed
itself in and begin drilling immediately. You may then take off and come
back later once it has mined the full capacitv of 10 tonnes.
FINDING THE MB4 AGAIN
All the mines have a beacon which has your own coded signal allowing the
computer to pin-point its position. If you pick up someone else's rig,
your computer will automatically register the code of the owner. All other
rigs belonging to them in this star system will then be shown on your
inventory page. This means that stealing ore is possible however the same
can be done to you. A safeguard is to avoid placing numerous rigs in one
system, so that they are not so easily found should one of your rigs be
purloined. Your beacons will use a different code in each system.
Select the Inventory icon F3 and cycle through until you come to the Mining
Installations page (Fig 79). It will list your rigs and their location.
Fly to the Star system in which a particular rig is situated.
Set up the Mining Installations page again and use the button next to the
rig you wish to find.
The on-board computer will then set it up as your current target. You may
then fly to it manually or with the Autopilot. You can deselect the target
as before by placing the pointer away from the target and using the left
hand mouse button.
COLLECTING THE ORE
Land near to the installation and select the Load Rig icon (Fig 80) with
one click. this will remotely instruct the machinery to off load ore into
your hold until it is full. It will be no more than 10 tonnes at a time
because that is the maximum capacity of the MB4's hopper.
If there is no ore to collect the first selection of the icon will load the
rig onto the ship if you have space.
Your cargo inventory (Inventory icon F3) will show the minerals on board
COLLECTING THE MB4 MINING MACHINE
Land next to the installation and click on the Load Rig icon twice so that
the rig and the contents of its hopper are taken on board.
As stated above, the rig will be loaded after the first click if there is
no ore in the hopper
The rig may be left for further mining. There is no need to bring it on
board if you intend to Deposit it in the same place.
If you want to move the MB4 to another location on the same surface because
a site is 'mined out', it is worth moving it a good distance. This is
because the MB4 probes quite a large area with its underground drills.
If your MB4 had found a rich seam of minerals, Do not move it as the seam
may be a long way below ground and the MB4 may not be able to find it
again.
This is taken from the original manual:
SURFACE MINING
Once you are established, this type of mining is a more predictable means
of getting ore. It does, however, demand a large initial outlay in order
to acquire the installations and possibly a larger ship (minimum of 30
tonnes of free cargo space) to transport them The only recommended device
is the MB4 Mining Machine which, alas is still not widely available. The
MB4 is impressive in that it not only mines but also refines the material,
so you put it in place, leave it and come back to pick up the results. The
MB4 can mine, separate and refine minerals, alloys and even on occasions
precious metals and gem stones.
The disadvantage is the risk of mining others' claims, resulting in an
aggresive response to your activities. In some areas it is illegal to mine
and police, depending their mood, may not be too interested in maintaining
a public image of fairness and understanding and may blast you to pieces.
SETTING UP YOUR WB4
Choose a mining site with a temperature below 200 degrees Centigrade. The
most likely suitable locations will be on systems' inner planets which are
more likely to be mineral rich. Ones which humans have hardly touched are
more likely to be mineral rich as machines like the MB4 and its
predecessors are very thorough, and will have scoured most of the surface
of core worlds by now. To test the composition of the crust, you need to
land.
Land at the chosen site and select the Weapons Control Panel by clicking on
the Scanner
Activate the Unload Rig icon (Fig 78) which will cause the mining rig to be
unloaded whereupon it will analyse a sample of the crust and relay the
results to your on board computer. If the prospects are good it will bed
itself in and begin drilling immediately. You may then take off and come
back later once it has mined the full capacitv of 10 tonnes.
FINDING THE MB4 AGAIN
All the mines have a beacon which has your own coded signal allowing the
computer to pin-point its position. If you pick up someone else's rig,
your computer will automatically register the code of the owner. All other
rigs belonging to them in this star system will then be shown on your
inventory page. This means that stealing ore is possible however the same
can be done to you. A safeguard is to avoid placing numerous rigs in one
system, so that they are not so easily found should one of your rigs be
purloined. Your beacons will use a different code in each system.
Select the Inventory icon F3 and cycle through until you come to the Mining
Installations page (Fig 79). It will list your rigs and their location.
Fly to the Star system in which a particular rig is situated.
Set up the Mining Installations page again and use the button next to the
rig you wish to find.
The on-board computer will then set it up as your current target. You may
then fly to it manually or with the Autopilot. You can deselect the target
as before by placing the pointer away from the target and using the left
hand mouse button.
COLLECTING THE ORE
Land near to the installation and select the Load Rig icon (Fig 80) with
one click. this will remotely instruct the machinery to off load ore into
your hold until it is full. It will be no more than 10 tonnes at a time
because that is the maximum capacity of the MB4's hopper.
If there is no ore to collect the first selection of the icon will load the
rig onto the ship if you have space.
Your cargo inventory (Inventory icon F3) will show the minerals on board
COLLECTING THE MB4 MINING MACHINE
Land next to the installation and click on the Load Rig icon twice so that
the rig and the contents of its hopper are taken on board.
As stated above, the rig will be loaded after the first click if there is
no ore in the hopper
The rig may be left for further mining. There is no need to bring it on
board if you intend to Deposit it in the same place.
If you want to move the MB4 to another location on the same surface because
a site is 'mined out', it is worth moving it a good distance. This is
because the MB4 probes quite a large area with its underground drills.
If your MB4 had found a rich seam of minerals, Do not move it as the seam
may be a long way below ground and the MB4 may not be able to find it
again.
would be great to buy some and set them up somewhere remote and come back to a nice cargo hold full of goodies
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