So, the upcoming Mining reveal? What are you hoping for?

Well, as a comparison of a new mechanic, offering more gameplay, by doing something automatically?:-
  • You're exploring some systems. You arrive in a new one.
  • You open your orrey map to see where the objects in the system are.
  • You decide to deploy your two exploration drones to automatically scan a number of objects by giving them a series of objects each to explore along efficient paths.
  • This leaves you free to personally explore a couple of more interesting looking objects.
  • You get a notification one of your drones is in orbit/scanning a planet so you duck into view a live video feed from it. And check its scan results for anything interesting before it moves off to the next object on its list.
  • Once you've finished scanning your objects you return to the orrery map and see where a nice central location is for you to meet up with your two drone, and you give them that location to SC to.
  • Once they've docked, you jump off to the next system.

So here drones are automatically doing exploration/scan based stuff instead of you, but the outcome is you get to manage these assets to hopefully give a more involved and, if you do it wisely, more profitable outcome.

So I'd say "automated stuff" can IMHO give a more interesting/involved/reward income if implemented properly...

Fair enough. But to be frank, it seems all the interesting bit is unrelated to the automation. I mean, you are 'free to personally explore other interesting things', but that is only a plus because the automated mining itself isn't any fun gameplay. If there is actual gameplay beyond 'wait for automation to finish' you could do that, and then do the other things you mention. Because in the end you're just describing ways to make 'wait for automation to finish' more interesting and engaging. Nothing against those things, but still dont see why you need the automation for it? It seems a fix for a problem that doesnt need to exist in the first place.
 
Deep Space Mining :

- ability to scan, discover and store Mineral Hotspots in Asteroid Rings
- Engineer Blueprints for Mining Lasers
- new Engineer Blueprints for Prospector/Collector Limpet Controllers (longer lifetime, additional controllable Limpets, faster Limpets)
- new Mining Equipment (different Mining Laser types but other alternative Equipment)
- Ship Computer stores already prospected or depleted Asteroids, allowing for a more systematic and controlled approach to Prospecting and moving through a Ring
- Ship Computer allows for basic Laser Range-finder (point & aim to see distance - aka "How far is this Asteroid away?"
- Night-time Mining additions, i.e. Thermal, NVG or other augmented Synthetic Vision enhancements (same can serve for Combat in Night-time locations i.e. dark RES in the shadow of its Planet/Gas Giant)

- new Mining Approach and Options other than directly firing Lasers onto Asteroids
-> place charges and blow the Asteroid
-> apply Bioreducing Lichen to optimize yield
-> "Mining Limpets", Limpets that attach to the Asteroid, mine it and return when full
-> "Seeker Prospectors".. Prospector Limpets that scan (Limpet lifetime) for specific Ores and quickly move from Asteroid to Asteroid until the Target ore is found and the Limpet attaches & signals its find
-> NPC Crews become useful Mining assistants (i.e. 1 NPC protects with the SLF but 2 others work at the same time for the Team with regard to Prospecting/Mining)
-> "Smart Limpets", 2nd restock Option as an alternative to existing "dumb" Limpets; will have Collision avoidance and don't suicide into Asteroids anymore. 500Cr a piece instead of 100Cr.

- Mining Turrets become useful outside of MultiCrew... With Prospector locked and triggered, will auto-fire Asteroid's Center Mass until Asteroid is depleted (so you don't have to squeeze your poor Trigger all the time, nice small convenience)

- Icy Mining : all yields doubled as to bring it in sync with other types (current icy yields are 50% too low, ~30% being your rare "mother lode" right now, making it a chore getting any Tonnage for Missions)
-> Low Temperature Diamonds buffed in occurrence, currently fairly near 'Unobtainium"

- Mining Missions : they shall Target more different ores, not just a few select ones

- valuable Deep Space "7 Cities of Gold" locations in remote locations that encourage Exploring, Prospecting and Mining in distant locations (Gold Rush, Unique and extremely valuable ores)
- the return of Gemstones (Grams instead of Tons)

- a revamp of the Ignore function, allowing to at anytime set every existing Ore/Element/Material incl. a geneal setting (Illicit Cargo) to Ignore ON/OFF without having to rely on some ore or Canister to actually fly around via the Contacts Panel

- addition of rare "Unknown Alloys/Compounds/Elements and Artifacts", unique things coming off the oddball Asteroid that can be hauled to Scientific Installations for Analysis or sold for extreme profits

- massive Visual overhaul, procedurally crafted Asteroids instead of relying on ~8 different Asteroid Models

- Asteroid Color to somewhat give away its composition or possibly containing rare stuff (a bit analog to the Surface Shader overhaul for the V3.0 Planet types)

Planetary Mining !

Different approaches to commercial Mining on Planets...

- Ship + SRV (deploy small Mining Rigs, manual surface drilling with SRV to prospect on-site)
- Ship + new dedicated Mining- or Multipurpose Surface Vehicles (more Options, more Internals, more Cargo)
- Ship + temporary Construction Kits (prospect a good spot and have the kit construct a Mining Installation with limited lifetime)
- Prospecting "Surface Limpets", robotic spider-like Drones that get the job done and signal a good spot

Basically multi-scale Mining from manual Prospecting and setting up minimal Equipment - all the way upto full-scale and large-Volume surface Mining using some type of support Installation as a temp. FOB.

PS.
Oh, and some bugfixes...
- no more flashing Proximity Warning Lights due to Limpets (we had that fixed at some point)
- no more Prospectors flying straight through Asteroids
- no more waiting Collector Limpets "Warping" forward every ~30sec when flying around

Nice list ;) I do hope FD are taking the chance sexing up mining to this sort of degree!


I would say, "valuable Deep Space '7 Cities of Gold' locations" surely have to be stateful? ie: The problem with the current rings is why go and look for them when you know the nearest most valuable one. Now, if you could explore and find a valuable finite hot spot, which as you mined dropped from 100% to 0% at which time it was gone forever? Then we have an interesting mechanics surely? And if you find one and it's at 50%? Is it being mined right now? Do you go straight there and mine it yourself? Or bookmark it for later and hope its still there?
 
Well, as a comparison of a new mechanic, offering more gameplay, by doing something automatically?:-
  • You're exploring some systems. You arrive in a new one.
  • You open your orrey map to see where the objects in the system are.
  • You decide to deploy your two exploration drones to automatically scan a number of objects by giving them a series of objects each to explore along efficient paths.
  • This leaves you free to personally explore a couple of more interesting looking objects.
  • You get a notification one of your drones is in orbit/scanning a planet so you duck into view a live video feed from it. And check its scan results for anything interesting before it moves off to the next object on its list.
  • Once you've finished scanning your objects you return to the orrery map and see where a nice central location is for you to meet up with your two drone, and you give them that location to SC to.
  • Once they've docked, you jump off to the next system.

So here drones are automatically doing exploration/scan based stuff instead of you, but the outcome is you get to manage these assets to hopefully give a more involved and, if you do it wisely, more profitable outcome.

So I'd say "automated stuff" can IMHO give a more interesting/involved/reward income if implemented properly...

This idea would be a more realistic way to exploration as we would ultimately use drones as we have always done so in the past. This would be a step forward and in the right direction and make exploration more exciting and worthwhile.
 
I want a ship launched mining ship that can transform into a SRV, land on asteroids and drill holes in it. Limpets would transfer the ore back to the mothership.

That would be pretty damn awesome, maybe not an srv, but something like a mining tick that anchors itself to the surface of the asteroid and allows the player to scout for pockets of resourses. Or allows drones to scout the inside of the asteroid like we've seen in the Expanse.
 
Last edited:
You poor, innocent soul. How naive you are to think that the new features would bare the slightest resemblence to the clever ideas you set out. No, the mining update won't reinvigorate the game for those players who enjoyed such things, it will only make you sad. Here's a more realistic guess:

The Great Big Mining Update:

* Mining missions now work properly for wings.
* Tractor beam mining lasers, smart limpets and refinery blueprints have been added.
* Mining Tech broker added.
* Added 96 new materials, these materials are gathered through mining and used to purchase mining related tools and engineering modifications.
* Added Crusty Judy the mining specialist engineer. Crusty Judy's permit is purchased via Harry the Hermit's mining missions.
* Added a new ship - the T7 Turbo. The turbo means it has spoilers.
* Mining missions for wings have been premptively disabled until the next patch, in anticipation of our scripters needing a whole other patch cycle to get the ing things right.

Oh that's so accurate, are you sure you're not an employee with a second forum account?
 
Fair enough. But to be frank, it seems all the interesting bit is unrelated to the automation. I mean, you are 'free to personally explore other interesting things', but that is only a plus because the automated mining itself isn't any fun gameplay. If there is actual gameplay beyond 'wait for automation to finish' you could do that, and then do the other things you mention. Because in the end you're just describing ways to make 'wait for automation to finish' more interesting and engaging. Nothing against those things, but still dont see why you need the automation for it? It seems a fix for a problem that doesnt need to exist in the first place.

I undertand, but if working out where to put it somewhere, how to put it there, setting it up, and then later collecting it is interesting... all with an undertone of doing it efficiently to make the most of your time/profit? Then "automated mining" might be more interesting than it sounds ;)

ie: Working out which asteroid is be best bet for your automated mining units. Working out to best break that asteroid apart. Then deploying those units in the best place(s). And if this is all done under some interesting gameplay for example utilising a physyics engine etc etc, it might be a nice little mechanic?
 
  • procedurally generated asteroids containing veins, pockets and enclosures of minerals.
  • A second level of PG governing the distribution of types of asteroid within a ring, so the odd anomalous rock, giant geode, or massive crystalline 'unicorn' can be found, as well as fields of more dangerous volatile rocks
  • A custom flight assist mode that allows power orbiting a rock maintaining a set altitude, using vertical/lateral thrusters. While flying a
  • SLaMS (Ship Launched Mining Skiff) aiming at
  • Some kind of voxel/destructible geometry tech so we can mine out resources efficiently.
  • Mining Activity Signature PoIs dynamically created in SC by player activity, visibility dependent on emission strength, motivates running shield less, exposing us to
  • Gas pockets, micrometeor showers and other volatiles that can effectively fire a flak cannon or plasma accelerator at your ship when struck or flown through
  • A range of deployable countermeasure such as SC approach warning buoys, feeler drones to extend sensor range, homing mines that move with your ship.
Basically a range of risk/reward choices in how to mine and how much money to spend to allow more risky behaviours in more dangerous locations
 

Deleted member 38366

D
Nice list ;) I do hope FD are taking the chance sexing up mining to this sort of degree!


I would say, "valuable Deep Space '7 Cities of Gold' locations" surely have to be stateful? ie: The problem with the current rings is why go and look for them when you know the nearest most valuable one. Now, if you could explore and find a valuable finite hot spot, which as you mined dropped from 100% to 0% at which time it was gone forever? Then we have an interesting mechanics surely? And if you find one and it's at 50%? Is it being mined right now? Do you go straight there and mine it yourself? Or bookmark it for later and hope its still there?

True, if let's say a Ring has such a unique location (assuming 1 per Ring for ease of purpose), its depletion might have to be possible and follow similar regeneration cycle as Barnacles or harvested Volcanism with a basic long-term stat leading to a permanent depletion; limited to i.e. Thursday Server Maintenance cycle for processing 1x / week.
(the primary issue is likely to absolutely minimize any additional Server storage/data requirements to track such a location type simply due to the sheer number; plus recycling an existing mechanic we already have would be the most efficient way)

But since i.e. RES yields remain the same just as well, one could argue :
"those Positions are actually changed by some 20-50km all the time, which goes unnoticed in the scale of Ls-based Deep Space Navigation but ensures depleted areas are continually left as the Resource Extraction slowly moves into adjacent areas"

That'll of course ensure hotspots, but as it goes hotspots in the past aren't exactly unheard of - and make for Piracy or Criminal/Bounty Hunter/Cat&Mouse Gameplay, which perfectly fits such a high-profit area (= higher risk).

But if it's technically feasible, being able to properly and realistically deplete such hotspots would be highly welcome and encourage ongoing Exploration for new ones :)
(then the sheer size and Reserves of such spots could be used to generate either a 1-hit-wonder or ensure it stays viable & alive i.e. for a few days or weeks if many CMDRs hit it)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, I'll swear there was a concept art from FD showing an asteroid being blown apart. Hence my suggestion of physics based gameplay along these lines...

Yes, I remember... It is bound to happen then ! Let’s hope the detection process is interesting though, and we get more mining equipment! (Detection and extraction). As someone else pointed out somewhere here on the forums.. “we have 50 different weapons now for some reason, but still only one mining laser”

Flimley
 
Last edited:
You poor, innocent soul. How naive you are to think that the new features would bare the slightest resemblence to the clever ideas you set out. No, the mining update won't reinvigorate the game for those players who enjoyed such things, it will only make you sad. Here's a more realistic guess:

The Great Big Mining Update:

* Mining missions now work properly for wings.
* Tractor beam mining lasers, smart limpets and refinery blueprints have been added.
* Mining Tech broker added.
* Added 96 new materials, these materials are gathered through mining and used to purchase mining related tools and engineering modifications.
* Added Crusty Judy the mining specialist engineer. Crusty Judy's permit is purchased via Harry the Hermit's mining missions.
* Added a new ship - the T7 Turbo. The turbo means it has spoilers.
* Mining missions for wings have been premptively disabled until the next patch, in anticipation of our scripters needing a whole other patch cycle to get the ing things right.

LOL
Spot on! :D
 
Yes, I remember... It is bound to happen then ! Let’s hope the detection process is interesting though, and we get more mining equipment! (Detection and extraction). As someone else pointed out somewhere here on the forums.. “we have 50 different weapons do some reason, but still only one mining laser”

Flimley

So yes, weapons to break/detonate/cut asteroids apart, and then weapons to extract. Or indeed devices you can attach to mine on the asteroids surface etc...



LOL
Spot on! :D
TBH... A list like that, with exploration gameplay of the same nature, and an equally empty DLC would make my life easier. It would mean I could finally just give up... :)

BUT, the hope is FD have openly declared Q4 is about significant improvements to core gameplay, which when combined with a payable DLC, surely must mean significant stuff. Surely, they can create some involved bar raising mechanics? With basically a clean slate in these areas, four years in, and with 100+ people working away on this title? Surely?
 
Last edited:
You poor, innocent soul. How naive you are to think that the new features would bare the slightest resemblence to the clever ideas you set out. No, the mining update won't reinvigorate the game for those players who enjoyed such things, it will only make you sad. Here's a more realistic guess:

The Great Big Mining Update:

* Mining missions now work properly for wings.
* Tractor beam mining lasers, smart limpets and refinery blueprints have been added.
* Mining Tech broker added.
* Added 96 new materials, these materials are gathered through mining and used to purchase mining related tools and engineering modifications.
* Added Crusty Judy the mining specialist engineer. Crusty Judy's permit is purchased via Harry the Hermit's mining missions.
* Added a new ship - the T7 Turbo. The turbo means it has spoilers.
* Mining missions for wings have been premptively disabled until the next patch, in anticipation of our scripters needing a whole other patch cycle to get the ing things right.

Possibly, the most accurate guess XD
 
Possibly, the most accurate guess XD

Well... If it is, and people assume this is an indication of what Q4 as a whole is going to be like... and ultimately then where ED (approaching half way through its supposed 8-10yr plan) is headed... [KaiserChiefs] I predict a riot! [/KaiserChiefs]
 
This is only a small thing and not really ‘an idea’ but, could mining in ice belts create more...,Steam?
I mean to say, a visual difference from mining rock belts. Just a nice little touch to differentiate between the two.

Flimley
 
I say keep your expectations in check. Let's first see with the Focus Feedback thread how much effort they're willing to dedicate for this. It's a free update at the end of the day.
 
I like the idea of a deployable mini miner that can be piloted by the player.
We have player controlled ship launched fighters... so why not a mini mining craft that can fly into cracks and crags on asteroids and dig out hard to reach materials.
Your NPC crewman controls your ship.

ld9xh1vageehyk7q4p5p.jpg
 
I hope other game designers that are actually "listening" to feedback, are somehow reading all those magnificent ideas and at some point we get to actually see them come true at some other game.
 
Back
Top Bottom