Antennas can be seen by anyone unless you are using a laser antenna, so I don't recommend them unless you keep them at short range (or use them from a mobile location like a ship).
Good to know. I thankfully turned the antenna off on my Dragonfly (as I tend to name my atmospheric vehicles) before logging out. Did quickly pop in to double check, as well as get copy of my base's GPS coordinates (which I've sent).
Here's a picture of my little flyer:
It'll get bigger once I've gotten some cobalt ore mined and processed.
I have an abundance of resources now, except for one element - platinum. My previous stock of platinum was from a trade with another player (he needed gold which I have in abundance), but due to some recent war efforts, I now need a more constant supply of platinum, which means finding my own source of raw ore.
This is not as easy as it sounds...
It's morning on the Evelyn Star, with a nice "sunrise" on my bridge. Of course sunrise is relative because a simple change in pitch / yaw / roll can change the lighting from day to night.
Setting off from my station in normal space, I head towards earth so I always have a point-of-reference and don't scan the same asteroid twice.
Scanning an asteroid requires a slow flyby at close range. Unlike Elite, bumping into an asteroid even at slow speed can be devastating to a ship, so I have to really pay close attention to piloting during this time. I usually fly "under" the asteroid on the "daytime" side so that I can easily look out my glass canopy to see how close I am. The ore detector will highlight any ores within range. Many asteroids later and I've found lots of silver, gold, iron, ice, cobalt, silicon, even the elusive uranium, but still no platinum.
I confess that this is probably my least favorite part, as it's slow and becomes kinda boring after awhile. If platinum wasn't so rare and hard to find, it wouldn't be so bad. We could really use better ore detectors as well. If I could automate this part, I would, but without scripts enabled I just don't see how. Oh well, eventually I'll find my platinum and will be able to return to the more exciting parts of the game!
I confess that this is probably my least favorite part, as it's slow and becomes kinda boring after awhile. If platinum wasn't so rare and hard to find, it wouldn't be so bad. We could really use better ore detectors as well. If I could automate this part, I would, but without scripts enabled I just don't see how. Oh well, eventually I'll find my platinum and will be able to return to the more exciting parts of the game!
It's definitely my least favorite part as well. At least on the surface, flying a grid pattern is somewhat engaging. Searching asteroids? Ugh. At least it'll be a while before I have to face that particular torment.
On my front, the day started with gathering some cobalt in my "Flea," and setting it to cook. As soon as I could, I then finished construction of my Dragonfly:
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With the Dragonfly ready for action, I gathered up some iron ore from my nearby mine, set it to refine ahead of the cobalt, and started phase two of my base's construction. I dug out a bit of space from under my base to connect the Dragonfly's docking port to the base, and then finished my base's platform, so I had a nice flat surface to stand on, as opposed to the lattice of girders it currently rested on.
I then started flying a search pattern around my starting base, looking for that sweet combination of ores upon which to establish my proper base: iron, nickel, and cobalt. I started out about 1.5 kilometers from base, and started to slowly circle it, about five meters from the ground. In my experience, ore deposits tend be found in clusters, roughly 500 meters in diameter. I figured I'd found any ores close by my staring base by now, so that was where I'd start. If nothing was found, I'd move out to two kilometers, then 2.5, and so on... until I found a good location to settle down.
Whenever a supply pod dropped nearby, I'd go raid it, and then resume my search. Not only does this provide money and parts, as well as a welcome distraction from the search, but it also sends me searching in random directions.
In this manner I found, and mapped, a rather massive field of ice and silicon, with a bit of magnesium mixed in, roughly north-east of my base. I found a deposit of iron and cobalt, along with more magnesium, to the north. Close, but not quite what I was looking for. When I neared my "iron mine" to the NNW, I mapped it out fully. It turned out to contain nothing but iron. The silver I'd also found to the NW turned out to have nickel and cobalt as well... but no gold, as I'd hoped.
The dragonfly was down to about five minutes worth of active flight, when I went after another supply pod that had dropped about four kilometers to my east. I was roughly south-west of my base, so I dropped a GPS marker to remember my spot. After having rendered the pod down to spare parts, I returned to base. Along the way back, I passed a nickel deposit. I settled down, and preceded to map the deposit, like had four times previously. I soon found iron, which would make this location "Plan B," given the abundance of cobalt nearby.
I was just about to give up hope, when a brief flash of cobalt appeared on my screen. I backtracked and found where the deposit was shallowest. I then started spiraling outwards, trying to find that spot closest to all three starting ores.
It was, naturally, less than a kilometer from my starting base.
With my future base location identified, it was time continue returning to base. I settled the Dragonfly onto its docking port for a quick charge, and began to prepare for phase three of my survival plan. First thing I did was construct an assembler, so I could start it working on the parts for a refinery. Which would require a lot more iron, naturally. So I took a second trip in the Dragonfly for more iron, and decided to call it a session.
After all, my base's battery was down to about 20% capacity, and would be depleted in about three hours at its current rate. More than enough time to refine the ore and build the parts I'd need.
As I write this, I realized I forgot to take a picture of my base. It's been about two hours or so, so I popped into the game briefly to take a snapshot. Now that the refinery and assembler are finished working, my battery is almost at 50%, and will be fully charged in about 3 hours. As @Old Duck said, one definite advantage of multi-player is that a sole windmill can easily supply most of my power needs.
Being on a server isn't just about PvP, it's often more about PhP - Players Helping Players. After searching for platinum for hours, a fellow engineer caught wind of my situation and offered me the coordinates of a platinum hotspot! When I got there I realized it was a buried vein rather than a surface deposit, which I'm not equipped to mine, and he offered to come and clear away the stone so I can get my ship in and drill the platinum. Currently my ship is full of ice (SE's equivalent of fuel scooping), so I need to wait for the ice to convert to O2 / H2, but then I should have a large enough supply of platinum to resume my various plans of galactic domination!
@Darkfyre99 keeps missing the big adventures - ship shows, ambushes, Kusto's rampage, etc. Keep an eye out for people like Vii, Insantoid, ELPSIE (sp?), Boowanda, etc. These are the veterans who bring some extra excitement to the system. Bad guys include Elementary, Kusto, William Defrae, Judeas, and some others - don't trust them! Then there is Kellie, who nobody can figure out...
Of course most of this excitement is experience in the system chat, but sometimes I actually witness it first hand
As said above, someone gave me coordinates for a platinum deposit, but unlike many deposits, this one is buried deep in the asteroid. He cleared a tunnel to the deposit, but my ship won't fit. I tried digging out the tunnel using my ship's drill, but that ended up being way slower and more tedious than I expected. A lot of "buts" in this little gift!
So here is what I'm doing - I'm using my new ship projector (normally for attaching torpedoes and repairing damage) to project a hologram of my ship inside the tunnel so I can clear away the stone using my hand drill. Strange as it sounds, the hand drill is actually a bit faster at clearing stone than a ship drill, since it has a "destructive" mode. This way I can create a pocket large enough to allow my ship to reach the actual deposit and mine the platinum. While the hand drill is good for clearing stone, the ship drill is WAY better at actually harvesting an ore deposit.
So here is what I'm doing - I'm using my new ship projector (normally for attaching torpedoes and repairing damage) to project a hologram of my ship inside the tunnel so I can clear away the stone using my hand drill. Strange as it sounds, the hand drill is actually a bit faster at clearing stone than a ship drill, since it has a "destructive" mode. This way I can create a pocket large enough to allow my ship to reach the actual deposit and mine the platinum. While the hand drill is good for clearing stone, the ship drill is WAY better at actually harvesting an ore deposit.
I get to teach you something I recently learned for a change.
If you add your drill to your toolbar as a "block tool," rather than a device, you can use its destruct mode to clear away stone, just like a hand drill. It's how I've been accessing ores quickly using the Dragonfly: the space it clears is easily twice the width of the Dragonfly itself. Just make sure you select it first.
I get to teach you something I recently learned for a change.
If you add your drill to your toolbar as a "block tool," rather than a device, you can use its destruct mode to clear away stone, just like a hand drill. It's how I've been accessing ores quickly using the Dragonfly: the space it clears is easily twice the width of the Dragonfly itself. Just make sure you select it first.
If you add your drill to your toolbar as a "block tool," rather than a device, you can use its destruct mode to clear away stone, just like a hand drill. It's how I've been accessing ores quickly using the Dragonfly: the space it clears is easily twice the width of the Dragonfly itself. Just make sure you select it first.
Sorry, but it's not working that way for me. It's still clearing slowly, and it's actually mining instead of destroying (as seen as rock leaves my ejector).
UPDATE - Okay, I get it now! I need to right-click just like I would the hand drill in order to destroy rock. Thanks!!
I had a brief window last night to get something done. Of course, I logged into this:
I seem to seeing a lot of fogs on the alien world. My original plan was to start excavation of my permanent base of the planet. Instead, I decided to erect the refinery, and get some silver processed. I’d need it for survival kits, medical rooms, and of course, the cryo-chamber:
With that in place, I spent some time trying out various camouflage patterns. I eventually settled on a light-green rust. It’s not perfect, but I’m hoping this base might act as a decoy for my main base, at least for the time being, as well as a charging point for my Dragonfly.
With that in place, I spent some time trying out various camouflage patterns. I eventually settled on a light-green rust. It’s not perfect, but I’m hoping this base might act as a decoy for my main base, at least for the time being, as well as a charging point for my Dragonfly.
Don't forget to send me your new coordinates. I think I'll build an Imperial Probe Droid and send it down so I can look around. I'll use a laser antenna so not to give away your position. It will be a one-way trip, so eventually you can use it for salvage once I'm done with it.
BTW, what is the gravity on that world? And do atmo thrusters work?
Don't forget to send me your new coordinates. I think I'll build an Imperial Probe Droid and send it down so I can look around. I'll use a laser antenna so not to give away your position. It will be a one-way trip, so eventually you can use it for salvage once I'm done with it.
BTW, what is the gravity on that world? And do atmo thrusters work?
The gravity is a comfortable 1.1 G, and atmo-thrusters do indeed work. IME, much like windmills, atmo-thrusters seem to work better than they do on the earth-like world. Of course, this efficiency boost pretty much compensates for the higher gravity, so I still plan on nine tons of lift per small engine.
Only 1.1G? Well that's not the high gravity world I was led to believe. I could probably land my starship, or at the very least my shuttle, down on the planet for a proper visit.
In other news, the infamous Kusto was bragging about his exploits this morning, and he even began threatening me. He claims he can bribe William, the only player to find my secret base, for its coordinates. Thankfully I've been seriously considering decommissioning my earth base to free up PCU for other projects, so this makes it official. I rarely use that base anymore except as a motel when I'm visiting earth, and since my little explorer has a cot, I really don't need it. I just need to determine if I decommission it now or wait until Kusto raids it (which will take him some effort) and then nuke it while he's inside..
Yesterday’s sessions have proved rather fruitful...
Started the day in my crypto’s, my inventory still intact.
I then decided to give the projector block a whirl. I
made a rough mock-up of a windmill tower
turned it into a blueprint
erected a small windmill and projector at the site of my future base
used it as a guide to drill straight down
Turns out blueprints don’t work with multiple-grids, so my hatch didn’t fully appear.
With that done, I started working on the structure proper, starting with the actualntowrr
I was just loading up the parts of a base battery into my Dragonfly when I got an alert that the servers will be rebooting. I decided to make one addition to my starting base, before entering my cr.
In other news, the infamous Kusto was bragging about his exploits this morning, and he even began threatening me. He claims he can bribe William, the only player to find my secret base, for its coordinates.
The good news is it took a couple of months for anyone to find my base on earth, and I think that's in part because a big faction moved in next door and attracted attention to the area. Hopefully you'll go unnoticed if you don't build a huge fortress.
Another tip is to be careful where and how you drill resources. Take your flyer and go up high and look down on where you drill and you'll see what I mean. Mining operations can be spotted from orbit using these "voxel holes".
ps - don't forget to message me your new coordinates!
With things heating up on the server, I've invested a bit more time in my space outpost. It's definitely an example of function over form, with nothing but the necessities, not even interior spaces! Basically this is where I resupply and repair / modify my starship and any other ships, with enough life support to act as a backup should I lose my starship in a battle or accident.
I don't refuel my hydrogen here, however. I have a separate fuel depot stationed above a large ice asteroid for this purpose.
Many players on this server put all their effort into a single, large, multi-purpose ship. These ships are often beautiful and amazing, and I've found myself envious, but as more of these majestic ships fall in battle, the more I'm convinced that small, fast, and easy-to-replace is probably the better way to go, especially for an explorer like me. That doesn't mean I won't someday build a proper cruiser or destroyer, but for now I'm just going to keep my head low and my options plenty.
It took about an hour for me to get an opening. I spent the time watching a Rooster Teeth series gen:Lock, which was surprisingly good, and a refreshing change from CP2077’s dark vision of the future.
Once I logged in, I built the battery I’d loaded last night onto the Dragonfly, and started up my plan to move my assembler and refinery underground, leaving my “starting base” as a decoy in case someone spots my little operation.
I plan to disguise my main base as a mining operation, one that’s designed to transport ore to the surface for transport. While the lack of “secret doors” may stymie this somewhat, this base is primarily about moving into space, and a fallback point, rather than my main base of operations.
Key to this operation is going to be (I hope), timer blocks. The plan is to hide critical blocks from the control and inventory panels when I’m not present, which will hopefully make the entire operation seem smaller than it really is. A single timer block can control multiple devices, and hopefully device visibility is one of those functions that can be toggled on and off with them.
Not sure how successful this is going to be, but I’m planning on replicating the upper level at my silver and silicon sites. I’d do the iron one as well, but it would be obvious to any visitor why this mine was located here.
If worse comes to worst, I’ll relocate completely... but hopefully I’ll have a base for space operations long before that becomes an issue.
I plan to disguise my main base as a mining operation, one that’s designed to transport ore to the surface for transport. While the lack of “secret doors” may stymie this somewhat, this base is primarily about moving into space, and a fallback point, rather than my main base of operations.
I used to have fake walls in my base, with valuables stashed behind those walls in freight containers that don't readily show up on inventory (especially if detached from the main grid). This is easier in an underground base since an invader will assume rock is on the other side of that wall.
If worse comes to worst, I’ll relocate completely... but hopefully I’ll have a base for space operations long before that becomes an issue.
It seems like the power players are keeping each other busy, so hopefully that means you'll be left alone. Though for me the constant fear of discovery is one of the things that made things so interesting compared to solo.
