101 uses for a mining laser
AJ_Impy's guide to getting the most out of space rocks
First, location, location, location. Check the system map, click on asteroid belts and ringed gas giants. The two things you are looking for on the left hand panel are 'Pristine reserves' and 'Metallic'. Search either the galaxy or the Internet to find an appropriate system.
Equipment. I suggest a 4- or 5- chamber refinery, else the biggest that will fit. This gives you room for the three or four precious metals (Depending how you count silver) and a null chamber to accumulate chaff minerals so that you don't have to empty the hopper after every fragment. The other option, the biggest possible refinery, takes advantage of the fact that you can store a ton in each chamber when your cargo bay is full.
Mining lasers, there are two sizes. The difference here is the speed in which they cause fragments to eject. This is a matter of taste, but I'd start out with the small one to get the hang of things first. It is generally an idea to keep other weapons in your other slots unless you're in a pure trader, as there will occasionally be rude interruptions, especially if you are close to a marked resource extraction site.
Shields are essential. These are object-heavy areas, you'll be moving around, and some of the rocks are spinning pretty damned fast. That's without the occasional piratical nuisance looking to test your shields more conventionally.
Arrival. You've found a good site, you're kitted out. If you've never flown into a ring before, these things are dangerous, as in 'I once lost a top quality Python supercruising too fast near a ring' dangerous. Use the planet to slow you down, then approach the ring slowly and carefully. Resource extraction sites are easy to get to, but tend to be pirate-heavy: Go off the beaten track to another section of the ring. Approach with caution and at safe drop speeds, so that if/when the 'too close!' auto drop happens, you won't take damage.
If all goes well, you should be alone in a vast field of rusty brown floating rocks. Let's talk settings: I usually put 4 in shields, 2 in weapons, 0 in engines, with my cargo scoop always open as a brake. Speed kills, if you go careening off into a rock at dogfighting speeds, you'll be back at base camp with nothing to show for it but an insurance bill. Keeping your engines on a low setting with the scoop down is usually safe even at max speed, depending on ship and shields. Finally, ship lights. Turn these on, it makes fragments easy to see close up.
Pick a rock, any rock. There are three ways to tell if you're close enough: Radar, the impact warning, and using your mining laser as a rangefinder. Just before it gets in range, the glow of it will reflect from the surface of the rock: kill your forward thrust and watch as your mining laser starts making magma graffiti.
This graffiti actually serves a purpose, it acts as your 'tag' on the rock you're working on. If you lose track of your target rock, look for the one with the laser scars. If you want, you can get fancy and carve your initials, but just looking for the scar is a useful waypoint. Use your radar as well, recognise your rock's size, shape and spin, and use that to orient yourself.
As you fire at the rock, fragments will come flying out. Make sure to target the first one, this is your 'scan', in effect. Let's talk percentages: 5% to 10%, you're looking at ten to twenty fragments to a ton, not usually worth it, you'll be lucky to get one ton out of this rock. 15% or thereabouts, about 6-8 fragments a ton. You should get a good ton out of this rock, up to you if you want to keep going or move on. 20% to 25%, 4-5 fragments a ton, you'll probably get two or three out of this rock. 30%-40%, this is a good rock, with a ton every three fragments or so. 50% to 60%, congrats, you've found a motherlode.
Now, worthwhile materials. Platinum is 18-19k, Palladium 13-15k, Gold 9-10k, silver 4-6k. Platinum is the main goal, nowhere sells it. You get the best prices for these four at high tech systems such as Leesti. If your rock doesn't have any or has a low percentage trace, ditch it and move on to the next rock. Otherwise, keep shooting until it spits out a number of chunks that you can handle. If you're unsure of your scooping skills, practice on a chaff asteroid until you get the hang of it. I recommend 3 as a good target to start with, working up to four or more with practice.
Scooping fragments. Give them a couple of seconds and they will come to a halt. Use thrusters in short bursts to get near them rather than the main throttle. Remember your ship's geometry, the cargo scoop is below the cockpit, you want to keep the fragment centered in the scope, but err on having it towards the bottom rather than the top, else it might bounce off and go beneath you, spinning off for 50 meters or so. Be mindful of the target asteroid, especially if it's an irregularly shaped fast spinner, as these can batter fragments and your ship quite a distance. Your time limit is the integrity meter below the scanner for each fragment.
The radar is the best tool for relocating your asteroid, but even if you're offscreen, it should still be the biggest thing in the area. When you see the fragments fly off and settle, try to remember where their resting point is in relation to your starting point. It boils down to 'look for the biggest rock with laser scars on it', essentially. Once you find it, repeat until it runs dry, then on to the next. Fill your bay until you have a full load or get bored, then head to your sale destination and rake in the pure profit of some of the highest value commodities in the game obtained at no monetary cost.
