I get it now! Core mining is the new "Free Anaconda at Hutton"!

scadh · Jan 18, 2021

I was all over the newbie troll about getting a free Anaconda at Hutton Orbital. Didn't fall for it for a second. But I'm embarrassed it took me so long to realize that core mining is ALSO not actually a real thing, it's just a way to laugh at stupid players! I feel like such an idiot!

Community: "Just keep PWA'ing those rocks and look for ones with cores!"
Me: "I'll be rich by noon!"
Community: "Haha! SUCKER!"

When I first got into mining early 2020, I tried core mining a few times. I was pretty clumsy and achieved poor results. Since I'm a better player now (and can no longer get 1.6m per ton laser mining LTD), I decided to give it a go again today. It still sucks just as bad. Even at a double hotspot -- like the one I just came from -- it takes FOREVER to find a core asteroid of the type you're looking for. I searched 45 minutes before I found one. It had 5 fissures and every single one exceeded the damage threshold with one medium-strength seismic charge.

I understand that the best miners recognize the asteroid shape on sight and don't waste time on any others. I'm not there yet. I understand the mechanics of fissure strength, seismic charge strength and optimum detonation yield. Am I missing something else? If not, I don't understand how this is even a thing. How is this faster than surface mining Platinum? I'm not nearly as good as the experts on YouTube, but even I can generally fill 192 + 6 tons of Platinum in 90 minutes station to station. That usually nets about 57m or 38m/hr. People claim 100m/hr or more core mining and I just don't see how it's possible. I'd love it if someone could show me I'm wrong.

[ EDITED to show correct mathematical ciphering, 38m instead of 19m ]

Marklar_ · Jan 18, 2021

I haven't done core mining in a while and maybe it's been nerfed harder than I realized, but it shouldn't take that long to find a core.

The thing about being able to recognize core asteroids on sight is key, are you using the pulse wave analyzer? See here for what to look for: https://www.yekbot.com/elite-dangerous-a-visual-guide-for-deep-core-mining/

K Olley · Jan 19, 2021

Why not do all three?

Laser
SD/SSD
Core

I laser mine and keep my eyes open, I occasionally ping with the PWA and collect the others as I find them.

As for cores it's just practice

scadh · Jan 19, 2021

Marklar_ said:
I haven't done core mining in a while and maybe it's been nerfed harder than I realized, but it shouldn't take that long to find a core.

The thing about being able to recognize core asteroids on sight is key, are you using the pulse wave analyzer? See here for what to look for: https://www.yekbot.com/elite-dangerous-a-visual-guide-for-deep-core-mining/

It didn't take 45 mins to find ANY core, just one of the type I was looking for. And to be fair, because I'm not 100% accurate at recognizing the shape, I flew to and investigated many PWA'd rocks that weren't cores at all. I guess I'll get better, but I'm easily frustrated and it just seems easier to me to surface mine. Kind of "tortoise and hare" sort of thing I suppose, though I'm still not entirely convinced that core mining in the hare in this case!

Danieros · Jan 19, 2021

K Olley said:
Why not do all three?

Laser
SD/SSD
Core

I laser mine and keep my eyes open, I occasionally ping with the PWA and collect the others as I find them.

As for cores it's just practice

Crazy, huh? You mean we shouldn't just fill our cargo holds with one single thing and ignore all the rest?

scadh · Jan 19, 2021

K Olley said:
Why not do all three?

Laser
SD/SSD
Core

I laser mine and keep my eyes open, I occasionally ping with the PWA and collect the others as I find them.

As for cores it's just practice

I mine in a Python and prefer to use 3 mining lasers, leaving only 2 hardpoints open. So not room for seismic, abrasion and subsurface. I usually laser mine and do subsurface when I find them, ignoring cores. I do find myself waiting on collector limpets a lot, though, so maybe I'll back it down to 2 lasers.

Bottom Hat · Jan 19, 2021

I like your thread title!!

But I don't want to be uber-picky about the math, but I have to point something out. You said 57m in 90 minutes makes 19m an hour.... It's double that at 38m an hour. Sorry to be a nerd, but someone will point it out

K Olley · Jan 19, 2021

Danieros said:
Crazy, huh? You mean we shouldn't just fill our cargo holds with one single thing and ignore all the rest?

I dont.

ATM I am mining in a VO hotspot in a T9 512t cargo space, I have VO'S, LTD's Trit, Brom, MMC's and Lithium hydroxide in my hold.

Admittedly I am working from my carrier, VO's and LTD's sell easily, I need Trit for fuel and the others are wanted on a regular basis for missions, plenty of carriers that cant be bothered to mine themselves are also willing to buy these in reasonable quantities at a lot better than market prices.

Bromellite is also fast and easy to mine and is in high demand in a lot of places, no mark downs for a full hold.

Tikanderoga · Jan 19, 2021

I've been core mining the past 2 days, and the field I'm in, cores are popping up like crazy.
I'm flying a conda for the cores instead of my cutter for lasers, but since I'm hunting Musgravite atm, the field offers only stuff in SSDs that are not exactly profitable. Why spend my time mining Lepidolite when I can get something more valuable instead?
Laser mining in a Musgravite field is very much pointless, unless one is keen on Coltan and other low value minerals.

As a rule of thumb: If it lights up and is a shape it could have a core: Prospect it. Worst case you wasted a limpet. Best case you got something to blow up.

scadh · Jan 19, 2021

Bottom Hat said:
I like your thread title!!

But I don't want to be uber-picky about the math, but I have to point something out. You said 57m in 90 minutes makes 19m an hour.... It's double that at 38m an hour. Sorry to be a nerd, but someone will point it out

Ah, yes. Maths. For some inexplicable reason, I though "divide 57 by 3" was the solution, but of course that produces a value per half-hour, not hour. I think it was the aggravation of wasting an hour flying between empty rocks that muddled my brain for a sec.

lemon407 · Jan 19, 2021

The worst part, core mining is actually really really fun, but its super luck based to the point that its not worth it, and it just does not pay off.

Mr T · Jan 19, 2021

Bottom Hat said:
I like your thread title!!

But I don't want to be uber-picky about the math, but I have to point something out. You said 57m in 90 minutes makes 19m an hour.... It's double that at 38m an hour. Sorry to be a nerd, but someone will point it out

BGS expert, maths genius, is there anything The Hat can't do?

K Olley · Jan 19, 2021

lemon407 said:
The worst part, core mining is actually really really fun, but its super luck based to the point that its not worth it, and it just does not pay off.

Yep its fun, makes a nice change when laser mining, as for being not worth it, over 400t of 5,477t in my carrier hold is core only commodities and that's not including LTD's, Painite and Bromellite some of which have also been cored.

Donaldi · Jan 19, 2021

scadh said:
...
When I first got into mining early 2020, I tried core mining a few times.
I was pretty clumsy and achieved poor results.
...

I found one. It had 5 fissures and every single one exceeded the damage threshold with one medium-strength seismic charge.

The Puse Wave Scanner was borken in 2020, Frontier fixed it just recently.
You had to fly backwards to see the thus marked rocks, the rocks to your front stayed black (or green). I only learned about this when I accidentally flew in a circle around a seemingly empty hotspot.

As about the fissures and the optimum yield, perhaps this helps:
To my estimation, an asteropid has about 20 hitpoints (give or take 3)
Your charge can be loaded up to three levels (maybe that color change from yellow to white signifies another charge level, I do not know).
High fissure is factor one, Average two, Low three.
So you achieve the desired yield range mostly with a full charge (L3) into two Low fissures 2*(3*3)=18. Same with full charges into three Averages, 6+6+6

And You do not need to fill all fissures, which I guess is what you did (correct me if I'm wrong), because one medium charge into a low fissure alone will not put you into the red.

Regards, Dirk

Jmanis · Jan 19, 2021

I always got the impression cores were meant to be the "today's your lucky day" find when mining, not the "this is the only thing I'm mining" sort of activity, and that earlier Voipal type playing was just FD being FD and not balancing things right.

Bottom Hat · Jan 19, 2021

Mr T said:
BGS expert, maths genius, is there anything The Hat can't do?

That's a dangerous question there Mr T - I am fearful of the answers you might get lol

CaptainPugwash · Jan 19, 2021

scadh said:
I was all over the newbie troll about getting a free Anaconda at Hutton Orbital. Didn't fall for it for a second. But I'm embarrassed it took me so long to realize that core mining is ALSO not actually a real thing, it's just a way to laugh at stupid players! I feel like such an idiot!

Community: "Just keep PWA'ing those rocks and look for ones with cores!"
Me: "I'll be rich by noon!"
Community: "Haha! SUCKER!"

When I first got into mining early 2020, I tried core mining a few times. I was pretty clumsy and achieved poor results. Since I'm a better player now (and can no longer get 1.6m per ton laser mining LTD), I decided to give it a go again today. It still sucks just as bad. Even at a double hotspot -- like the one I just came from -- it takes FOREVER to find a core asteroid of the type you're looking for. I searched 45 minutes before I found one. It had 5 fissures and every single one exceeded the damage threshold with one medium-strength seismic charge.

I understand that the best miners recognize the asteroid shape on sight and don't waste time on any others. I'm not there yet. I understand the mechanics of fissure strength, seismic charge strength and optimum detonation yield. Am I missing something else? If not, I don't understand how this is even a thing. How is this faster than surface mining Platinum? I'm not nearly as good as the experts on YouTube, but even I can generally fill 192 + 6 tons of Platinum in 90 minutes station to station. That usually nets about 57m or 38m/hr. People claim 100m/hr or more core mining and I just don't see how it's possible. I'd love it if someone could show me I'm wrong.

[ EDITED to show correct mathematical ciphering, 38m instead of 19m ]

I do agree that core mining needs a buff compared to surface mining. I did a single core mining run as a test for the first time in a year and made about 40m profit in about 80mins, not great but the I could get better. There is no point in going to double hotspots for cores by the way.

Kenneth McGrew · Jan 19, 2021

scadh said:
I was all over the newbie troll about getting a free Anaconda at Hutton Orbital. Didn't fall for it for a second. But I'm embarrassed it took me so long to realize that core mining is ALSO not actually a real thing, it's just a way to laugh at stupid players! I feel like such an idiot!

Community: "Just keep PWA'ing those rocks and look for ones with cores!"
Me: "I'll be rich by noon!"
Community: "Haha! SUCKER!"

When I first got into mining early 2020, I tried core mining a few times. I was pretty clumsy and achieved poor results. Since I'm a better player now (and can no longer get 1.6m per ton laser mining LTD), I decided to give it a go again today. It still sucks just as bad. Even at a double hotspot -- like the one I just came from -- it takes FOREVER to find a core asteroid of the type you're looking for. I searched 45 minutes before I found one. It had 5 fissures and every single one exceeded the damage threshold with one medium-strength seismic charge.

I understand that the best miners recognize the asteroid shape on sight and don't waste time on any others. I'm not there yet. I understand the mechanics of fissure strength, seismic charge strength and optimum detonation yield. Am I missing something else? If not, I don't understand how this is even a thing. How is this faster than surface mining Platinum? I'm not nearly as good as the experts on YouTube, but even I can generally fill 192 + 6 tons of Platinum in 90 minutes station to station. That usually nets about 57m or 38m/hr. People claim 100m/hr or more core mining and I just don't see how it's possible. I'd love it if someone could show me I'm wrong.

[ EDITED to show correct mathematical ciphering, 38m instead of 19m ]

yep and FDev troll you even further with only size 2 components to go deep core mining with.

Starsong · Jan 19, 2021

Core mining WAS an insanely good way to make money for about a year until a few months ago when it got whacked with the nerfhammer.

GraphiteGB · Jan 19, 2021

Players need to read Patch notes a lot more offen... if they are chasing CPH
July 2020 patches ALTERED ICE ring content generation on purpose, planned content generation reduction...
Fdev stated all High price ICE ring content like LTD would be harder to get... all of them in ICE rings...
This is PLANNED not a mistake...

When Combined with November 2020 price rebalance, the generation reduction in ICE rings made VO and LTD pay way less per hour....
Nearly all FC left ICE rings so you have very little choice but to sell at low price stations...

Metal and rocky based rings were not negatively effected at all and november 2020 rebalance boosted All low paying cores in rocky rimgs...

If you ignore the patch notes and still mine in ICE rings its planned to be Garbage collection rate...
If you are mining in Rocky rings, the collection rate and CPH will be HIGHER than ICE rings as Rocky rings don't have low paying Bromellite that can spawn instead of high paying items... those doing CPH need rocky rings as you avoid <600K core rocks...

Core can not compete with laser mining as laser mining can be mapped and repeated every 3 hours...
Mapped laser mining can fill 512 ton cutter in <30mins so all smaller ships can be filled even quicker...
So if you play for 30 mins drop cargo of at FC then do some thing else for 3 hours and come back you can get another 512 tons again in 30 mins ring time...