… is actually quite fun. I'm very surprised. I've had the Cutter for a long time, and always hated it. It went into drydock the moment I got it. I'm a small / medium ship guy at heart, and I didn't see any purpose for this lumbering monstrosity. But now that I'm trying it for mining, I quite like it. That sweet engine sound; the feeling of flying the Empire State Building; the fire power that allows you to log out without having to bother about that pesky pirate coming for a visit upon instance reset... It's all pretty sweet. That's one thing I like about Elite: Ships actually "grow" on you. The ship that you dismiss today might well become your favorite flying machine tomorrow. Welcome, Lady Cutter, you're now closer to my heart.
Mining in a Cutter...
- Thread starter Tungshep
- Start date
How is it for core mining? I've been considering a large ship for mining for a while, but having run numerous different configurations through EDSY, I can't find any that I'd prefer to my Python. The thing I like about the Python is that it can take one of each mining tool including two lasers, which means you can rip apart any asteroid quite efficiently. The 224 cargo hold seems to be just the right size for a mining session for me too.
The main thing that puts me off about the large ships is having to deploy the seismic charges. With the Python, I can do this quickly and easily (usually well within 60 seconds). The Cutter doesn't strike me as a ship that lends itself to this.
The main thing that puts me off about the large ships is having to deploy the seismic charges. With the Python, I can do this quickly and easily (usually well within 60 seconds). The Cutter doesn't strike me as a ship that lends itself to this.
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Never have, never will.
I wouldn't use it for core mining, personally. First, its lasers and collector limpet capacity strip asteroids clean so quickly, you might actually lose time dabbling in core mining. Second, it's just too cumbersome to maneuver that thing around the roid to set charges. For core mining, the Python is by far the best choice imo. But as a strip miner, the Cutter reigns supreme.
The cutter was my go to for mining. It really does make mining fast and comfortable, you feel like an invincible tank. When I used to do deep core mining, I would purposefully use the asteroids as instant stop breaks. Oh there's a core asteroid, proceeds to blast towards it at full speed, never got old and would only put a minor dent to the shields on impact
.Deleted member 182079
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You are Me.
And the Cutter is the safest ship to mine in Borann (or anywhere), in Open.
Although I will draw the line at surface mining (4 mediums and 16 limpets make mince out of rocks very quickly) - trying to core mine with that stubborn donkey would drive me crazy. That's what I have my shieldless/limpet-less Viper Mk3 for though
That's what I thought.
While most of the mining I am doing is laser mining (yes, I'm in Borann of course
), I do like to blow the cores too. From a core that also has over 20% LTD I can get 20t (laser mine them first, knock external chunks and subsurface fragments out, blow the core, then knock the internal fragments out). Laser mining seems to work out at 8 or less. Given it takes me less than double the time to mine a core asteroid, this seems to be worthwhile. Not that I am in a rush - I enjoy mining anyway.Though... As my Cutter doesn't get used for much anyway, maybe I will see how much I like it as a strip miner. It's a shame that we can't have prospector limpets from an SLF. That would make mining in a Cutter great fun!
Cobra III here, but yes, most fun you can have mining.That's what I have my shieldless/limpet-less Viper Mk3 for though
Deleted member 182079
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It does tick a lot of boxes really:
a) 16t (plus 6t in the refinery) mean 1-2 cores at best, so no danger of getting bored or frustrated with finding enough of them.
b) I swapped out the collector limpet controller with a Fuel Scoop as the range isn't that great, so scooping manually means I'm maneuvering a nimble vessel inbetween rocks which is fun (and I think it's actually quicker than waiting for the limpet as I only have space for a 1A version anyways).
c) going shieldless (lack of space) means b) needs to be done carefully, and I also need to be mindful of my distance when the charges detonate. Instilling some real sense of risk/danger to the whole thing.
d) boosting 650m/s empty, 580m/s full
I discovered recently in a system that ranks high for LTD prices (Setlu I think it's called?) the system has good prices for Grandiderite and Vopals, with hotspots in the same system. Don't even have to jump anywhere and making around 10m credits per run. It's brought back the fun into mining for me.
Never thought of that.
Imagine setting charges from your SLF. That'd be pretty cute.When I have only an hour or so of playtime, I core mine in a shieldless DBX. It's quick and efficient. 40t cargo hold without shields, that's 2-3 asteroids, quickly done. Considering the ship costs about 3 MN with mining outfit, you get a 1000% return on investment, just from one mining run. That's what I call value.
When you discount core or subsurface mining, the Cutter does seem to make more sense... I might have to give this a try.
How many mining lasers do you use? I did upgrade my Python to 3 (removing sub-surface missiles), but discovered that the limpets (5) couldn't keep up with two anyway, so swapped back. My Cutter build has 9 limpets, so should be able to hoover up the extra laser, I'm assuming.
How many mining lasers do you use? I did upgrade my Python to 3 (removing sub-surface missiles), but discovered that the limpets (5) couldn't keep up with two anyway, so swapped back. My Cutter build has 9 limpets, so should be able to hoover up the extra laser, I'm assuming.
Deleted member 182079
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I'm using 4 medium lasers, and normally 12 limpets which are good enough. 9 would be too few imo. Needs an engineered distro though, ideally WEP focused but I normally use charge enhanced.
I've also played with replacing one size 8 cargo rack with a size 7 collector, that way I can 'only' mine 256t but that cuts through a rock like a hot knife through butter, and you don't need to wait for the collection process either.
I've also played with replacing one size 8 cargo rack with a size 7 collector, that way I can 'only' mine 256t but that cuts through a rock like a hot knife through butter, and you don't need to wait for the collection process either.
Deleted member 182079
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Don't want to sound too arrogant (stupid prof filter doesn't like l33t speak either, urgh!), but if a wing of 4 experienced gankers couldn't crack open mine (happened during the Golconda CG), I doubt you would eitherI too like miners in Cutters, for different reasons
Maybe some of the noob ones might be a lot 'squishier' though, granted.Even in my Python with two lasers, I find that laser stripping an asteroid doesn't take much time. So long as I get the alignment right, I can get the fragments almost directly into my cargo bay (the collectors just grab them as they go past) - I usually need to wait less than twenty seconds for my collectors to finish up once I've depleted the asteroid. It's the prospecting that I find takes the time. I'll give it a go with 3 lasers and 9 collectors and see how I fare.
All gankers are noobs. I'm a professional (not to sound too arrogant). Seriously, bring your Cutter to the middle hotspot in Open, and if you have LTDs, then I will have LTDs when all is said and doneDon't want to sound too arrogant (stupid prof filter doesn't like l33t speak either, urgh!), but if a wing of 4 experienced gankers couldn't crack open mine (happened during the Golconda CG), I doubt you would either
Deleted member 182079
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Yeah, the angle/proximity towards the rock makes a big difference in the collection process alright. With my current set up as mentioned above I can strip and collect a rock in about 20-30 seconds.