When taking a mining mission from the Mission Board, do I have to go and actually mine the ore, or can I just buy it from a nearby market....?
Generally if it says Mine it.. you need to mine it..
If it says Source it..you can buy it or mine it.
No.If the mission says MINE XXX commodity (and it has the 'Rocks' icon) then according to this reply it seems I need to actually go and mine the commodity myself... is this correct?
No, it isn't correct. You can buy the goods and deliver them for the mission. You can even deliver goods that you have acquired as mission rewards.Perhaps I need to be more specific with my question....
If the mission says MINE XXX commodity (and it has the 'Rocks' icon) then according to this reply it seems I need to actually go and mine the commodity myself... is this correct?
The game is capable of knowing wheter you have mined a commodity or not, as this happens with mining CGs.
When the material to be supplied is one that can only be obtained by mining or mission rewards (such as osmium), I completely agree with you. However, when the commodity that is required can be purchased (e.g. gold or paladium), it needs the mined flag otherwise there is no point in it being a mining CG..It's awful though. Especially for the CGs. Smaller ships can't help out without a refinery and get paid in mined material they can submit. And pirates can't insert themselves to get in on the share.
I wish this to be lifted generally.
When the material to be supplied is one that can only be obtained by mining or mission rewards (such as osmium), I completely agree with you. However, when the commodity that is required can be purchased (e.g. gold or paladium), it needs the mined flag otherwise there is no point in it being a mining CG..
But it makes no sense requesting that to be mined in the first place. Mining missions should probably just be restricted to material you cannot obtain in the port you are taking them. Sourcing them from other activities than mining seems like an okay/smart solution to me. Why block that with an artificial invisible mining tag on the cargo (which you can lose by dropping and picking it back up D: )?
To provide a goal for commanders whose chosen profession is mining, remember CGs are a bit artificial anyway, also it is a way of discouraging pirates as they can't just steal their way to the top likewise it prevents the Pay to Win situation.
No, it isn't correct. You can buy the goods and deliver them for the mission. You can even deliver goods that you have acquired as mission rewards.
It think this is an oversight by FD, possibly even a bug. The game is capable of knowing wheter you have mined a commodity or not, as this happens with mining CGs.
You are missing the point. Mined water counting for a mission was never in question, nor is mined water counting for a "fetch me some water" mission, since it's far harder to mine it than buy. What is being discussed is water purchased from a market counting towards a mission that says "Go mine some water". It should be no different to a pirating missino that says "go steal some water", if you buy or mine it, the water won't count as it has to be stolen.I do not think it is a oversight, but just luck. If I mine Water for example and I go to a station that accidently is needing water, I am lucky. Just in regular business. On the other hand, If I mine 200 tons of Water and the station does not need it, I have bad luck... Elite is just like real business
It should be no different to a pirating missino that says "go steal some water", if you buy or mine it, the water won't count as it has to be stolen.