Ok Mining is a HOOT ! in Powerplay

[darshie76]

Finally a positive note: scooping is useless for mining, and shall be used only to grab cargo that you may eventually find floating in space.

From what I understand thou, drones are not for free....what is the average profit, once you sell the minerals and subtract the cost of the drones?

I am not able to play today and tomorrow, so I can't figure this out on my own

 

[darshie76]

I am willing to try the drones, but I don't really see how farming these tasks out to AI is somehow more "fun". Turrets and Drones? Isn't it just more automated and more profitable? But where is the actual fun gameplay? Sorry, I am not trying to be negative, I just want to know if I am missing some gameplay aspect about how drones are handled, and what the UI is like that makes it more interesting than regular mining. Btw, I actually like regular mining. The mini-game of scooping is kind of fun in a really nimble ship, especially one that can fight, like the Vulture.

Fun is a word with different meanings to different people. Some said that scooping takes skill; which may work for them, but not for everyone. As long as they don't force people to do something different from what they enjoy, it is a win for all.

Imagine your daily job: imagine if you could do it more efficiently....would you choose to do it less efficiently to show "Skill"? I think that "no" would be an appropriate answer.
If an activity is done once in a while, then it is fine if it is tedious and potentially non that engaging (IMO obviously); but if you decide to mine for a living; would be crazy to continue to use scooping, unless you love it.

Nobody force you to automate and be more efficient...Maybe Frontier will add the feature where you have to go out of the cockpit and swing the X52 joystick in circular motions in a pattern, to simulate the swing of a tool that break the asteroid...good times!

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Yeah. Them being one shot is a big turn-off for me and one of the reasons that I'll likely never even bother using them unless they're cheap and take no cargo hold to store them. I don't mind buying them but one-time use is stupid, it cuts into profits a lot.

So they end up taking cargo space too? I heard that they were one shot, which is insane....The more I play this game, the more I think that 1000 years from now, people regress in any field, beside speed of light traveling.

 

[Agarthan]

Ha, +rep for this. I am looking forward to the mining changes, always enjoyed mining in other games. It's relaxing, kind of like fishing, but in this case with pirates and lasers. =P

Two of my favorite games in the last 10 years are Minecraft and all it's subsequent mods and 7 Days To Die, both are heavily intensive on mining. There is also mining in Don't Starve another favorite of mine.

 

[Vasious]

Dont forget to watch those drones do all the hard work with the Debug Camera

 

[Ziljan]

Imagine your daily job: imagine if you could do it more efficiently....would you choose to do it less efficiently to show "Skill"? I think that "no" would be an appropriate answer.
If an activity is done once in a while, then it is fine if it is tedious and potentially non that engaging (IMO obviously); but if you decide to mine for a living; would be crazy to continue to use scooping, unless you love it.

Nobody force you to automate and be more efficient...Maybe Frontier will add the feature where you have to go out of the cockpit and swing the X52 joystick in circular motions in a pattern, to simulate the swing of a tool that break the asteroid...good times!

"Efficiency" is a dirty word used by bean counters and hatchet men. Machines are already taking our jobs in real life. Now they are playing our video games for us too? This is not my personal idea of progress or fun. But to each their own I guess.

 

[darshie76]

"Efficiency" is a dirty word used by bean counters and hatchet men. Machines are already taking our jobs in real life. Now they are playing our video games for us too?

I disagree; no machine can take my job, since I write code for machines....they don't work without me telling them what to do

There is a distinction between play a game, and have fun doing activities in game; to me, mining means to find lucrative sites; to find expensive material that give profit...in real world, the work is not in mine the mineral, but to find the best ore. Reason why; people spend time and use skills using instruments, reading charts and of course, being helped by luck.

In an hypothetical mining simulation, would you consider gather chunks of ore as skilled activity that gives you hours of fun? No problem if that's the case; but in my case; the fun would be in actually automate the tedious process of collecting chunks, and maybe give me some skill-based activities, mini-games that I have to perform to divide the ore from the junk; or a mini-game to actually find the ore vein using instruments.

I play a space game, where my skills are needed for surviving; if I need to play space mineral collectors; I can find probably 100 activities that would make my time more enjoyable...hence I am glad if the repetitive part of collecting ore is automated. In the context of the mining sim, collecting ore may be one of the few activities, which is fine; but this is a space game, where mining is only one activity.

 

[Agarthan]

no machine can take my job, since I write code for machines....they don't work without me telling them what to do

For now.

They won't need you soon either.

http://www.newsweek.com/computer-software-writes-itself-114137

 

[Dbrn47]

Don't be afraid to add any possible critiques, now is the time to help them fine tune it. There are complaints going on in the Beta Forum about the prospector drone in particular so be careful about giving it all a 10/10 if there's any reason you think it isn't.

 

[Tangy Red Smurf]

I just want to know if I am missing some gameplay aspect about how drones are handled, and what the UI is like that makes it more interesting than regular mining.

I think for me it was the combination of managing the drones/refinery bins while dealing with pirate attacks and also trying to find new good mineral rocks. It felt i was really having to multi-task. However this multi-tasking is maybe reduced if you mine in a wing (not a bad thing, I mine sometimes just for a relaxing time)

 

[Karl Marx]

hm Karl, i can't help to think that this sounds strange coming from you..

First off, +1 from me for this comment. Secondly, that's true. However, when looking at the big picture, this is a game and money is required to play in it at any level. If this were EVE, I'd create a communistic "corporation" (Which I've done in WH space to great success actually.), however, this game does not support social features of that type or that scope.

 

[Eldoroth]

I was considering using the Python as a mining beast, but with the 10% sale loss I'll probably just jump into an Asp for mining. 1.3 is the mining update for me, Power play is just an added bonus.

 

[dognosh]

Ok just spent about a half an hour mining with drones, and it is great. I can see myself building a ship just for mining and spending hours in the asteroid belts collecting rocks, or should I say having my drones collect rocks for me. The prospecting drones tell you the asteroid content and the percentage left of ore as you mine it and your little drones run out and collect the ore for you and put it in the cargo scoop. Really awesome in the Rift too. Well done.

it might be a hoot but someone who tested it 12 times more than you said it sucks if you are in it for the credits
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=148125

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like exploring, mining is still only for the fan

 

[Patrick_68000]

When there will be the landing on the rocky moons, will come certainly the mining machines, to pose on the ground (like the MB4 in FE2)

 

[furrycat]

I was considering using the Python as a mining beast

I've been giving mining a thought over the last few days leading up to the beta and having now played the beta last night I've come to the conclusion that the Python will indeed be the ideal ship for the job.

You need cargo space, both to carry the ore you refine and to hold drones. The Python certainly has cargo space.

The best refinery is 4A so you'll want a class 4 slot. Not a bigger one, which would be wasted. Not a smaller one, which would be less efficient. The Python has such a slot.

The drone launchers take slots too. The Python's two class 3 slots lets you mount both type of launchers with two ammo each. That's enough to be usable without feeling like you're wasting slot space which could be used for cargo or shielding.

You need mining lasers. With two medium hardpoints the Python has that covered.

You probably want weapons and shields to defend yourself, along with utility slots for a KWS and other goodies. That's the Python.

It's also a reasonably agile and quick ship. Certainly enough to float around the extraction site firing off drones, mining chunks or fighting pirates.

Other ships are bigger but you're either "wasting" slots and/or flying a brick.

The Asp would probably be my second choice.

 

[Whiterose]

I might combine exploring and mining, just for the fun. Mining has always been poor with respect to credits.

 

[Kiblams]

Two of my favorite games in the last 10 years are Minecraft and all it's subsequent mods and 7 Days To Die, both are heavily intensive on mining. There is also mining in Don't Starve another favorite of mine.

You simply can't beat the mining in Space Engineers, though the excitement there comes in overcoming the engineering challenges of buiding a ship to drill into an asteroids surface...
.
I am very much looking forward to trying mining again in ED now we have these changes, my two biggest frustrations in mining before 1.3 was low yields and finding the right ore, so hopefully these have been addressed by the two additional ores and the prospecting drones.

 

[Steve50]

I tried the drones out although I plan to continue mining the normal way. They are good but way too fast!
Someone with drones would be able to easily steal my ore before I collect it. That's my only worry.

 

[Kyle Brennan]

Now that's great news! as it was Mining was about as exciting as watching old cars rust. Hopefully this kicks it up a notch or thirty.

Hey buddy, nothing wrong with watching old cars rust. It I wholesome family activity!

 

[hoppryngil]

Mining does sound much improved. I tried to give it a quick blast in the beta last night before bed. Kitted out my ship and went to the nearest RES. Of course, I'd forgot to reload the drone collector before leaving so the trip wasn't very productive to say the least.

 

[Cola_BH]

The only issue I did seem to have with the drones, Is that they will also pickup any Illegal salvage nearby, which can get you in to trouble fast with the local system authority vessels. I'm hoping they will add some sort of toggle in the function menu (like turrets) to specify legal salvage only or all salvage.

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You can obviously fill up the hold faster the more active drones you have. Its not super fast though and will still take considerable time. Also finding the rare minerals takes time flying about. I didn't find any Painite though even in a pristine metallic belt, so I expect that is pretty rare.

Where did you find a pristine metalic belt?System name pls