Engineers Please contribute: determining the sources of engineering data packages and manufactured materials

[The Tick]

Fellow CMDRs,

you might have the same experience like me while searching for data packages and manufactured materials: after spending 20+ hours doing so, I still have no clue how to find the rarer materials specifically. Some rare items show up often, and some items that are supposed to be common only in very little amounts.
Hypothesis: spawn probabilities are depending on place and activity (like for elements on planets), and even NPC ship type.
I have started an effort for finding this out, by recording where and under which circumstances I have found stuff.
Please have a look at my data so far (google doc link).

As this takes quite some time, and due to the high number of different materials, you need a high number of data points, I would like to ask for your contribution:
- make a copy of my google doc (please don't mess with this one)
- record your data and provide a link here

I will then maintain a summary doc.
Suggestions?

ps: I'm not doing anything about elements, as this has been done extensively by others already (all hail the Rock Rats )

 

[Bokugo]

Most of it is just plain RNG. I've been barnacle gathering trying to stock up on materials. People have said they would go from like 5-40 arsenic in an hour. I quadrupled that time and went from 0 to 5. The game does tell you where to find them. It's just hairpullingly frustrating to go through hours and hours and barely come out with anything even when doing it correctly. Can't wait to get crapped on by RNG again when I go for an "upgrade" too.

 

[Lowievisser]

I only have problems finding this:[FONT=&quot]mwa[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Modified Consumer Firmwaree. Dunno wy , maybe bad luck or so. some sites say PIO , other says Mission rewards and USS , so far no luck.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

 

[metatheurgist]

I'd suggest coordinating with these guys:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wTmKrzLCXRIdHwKHaN-gXHq6YkS_JAnJKsyQp8P-j0Y/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=93194749

 

[YinYin]

Could you also have a look at mission parameters (location/economy/state/reputation)?

Most of it is just plain RNG. I've been barnacle gathering trying to stock up on materials. People have said they would go from like 5-40 arsenic in an hour. I quadrupled that time and went from 0 to 5. The game does tell you where to find them. It's just hairpullingly frustrating to go through hours and hours and barely come out with anything even when doing it correctly. Can't wait to get crapped on by RNG again when I go for an "upgrade" too.

I'm pretty sure that should still depend on the planet the barnacles are on - as they seem to essentially be extracting from it. Maybe you were on a different one?

 

[The Tick]

Most of it is just plain RNG. I've been barnacle gathering trying to stock up on materials. People have said they would go from like 5-40 arsenic in an hour. I quadrupled that time and went from 0 to 5. The game does tell you where to find them. It's just hairpullingly frustrating to go through hours and hours and barely come out with anything even when doing it correctly. Can't wait to get crapped on by RNG again when I go for an "upgrade" too.

FYI: this is not about elemental materials, as stated on the OP. It's about data packages and manufactured materials. There are enough resources available on how to find elements like Arsenic. And the 3-2-1 rule still applies.

I'd suggest coordinating with these guys:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wTmKrzLCXRIdHwKHaN-gXHq6YkS_JAnJKsyQp8P-j0Y/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=93194749

Thanks, I'm planning to do that. But these guys do not yet explore the 'how to find stuff' exactly. They provide only a very rough overview. I would like to contribute with more detailed data.

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I only have problems finding this:[FONT="]mwa[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT="]Modified Consumer Firmwaree. Dunno wy , maybe bad luck or so. some sites say PIO , other says Mission rewards and USS , so far no luck.[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]

Hi, I think any firmware needs to be collected from data points and planet POIs or in Encoded Emission Sources. I will try collecting this tonight.

 

[punkerich]

I only have problems finding this:mwaModified Consumer Firmwaree. Dunno wy , maybe bad luck or so. some sites say PIO , other says Mission rewards and USS , so far no luck.

Exactly what i'm searching for, seem hard to come by. Got 2 outta mission rewards, i'm trying high tech ports, the more factions the better. Mode switching
the board... Tried surface POI's, but i didn't come across a data point in a whole evening. bad luck? would be cool to know if that's just purely random or if there is any correlation between the chance of specific POI type spawning, the planet, jurisdiction, economy, population...

 

[The Tick]

Document updated, now includes Commodities as well.
PSA: if you are looking for a very specific item, search the mission boards. This seems to be more time efficient than any other method.