Newcomer / Intro Prospector limpet failed. I read this is a bug by exterminating previously launch limpet, but

[Gobin Splat]

Prospector limpet failed. I read this is a bug by exterminating previously launch limpet, but

1/ will this interfere with your currently active collection that is being enhanced by previous prospector?

2/ dues this totally negate prospect controllers that should allow 2 limpets at same time?

 

[Northpin]

1. no idea, I always have a prospector active on the asteroid i mine
2. no. You can use a 5a prospector controller and have 4 prospector limpets out at any time. The moment you launch the 5th prospector, 1st will get destroyed and you get the message Prospector limpet failed

 

[Chris Simon]

You almost never need more than one prospector active. You only need a prospector limpet on the asteroid you're currently working on.
It's true that prospectors sometimes fail to launch or, if you're firing them on the move, will collide with your ship or something else and die, but once it's attached to the asteroid, it's basically done its job.
You then get the "prospector limpet failed" message when you fire another prospector on some other asteroid, or if you go beyond the max distance of the prospector controller.

I always equip the smallest PLC with only 1 active limpet. There are border cases where you could theoretically use two prospectors at the same time, for example you could work on two adjacent asteroids at the same time which could speed things up during laser mining, but most of the time you only need one.

As for the "enhanced collection" - the bonus in extra materials and ore that the prospectors give is tied to the asteroid they're attached to, not the refinery or the collectors. It means that when a prospector is attached to the asteroid, you simply "see more stuff in it" and can mine it out of there.

 

[aRJay]

There is a bug where prospector limpets die as they are launched, it is more likely to occur when you are flying fast.

Prospector limpets are destroyed by design when they reach the end of their time, they go out of range or when you launch more than your controller can handle in which case the oldest limpet is destroyed.

This doesn’t affect harvesting materials as the bug happens before the limpet does anything and the intended destruction will be after you have mined the rock that limpet is attached to if you are mining sensibly.

Lots of ninjas about today.

 

[Northpin]

There is a bug where prospector limpets die as they are launched, it is more likely to occur when you are flying fast.

That's not technically a bug. Prospector Limpets fly at 200m/s. If you fly faster or if you alter the flight course while they're near the ship, they will collide with the ship and get destroyed.
One of the reasons i like hatch breakers... they go like missiles, 500m/s

 

[d8veh]

Once a prospector has landed on a rock, all the rock's properties and content are maintained, even after the limpet fails (expires). You can mine it after the limpet has died and still get all the stuff. The only difference is that you don't get the message about the asteroid being depleted when it is.

It's not a bug that some expire when launched. That depends on your ship, its speed and acceleration. If you bump into the limpet after firing it, you'll kill it.

The only bug I've seen with prospector limpets is when they fly straight through the middle of a rock and out the other side without sticking to it, which happens to me about once an hour on average.

 

[Northpin]

The only bug I've seen with prospector limpets is when they fly straight through the middle of a rock and out the other side without sticking to it

this ^
and yea, it's really annoying.

When possible I usually use 2 prospectors, one for the rock i mine and one for the next one.

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

I've had the "failed" audio prompt only to have the limpet engage and work as intended.

 

[Gobin Splat]

That's not true. Hence they have multi limpet modules available. Also, whilst you're waiting for collectors from one asteroid you prospect on others. Nobody actually waits around. Hence my question

You almost never need more than one prospector active. You only need a prospector limpet on the asteroid you're currently working on.

 

[Codger]

I've had the "failed" audio prompt only to have the limpet engage and work as intended.

That's because the failed notice is for your previous limpet, which has now 'failed' because you launched a new one. The oldest limpet always expires in this way. I agree it's a confusing message at first

 

[Gobin Splat]

In fandom it says that you can start mining an asteroid without a limpet with reduced harvest, and if you attach a prospector half way through it will increase the harvest by half. Which suggests likewise that if you lose a limpet half way through you might lose some of the harvest. I guess I'll test it out more

Once a prospector has landed on a rock, all the rock's properties and content are maintained, even after the limpet fails (expires). You can mine it after the limpet has died and still get all the stuff.....

.

 

[aRJay]

That's not true. Hence they have multi limpet modules available. Also, whilst you're waiting for collectors from one asteroid you prospect on others. Nobody actually waits around. Hence my question

Hello I am nobody.

While I have fitted twin prospector limpet controllers in the past I found I was burning through limpets quicker for very little gain so have been using single limpet controllers for ages now the time difference is largely irrelevant.

Yes you can fire off prospectors while waiting for the collectors to finish and I will occasionally still do that but don’t usually bother as with enough collector limpets deployed there isn’t that long between finishing blasting fragments loose and them all being collected.

 

[Chris Simon]

Hello I am nobody.

While I have fitted twin prospector limpet controllers in the past I found I was burning through limpets quicker for very little gain so have been using single limpet controllers for ages now the time difference is largely irrelevant.

Yes you can fire off prospectors while waiting for the collectors to finish and I will occasionally still do that but don’t usually bother as with enough collector limpets deployed there isn’t that long between finishing blasting fragments loose and them all being collected.

Yes. That. Plus - although you can theoretically fire more collectors into neighbouring asteroids to see what's in them, you still have to wait around for the collectors to finish.