Some mining thoughts

[encrypted]

Avoided mining during beta just because ... Yesterday, literally the first thing I did was equipping my T-10 with all new goodies and flew to some pristine rings nearby.

1) FD, something needs to be done over these weapon groups. It's not even remotely funny. With mining the amount of 'scrolling' a regular person woud need to make all the time is beyond normal.

I have 6 or 7 firegroups for T-10, specifically for mining. Scrolling down from mining lasers to pulse scanner, to abrasion blaster, etc. is no fun.

2) Pulse wave scanner needs a BUTTON use, like ECM, etc. All utility things, basically, would need a button use. Please. This will save some firegroups + will be much more useful in a long run.

3) Mining itself is quite fun and makes perfect sense. I _would_ probably get rind of abrasion blaster all the way, allowing those chunks to be loosened by mining laser, again, to minimize weapon groups.

4) Sometimes it's not quite clear what surface/subsurface thingies are clear. Some of the can be targeted after they're empty. Why?

5) Same goes about pulse wave, it still shows empty asteroids as 'yellow' ones. Why would it?...

Overall quite great experience, not too sure if T-10 is great for a job, especially with it's weapon locations and fixed weapons on a side issues. When FD was testing this, I bet they just put a few weapons on a Krait and flew around, with no thought for bigger ships. Well, whatever, it's fun, overall, but few above issues could be fixed.

Thanks.

 

[uliando]

Yeah, we definitely need more fire groups. How about some better UI design to handle it? Or maybe limit some firegroups to utility things or mining?

 

[Mole HD]

This already reads like the entire beta discussion thread...like we didn't already suggest all this 1000,s of times.

A wasted 4 weeks of typing onto a section seemingly unread by FDev.

 

[Feculator]

This already reads like the entire beta discussion thread...like we didn't already suggest all this 1000,s of times.

A wasted 4 weeks of typing onto a section seemingly unread by FDev.

They probably did. They just couldn't fix the bugs in time, let alone make make any changes. In the usual fashion, the new stuff they implement will resemble a well thought-out mechanic only after a good few months of extra patches.

 

[Henri]

I have 4 fire buttons on mah HOTAS

 

[Alderius]

Can anyone tell me if the abrasion blaster is required over the mining laser? I'm thinking of mining tonight and I'm taking the charges and missiles, but I kept the old mining laser as it seems to do the same thing as the abrasion device. TIA

 

[Deleted member 38366]

Can anyone tell me if the abrasion blaster is required over the mining laser? I'm thinking of mining tonight and I'm taking the charges and missiles, but I kept the old mining laser as it seems to do the same thing as the abrasion device. TIA

AFAIK the Abrasion Laser is frequently needed, as cracking up an Asteroid (Seismic charge) opens up larger Asteroid fragments - which often have Surface Deposits attached to their insides.
I don't think the classic Mining Lasers can work Surface Deposits (?)

 

[TheSisko]

AFAIK the Abrasion Laser is frequently needed, as cracking up an Asteroid (Seismic charge) opens up larger Asteroid fragments - which often have Surface Deposits attached to their insides.
I don't think the classic Mining Lasers can work Surface Deposits (?)

But there's no need to crack open rocks to get to surface deposits. Loads of asteroids have them (or they did for me last night). It depends on what kind of mining you want to do and how much profit you want to make.

I'd file the Abrasion Laser under 'nice to have but not required'.

 

[Kaocraft]

There's no possible way that Frontier could have known about any of these issues before release. Nobody on YouTube or Twitch told them to change it so there's really no way of identifying these problems and certainly no way of fixing them now. This is the best it will ever be.

 

[Guardian Kaiser]

But there's no need to crack open rocks to get to surface deposits. Loads of asteroids have them (or they did for me last night). It depends on what kind of mining you want to do and how much profit you want to make.

I'd file the Abrasion Laser under 'nice to have but not required'.

Yes but you get more surface deposits after cracking one open. You can mine all the surface and subsurface deposits, crack open the roid and mine the NEW surface deposits that appear. In addition to collecting the loose material after cracking open the roid.

 

[Azirphaeli]

Yes but you get more surface deposits after cracking one open. You can mine all the surface and subsurface deposits, crack open the roid and mine the NEW surface deposits that appear. In addition to collecting the loose material after cracking open the roid.

and those new deposits might have new stuff worth a lot more than anything those mining lasers are breaking off.

 

[Mole HD]

There's no possible way that Frontier could have known about any of these issues before release. Nobody on YouTube or Twitch told them to change it so there's really no way of identifying these problems and certainly no way of fixing them now. This is the best it will ever be.

Really?


And the 4 week beta was for...?

 

[TheSisko]

Yes but you get more surface deposits after cracking one open. You can mine all the surface and subsurface deposits, crack open the roid and mine the NEW surface deposits that appear. In addition to collecting the loose material after cracking open the roid.

I know, just saying that surface deposits galore are all over the place (in hotspots anyway). In a ship which doesn't have many hardpoints, like the Adder, you could take a couple of mining lasers and a blaster too, the latter would earn its placement without cracking any rocks open.

I've got a T9 and Cutter for traditional mining but I'm thinking I'll take a blaster along for the ride. They are big ships, too big to get between cracked rocks, but the blaster would make more profit, potentially.

 

[Deleted member 115407]

I know, just saying that surface deposits galore are all over the place (in hotspots anyway). In a ship which doesn't have many hardpoints, like the Adder, you could take a couple of mining lasers and a blaster too, the latter would earn its placement without cracking any rocks open.

I've got a T9 and Cutter for traditional mining but I'm thinking I'll take a blaster along for the ride. They are big ships, too big to get between cracked rocks, but the blaster would make more profit, potentially.

Now, a mining SLF with a blaster on it. Come one... pure utility there. For the big guys.

We should petition FD - we need this.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

There's no possible way that Frontier could have known about any of these issues before release. Nobody on YouTube or Twitch told them to change it so there's really no way of identifying these problems and certainly no way of fixing them now. This is the best it will ever be.

Agreed. The module bloat and firegroups problems were all discussed in detail during the focused discussion months before the Beta.

Both that discussion and the Beta have been a complete waste of our time.

 

[Cliché]

From the patch notes: Abrasion Blaster - used to break off surface material deposits from asteroids.
Doesn't the mining laser already break off material deposits from asteroids? What are those fragments? Are they just bigger? Then just shoot the laser longer!
Why do we still need this redundant tool?

Is it worth messing with the Pulse Wave Analyzer? Does it work? I tried it once in the beta and it didn't seem worth the trouble and gave false results. And iirc, you still need to use prospector drones anyway. You don't need the PWA to reveal surface deposits and fissures do you? Or is it the prospector limpet that does that? Or is it just there to see when you get close?