Something bad has happened to surface prospecting

[Ian Doncaster]

I haven't rechecked in the current version, but prior to U15 the differences I noticed between 4.0 and 3.8 were:
- 4.0 tended to have better meteorites than 3.8 (especially more metallics)
- 4.0 has fewer meteorites per square kilometre, though not massively so
- 4.0 has a much bigger "respawn radius" than 3.8. In 3.8 you could go for a drive, head out a bit over a kilometre, and then return to your ship and find a meteorite sitting next to it that definitely wasn't there before. In 4.0, once you've cleared an area it stays cleared; I haven't done a proper test to find what the new radius is

It was certainly a different experience, but for obtaining the higher-grade raw materials it seemed a little faster than before.

I also never see those random buildings, ships, cargo stashes or skimmers. Ever.

Yes - those have been replaced with the "Irregular Markers" etc. signals detectable with the DSS. You could in theory run into one of those while just driving around, but there's six or so to an entire planet so it's pretty unlikely.

 

[Factabulous]

Last night I was finding the rate of meteorites etc was fine. Scanner worked fine.

Main issue was the mats disappearing if you drive over them - which happens reasonably often - and reducing yield that way.

 

[Northpin]

Re-logging is not much different to closing and re-opening the game executable. I think the current surface behavior has something to do with the way FDev "fixed" the re-logging game-play on harvesting settlement materials: super-cruising in resets the instance and spawns new elements, but every subsequent re-log (even normal shutdown and re-start) clears them. Seems like it is not only settlement mats, but also everything else on planets.

OK - I just did an exhaustive statistical analysis of this behaviour (OK I did a few "desktop relog" on a couple of planets) and can confirm I was not dreaming - no meteorites or outcrops are spawned after starting the game whilst in a SRV on the surface of a planet (which had those on arrival in my ship).

The way they "fixed" the relogging game is quite atrocious, to put it gently...

 

[Northpin]

Main issue was the mats disappearing if you drive over them - which happens reasonably often - and reducing yield that way.

This issue is really annoying - i secretly hoped they fixed collision in the U15 game, but it seems they didnt.
I guess it's safely to assume shooting panels in a guardian site (or metaalloys in a barnacle) has the same chance of ejecting the material at high speed with the net result of losing the said material, which was (is) really annoying especially for technology components that usually are no more then 3-4 per site

 

[FrogsFriend]

OK - I just did an exhaustive statistical analysis of this behaviour (OK I did a few "desktop relog" on a couple of planets) and can confirm I was not dreaming - no meteorites or outcrops are spawned after starting the game whilst in a SRV on the surface of a planet (which had those on arrival in my ship).

Just as a countpoint to this, I've been driving about on a single icy moon collecting Tungsten from meteorites. Three separate sessions over two days with the game shut down in between and restarted in my SRV, and meteorites & outcrops have continued appearing in every session. So not a universal bug it seams.

 

[Mike Reacher]

Did some SRV mining and a lot of what is said here is correct. If it was fun to mine in the SRV Fdev nerfed it in different ways.
S/scan a planet and see the comment x geo and x human. No geo and no human. Actually, nothing at all.
There is obviously a variation, and it is annoying.

 

[Jumpin' Jack Flash]

Hi All

Last night I was finding the rate of meteorites etc was fine. Scanner worked fine.

Main issue was the mats disappearing if you drive over them - which happens reasonably often - and reducing yield that way.

Yep, noticed that too.
Incidentally deep core mining seems to be a bit 'translucent' as well.
Going to 'hot spots' for example now just seems to be a bit confusing, for example, when I pick a monazite hot spot the appearance of that material can be very vague.
I sometimes get every other material except that particular one. For example serendibite, painite or platinum etc.
Why it's changed in the case of meteorites or other similar mats on the surface where driving over them destroys the materials just seems illogical, and counter productive in the sense of 'enjoyable' gameplay.
There's a lot of frustrating (and confusing) gameplay creeping into this game, in other areas too imho.

Jack .

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

The way they "fixed" the relogging game is quite atrocious, to put it gently...

They fixed the relogging because it was a form of cheating and spoiled the gameplay they were intending, that explorers and matt collectors would have to find the materials.

So what you are saying is that you would expect to go back and find a meteorite in exactly the same place as when you last blew it to smithereens. If that were to happen in real life then that would mean
a) That the planet you were on would be having regular meteorite strikes and it would make it a dangerous place. Not a bad idea. Bring the dangerous back into Elite Dangerous.
b) The meteorites would have some form of magnetic attraction to the spawn point, but only certain types of rock would be attracted to that singular point. Clever rocks!!
c) Areas where you had not cleared would be filled up with meteorite, making the terrain impossible to navigate.

Its quite simple. Move onto another area, where the mat rocks are waiting for you and stop being lazy.

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

This issue is really annoying - i secretly hoped they fixed collision in the U15 game, but it seems they didnt.
I guess it's safely to assume shooting panels in a guardian site (or metaalloys in a barnacle) has the same chance of ejecting the material at high speed with the net result of losing the said material, which was (is) really annoying especially for technology components that usually are no more then 3-4 per site

I sort of see what is happening. You drive your heavy SRV over a rock. It will push it into the ground and make it non-collectable. Still annoying. Especially as you cannot collect two types of rock with the same scoop.

What I find more annoying is that fact if you drive over the broken rocks too fast you are propelled into the air. That's not right.

 

[Northpin]

So what you are saying is that you would expect to go back and find a meteorite in exactly the same place as when you last blew it to smithereens

No, i say that if i log back on the surface of the planet*, i should be able to keep finding all sorts of meteorites outcrops (not the same, but to be able to keep driving and find more)
See post #15 on previous page, post that confirms there are no more outcrops to be found following a relog.

Also, generally speaking - crashing in a settlement is a really nasty thing since every material (data, goods, assets) will disappear and that means you will waste materials if for example you just inserted the Power Regulator and now you're just extinguishing fires to complete it.
It's a bad fix IMO, a really bad one, because it annoys the "good players" that dont relog and it's not preventing the relog-farm since it can still be done by supercruising out then back in. or by quit-to-desktop instead of quit-to-menu.


*(a re-log if you want - even tho the log-in may be separated by hours from the preceding log-off )

 

[Northpin]

I sort of see what is happening. You drive your heavy SRV over a rock. It will push it into the ground and make it non-collectable. Still annoying. Especially as you cannot collect two types of rock with the same scoop.

What I find more annoying is that fact if you drive over the broken rocks too fast you are propelled into the air. That's not right.

Yes, usually that's what happens - the material is thrown inside the geometry at very high speed and it vanishes in a fraction of a second - usually to fast to notice
Rarely, the srv_wheel / material collision will result in throwing your srv up in the air, thumbling, along with "pushing" the material in the planet.

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

No, i say that if i log back on the surface of the planet*, i should be able to keep finding all sorts of meteorites outcrops (not the same, but to be able to keep driving and find more)
See post #15 on previous page, post that confirms there are no more outcrops to be found following a relog.

Also, generally speaking - crashing in a settlement is a really nasty thing since every material (data, goods, assets) will disappear and that means you will waste materials if for example you just inserted the Power Regulator and now you're just extinguishing fires to complete it.
It's a bad fix IMO, a really bad one, because it annoys the "good players" that dont relog and it's not preventing the relog-farm since it can still be done by supercruising out then back in. or by quit-to-desktop instead of quit-to-menu.


*(a re-log if you want - even tho the log-in may be separated by hours from the preceding log-off )

Oh, sorry misread. That does sound annoying. I'll give it a go this evening and see if I can get the same results. Can't say that I have noticed it so far.

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

Yes, usually that's what happens - the material is thrown inside the geometry at very high speed and it vanishes in a fraction of a second - usually to fast to notice
Rarely, the srv_wheel / material collision will result in throwing your srv up in the air, thumbling, along with "pushing" the material in the planet.

More likely to happen the faster you are going.

 

[Ultra Fluffy]

There is also the "Shoot the mat on the side of a dormant geyser, only to have the geyser go active and propel it a mile in the air" problem. That's explainable, but no less annoying

 

[Fnord Velkor]

Just as a countpoint to this, I've been driving about on a single icy moon collecting Tungsten from meteorites. Three separate sessions over two days with the game shut down in between and restarted in my SRV, and meteorites & outcrops have continued appearing in every session. So not a universal bug it seams.

That is interesting - I had been checking this on several planets (to check I wasn't missing something) and had absolutely no signals appear after restarting the game in the SRV on the surface - I even tried going away to make some coffee and sandwiches after loading or driving about in random directions - nothing, nada, zilch, gornisht, neoni, etc...


P.S. Re the disappearing mats after shoot-up - I have taken to checking the status message (upper right corner on the HUD) and even the couple of occasions the SRV was sent in somersaults, the mat was collected. Of course there were still those that just disappeared if the wheels came into contact (not collected) - so I don't know why some "collected mats" made the SRV behave as if it had run over a mine (checked in the contacts lists for no lost fragments).

 

[Reggit]

Can confirm - sometimes I can land on a planet and have all the Raws I need after ~15 minutes...
Other times (on the same planet) I have none of the Raws I need even after several hours.

No idea what's going on - figured I was just sometimes really unlucky!

 

[Aunty Sledge]

I've noticed that since Odyssey came out the old SRV scooping just doesn't work like it did in the good old days. I used to enjoy unwinding with some SRV surface mining.

The best method now is to farm these grade 4 Crystalline Shard locations and then trade down to fill the other grades. Locations in brackets haven't been personally confirmed, those without have.

Spoiler: Crystalline Shard Locations

HIP36601 C 1 a Polonium (-57.4599, 126.9543), (-28.25, -2.54), (25.14, 2.24), (-25.13, -4.30), (28.51, 15.25)
HIP36601 C 1 d Ruthenium -51.2555, 14.5294, (-24.6, 105.35)
HIP36601 C 3 b Tellurium 19.4304, 52.2665, (-17.6769, -55.1800), (67.00, 131.75), (-37.73, 8.32), (-1.84,-39.04), (63.77, 131.35), (63.82,131.59), (64.0, 133.10), (64.58, 133.13)
HIP36601 C 5 a Technetium 3.5510, 111.5364, (-71.13, 116.04), ( 3.746, 78.68), (3.93, 78.66)
HIP 36601 - C 4 A - Selenium - (Not cryatal shards)
Outotz LS-K d8-3, B 5 a Yttrium -1.8836 -145.7096
Outotz LS-K d8-3, B 5 c Antimony (-62.4905 80.2426)
Outotz LS-K d8-3 B 7 b Ruthenium
Outotz JI-J d9-4 B7B Antimony (52.23, -116.25), (32.25, 176.73), (32.7, 177.65), (32.7,177.59), (32.70,177.59), (32.35, 176.73)
Outotz GZ-M c21-0 B3C Yttrium (37.37, -30.23), (37.4, -30.20), (37.36, -30.24)

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

So in other words the changes to prevent relogins drives players just deeper to the repetitive and boring ways, because the regular stuff is nerfed, stops working, just isn't worth doing anymore.
From my experience that is pretty much all about ED in a nutshell.

 

[K Olley]

Sounds like time to take the mining Cutter out for a spin.

Ok all of my raw's are full, but when I look at the amount of uncollected raw's when I am mining I think that ring mining for just raw's could be a viable option combined with the use of a mat's trader.

A ship equipped with mining lasers prospector and collector limpets, no refinery required.

 

[SlickPBW]

Ok all of my raw's are full, but when I look at the amount of uncollected raw's when I am mining I think that ring mining for just raw's could be a viable option combined with the use of a mat's trader.

A ship equipped with mining lasers prospector and collector limpets, no refinery required.

Yes. Crystal shards for the G4’s, asteroids for the bulk G1/2 and a material trader (if needed) is a pretty effective way to fill raw materials. As much as I did enjoy the occasional SRV surface prospecting (flat, high G worlds were fun) I haven’t done that for ages.