Why do my limpets kee[ expiring?

Stabby_Dave

Stabby_Dave
Hi.

When picking up mats in a USS, I outfit my AspX with a collector limpets.

What I've noticed, is that more often than not, the first one dies the first time it return to the ship and I haveto use another. Before you ask, yes! I have deployed the cargo scoop.

Any ideas?

Cheers.
 

Sgopher81

S
Limpets are pretty dumb and will fly into anything in their way, self-preservation be damned!

In a USS they may be flying into debris. In an asteroid field they are very good at flying into asteroids!
 

Snowymonk

Snowymonk
Do you select the material to collect or just fire blindly?

(If you target the material and then fire a limpet, it will consider its job done once the material has been collected and then die)
 

Atrus5060

A
If you have an object selected when you program a limpet, the limpet will collect the item then die. If you don't target an item, limpets will deploy and collect everything.
 

[VR] Deggial

[VR] Deggial
The mystery is solved, apparently. :)

Basically, limpets have two modes - which both have advantages and drawbacks.

Mode 1 - Direkt targeting
That's what you used.
- advantage: you will scoop exactly the material or flaoting cargo you want to and as fast as possible.
- drawback: the limpet will expire after one use.

Mode 2 - Unspecific collection
This will be innitiated, if nothing specific is targeted when the limpet is launched.
- advantage: the limpit will collect over a long time until it expires "naturally" or gets destroyed by external forces
- drawback: the limit doesn't descriminate between the collectable stuff. Pieces you actually want might expire (mats/mining fragments) or you might be forced to flee before you were able to collect what you want (missions, piracy)

Actually quite a neat system with an "interesting choice" to be made.
 
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Watcher

W
Or they have a durability and you can recall them if they haven't expired yet.
Durability drop off moderated by tasks performed and controller capabilities.
 

Red Fox Four

Red Fox Four
Stabby_Dave said:
Yup. That's it. The targeting thing.

Thanks for the help, everyone. Mystery solved.

:D
Click to expand...

Just as an extra bit of information.

Limpets fired in target-mode will fly at 200m/s, grab targeted item, return it and blow up.
Limpets fired in free-for-all mode (nothing targeted when limpet is launched) will fly at 60m/s and keep grabbing items (including illegal / illicit cargo) until they expire (duration varies based on the quality of your controller, e.g. an A rated lasts 12 minutes or 720 seconds, while the lower quality ones have shorter durations).

Extra-extra information.

While a limpet is active you can go to your left side panel and look under Contacts and select items to add/remove to an ignore list. E.g. if you are mining you can add low-value ore fragments to ignore list. The limpets will then avoid those and not collect them. This can help speed up collection of fragments during mining and such.
 
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[VR] Deggial

[VR] Deggial
Red Fox Four said:
Just as an extra bit of information.

Limpets fired in target-mode will fly at 200m/s, grab targeted item, return it and blow up.
Limpets fired in free-for-all mode (nothing targeted when limpet is launched) will fly at 60m/s and keep grabbing items (including illegal / illicit cargo) until they expire (duration varies based on the quality of your controller, e.g. an A rated lasts 12 minutes or 720 seconds, while the lower quality ones have shorter durations).
Click to expand...

Interesting! I wasn't aware of the speed difference.

With that in mind, the life-span difference actually makes sense. In "direct mode" the limpet simply burns all the fuel in a short period of time, while the unhurried "collect-all" mode is way more fuel efficient.
 
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-VR- Max Factor

-VR- Max Factor
Do not target any materials or mined commodities. They will last longer that way. The do crash from time to time and they will run out of fuel eventually and die.
 

lecorsobreton

L
Also, don't go too fast. Going over 15ms will destroy your limpet and what it's carrying back. I've learned that the hard way in a hostage rescue scenario...
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Sgopher81 said:
Limpets are pretty dumb and will fly into anything in their way, self-preservation be damned!

In a USS they may be flying into debris. In an asteroid field they are very good at flying into asteroids!
Click to expand...

There ya go.

9 times out of 10, this is why limpets cark it prematurely.
 

Alecz

A
Capt. Hook said:
I would prefer drones that don't expire unless shot as EVE...
Click to expand...

+1 Rep.

I would love to see this single line in the patch notes at some point!

Patch Notes:
- Collector limpets no longer expire when in range, before their expiration time unless shot.
Click to expand...

Please FDev Make this happen! It wont affect balancing in the slightest, but would be a great QoL improvement and make the enormous hurdle of using limpets (modules, cargo) more worthwhile.
 

Lukas Linker

Lukas Linker
dayrth said:
Do you have a material targeted when you launch the limpet. If so it will get that one then expire. You need to have nothing targeted when you launch the limpet, then it will keep gathering materials until it runs out of time.
Click to expand...
Necroing the topic just to thank you for the information. Been annoyed by that and didn't notice it was because I was actually targeting something.
 

Hacker#451563

Hacker#451563
CMDRs....They are 101 Cr each.

Or 4 can be synthed for 10 Iron and 10 Nickel, literally the two most common collectable elements (2 lowly Bronze Contrites will sort you out with a full synth with mats. too spare).

Let them go CMDRs...let them go...
 
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