Forums » Suggestions

Better mineral-specific mining beams

Nov 11, 2010 Gunther Hermann link
Currently, when you compare a mineral specific beam to a generic one, the overall effectiveness is less on the specific one, even when mining that specific ore... the way the bonus is implemented, unless the roid has a high content to begin with, you don't really see a difference in harvesting probability, and of course as you approach 100%, there's the law of diminishing returns... then of course they generate more heat and extract substantially slower than an HD beam, or even a MK II beam, to such an extent that you'll get more of the target ore by just using the better beam and jetting the junk you don't want. In other words, there's just no use for them once you can buy the MKII.

I would really like to see some MK II ore-specific beams available with their corresponding Miner III badges. Give them a harvest rate only marginally less than the HD beams, and a marginally higher heat than the MKIIs, but with a substantially increased harvesting probability.

Another idea might be some "exclusion" type beams at higher levels, with similar stats to the MKII, that reduce the harvesting probability of some elements... for example, one may reduce pickup of ice and silica (with some added heat), while others may reduce pickup of iron or carbon, with a lower harvest rate. This allows for some more options for one beam, without creating a "one beam fits all" like the HD beam.
Nov 11, 2010 pirren link
+1, but I don't really think this thingy costs badge. high license will be enough.
Nov 11, 2010 Dr. Lecter link
Another idea might be some "exclusion" type beams at higher levels, with similar stats to the MKII, that reduce the harvesting probability of some elements... for example, one may reduce pickup of ice and silica (with some added heat), while others may reduce pickup of iron or carbon, with a lower harvest rate. This allows for some more options for one beam, without creating a "one beam fits all" like the HD beam.

This is probably the best idea ever for the stupidity that is mining.
Nov 11, 2010 tarenty link
+1. The miner III badges need a reward.

On exclusion... reduce the amount of common ore mined by a lot to make it useful, probably in time-sensitive operations. Otherwise I'd just use the MkII ore-specific beam, and get a little extra XP.
Nov 11, 2010 Gunther Hermann link
"On exclusion... reduce the amount of common ore mined by a lot to make it useful, probably in time-sensitive operations. Otherwise I'd just use the MkII ore-specific beam, and get a little extra XP"

This is a very good point... I often forget that part of the deciding factor in using HD beams is that, regardless of which ores you're trying to harvest, you gather XP at a MUCH higher rate. With the way the mineral modifiers work presently (which is kinda arcane), a bonus of over 500% may be needed to make the ore specific beams worthwhile... however, with the exclusion beams, the need may be less, especially if it's excluding 2 types, like silica and ice.

"but I don't really think this thingy costs badge. high license will be enough."

Well, it makes sense to have ore-specific beams tied into an ore-specific accomplishment, like the miner badges. It doesn't take that long to get level 3. I'm almost to it already for heliocene, and I've only been mining that for a day since I started playing again (they didn't track the stat the lats time I played, so I was starting from 0)

The generic mining beams, and current ore-specific ones already in game should be level dependent (and at lower levels than the MKII, etc.) but the new and better specific ore ones should be something you earn by showing you're serious about mining that specific ore... and as tarenty said, the miner III badges need a reward of some kind.
Nov 11, 2010 davejohn link
Ok, long term the ore specific beams could do with a look at. Short term, if it isn't broke don't fix it.

Really a mm2 with triple hd beams returns a very high mining rate if you know where to mine. I end up dumping helio at less than half price just to make room.

Tbh , I'd rather see a greater variety of ores, the dispostion of ores about space revamped and something interesting to do with the 100 k cu + of rare ore I'm sitting on...