Forums » Suggestions
The Hive Collector Mining Beam
I noticed that in collector sectors, the roofs are never hot even after being mined. This indicates the Collectors having a mining beam that has such low heat that it is practically 0. It also takes about 10 mins to mine 30 cu of ore. This indicates a yeild rate of 1 unit every 20s. Since there is no heat, this rate is an absolute.
Hence I propose the Hive Collector Mining Beam. A beam that is not fast, but causes absolutely no heat. You can infinitely mine a roid without it heating even 1K. Grid of 6. To offset the very obvious advantage, it will have a drop rate, from Artemis collectors only, of 1 in 10000.
Hence I propose the Hive Collector Mining Beam. A beam that is not fast, but causes absolutely no heat. You can infinitely mine a roid without it heating even 1K. Grid of 6. To offset the very obvious advantage, it will have a drop rate, from Artemis collectors only, of 1 in 10000.
My problem with new equipment, whether its just standard but better, or if its completely new like the gravity mine, is that new equipment falls into one of the following categories:
1) Lack of functionality
Let's use gravity mines here; even if all mines didn't draw such severe inspection by the AI, the problem is that while very cool, their ability does effectively match existing equipment already. You get two mines in a single port - conc and drain - and while the gravity mine draws inward instead of outward, its still a similar enough effect in combat.
2) Saturation
I've heard that queen mining beams fit this category; as a consequence of severe farming, there's simply more QMBs than circulation demands. Now, I do NOT think that nerfing drop rates themselves is a great idea for any "core" system drops; leave that mess for the outer regions. However, this is equipment that you rarely have in combat scenarios, so once you have a few, it just sits around to be used or not used. For non weapons (and even for some weapons that may come about in the future), i'd suggest it needs to be more consumable. That'll be its own balancing act, keeping supply-ablility of an item high enough while keeping it actually useful enough that the gear doesn't sink into problem 1.
This hive beam, like a lot of current mining gear, would just fit into one of these categories (in this case, #2).
For a consumable like how seeker flares work, but in the direction of mining... I had an idea a while back for a deployable pod that would hook onto an asteroid and physically mine it, and that would thematically make more sense as an obtainable item that you could "consume" permanently.
1) Lack of functionality
Let's use gravity mines here; even if all mines didn't draw such severe inspection by the AI, the problem is that while very cool, their ability does effectively match existing equipment already. You get two mines in a single port - conc and drain - and while the gravity mine draws inward instead of outward, its still a similar enough effect in combat.
2) Saturation
I've heard that queen mining beams fit this category; as a consequence of severe farming, there's simply more QMBs than circulation demands. Now, I do NOT think that nerfing drop rates themselves is a great idea for any "core" system drops; leave that mess for the outer regions. However, this is equipment that you rarely have in combat scenarios, so once you have a few, it just sits around to be used or not used. For non weapons (and even for some weapons that may come about in the future), i'd suggest it needs to be more consumable. That'll be its own balancing act, keeping supply-ablility of an item high enough while keeping it actually useful enough that the gear doesn't sink into problem 1.
This hive beam, like a lot of current mining gear, would just fit into one of these categories (in this case, #2).
For a consumable like how seeker flares work, but in the direction of mining... I had an idea a while back for a deployable pod that would hook onto an asteroid and physically mine it, and that would thematically make more sense as an obtainable item that you could "consume" permanently.
Yeah what you're saying makes sense to me as well. I suggested something similar in my Buff the Furie suggestion. A manufactured mining drone which self destructs after a period of time.
The hive mining beam isn't too far away from the HE beam; you could just have collectors drop those now and then (players without 10 mining can equip HE beams at non-mining stations). Save having to make another equipment type.
HE beam still heats the roid. Im talking of a beam (or a bot) that mines very slowly but doesn't heat the roid at all.