Elite : Dangerous

[kalniel]

Well since the patch I tried passenger missions (profitable, but ultimately a bit scary due to station instakill bug if you happen to have a possibly wanted passenger on board), got bored, wasted all my good materials on engineering a vulture that probably didn't need it, got bored of how easy it was to fly and went back to my explorer build Asp, which just feels nice for some reason.

But now I'm thinking of trying mining, partly to get engineer requirements but also to build up materials I wasted again. What ships are good (that don't require too much ranking)? I already have a cobra mk3 I could possibly convert, a vulture and an Asp that I'd rather not touch. Getting a new type of ship would be preferable as I like to add to the collection.

[cptwhite_uk]

Mining requires plenty of internal storage.

I'd probably be looking at the the follow (for their price range)

Cobra Mk4
ASP Explorer
Imperial Clipper (needs Empire rank)
Python

ASP Explorer is probably your best bet for a reasonable mining experience for a player with your experience. If you've not done it before let me know and I'll give you some tips.

[Dashers]

Depends on your cash. I spend a lot of time fiddling on https://coriolis.io/ (or their 2.2 beta: http://beta.coriolis.edcd.io/)

For mining internal space is important as you need a refinery (the bigger the better), a prospector limpet controller and a collector limpet controller. Plus you need cargo space for whatever it is you're collecting, and your limpets too. Possibly a detailed surface scanner too if you're in unknown systems.

If you take something with fighter bay then you don't have to worry so much about being distracted by pirates whilst mining, but obviously takes a significant chunk of space out of your ship. Keelback would be awesome but it just takes up too much space in that to be a "proper" miner.

Asp is obviously fairly good on space, if you have the money, you could buy another. I'd say otherwise, Federal Dropship (have to rank a bit, but not massively), T7, Clipper (ranked) - or if you can stretch, there's always that wonder ship the Python. None of these will take a fighter though.

I haven't really got into mining, but I've had to do it to get some materials to try out engineers (boy, they're a joyless "feature"). I was beginning to get into a groove a bit. Burning through prospectors to try and find useful rocks (with a reference sheet of what's expensive) and then mining those.

I suspect the real "challenge" to mining is finding a good quality ring - it's probably more about exploration.

I also had my first stab as surface prospecting too - that's even duller.

[kalniel]

Any tips gratefully received Not tried mining before.

Clipper would be ideal in many ways.. just need that ranking! And don't particularly want to grind it out either.

I don't want to buy another AspX, so I guess I could outfit it for mining and use module storage.. it's just a hassle and doesn't leave me with a dedicated ready to go ship for my exploring.

I can afford a Python I'm sure, it's just how much modding is needed for safety really. If a python could be set up for multi-role including mining then that's certainly a viable option.

[cptwhite_uk]

Python is great but expensive. If you switch out your ASP modules make a note of which system and station you stored them at...I don't think there's anyway to track where they are in-game and no way to transfer them to your current system at the moment. So do it manually.

Once I'm on lunch I'll type out my thoughts on the process (12:30-1pm)

[kalniel]

Thanks.

I'm guessing a build like this might be viable for mining and trading/mission running?

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/pyth...GaGZK+JiWK0Ig=.

Don't know if DSS needed for ring contents?

I'd obviously mod the thrusters as a priority to get some Sir Robin ability. Shield boosters next on the list with thermal resistance and hope for a bonus to the boost on a roll, which should get me up to over 400mj shields which might be enough to claim the odd pirate bounty? Think my vulture has around 420 and it's fine for NPC fighting, though obviously Python is a bit of a larger target..

[cptwhite_uk]

Okay so my thoughts on mining:

Firstly once you know what you're looking for, know what type of ring system you're likely to find it in. Guide here:

Search here for the material (I'm assuming your hunting Engineering materials)
http://inara.cz/search

There are 4 types of ring systems - ice, rocky, metal rich, metallic - search above for which type of ring system your material will be mined from.

For pure profit you want metalic rings. As well of as this they also have a rating as to how heavily mined they have been thus far, "pristine" is the holy grail as it's brand new and not been mined before.

With regards to the ship spec out

Refinery with 4 bins / ovens minimum, preferably 6...this means you can collect 4 different types of materials at once. Bear in mind each asteroid can give off up to 4 or 5 mining materials at once. You'll be constantly disgarding bins with unwanted materials if you don't have enough and suddenyl no spare bins to collect the silver/gold/platinum you just found.

Collection drones - quantity scales with cargo capacity, but 4 is a good minimum for something like the ASP.

Prospector drones - you launch one at a time, dumb fire, once launched the previous one self-destructs, so only 1 is active at any time. Simply aim at the asteroid and fire, check info screen bottom left for asteroid composition.

Cargo space - Once you've assigned internal space for 4x collection drones, 1x prospector drone, max out on your cargo space (64T for ASP I would think)

BUY LIMPETS FROM MAIN STATION SCREEN BEFORE YOU LEAVE....they don't come with the modules

I would buy 45 prospector drones and 16 collection drones (collections drones last a few minutes ~ 5 minutes each? You can deploy 4 at a time (based on my spec. minimum above), so you have around 20 minutes optimally before running out, time and range depends on spec of collector limpet module you bought).

Every prospector drone you fire off gives you 1 more cargo space. If you run out of cargo space just eject some, they're only cheap, but it's better to have them and eject them than run out in a asteroid field.

Equip 2x Class 2 mining lasers (makes for faster fragments)
Equip 2x Class 1 mines for running away if necessary
Equip 2x Class 1 gimballed beam lasers to fight off smaller ships if you prefer (or mines again).

Aim mining lasers at the edge of the asteroid when you fire, so fragments fly off away from the body (collector limpets are stupid and often crash into the asteroid if the fragments are close to it)

No need to target fragments, deploy collectors and they will collect automatically

Remember to deploy cargo hatch

[Ttaskmaster]

I don't think there's anyway to track where they are in-game and no way to transfer them to your current system at the moment. So do it manually.

I thought that's exactly what you could do in the Outfitting section?

[Dashers]

I think previously bought modules are always available in outfitting. Some hand-wavium free remote 3D printing thing. I haven't looked into it though, given there is (or certainly wasn't) a cost to selling your modules, I don't think there's a massive benefit in storing them.

Storing cargo would be far more useful.

[cptwhite_uk]

I might be wrong then....swear I went to a different station and my modules weren't available to equip....but I might have been doing it wrong.

Agreed on cargo storage though!

[Dashers]

Thanks.

I'm guessing a build like this might be viable for mining and trading/mission running?

https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/pyth...GaGZK+JiWK0Ig=.

Don't know if DSS needed for ring contents?

I'd obviously mod the thrusters as a priority to get some Sir Robin ability. Shield boosters next on the list with thermal resistance and hope for a bonus to the boost on a roll, which should get me up to over 400mj shields which might be enough to claim the odd pirate bounty? Think my vulture has around 420 and it's fine for NPC fighting, though obviously Python is a bit of a larger target..

AFAIK DSS is only needed if you don't have the information for the system already - the bigger systems that are preloaded into your galmap will already have all the data. And then, all they'll do it tell you what's in the rings. If that's something you feel you want to do, get one.

Anyway, spend moar moneh!
https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/type...8eQ==.Aw18eQ==.

Look at that beaut. Three mining lasers will cut through that rock in no time. A couple of multi-canons to discourage people coming up behind you and a fighter bay to dispatch swift death to anybody who interrupts you.

All I think is missing is the ability to set your AI to do the mining whilst you fly round in your fighter...

[cptwhite_uk]

Given you can hire AI pilots I bet that's completely possible in a future update

[kalniel]

I think previously bought modules are always available in outfitting. Some hand-wavium free remote 3D printing thing. I haven't looked into it though, given there is (or certainly wasn't) a cost to selling your modules, I don't think there's a massive benefit in storing them.

Storing cargo would be far more useful.

Module storage became important with engineering - now you can store that nice rolled FSD with a huge jump range.

I might be wrong then....swear I went to a different station and my modules weren't available to equip....but I might have been doing it wrong.

Agreed on cargo storage though!

The stored modules are in a separate tab underneath the other outfitting types. And sometimes it takes a while for them to show up.

Anyway, spend moar moneh!
https://coriolis.edcd.io/outfit/type...8eQ==.Aw18eQ==.

Look at that beaut. Three mining lasers will cut through that rock in no time. A couple of multi-canons to discourage people coming up behind you and a fighter bay to dispatch swift death to anybody who interrupts you.

Love it. I had never considered a type 9, but yes if the fighters are strong enough to fight off pirates then they're suddenly viable.. Not that I know how to fly one but all truckers have to start somewhere right?!

[Ttaskmaster]

I haven't looked into it though, given there is (or certainly wasn't) a cost to selling your modules, I don't think there's a massive benefit in storing them.

Storing basic modules means you don't have to hunt around the galaxy all over again to find wherever you managed to find the exact one you wanted.
Storing Engineered modules means you don't have the schlep and grind to reacquire it.

Almost certain I recall seeing something in the Outfitting section where you click on a module and transfer it, but that it had a cost associated with the transfer.
Something like Module value 180,000, distance 28Ly, cost 9,800.
Why would they charge me so much for swapping a simple module between ships or between ship and storage?

Storing cargo would be far more useful.

Why?
Is it not more useful to sell the cargo... unless you're holding some junk until it goes up in price?

[Dashers]

I'm holding junk for engineers.

I get storing engineered modules, I guess I haven't yet seen the need to sell engineered modules in the first place. I guess some transfer to other ships, but usually you UPgrade which means you really need a bigger base module.

With fighters, yes they're up to the job. Especially if there are a few NPC cops about. One of my first trips out in a fighter with my Harmless NPC at the helm of my mothership:
http://www.aligrant.com/video/elitefdl.mp4

[Ttaskmaster]

I'm holding junk for engineers.

Can you not just ship it to them?
Serious question, as I haven't bothered going to any yet...

I guess some transfer to other ships, but usually you UPgrade which means you really need a bigger base module.

I run several different ships of different types. It's just a pain to keep going round and finding which system stocks exactly which kind of weapon or module that I just had to sell a couple of weeks back to replace on one of the other ships.