Player Features and Ideas Discussion

The Ore

As said, every Asteroid has a composition of the ores appropriate for its location. Starting general density, deposit type, density and distribution and number of veins depend on the security level of the system or type of gravimetric site. Asteroids will no longer contain ores with increased yield. Those are moved to vein mining with a further improved reprocessing yield.

Mining out a vein will reduce the density of the deposit and the total ore density of the asteroid by the volume mined. Mining a deposit will destroy veins when the deposit density drops below a certain percentage and will reduce total ore density by the mined volume. Strip mining reduces the ore density by the mined volume and drops the deposit densities according to the general ore density; veins may be depleted if the deposit density drops below a certain point. Geodes can still be found, even if the asteroid is considered depleted for other methods.

Visually the surface of the asteroids show markings of the ores, more clear depending on the heat map of the deposits, thus allowing a experienced prospector to evaluate the worth of a rock by mere sight. When the ore is mined out, the asteroid shows scars and pits until it turns into a hollowed out husk. Small asteroids may disappear immediately, while the big ones stay around until the site resets.


The Mining

Strip Mining is simple. You point your mining lasers at a rock and let them roam, sucking everything up that may be valuable and jettison the rest. Disadvantage is that you don't get to choose. Mining will yield all ores in the rock relative to the distribution in the asteroid. T1 Mining Lasers and Strip Miners are used for this method (non-modulated T2 versions may be created). Yield drops when the ore density falls, around a 2:1 ratio. So if the asteroid is at 50% ore density, the yield will be 75% and it goes towards 50% when density approaches zero.

Deposit Mining allows you target specific ores in a asteroid and mine only them. You have to aim your mining laser on the asteroid scan similar to a PI extractor head and both your aim and the deposit density determines your mining yield, similar to strip mining. Modulated Strip Miners are used for deposit mining to avoid contamination with foreign materials (a modulated turret mounted mining laser would need to be created). Using a wrong or no crystal will result in reduced yields as the mined material must be cleaned before storage.

Vein Mining is aiming at small deposits of concentrated, pure ore instead of bulk volumes. Mining yield is not affected by general densities; the deposits are mined in absolute amounts. It is tedious as the deep core miners used in the process have a short range as does the scanning method. But while no greater in volume per unit as standard ore, the ore found in veins yields 5 to 10 times the minerals. This method is more interactive, requiring moving around big rocks, through sites and systems to fill a cargo hold but will, if luck is with you, create a higher income than the other methods. It lends especially to a environment where standing still for too long equals a death wish. Deep Core Miners, Deep Core Strip Miners and the modulated versions are used for this Method. Modulated miners merely increase the yield for a specific ore, thus reducing the time one has to stay in a location. Mercoxite can only be found in veins and produces damage clouds around them normally.

Poster above obviously didn't read anything it quoted. I didn't make a mention about the amount of ore to be found or the spawning mechanics behind it, merely the shape of the belts/mining sites.

And it's only getting more complicated if you want it that way. You can still just target asteroids and mine away, same as today. You just won't get any choice ore to min/max your profits. With null-sec sites that have the kind of ore defined by the type of the site and need to be mined out completely, it won't be making much of a difference.

The other mining techniques are for people that don't see it as a 'necessary evil' better left to bots and who want more interaction with their chosen gameplay. Especially the Vein Mining will allow people to make forays into the more hostile space of low and non-blue null-sec and have a chance to make some profits without being a sitting duck easily chased away or killed.

I also like ice mining in fields and ice planets PI mined for the ice resources. take the pure ice and have to combine / separate it to get the different elements needed . that are obtained like in PI now. separate water and oxygen from the ice. add a element to get isotopes ect.. as well like to see moon mining upgraded, from what it is now into more of a PI way of it. or base/ pos idea instead of a floating pos. high sec low sec null sec.. do it the way pi is now high sec offers lower amounts and concored taxed. so low / null sec will be always more profitable , in amounts and rare items.

Abrazzar I totally agree with you on this, I sometimes use my alt for mining, and it just sits there hoovering up and then move onto the next, I'm happy to have a little more interaction with it, I might even then get both mining to drag in more ore for ammo or modules.

I like it!

If belts were moved from the current static belt location into dynamically spawning anomalies, the extended scripting possibilities of anomalies could be used to create environmental effects that influence mining activity and safety there.

From the top of my head, those environments could include damage clouds (that could be mined away first with gas harvesters to secure the place), continuous damage from small rocks, explosive expulsions with every mining cycle, influence on ship resistances, signal strength, signature radius, capacitor, etc. similar to w-space environments, local pirates grouping up for a raid or sudden meteor showers and other space weather events.

As people spend a whole lot more time in asteroid sites than combat sites, long timed scripts are much more viable. Anything goes really.

I found a few threads that could fit in here with more ways to expand mining.

I like the concept of Planetary Ring Mining as a separate mining method. The rocks in those rings are usually far too small to make a normal mining ships efficient, so having its own option there makes sense.

The idea of Prospecting is somewhat overlapping with my ideas, though it targets much bigger and thus rarer rocks than the up to 30km boulders I was proposing.

Allowing players to Lay Claim on mining sites is very interesting by upping the competition factor and if applied to the two other ideas above could make for really interesting game play.

+1 for making mining interactive

-1 for replacing a current system

I suggest adding new belts be the focus, not replacing new ones. But that's my two cents

Reopening this thread

Ventures have the advantage of speed over barges. The veins require a short range laser which means more manoeuvring is needed and they are comparatively small, so you go through more asteroids which means hopping along a belt and along big asteroids. The vein mining was created with the Venture in mind.

Since this thread has been re-opened.
I've been saying since they first even talked about the ice sites becoming anoms that ore sites could easily become anoms.
As it solves several issues currently perceived in the mining system.
1. The 'magic' of belts respawning at downtime that breaks immersion.
2. The ability of permanent book marks, and anchoring secure containers when the belt has been stripped.
3. The timezone issues around mining where certain timezones have an advantage to get the good ore from belts.
4. The large number of warpable spots in most systems, with 20-30 belts.

In return it also gives the additional gameplay possibilities listed above using the anomaly system, which create a more dynamic & changing environment for miners, and since they add risk, reward can be higher also.