Doesn't Anyone Remote Mine?

[Fyron]

That's BM, not MB.

In highly competitive PBW games with smaller maps, the game doesn't often Last long enough to get too much use out of them, given their long build time.

[Rollo]

I never use remote mining in normal SE4. But in Proportions Mod it is absolutely essential to keep my empire running.

Rollo

[Arkcon]

Lately, I'm using remote mining a little bit more, but I still don't base my economy on it.

Here's something fun to do: Build a battle station, with weapons, shields and other combat components -- and just enough mineral miners and rad extrators to cover maintenance -- at an asteroid field. Somewhere deep in AI territory. Free listening post. If you give it enough teeth, it's something to waste their time on when war comes. Notice, I'm not baseing my economy on it.

If the extrator was smaller and cheaper, I might put it on more ships. Just a little pause here and there to send some rare elements back home.

If the AI could be programed to put a mineral miner on it's shipyard spacestations, it could be useful to it, say when you're playing Fyron's mod.

[LGM]

Remote Mining is very cost effective if you have a construction ship with one satellite launcher. Build a Large Sat with the desired mining component. You can make good use of Asteroid systems.

Remote Mining is very important in games where you can only colonize the right gas type (e.g. O2) or only the right Planet type (e.g. Gas giant). It allows you to get something out of all the other planet types. In these games you can make user of Base Miners where there are moons and planets in the same square. You colonists build a base to mine the uninhabitable moons or planet.

If you have very low maintenance, mining ships are more cost effective. Bases even more so.

[Taera]

I;ve no experience in PBW but i'd have to say that remote mining is rather useful, especially when coupled with Crystalline Restructuring Plant (-10%, -20% and -30% to ALL maintenance in system, accordingly to levels) and -5% to maintenance.
I have developed a neat system for remote mining. Here it is:

It requies a single (probably dedicated) planet in the system on which you will build Ressuply Depot and, if available, the Crystalline Restructurer. It can be a way to use those systems where you only have 2 tiny unbreathable planets and no chance of colonizin anything else.
Now the way it works: i build a ship (preferably LC as they have the best output for cost) with ion3 engines and self-destruct device (useful).
Now i order them to go to the (mining field), sentry and go to ressuply planet. Repeat orders. Now untill an enemy invades the system i would absolutely forget about their existance as with -30% maintenance it would take a while for their cost to overcome the income.
Example:
Spade class LC mining a 144%-121%-61% asteroid field with 2 robo-miners and 1 farmer.
Income: 2016,672,0
Upkeep: 915,28,121

And thats with crystalline restructurer 2 only.
Useful. And i never have to worry about the ships again. They also occassionaly appear up in the Next Ship list so i can monitor their income vs upkeep.

Same system (go,sentry,go back) works with asteroid fields too, given you can place the ressuply planet about three turns from the mining field.

[Suicide Junkie]

Note: Ship will continue to mine at full speed even when they are completely out of supply.

You never actually need to send them back to a resupply planet.

[Taera]

yes i know, but if i ever would need to send them back thats the answer. Also they would always appear on ship list, and if the AI takes over he sure would just send them back, thing he couldnt do with sentry and repeat orders.

[Taera]

ok i'll have to fix my strategy posted below.
To actually remove the ship from your eyes you have to bring it to the mining field, press sentry. Then order goto-nearest ressuply and then tell it to go back. Check in orders list to ensure its correct. And then press 'K' (Repeat Orders)

[Desdinova]

i have a game going at work where i must remote mine just to survive. i made a small map using FQM dense midlife. i chose the wrong atmosphere and so have limited # of planets with room for miners. i have a -47,000 mins each turn and +150,000 rads and orgs. good thing for resource converters.

[Taera]

heh, in this case i'd say you pray nobody of the players is reading this topic because if i was a player i would send cloaked hunters after your miners...

EDIT: hmm.. for some reason i thought its a PBW game you have... nm

[ November 24, 2002, 06:52: Message edited by: Taera ]