Shipwright Archive

Tractor beam extraction is 20 units per small astroid.

Laser extraction is damage/100 units per small astroid.

Seems to me that the tractor beam is definitely faster, not only does it yeild better, but if you know how many shots it takes to crack the rock into small parts, and can switch over to the tractor beam right after the last bolt flies, you will drag in a large part of the chunks before they separate and fly off. That produces a higher yield, but also harvest them much faster, reducing the time it takes even further.

For me the tractor beam is a lot faster. I go a speed of around 480-550 or so, which is faster than most chunks (except crystal it seems, which really sucks). When I break a big chunk off an asteroid I fly to it, and just as I'm about to fly through it I break it up and instantly turn on the tractor beam. With some practice and timing, I can usually suck in most of its pieces instantly.

I might use the wrong technique with tractor beams. I think the tractor is most efficient for me when I am close to the asteroid when it blows. But when you have 2-3 asteroid chunks I find it faster to shoot them with the laser than to pull them in.

When you blow up the medium chunk all the smaller chunks begin at the same point. If you have your tractor beam toggled on AND pointed at that point where the small chunks start off AND your between 70 to 90 meters away, the tractor beam will scoop up all the small chunks in one go. This way you don't have to spend time chasing/shooting each small astroid chunk to get resources. Tractor beams have about the same extraction efficiency as a Mining laser 3 with Max damage upgrade and weapons overload 3 running. However, the saving come in the time you don't spend chasing and shooting the smaller chunks.

"Tractor beams have about the same extraction efficiency as a Mining laser 3 with Max damage upgrade and weapons overload 3 running."

I hate to do this, but, cite your source. As there are too many variables with experimentation values in the Max Damage upgrade along with the experimentation in the final assembly in the Mining Laser itself to make this claim semi accurate.

Using the following techniques, a fellow guildmate and I made the following case study a few weeks ago.

Using Tie Advanced with our own personal engine/reactor/capactor loadout and various droid programs between the two... We have made the following discovery.

Mark3 Mining Lasers experimented to Max Damage, with remaining into refire along with

Crafted Tractor Beams

Crafted Cargoholds - 1550 capacity.

Using just the Mark 3 Mining Lasers - And using our custom toid target/follow macro we net a full hold in about 18-20 mins depending on toid bandito spawns and respawn of the toid itself.

Using a Mark 3 Mining Laser and a Tractor Beam - And using our custom toid target/follow macro we net a full load in 12-15 mins. With no toid distractions, one of us filled a hold in less than 12 mins. This netted us over 6k of toid in less than an hours time. Way better extraction from two people in single ships than the Y-8 with 3 people.

Would be nice to have a Dev chime in on the extraction ratio to get specifics between the mining laser and the tractor beam.

Process for the study: I use the Mark 3 to break the big chunk off in two shots, target/follow, break the middle chunk apart in two-three shots, turn my tractor bean on, target/follow first small toid chunk, and rinse and repeat untill I have target/follow(ed) every lil sneaky toid running away, then I turn off my tractor beam and head back to the big mamma toid to repeat the process.

Jaissen Dunan
Toid lover

Darth Platypus has already commented on the extraction rates specifically. I'm sure if you do a quick forum search the answer will be revealed.

Fuu

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Jaissen-Dunan wrote:
"Tractor beams have about the same extraction efficiency as a Mining laser 3 with Max damage upgrade and weapons overload 3 running."

I hate to do this, but, cite your source. As there are too many variables with experimentation values in the Max Damage upgrade along with the experimentation in the final assembly in the Mining Laser itself to make this claim semi accurate.

Using the following techniques, a fellow guildmate and I made the following case study a few weeks ago.

Using Tie Advanced with our own personal engine/reactor/capactor loadout and various droid programs between the two... We have made the following discovery.

Mark3 Mining Lasers experimented to Max Damage, with remaining into refire along with

Crafted Tractor Beams

Crafted Cargoholds - 1550 capacity.

Using just the Mark 3 Mining Lasers - And using our custom toid target/follow macro we net a full hold in about 18-20 mins depending on toid bandito spawns and respawn of the toid itself.

Using a Mark 3 Mining Laser and a Tractor Beam - And using our custom toid target/follow macro we net a full load in 12-15 mins. With no toid distractions, one of us filled a hold in less than 12 mins. This netted us over 6k of toid in less than an hours time. Way better extraction from two people in single ships than the Y-8 with 3 people.

Would be nice to have a Dev chime in on the extraction ratio to get specifics between the mining laser and the tractor beam.

Process for the study: I use the Mark 3 to break the big chunk off in two shots, target/follow, break the middle chunk apart in two-three shots, turn my tractor bean on, target/follow first small toid chunk, and rinse and repeat untill I have target/follow(ed) every lil sneaky toid running away, then I turn off my tractor beam and head back to the big mamma toid to repeat the process.

Jaissen Dunan
Toid lover

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You'll need to refine you mining technique a little bit.

1. Rebind a key to allow you to toggle the tractor been on or off. This will allow you to leave the tractor beam on while your mining.

2. Make sure that you do not have the tractor beam listed in any of your weapon groups and it is toggled on. (Yes it can get a little noisey but you mine alot faster)

3. When breaking the medium chunk make sure you are following between 70 and 90 meters behind the astroid.

4. Targeting the medium chunk gives you the point where you should be aiming the tractor beam.

If your distance is correct to the astroid, the tractor beam in turn on and is pointed in the right place, you will scoop up all the small chunks before they have a chance to disperse.

Extraction rates are:

(damage)/100 perrock for the lasers

and 20 per rock for the tractor beam

You can verify this yourself by going out with an empty hold and blowing up(10 small astroids), land and take out what you harvested. Same with the tractor beam(catch 10 small astroids), land and see what's in the hold.

I'd make a clicky as to where one of the devs said what the extraction rate is for lasersis but i'm lazy.

I'm curious why you say this? I group my mining laser and tractor beam into the same weapon group so I don't have to worry about toggling on and off. Can blast small chunks and scoop up with the tractor beam at the same time. Would like to hear your reasoning behind this tactic.

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Portabelle wrote:

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Slysix wrote:

2. Make sure that you do not have the tractor beam listed in any of your weapon groups and it is toggled on. (Yes it can get a little noisey but you mine alot faster)

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I'm curious why you say this? I group my mining laser and tractor beam into the same weapon group so I don't have to worry about toggling on and off. Can blast small chunks and scoop up with the tractor beam at the same time. Would like to hear your reasoning behind this tactic.

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If you have the tractor beam grouped everytime you fire the group the tractor beam will turn off. By keeping the tractor beam continously on, you reduce the likely hood of a small chunk slipping out of the group before you pick them all up.

I'll say this again because you seem to be missing this point. When you blow up the medium astroid, the small astroids that result originate from the same point before they disperse. If you have the tractor beam (that is continously on)pointed at that point you will pick up all the small astroid chunks at the same time. This will eliminate the need to go chasing the small astroid chunks around. On a good run this allows me to fill up a 1550 cargo hold in LESS then 5 minutes.

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Slysix wrote:

If you have the tractor beam grouped everytime you fire the group the tractor beam will turn off. By keeping the tractor beam continously on, you reduce the likely hood of a small chunk slipping out of the group before you pick them all up.

Ok well if that is the case I can easily verify it next time I go up. I just know that I get both the tractor beam sound and graphic when I use it in combo with the mining laser in the same weapon group. Plus I definitely increased my rate of extraction when I grouped the tractor with the mining laser. But I'm not above being wrong. If the tractor beam isalternately switching off and on each time I fire the same weapon group then I stand corrected. I can't understand though why the tractor beam would as you say shut off every time you fire the weapon group. If its truly a toggle why would it not toggle ON every time I fire the group and toggle OFF every time I stop firing? You may be absolutely right. But that doesnt explain how I was able to harvest all that ore while using the grouping I described. You have raised enough questions in my mind though that I will have to check it out in more detail.

I'll say this again because you seem to be missing this point. When you blow up the medium astroid, the small astroids that result originate from the same point before they disperse. If you have the tractor beam (that is continously on)pointed at that point you will pick up all the small astroid chunks at the same time. This will eliminate the need to go chasing the small astroid chunks around. On a good run this allows me to fill up a 1550 cargo hold in LESS then 5 minutes.

Actually I don't think I'm missing this point since I know that all the small chunks originate from the same point. I think we are just having a problem with semantics. Your "medium astroid" is my "first large chunk". I agree that chasing small chunks across the universe is definitely NOT the way to be most efficient. Thus my statement in my earlier post: "My experience with this setup has been that flying as close as possible into the first large chunk when it breaks into little chunks allows me to suck up more asteroid resource units than shooting from a distance and trying to chase the smaller chunks down before I can tractor beam them up."

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I welcome all input into this subject however, because ultimately we all just want to find the fastest and most efficient way to space mine resources.