Shipwright Archive
Thread: Space Mining Tip
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Molique
Tue May 17, 2005 12:00 am
#1
I use the quest lvl II mining laser, and the quest tractor beam, for now.
When I'm mining the asteroid chunks I fire both the mining laser and the tractor beam. When it breaks up into the smaller chunks, since I have the beam on, and am within 100m away, I seem to get some of the smaller bits right away. Thatseems tosave timerather than trackng them down individually. Sure there are still a couple that fly off, but I've never seen more than three of the smallestchunks fly off using this method.
Anyone else want to try this method and tell me if it works, or if my version of reality is really off.
Ethean
Aniedzielski
Tue May 17, 2005 12:33 am
#2
I do something close, I have My Tractor Beem on a button on my Joystick that I can Lock down. This allows me to always have the Tractor Beem on. SO I get to where my nose is only a few meters from the asteroid chunk and break it down to the small chunks. Since I am only a few meters in behind the Asteroid I am able to Tractor almost all of the small pieces with out having to chase any down(sometimes 1-2chunks fly away before the Tractor picks them up). Each asteroid gives between 2-8% of my Cargo Hold.
Nomhad
Message Edited by Aniedzielski on 05-16-2005 12:35 PM
Bawa
Tue May 17, 2005 3:44 am
#3
I have noticed that if I follow the Medium Chunk at about 90-100m, aiming slightly in the upper part of the Medium chunk, and keeping the TractorBeam on, that will almost always suck the small chunks in instantly.
If some one escapes anyway, then aiming slightly above them with the TractorBeam seems to be more efficient than target and /Fol on the chunk, where you aim directly on the small chunk.
I managed to fill my 1550 large starfighter cargohold in alittle over 10 mins using this technique
Crafted Mining laser III, crafted Tractor beam and Crafted Large starfighter Cargohold.
If some one escapes anyway, then aiming slightly above them with the TractorBeam seems to be more efficient than target and /Fol on the chunk, where you aim directly on the small chunk.
I managed to fill my 1550 large starfighter cargohold in alittle over 10 mins using this technique
Crafted Mining laser III, crafted Tractor beam and Crafted Large starfighter Cargohold.
hobieone
Tue May 17, 2005 5:30 am
#4
the above gave me an idea to try out with the bwing. with its wide gun placements maybe put mining laser 3 under the cockpit and 3 tractor beams in the three other slots they way when it breaks the asteroid i mean with thre beams goin on if thepieces do start ot spread chance are they get pulled in and not many many if any will escape?
Message Edited by hobieone on 05-17-2005 07:33 AM
AzzixxSWG
Tue May 17, 2005 1:03 pm
#5
BETTER TIP
Auto follow the large chunk, this puts you at the perfect speed/distance and aiming at the right point of the roid where the little pieces fly away from.
Turn on the tractor beem then tap the roid,with the laser, untill it breaks up into the small fragments. You will most likely suck in 50-100% of the little fellas.
Since you are still moving at the same speed and general direction of the ones that got away, all you have to do is rotate around to them and suck them in.
Molique
Tue May 17, 2005 1:37 pm
#6
If I had known there was a beam on.beam off toggle I would certainly have been using that. But since I only knew of the fire when trigger pulled option that's how I wrote it. I'll have to search for the toggle on/off commands now.
Thanks for the improvement.
the1mouse
Tue May 17, 2005 1:47 pm
#7
I've been experimenting with this a bit and found that, if I use tractor/laser combo on the large chunk I almost invariably send the tiny chunks flying backward (behind me). Perhaps it's because I'm too close... will have to continue trying.
I think I've perfected the non-stop method though, with a Mark 3 laser: Approach big roid at about 400 speed. Fire 4 shots into roid, starting at 550m. The chunk flies off and I can usually home in on it, break it up, suck the bits in with the tractor, and turn back to the big roid without getting more than 1000m out.
Kaleborn
Tue May 17, 2005 6:04 pm
#8
This might fall into the category of "superstitious", but I've noticed there are times when a runaway small 'roid seems reluctant to respond to the tractor beam. I can see the fizzle effects of the beam(s) hitting it, just no immediate response. It just keeps floating there. I tap my spacebar (set to target under reticle) or play with the accelerate/decelerate keys and suddenly <swhoop> in comes the rock.
Almost as if the game needs some kind of feedback from the client that yes, my ship is still here, waiting for that rock to get vaccuumed into my hold. So now whenever I have to actually chase a small 'roid (doesn't happen often when using the tips mentioned above) as soon as I line up on it I tap the target key and change speed just a bit. Seems to work, but like I said I could be just imagining things.
Molique
Thu May 19, 2005 6:58 am
#9
My theory to that is that the tractor beam pulls at a steady rate, so it needs time, based on how far away and how fast the object is moving, to slow it down, and start it moving towards your ship. A random asteroid is moving at 10m/s away from you and the beam pulls at 5m/s. It'll take at least two seconds for it to start moving towards you. Now imagine if the asteroid was moving at 150m/s and your beam is pulling at 5m/s. Then it would take 30 seconds for it to stop. All this is assuming you are 180 degrees behind the asteroid direction of movement...
Vectors... gotta love them.
Kalano
Thu May 19, 2005 2:24 pm
#10
Keatts wrote:
Kaleborn wrote:
This might fall into the category of "superstitious", but I've noticed there are times when a runaway small 'roid seems reluctant to respond to the tractor beam. I can see the fizzle effects of the beam(s) hitting it, just no immediate response. It just keeps floating there. I tap my spacebar (set to target under reticle) or play with the accelerate/decelerate keys and suddenly in comes the rock.
Almost as if the game needs some kind of feedback from the client that yes, my ship is still here, waiting for that rock to get vaccuumed into my hold. So now whenever I have to actually chase a small 'roid (doesn't happen often when using the tips mentioned above) as soon as I line up on it I tap the target key and change speed just a bit. Seems to work, but like I said I could be just imagining things.
There was a bug that prevented the small rocks at the edge of the region from being lasered or tractor beamed. If you get the message "You have reached the limits of your sublight engines ..." then you might be running into this bug.
Keatts.
I been doing some testing and i belive there is another bug also that acts like the edge limit to a degree.
I tend to get occasionally a chunk that will not tractor in at all. I have crafted a tractor beam, also used the reward one with a Mark III i crafted. I don't know why, but some small chunks take a hit or two before they poof, not all poof with then can be tractored in. I have had several bounce right off my ship with the tractor on, and i am dead center. It bounces away from me, not at some odd angle. Very odd stituation. I will have to do some more testing on it when TC gets back.
So, there is a possibility you have extra strong small chunks, but check your local first. That is the most common problem.
Keatts
Fri May 20, 2005 12:12 am
#11
Kaleborn wrote:
This might fall into the category of "superstitious", but I've noticed there are times when a runaway small 'roid seems reluctant to respond to the tractor beam. I can see the fizzle effects of the beam(s) hitting it, just no immediate response. It just keeps floating there. I tap my spacebar (set to target under reticle) or play with the accelerate/decelerate keys and suddenly in comes the rock.
Almost as if the game needs some kind of feedback from the client that yes, my ship is still here, waiting for that rock to get vaccuumed into my hold. So now whenever I have to actually chase a small 'roid (doesn't happen often when using the tips mentioned above) as soon as I line up on it I tap the target key and change speed just a bit. Seems to work, but like I said I could be just imagining things.
There was a bug that prevented the small rocks at the edge of the region from being lasered or tractor beamed. If you get the message "You have reached the limits of your sublight engines ..." then you might be running into this bug.
Keatts.
RabidDoozer
Tue May 24, 2005 7:29 pm
#12
Ok, just humor me on this one, how do you get a tractor beam, step by step, to toggle on and stay on? Is there a command for this or a way to get it into your toolbar?
Aurelius_Pendragon
Wed May 25, 2005 8:40 am
#13
There is a "toggle tractor" command. You can find it under Control-O, controls, keymap.
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