Idiotic mine placement, Mobile Drilling Systems, and Tractor Beams

[Elkestra]

(X3: Terran Conflict - steam 2.0)

So I spent some time yesterday scanning all the asteroids in Ore Belt. Two nice 64 Silcons, and one 56 Silicon. One of the 64s is right on the edge of the asteroid 'cloud'... perfect, I thought. Checked it out personally, and its right on the edge, with a clear view of open space.

So I buy a mine, hire the Mammoth to take it there, deploy it, and.....


.. it sets the mine pointing in an odd direction so its docking lights perfectly intersect a massive asteroid next to it. It has a wide open space available which looks out onto ... Open Space.... but no, it sticks it in totally the wrong orientation on the rock.


So I decide to mobile mine the asteroid in its docking path.... no MDS for sale anywhere....

So I decide the get a tractor beam. My Mercury states it can use one, so I send one of the mine's mercurys down into a Paranid border sector (Preacher's Void), and set it sector trading (at the expense of a Mk3 Trading software) to get Paranid rank up.

Ages later, and after a close call with a Pirate band trying to destroy the Third Redemption TB factory, I've got one (well 2, just in case).

I put it onto my Mercury, get everyone else out of Ore Belt, to avoid collisions while I work... take time to line up as close as I can.... turn round, aim the rear turret, fire.....


And nothing happens.


Its a joke. If it can fit it, it ought to be able to fire it.

So I now have to make sure I never enter the Ore Belt ever again (so the mine's transporters are only ever OOS), or I have to take pot luck that the next TB-enabled ship can actually fire it?????

If a ship quotes the weapon as capable of use, it ought to be able to USE it.

[someone else]

just a few ideas:
have you _installed_ the tractor beam in the ship's rear turret before firing? (seems stupid but happens to me quite a lot of times)

do you know that some missiles can destroy an asteroid that would require MDS? try Hornets (from high yeld missile complexes), 11000 credits and you bang the asteroid of your choice.

If you want to use scripts you can try the Factory Complex Constructor, a really useful script that gives you the opportunity to move and rotate your stations. Really useful for a complex builder. LINK

[Gazz]

Some trade ships do not have the laser energy to fire a tractor beam.

[Elkestra]

I won't use mod-scripts yet (maybe eventually, but I'm wanting to play through un-modified - Egosoft approved scripts only).

I guess I might have to try missiles, but this whole situation seems a bit bizarre. I'd happily mine it out the way, but they only exist as a 0-count listing in Equipment docks, and having a TB-cabable ship that can't fire the TB is rediculous.

And yes, the gun is properly mounted in the rear turret (only gun-point on the Mercury) etc.

[Elkestra]

Some trade ships do not have the laser energy to fire a tractor beam.

In which case they aren't 'Tractor Beam cabable' so why state that it can fit and use one?.


As I said, its a joke of a system.

[someone else]

Some trade ships do not have the laser energy to fire a tractor beam.

true, but that is silly... giving the possibility to mount a tractor beam but don't watch for the energy required... just like creating cristal fabs L that must use food fabs M...

anyways this could be your problem... Egosoft made bigger errors than this...

[mattythedrunk]

put it in your M6?

[Dem0n_Dude]

are u firing at the asteroid in the way or your mine? It only won't work on normal roids. I spent 10 minutes getting fustrated until i realised i had to place a mine to move the roid where i wanted it.

[Gazz]

In which case they aren't 'Tractor Beam cabable' so why state that it can fit and use one?.

As I said, its a joke of a system.

It's a workaround the devs used. They put all 3 "tool" lasers (mining/repair/tractor) on the same laser ID so if a ship can use one, it is listed as able to use all 3, provided it has the cargo class to carry them.

The benefit of that is that there are more "usable" lasers in the game now - theoretically.
In the actual game you never see the "prototype" ones. =)

Maybe a split (or terran?) TS can fire the tractor beam. They are usually gun nuts.
Barring that you need an M6.

[Elkestra]

Or presumeably a TL.

My follow-up answer would be... What M6? I'm doing trade (Humble Merchant start), and the most I have are a few Mercury variants, 2 Disco's, 1 Buster Raider, a Boa (bought of someone in sector), a Wheat factory in HoL, and this mine.

Actually, beyond the TB situation, or the lack of MDS to buy is...


What on earth was it playing at sticking the mine where the docking lights hit that asteroid. Place any non-asteroid station, and you can rotate and adjust it. Place a mine, and it just slaps it in the worst place on the asteroid possible? ... when there is wide open space available over half the asteroid's surface???

[someone else]

ok, Another idea:
buy a Supply Command Software in an Argon Eq. dock and give the order to buy a MDS for one of your ships,

if the SCS-equipped ship has a jumpdrive and a Transporter Device will jump where a MDS can be found to buy it.

EDIT: for the station positioning, well you have been unlucky. But there is nothing to complain imho, if the game isn't hard it wouldn't be satisfying playing.

[Elkestra]

Really? I never knew that was possible.


Thanks, I'll give that a try.

Most of my transporters have SCS and transporters as a matter of standard kitting out.


EDIT: What/Where is the command I should be using????

[Elkestra]

EDIT: for the station positioning, well you have been unlucky. But there is nothing to complain imho, if the game isn't hard it wouldn't be satisfying playing.

Hard I don't mind, but this is just idiotic. This is 'hard just for the sake of it', rather than actually offering a challenge, especially given the asteroid's position right on the edge of the asteroid swarm.

[pjknibbs]

Er, you can rotate mines in exactly the same way you do any other station when you're placing them, so if your mine is pointing in the wrong direction, I fear there may be PEBCAK involved...

[someone else]

mmh It is: Special-> resupply ship-> select the ship that needs the MDS (but don't select this ship that you are giving orders to) and then select "laser"-> and then "Mobile Drilling System"

Er, you can rotate mines in exactly the same way you do any other station when you're placing them, so if your mine is pointing in the wrong direction, I fear there may be PEBCAK involved...

Are you sure? I never had the opportunity to decide the orientation of my mines... but I have not placed any station after 2.0a.

[Elkestra]

Er, you can rotate mines in exactly the same way you do any other station when you're placing them, so if your mine is pointing in the wrong direction, I fear there may be PEBCAK involved...

There was no option to rotate it... the moment I told the Mamoth to drop it, it asked me to select the Asteroid. Once that was selected, there was no option to rotate it or anything.

[Elkestra]

mmh It is: Special-> resupply ship-> select the ship that needs the MDS (but don't select this ship that you are giving orders to) and then select "laser"-> and then "Mobile Drilling System"

Hmmm... nice idea, and I get messages stating that a Mobile Drilling System has been delivered (immediately, I should point out) to the 'group leader' (whoever that is), but no sign of it in any ship inventory.


Back to square one.

[Nanook]

Like with any other station, you rotate it BEFORE dropping it. So pick the asteroid by using the arrow keys to go up and down the asteroid list, but don't actually select it before doing the rotation. And if you have an Advanced Satellite in the sector, you can press 'k' and zoom in to get an actual model view of the station/roid before you drop it. This has always worked for me in the past, so unless something's changed recently, it still shouild.

[Elkestra]

Like with any other station, you rotate it BEFORE dropping it. So pick the asteroid by using the arrow keys to go up and down the asteroid list, but don't actually select it before doing the rotation. And if you have an Advanced Satellite in the sector, you can press 'k' and zoom in to get an actual model view of the station/roid before you drop it. This has always worked for me in the past, so unless something's changed recently, it still shouild.

ummm... pardon?


When you place a normal station you are asked to click where you want it (step 1), and then given the chance to rotate it (step 2) before accepting it.



When you place a mine, you are asked to select an asteroid to place it (step 1 from above)... and thats it... no option to rotate it before confirming or anything.


And you call that logical enough to suggest PEBCAK?

As far as could be seen there was NO request or indication to rotate anything before selecting the asteroid.

[someone else]

when it gives you this message it means that you selected your current ship as the ship to be resupplied. (ehehe... just crappy software... )

transfer the SCS on your current ship and then give it orders to resupply another TS, and it will work like a charm.