x3ap no mobile drilling systems anywhere

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Sat, 3. Mar 12, 08:19

I am playing x3ap with bonus pack, unmodified.

I have the entire universe explored, satilites in most sectors. All the stations which sell mobile drilling systems have zero units in stock. There are no mobile drilling system factories anywhere in the universe. I have not destroyed any, nor have i seen any of them be destroyed by any other faction. Earlier in my game I am certain I saw several MDS factories around here and there. I found sector locations which were suppose to have them by searching online, such as paranid prime, cardinal's domain, etc, and none of them are there.

Whats going on? I really didn't want to have to build my own MDS factory just to be able to mine some nvidium for the PTNI mission but I guess I will have to.

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Sat, 3. Mar 12, 16:29

You don't need an MDS. You can break a full asteroid with a high-yield missile such as a Hornet or Spectre and then can do all your remote mining after that with just a light weapon such as a PAC in the mining ship's turret.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Sat, 3. Mar 12, 23:02

Unfortunately I have a TL all setup with fighters to defend it I planned on using, and it cannot equip either of those missile types. Anyway I already went and built my own MDS factory so issue solved. But I thought you guys should be aware of "dissapearing factories" since they were there before and not now, I assume they dissapeared when the 2.0 patch was applied since I have not made any other changes to my game.

Btw, what isn't Nividium an option inside the "mine minerals" special command dialog? I have 4 Falcon Haulers landed inside my TL (the only M3 which can hold XL cargo for an ore collector) but then I can't order them to actually mine the nvidium....

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 00:14

But I thought you guys should be aware of "dissapearing factories" since they were there before and not now, I assume they dissapeared when the 2.0 patch was applied since I have not made any other changes to my game.

It was an act of GoD.

The GoD checks the stations from time to time and either removes them if not used or builds them if needed.

This has been very noticeable in Aldrin and Terran Sectors in TC and now in AP.

Btw, what isn't Nividium an option inside the "mine minerals" special command dialog? I have 4 Falcon Haulers landed inside my TL (the only M3 which can hold XL cargo for an ore collector) but then I can't order them to actually mine the nvidium....

break Niv 'roids into smaller rocks.
Then use collect rocks command.

sadron · Post by **sadron** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 00:52

The GoD engine seems to be the most useless part of the game. It does more harm than good.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 01:50

Removing every single one of a single factory type in the whole universe seems a bit excessive, couldn't it at least leave 1 somewhere. Besides how does it know what is and isn't needed... the "demand" for MDS is now super high everwhere according to the stock market... Of course that means after making my double MDS fac + hub im making a killing, but still seems silly....

And btw collect rocks is useless. You can't break every single rock down to the smallest size without extreme tedium, and if you leave just 1 slightly larger rock in the middle the AI doing collect rocks will waste all its time avoiding it and collect nothing.

Honestly "mine minerals" is the only command that works decently, it just doesn't list nividium as a mineral option when it easily could...

Terrachova · Post by **Terrachova** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 03:14

Collect rocks works like a charm - but only if you're OOS. Break up the 'roid as best you can, plop an advanced satellite there, then leave the sector and let your collector do the job. It shouldn't take too long (but its by no means fast). Just less of a headache than manual, or IS work.

OOZ662 · Post by **OOZ662** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 07:27

goslin wrote: Besides how does it know what is and isn't needed...

If the stock is always full or the resources are always empty, it gets nuked. Either trade with stations you like, or park your ships (for example, an M5 hidden from the property menu) in them, as it won't delete player ships.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 07:47

The whole point was to mine nividium in unfocused jump sectors, so I cant exactly leave the rest of my ships there can i.... I guess if they have jumpdrives they can still get out?

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 10:43

You do not need UFJD sectors for Nividium.
There are several sectors that contain Nividium within the Universe Map.

natha · Post by **natha** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 10:51

What TL you flying? some can use hornets (elephant for sure), and you'll find no better rock breaker. be carefull of the 200m blast radius, will evaporate the smaller rocks if overused. Or dock an M3 with EBC and do the job with it (waaay faster than an Mobile drilling)

Shootist · Post by **Shootist** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 15:54

sadron wrote:The GoD engine seems to be the most useless part of the game. It does more harm than good.

GoD gives the Universe an appearance of life. Otherwise, what changes would be static.

GoD is Good.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Sun, 4. Mar 12, 23:38

Sure there is nividium in regular sectors, just not as much of it, and hard to find. Unfocusued jump is like 5 times out of 6 you find nividium. If only there was a way to automate the mining of it....

First thought....

Unfocused jump with an M1, unload a bunch of TS miners, bust up some rocks for them, then unfocused jump out with your M1, order them to collect rocks then "jump to me" when you go idle... would they even still appear on your ships list out there?

Second thought....

Drop a jumpbeacon out there, then order some TS to mine and trade....

TTD · Post by **TTD** » Mon, 5. Mar 12, 01:01

once you leave the ufjd sector,everything you leave behind vanishes,never to be seen again.
There are sectors with Niv,yes. you just need to find out where they are and remember them.

OOZ662 · Post by **OOZ662** » Mon, 5. Mar 12, 02:35

goslin wrote:Unfocused jump with an M1, unload a bunch of TS miners

Only works if you're modified. Which are the cool people.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 06:32

To follow up much later on in the game... I found that yes you can get more than enough nividium than you will ever need to make billions and billions in the regular universe, it doesn't even seem that rare, just scan pretty much any dead end sector and you'll probably find enough in it to make 2 billion. So, all the trouble of finding a way to farm it yourself in an efficient way with unfocused jumps, while it would be interesting, is totally unnecessary.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 06:36

I'm curious what happens if you have a TS controlled by the AI in an unfocused jump sector, fill it up with nividium, then order it to "return home" where its home was already set somewhere else, and it is set to autojump and has a jumpdrive... would it be able to jump out while leaving you there?

Honestly not that useful even if it worked, just a curiosity. Similarly, what if you droped a jumpbeacon while in the unfocused jump sector then ordered another ship you own "jump to me"... but I have no jumpbeacons to test this with.

goslin · Post by **goslin** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 06:41

Note my thread here:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 52#3839252

If it turns out I cannot get the DiD achievement, I think I'll just have to commit suicide in the most spectacular way possible.

Like, unfocused jumping until I find one with a Xenon Station, then ramming my Teladi M5 at 1600m/s (with turbo Mk1) into it and attempting to eject at the last second. If I succeed in ejecting I will then attack the station with my repair laser until I run out of oxygen.

xTemon · Post by **xTemon** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 09:42

I think the primary issue with GoD, is that it doesn't account for Pirate or Xenon activity destroying ships or transports that may use or otherwise make use of a station. Same goes for Argon and Terrans in War Sectors I suppose, as I've seen Terran Traders and even a Springblossom, (Terran Weapon Dealer I think), destroyed by Argon forces trying to get out of Heretics End.

What surprises me is the IBL forges in Yaki space stick around as do some others that realistically should never get used except by the player. I've never seen a Yaki Trader.

gecos · Post by **gecos** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 17:28

sadron wrote:The GoD engine seems to be the most useless part of the game. It does more harm than good.

SO MUCH THIS!

I have 20 CLSes (Cargo Messenger and above) and set the waypoints for them to collect important missiles from all producing factories around the universe (all terran except spectre and poltergeist, flails, hammers, t-hawks, hornets, firestorms). Also some lasers too (CIGs for my Hyperion fleet, IBLs, PBCs).
And what do you know? GoD actually managed to leave me without most of the missile factories and a good portion of the CIG factories although the demand for all these was through the roof! For example, there's a single Hammer factory left (the one in Akeela's beacon) and I suspect it's only because my CLS was docked there when the other 5 vanished all at once and also few CIG factories. That's exactly how "useful" GoD is.
I cannot understand how a factory can be removed where your CLS already docked and traded there.