X3AP can I chose the position of a mine on an asteroid?

[nospammdi]

When dropping a mine from a TL ship, can I chose on which side and how the mine will be positioned? I feel like regardless from which direction I approach the asteroid, the mine always seems to be built on the same side of it. I have one example where my TS cannot dock because there is another asteroid in the way. Any advice?

[Solomon Short]

When dropping a mine from a TL ship, can I chose on which side and how the mine will be positioned? I feel like regardless from which direction I approach the asteroid, the mine always seems to be built on the same side of it. I have one example where my TS cannot dock because there is another asteroid in the way. Any advice?

You don't actually drop a mine on an Asteroid, the Mine model completely replaces the Asteroid model (& the mine replaces the asteroid, so it doesn't respawn elsewhere the way it would if you blew it to pieces with a Mobile Drilling System or high-yeild missile).

I am away from my gaming computer right now, so I can't test it, but I don't think you can actually control the orientation of Mines when you drop them the way you can other stations.

However, you can use a Tractor Beam to reorient a mine as well as move it, what I usually do is fly out to the end of the "station" part of the mine, & target my TB at the long pointy spike (Commonwealth mines, I have no idea what Terran mines look like up close) & drag the mine to it's new position by that bit (the rest of the mine will drag/trail behind).

If I want the mine oriented a specific way, I drag it a point on the other side of where I want it from where I want it to stick out, then drag it to it's final location. (IOW, if I want a mine at 0m,0m,0m that sticks out in the +y direction, I drag it 0m,-5km,0m first, then set my autopillock for 0m,+5km,0m so that I can monitor the flight on the map, & disengage when I get where I want to be [I have never managed to determine just how far behind me the mine is actually being dragged for the purpose of using more specific/accurate auto-pillock positioning]).

TL;DR: Buy a Tractor Beam for your TL, & use it to drag the docking side of the mine away from the blocking asteroid, or even the entire mine far enough from other asteroids & stations they're not an issue.

[pjknibbs]

I am away from my gaming computer right now, so I can't test it, but I don't think you can actually control the orientation of Mines when you drop them the way you can other stations.

I'm pretty sure you *can* do that--as you said, the "asteroid mining station" model just replaces the original asteroid anyway, so allowing the usual numeric keypad 1/3/7/9 keys to orient it would make sense.

[OniGanon]

so it doesn't respawn elsewhere the way it would if you blew it to pieces with a Mobile Drilling System or high-yeild missile).

I'm not entirely sure that actually happens in AP.

[Rapier]

The other thing to add is that the collision detection that is preventing the TS from docking doesn't act when you're not in the sector. Unless you spend a lot of time in the sector, this shouldn't be a problem.

Another solution would be to deploy another station nearby and link them with a complex construction kit. You can alter the orientation of the docking ports when you deploy that.

[OniGanon]

Another solution is to simply blow up the obstructing asteroid.

But I'd go with the Tractor Beam option.

Unless GoD has already killed all your Tractor Beam factories and you can't afford to make them yourself.