XTC: Getting a lot of 'tude from my MMBS

JJRSC · Post by **JJRSC** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 18:09

I'm in the dreaded silicon phase of the Hub plot and I have a handful of MMBSs mobile mining in addition to the mines I have set up. They all have navigation software and the drilling system installed and MMBSs come with ore collectors and special command software needed for mobile mining.

So I have one that, nine times out of ten, will not fly to the silicon asteroid I tell it to fly to and if it does, it refuses to start mining. A few minutes after I give the command (and I do specify to mine silicon) I get a "task completed" message, except that the MMBS hasn't done any mining. Any ideas what may be causing this? I have other miners that are working fine but this one refuses. Thanks!

Timsup2nothin · Post by **Timsup2nothin** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 18:45

There is an attitude adjustment button right behind the cockpit. I suggest pressing it repeatedly with a particle beam of some kind and then replacing the ship. Not the most efficient solution, but it always makes me feel better at times like that.

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 19:30

Probably silly questions time.

1. Does that ship have enough spare cargo space to do any Silicon mining?
2. Is it within its fitted scanner range of a source of Silicon other than a full-size asteroid? (It has to be able to see the source - you can always move it closer to the source yourself first - and it cannot break a full-size sector map asteroid under AI command.)
3. Does it have any laser weapons fitted and installed in the right groups? (Necessary to break larger rocks under AI command).
4. Will it mine any other mineral OK?
5. If it has problems nearing the source with you IS (object collision avoidance for a large clumsy ship maybe), then does it mine OK with you OOS?

Timsup2nothin · Post by **Timsup2nothin** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 19:56

Alan is setting up to give you real advice, so you should listen to him not me...though I promise you that blasting the uncooperative cretin to atoms will feel good.

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 20:11

.. actually I thought Tim's advice was pretty good myself!

Timsup2nothin · Post by **Timsup2nothin** » Sun, 6. Jul 14, 21:17

Alan Phipps wrote:.. actually I thought Tim's advice was pretty good myself!

I have found that "blast them to atoms" is sort of the 'one size fits all' solution, so it usually gets no argument.

JJRSC · Post by **JJRSC** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 02:15

Believe it or not, "blast them to atoms" DID occur to me after about the eighth or ninth time this guy refused to go to work. And it is getting more tempting as time goes by...

As for the questions:

1. Does that ship have enough spare cargo space to do any Silicon mining? - Yup... cargo bay is practically empty

2. Is it within its fitted scanner range of a source of Silicon other than a full-size asteroid? (It has to be able to see the source - you can always move it closer to the source yourself first - and it cannot break a full-size sector map asteroid under AI command.) - Yes, I've been getting it right up close to the asteroid... when it actually obeys the order to fly over to it... grrrr...

3. Does it have any laser weapons fitted and installed in the right groups? (Necessary to break larger rocks under AI command). - the only laser it has fitted is the Mobile Drilling System. I've double checked that it's in the correct turret and not just sitting in the cargo bay.

4. Will it mine any other mineral OK? Dunno... haven't tried this one with any other mineral yet. May try that to see what happens.

5. If it has problems nearing the source with you IS (object collision avoidance for a large clumsy ship maybe), then does it mine OK with you OOS? IS or OOS, same thing - this guy will only rarely fly to position and when he does, will not mine.

Any thoughts? Also feel free to expand on preferred ways to blast said ship to atoms... Typhoons? Hornets? PSPs vs. PPCs...

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 10:30

Point 2, you didn't say if the target asteroid was a full size one (shows on the sector map) or just a smaller rock. The AI will not break a full size asteroid, not even with an MDS and so you have to do that manually with MDS or a high yield missile.

Point 3, there is no 'correct turret' as anywhere mounted on the ship will do, but it must be in the selected weapon group (1-4) for that turret.

Honved · Post by **Honved** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 14:41

Only other thoughts about it would be to check the basic requirements:
Suitable Weapon - yes, MDS
Mineral Scanner -
Special Command SW -
Player-scanned rocks of that type in sector -
TS or other suitable mining ship -
25Mj shield or larger -
TS Pilot not over-indulging in recreational chemistry -

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 16:06

Ah! Honved has a good point. An MMBS is a TL and not a TS - so can *any* of your MMBS do direct mining as an AI command? I think not. They are potential base ships for TS miners to offload their minerals via transporter device though.

Post by **Nanook** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 20:24

A TL with the right equipment can mine on its own. It doesn't need a TS. That said, using a TL in that role is terribly inefficient. It will only mine as fast as a much, much cheaper TS. It's much faster and more cost effective to use multiple TS's as the actual miners and have them offload to the TL.

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Mon, 7. Jul 14, 21:12

Agreed with perhaps the physical possibility of using a TL directly however inefficiently, but if you are IS as I think the OP probably meant in most cases, a TL will rarely get near the asteroid or rocks because of collision avoidance measures from such a big and ungainly ship. That seems to reflect what the OP is observing to happen IS - unless there are instead no mineable rocks or no selected weapon, which also fits both IS and OOS.

JJRSC · Post by **JJRSC** » Tue, 8. Jul 14, 02:00

The MMBS is designed to be a TL that can mobile mine. It has most of the necessary equipment pre-installed when you buy it (special command software, ore collector, mineral scanner, etc.) You need to just add the MDS and, I think, navigation software (if you want to mobile mine OOS.) I already have several MMBSs successfully mining OOS for me on large, full-sized asteroids (not rocks.) I'm trying to figure out what's different about this guy... the equipment is the same and everything. He rarely follows navigation commands and he won't mine when in range of a silicon rich asteroid.

ancienthighway · Post by **ancienthighway** » Tue, 8. Jul 14, 03:10

Alan Phipps wrote: Point 3, there is no 'correct turret' as anywhere mounted on the ship will do, but it must be in the selected weapon group (1-4) for that turret.

The MMBS can only mount the MDS in the front or top turrets.

JJRSC · Post by **JJRSC** » Sun, 13. Jul 14, 17:23

Thanks all for your feedback. Alan, per your comments, I went ahead and got it started IS while aboard the MMBS and that seems to have gotten him started. Thanks for your help!

Post by **Alan Phipps** » Sun, 13. Jul 14, 18:09

@ JJRSC: "I already have several MMBSs successfully mining OOS for me on large, full-sized asteroids (not rocks.)" I would hazard that you might not be doing that quite the way that you think in vanilla X3 as the X3TC vanilla mining commands just do not do that! (Full-size asteroid = one you can build a mine on in the sector map. Other asteroid/rock = anything smaller and that does not appear in the sector map.)

@ ancienthighway: Sure, but if they were not in a turret or bank suitable for MDS then they would not be mounted.

My point was that as long as they are actually mounted in a suitable turret or bank (and in the selected group for that), it does not matter exactly where on the ship for remote mining purposes.

Nor does it even need to be an MDS as any damage laser that can be mounted anywhere will be fine for remotely mining. PAC or PRG for example are fine IS or OOS. Too powerful or area weapons tend to destroy too many rocks IS though.

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XTC: Getting a lot of 'tude from my MMBS

XTC: Getting a lot of 'tude from my MMBS