[X3AP] Mining choices ?

[PerfectStranger]

Ive read a lot of information on OOS mobile mining . How to blast asteroids apart for collection of rocks but what I don't see a lot of is folks explaining mine use [ except for ore needs of a closed loop complex ].

I guess I just don't understand why folks missile and collect rocks instead of planting a mine on a high yield ore , silicon or ice ... even nvidium for that matter .

Using a mine the product is collected indefinitely isn't it ?
Missile splitting and collecting rocks comes to an early end in comparison ?

[Getsune]

Missile splitting and collecting rocks comes to an early end in comparison ?

Debris asteroids (those that do not appear on the sector map) respawn after a short amount of time,
so they never come to 'an end'. In fact, they're the true endless ressource in the vanilla X universe*,
seeing as asteroids where a mine was build on will never respawn again if the mine is destroyed.

Some people like it more to fly and/or command a mining fleet, while others prefer the stationary mines.
I believe it's a matter of taste and how you want to play the game.

*Edit: Debris asteroids are depletable in X3:AP. [Source]

[PerfectStranger]

Is the mine and TS method drastically different in terms of collected product compared to the collect rocks / missile method ?

[Getsune]

Is the mine and TS method drastically different in terms of collected product compared to the collect rocks / missile method ?

Absolutely. The asteroid mines deliver constantly as long as you supply them with their ressources,
while the profitability of mobile mining depends on how much minerals you get from the debris asteroids.

I may have to correct one of the statements in my first post, though; if this statement of Alan Phipps still applies,
then debris asteroids do not respawn and are once more a depletable ressource.

At this point I suggest you to just stick with mines as they're more dependable in a vanilla X3.

[ancienthighway]

I actually prefer mobile mining with minimal use of physical mines. Because debris is cleared away, it will eventually make sectors that are a bear to fly through easy to fly through. Home base the miners to a nearby inactive mine, and they should unload the minerals at the mine. The mine can then handle the sales.

There are no nividium mines. The only way to get nividium is through mobile mining.

In TC or AP with TC plots enabled, mobile mining allows you to obtain resources for the Hub without having to figure out what to do with all those mines you've built once the plot is over.

[Nanook]

Mobile mining generates a free product, while mines require a constant source of energy cells, which, at least until you build your own SPP, will require a constant input of credits.

Then there's also the Mine and Trade Minerals command. It sets a mobile miner to mining whatever mineral you wish, which it then automatically sells. They're essentially 'fire and forget', with the credits going directly into the player's account. It creates a nice little source of extra income, especially early in the game, and gives a purpose to all those beat-up TS's you can find for sale on the cheap.