How to mine?

[LordCapitan32]

Hi,

I've had a quick search on the forums and can't find an answer- how do you mine? I assume a tool is needed but I don't know where to get it from. I have only had a short time in-game and most of it has been spent wandering without aim- all of the rocks and trees etc have a circle with a cross through it- which I know means I don't have the ability to mine yet.
Thanks

[Rheth]

You can use the prospect feature to find rocks that contain mining rocks, it's on the bottom right of the screen on most UI's. Not all rocks contain iron or copper, but those that do contain them can be mined without any tools.

Also, if you don't want to prospect, just look for the larger/odd locking rocks. Old metal structures can sometimes be mined too. There's usually at least one within range of the flying camera at all times.

Stone can only be mined from a player structure built in the build menu ("B").

Keep in mind that different zones have different "quality" ores. These don't have any influence on prices, but better nodes will give you the materials faster.

[LordCapitan32]

Thank you!

[GIJoe597]

By the way, the Prospect skill is influenced by your Science level. The higher your Science skill, the larger an area you can prospect. Simply put, a character with 50 in Science will see a much larger portion of the map than a character with Science skill 20.


Also, that circle with a cross does not mean you do not have any particular ability, it means you cannot interact with that object. It serves no purpose other than visual.

[LordCapitan32]

Thank you too. I found loads of objects I couldn't interact with... lots of rocks but I did find an iron ore which I have started to work :-)

[rompier02]

Hi. Don't need a tool to do it. Just start whacking the iron/copper nodes & a pick axe will magically appear.

[DarkFaceGlow]

Originally posted by LordCapitan32:

Thank you too. I found loads of objects I couldn't interact with... lots of rocks but I did find an iron ore which I have started to work :-)

Just an FYI, copper sells for more than iron :)

[LordCapitan32]

Thanks again! I found iron first and then have stumbled across a copper node :)

[Radiosity]

As you get experience with the game, you'll learn to spot the iron and copper nodes, they're pretty distinct. Also, you'll find massive wrecks and similar metal objects that also have iron and copper available, useful if you're looking for a place to settle a town.

Also, when you have enough money to buy a small shack in a town, do so, then research storage for ores. Build a box for copper ore, then shift-click on the copper ore resource itself and your guy/gal will automatically mine and run it across to your storage. No need to micro manage it constantly :)