Mineral extractors: diminishing returns?

[Krash Megiddo]

I found a class C hotspot for Activated Indium. Put a beacon right on target. I built a structure consisting of 1 big floor panel and put 4 extractors on that, added a roof, put 4 extractors on that, etc, etc. This makes it easy for me to connect the power lines and pipes in an orderly fashion.

As a noob at making big farms, I quickly became confused as I noticed diminishing returns. The first layer of 4 extractors yielded about 220u per extractor. The 2nd layer (directly on top) yielded 216u per extractor. That's 216u per extractor for all 8, not just the 4 on top. And so it goes, layer after layer until I'm at 130u per extractor for 24 extractors.

I thought going vertical was how to maintain mining yield, Maybe a known issue with class C hotspots? Any of you mining nerds know what's going on here?

[Dirak2012]

I think diminished returns was added in one of the updates.

[Captain.Jartyk]

(Diminishing returns) is activated at 2500 / hour, and when you exceed it, so each additional unit you build, gives less than the previous one.

The way to get around this problem is simple, you build separate networks, each of which extracts for example 2,500, so if you want to extract 10,000 / hour, you build 4 identical networks.

Build on the height, 1 floor for each net with extractors, then connected to separate storage depots.

You do not need to separate the electric power that drives the mine, it is not affected.

The quality of the hotspot has no significance, other than that the extraction per unit differs, eg an extractor placed on a C gives only half of one placed on an S.

[Galadhlinn]

What Capt said.

I got confused at first about the networks and separated everything but the extractors. LOL It is the extractors that need to be separate once you reach the 2500 capacity. Now I think of the separate systems in terms of 2,500 capacity. To keep it simple in my head, I have each floor as a system which produces 2,500 units. Each floor has it's own extractors and depots. One power line runs the whole building. All my sites are either A or S-class, so I haven't needed to go above two floors.

[Krash Megiddo]

Yep, just confirmed this method works for me. Thanks guys!

At what point do you connect the networks to a single storage depot? I've seen farms producing over 100k and I only have to access a single storage.

[Captain.Jartyk]

Originally posted by Krash Megiddo:

Yep, just confirmed this method works for me. Thanks guys!

At what point do you connect the networks to a single storage depot? I've seen farms producing over 100k and I only have to access a single storage.

You can not connect them all to 'one' depot, because then the networks are no longer separated.

What you do is set up an individual depot from each net at the base, which are then connected via pipelines to the mine, make sure that the lines do not cross each other on the way there, then you avoid any problems.

Then you have to go to several depots to empty the mine, but the little trouble is worth it, because you get so much more out of the mine.

[Krash Megiddo]

Ah, that's rather soul crushing, but I get it. These other farms must be ignoring the loss to keep it all in one network.

[Galadhlinn]

Here is my setup for one floor. (one system). You can't see the power lines because I have them cloaked, but one power line can run an entire mining building for me. Note I connect all my storage depots together (only on each floor, not floors together). I have three depots to one extractor.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2637834793

[Menel]

It's really not that bad...
I do one 9 pack of extractors per floor. Then each floor of 9 connects to a dedicated tower of storage. Then each tower of storage connects back to a single storage pickup at the main base/landing pads/portal.

Illustrated maybe here. I get about 100k per silo, 5 silos. 500k AI per visit, roughly per day.
https://imgur.com/a/f7csfXe

[Krash Megiddo]

How long does it take to fill up one 100k silo?

[Galadhlinn]

When I decided to try mining it was intimidating for me. The videos showed 10-20 extractors, fields of storage depots, massive power grids. I knew that I did not want to get into it on that level. I just wanted a simple setup that made some money to supplement my freighter income. I didn't find any videos that helped me understand the simple system I was after, so I figured it out with trial and error and a little help from this forum.

I found two planets next to each other with activated indium. I have one building on each planet, one has an S-class site, the other an A-class site. Each building is two floors meaning two discreet systems in each building. If I empty them twice a day, I make 10 million a day. My freighter makes 12-20 million a day, but it takes about half an hour a day to debrief the fleet, craft/sell the stuff and get them off on another mission. My mining setup takes three minutes to port to both sites, empty the depots and sell the indium at the trade terminal on the wall of each building.

[Krash Megiddo]

Nice ^

[Galadhlinn]

This is one building, pretty basic, nothing fancy, 5 million a day for 90 seconds X 2.
Power for each building, as you can see, is three batteries and six solar panels which also run the teleporter and lights.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2637857058

[Captain.Jartyk]

Originally posted by Galadhlinn:

My mining setup takes three minutes to port to both sites, empty the depots and sell the indium at the trade terminal on the wall of each building.

Do not sell your Indium through a trade terminal, you crash the market, and then the price you get is very low for a long time.

Instead, sell to an NPC spaceship captain, at any trading platform or space station, then the market does not crash, and you get paid well for your ore every time.

[Galadhlinn]

Originally posted by Captain.Jartyk:

Originally posted by Galadhlinn:

My mining setup takes three minutes to port to both sites, empty the depots and sell the indium at the trade terminal on the wall of each building.

Do not sell your Indium through a trade terminal, you crash the market, and then the price you get is very low for a long time.

Instead, sell to an NPC spaceship captain, at any trading platform or space station, then the market does not crash, and you get paid well for your ore every time.

I've read that. I hope it doesn't crash it for everyone in the game! If it's just me, I'm fine with it. I watched the price for awhile and didn't notice any change. Perhaps my little system doesn't put enough into the economy to make a difference.

[Krash Megiddo]

You're getting 5 mil per dump, which is not enough to crash the economy. 8 stacks or more will crash it.