Hotspots

[HeTiCu7]

I'm confused about hotspots. The wiki says:
"Hotspots seem to occur in groups of three, usually in a triangle formation about 400-500u apart from each other."

So I set out looking for a power hotspot from one of my bases, which is built on a mineral hotspot. I realize that I'll have to move my base to midway between the 2 hotspots, so I set out and traveled 500+u in a north, south, east, and west direction. No power hotspots within a 500+u radius from my ammonia hotspot.

Is the wiki incorrect? Or did I just happen to find a mineral hotspot that is not part of a group of three? Thanks!

[Zes]

I just know a few things about industrial setups, I'm not still into it but i don't think game would give you everything you need to build a self sufficient system, on a site.

those three hotspots are not necessarily complementary ones imo. they are random resources i think.

[Grimmslayer73]

Expand your range some. You can extend the base range up to 1000u from the base computer, more with some camera trickery. So that's 2000u radius with the base computer in the middle. I've built a lot of mining bases and there's almost always a power hotspot within the extended base range. it's best to map out the area and place save beacons on your mineral spot and power spot, then place the base computer somewhere in between.

[Lindy Bomber]

Originally posted by HeTiCu7:

I'm confused about hotspots. The wiki says:
"Hotspots seem to occur in groups of three, usually in a triangle formation about 400-500u apart from each other."

This is not universally true. Hot spot locations are about 400 to 800 u from each other and are pretty random. You will frequently find clusters, but that is an artifact of randomness. People like to see patterns where there are none.

[umop-apisdn]

Without any "tricks" to extend your base-building radius, your base computer just needs to be within 300u of a power hotspot and any other hotspot(s) that you want to run extractors on. You might need to search for a while to find a compatible set of hotspots.

The size of the planet also has an impact; the number of buildings, hotspots, etc is the same on every planet, so smaller planets increase the likelihood of finding what you're looking for in close proximity to one another.

Expect to spend an hour or two locating a good pair (or trio) of hotspots "within range"; don't worry if you don't strike it rich immediately. Worst case scenario, hop back in your ship and move a few dozen kilometers, and try again.

That being said, the class of the hotspot(s) is not as important; even a class C power hotspot can provide more than enough power to run a full trio of extractors as well as every bit of power you'll need for your base itself, and even a class C gas or mineral hotspot can provide tens of thousands of the resource per day. For example, I have an extractor site on a class C Sulphurine hotspot that outputs just over 30,000 Sulphurine per 25-hour period. I've visited it twice now (the second time just to "stock up"), and have more than enough Sulphurine for my foreseeable needs.

[HeTiCu7]

Originally posted by umop-apisdn:

Without any "tricks" to extend your base-building radius, your base computer just needs to be within 300u of a power hotspot and any other hotspot(s) that you want to run extractors on. You might need to search for a while to find a compatible set of hotspots.

The size of the planet also has an impact; the number of buildings, hotspots, etc is the same on every planet, so smaller planets increase the likelihood of finding what you're looking for in close proximity to one another.

Expect to spend an hour or two locating a good pair (or trio) of hotspots "within range"; don't worry if you don't strike it rich immediately. Worst case scenario, hop back in your ship and move a few dozen kilometers, and try again.

That being said, the class of the hotspot(s) is not as important; even a class C power hotspot can provide more than enough power to run a full trio of extractors as well as every bit of power you'll need for your base itself, and even a class C gas or mineral hotspot can provide tens of thousands of the resource per day. For example, I have an extractor site on a class C Sulphurine hotspot that outputs just over 30,000 Sulphurine per 25-hour period. I've visited it twice now (the second time just to "stock up"), and have more than enough Sulphurine for my foreseeable needs.

Ahh, this is helpful. Thanks!

I just ran 1000u in 4 directions from my ammonia hotspot and there were NO power hotspots. This tells me 2 things:
> The wiki statement I quoted in OP is totally incorrect and/or outdated.
> This planet I happen to be trying this on must be enormous, based on your second statement above.

And since, while I was out doing all of this running around, a weird storm tornado came up and grabbed me and threw me way up in the air, then back down at the ground hard, which killed me, then I'll be looking for another ammonia planet.

One question though: How do you accurately determine the size of a planet compared to another? Just by visual representations on the Discoveries page? There are no specs listed on that page, and no specs when I scan from space.

[Zigamus Wizard]

Look in your "Wonders" tab and it will show the largest and smallest planets you have found so far, you can then click on them and it will go to the discovery page for it and that will show the glyphs to travel to. BUT, and this is a big but, I don't think it will change galaxy if needed, so it may 'miss' the intended target by being in the wrong galaxy. Haven't figured out how to manage this yet. So personally I always use the 'wild' base I get when going to a new galaxy, this way I have a good anchor there, and then do my exploring. Good Luck!

[DennisM the Diligent]

I have a base that has 5 different resource hotspots, in addition to a power hotspot, within a 1000u radius from my base computer. I have another base where the closest sodium hotspot is about 1050u from the base computer, which I was able to reach. I recommend taking your time to explore sufficiently before placing your base computer if you’re looking for specific resources.

I also have a couple of bases on planets with wild weather including tornadoes. If you choose to spend any time on those planets, be sure to have plenty of good upgrades in your exosuit. It can be fun to fly around in the tornado and I have survived without dying, but this is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are plenty of planets without the wild weather that have good resources.

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

Simple.... you're not supposed to build the base on top of any of the spots, you build it at an apprroximatively equal distance from all 3 spots....

or....

...use solar panels and batteries to power your base, but this method isnt the best.... since it require 3 times more items than the magnetic generators method (which limit the number of base you can create).

[Captain.Jartyk]

Originally posted by Guh~hey~hey~♫:

.
.
...use solar panels and batteries to power your base, but this method isnt the best.... since it require 3 times more items than the magnetic generators method (which limit the number of base you can create).

Much more stuff is needed to replace a generator.

A generator on a C spot, gives 150u, so to get the same power from solar panels, three panels are needed.
But it only works during the day, if you want power at night too, you need batteries, and more panels to charge them and a lot of cables to connect all these things together.

And a generator on an S spot gives 300u, so double the number against the above calculation.

[Foxglovez]

The wiki is being wayyyy too optimistic. It's a fun minigame though so keep up the hunt until you either find what you are looking for or already are maxed out on your units. It happens faster than you think.

[HeTiCu7]

Well, thanks everyone for the great input. But after putting it all together, and spending 2 hrs on a small planet looking for the right combo of mineral and power hotspots (no gas) and only finding 1 that was still over 600u apart, I decided to go back to generators and just redesign my mineral base.

I doubled the extractors and depots from 2 to 4 each, and increased the gennys from 3 to 5. The condensed carbon need only went from 81 to 135, which is insignificant considering I can make condensed carbon by the bucket loads fairly quickly.

I don't mind exploring and hunting for things, but the odds of finding the right combo, close enough together, is redonkulous. Takes the fun out of the game for me. :) But your input answered my OP. The wiki is NOT anywhere near correct and reliable; in this case.

[Zigamus Wizard]

It IS worth noting WHEN something was posted, this game IS evolving fairly quickly and old stuff just can't be right and is rarely updated very well.

[dreamrider]

Just a comment on your solution:
Despite the additional building pieces required, using bio generators that require periodic refueling is wasting half or more of the value of your hotspot. Put in a solar plant + batteries, as Guh-hey-hey suggests above. That way your Supply Depots will almost always be full when you stop back to collect from them. Or you can pip the output to Supply depots at your base, and never have to visit the mine again. Build the Solar plant with sections of 8 Solar Panels + 4 Batteries inside 3 Cuboid rooms, and you can save at least the building count of wiring it all together. (The Cuboid Room prefabs are inherently conductive and automatically connect everything inside or on top.)

[umop-apisdn]

Originally posted by HeTiCu7:

I just ran 1000u in 4 directions from my ammonia hotspot and there were NO power hotspots.

Use headphones to find hotspots.

While the visual indicator may not "ping" on a hotspot because it's "too far away", the sound is still faintly audible... and directional. With headphones (or by cranking your speakers up, if that's an option in your living situation), you can still hear the "found something" chirp (as opposed to the lower-pitched "warble" of a failed ping). Take your time, and slowly rotate until you hear the higher-pitched chirp, then move in that direction for a couple hundred meters and repeat. The visual indicator will eventually come on, once you get close enough.

[HeTiCu7]

Originally posted by umop-apisdn:

Originally posted by HeTiCu7:

I just ran 1000u in 4 directions from my ammonia hotspot and there were NO power hotspots.

Use headphones to find hotspots.

While the visual indicator may not "ping" on a hotspot because it's "too far away", the sound is still faintly audible... and directional. With headphones (or by cranking your speakers up, if that's an option in your living situation), you can still hear the "found something" chirp (as opposed to the lower-pitched "warble" of a failed ping). Take your time, and slowly rotate until you hear the higher-pitched chirp, then move in that direction for a couple hundred meters and repeat. The visual indicator will eventually come on, once you get close enough.

Thanks for the info. I just got in my ship and flew ~1K in all 4 directions from the mineral hotspot until I picked up a power signal. Now I'm in the process of tearing down my bases and moving the computer to midway between the hotspots, and rebuilding the bases.

Quick question though:
The only way I've found to connect the hotspots over 800 - 1000u is with batteries. The electrical lines won't go past 200u, and as far as I can see there are no power poles provided in the game. Have you (or anyone else) come up with a cheaper and easier way to link power lines?