Whats up with hand drill mining ?!?

[jokerace45]

I am at the start of the game and am using the starter gun which hardly does any mining but the results very from getting nothing at all for the mining depletion of the ore to getting 14 pieces sometimes. The results are so varied it is extremely annoying.

Is this a game mechanic thing/bug due to the starter gun being so poor or is this the way it is though out the entire game.

[Midas]

Firstly, it depends on what you're drilling. Dirt gives you nothing, you need to go deep enough to hit rock to get anything.

Secondly, your returns come after a certain amount, so you might dig a few times before getting anything. This is only really noticeable with the survival tool, which is essentially awful at mining and simply gives you the ability to do so. Once you get the actual drilling tools, they are significantly faster and return far more rewards more frequently.

[kevin398_727]

yes the survival tools mines...barely...and only in close quarters. you can run it from far away but wont get anything, so you need to basically stick the goofy thing against the wall to get a decent return.

[Sparrowhawk65]

I don't recall any game I've ever played where I started a new game with good equipment. I start with crap and upgrade to better equipment over time. That is simply part of progression. You get a feeling of accomplishment when you ditch the garbage stuff you start with and gain the better stuff.

When I first got the game the drill was bad. It was soooo satisfying to ditch it and start using the T2 drill at level 7. It gave me a real incentive to level up.

If you want the best drill at the start, spawn it in.

[mirasstone]

Its funny how some people find anoyance in some numbers when they dont follow a gradual line.
I would love to see a bit of RND in other stuff like harvesting plants. No farm works like 1 plant produces X of Y in Z time.

As for the survifaltool, its a walking aid, and as such is suposed to eat youre nerves after a wile, why would you whant a better one otherwise?

We alerady got the T1 drill taken out and replaced with a tool that doesnt use any fuel or cost anything to make. When it came in first, it used at least stamina (funny choise of fuel, could easily have been changed to plant fiber or something) but the start was to difficult for some folks.

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by mirasstone:

I would love to see a bit of RND in other stuff like harvesting plants.

Harvesting most plants already use RNG, for some of them but not all. It's just farm plants that have none. Loot lists are randomized, even those from critter kills. Harvesting rocks and drilling for ore also does. It's not a huge variance - 1-3 or 2-4 - but it's RNG. If it's important enough to you, mod the game to introduce greater feast-or-famine randomness for everything.

[mirasstone]

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Harvesting most plants already use RNG, for some of them but not all. Loot lists are randomized, even those from critter kills. Harvesting rocks and drilling for ore also does. It's not a huge variance - 1-3 or 2-4 - but it's RNG. If it's important enough to you, mod the game to introduce greater feast-or-famine randomness for everything.

Its not that importand , I would just lean towards something like that.
I might look into these files one day, but I havent spend much time in code since my C64. So I guess I would have to start from scratch =)

[VulcanTourist]

Originally posted by mirasstone:

Originally posted by VulcanTourist:

Harvesting most plants already use RNG, for some of them but not all. It's just farm plants that have none. Loot lists are randomized, even those from critter kills. Harvesting rocks and drilling for ore also does. It's not a huge variance - 1-3 or 2-4 - but it's RNG. If it's important enough to you, mod the game to introduce greater feast-or-famine randomness for everything.

Its not that importand , I would just lean towards something like that.
I might look into these files one day, but I havent spend much time in code since my C64. So I guess I would have to start from scratch =)

It's not code, though it does have a syntax, a structure, to it. You manage well enough with the syntax of sentences.

[Evolvei]

IF: THIS
THEN: THAT
GOTO: IF

[mirasstone]

10 A$="exactly"
20 print A$
30 input B$
40 if B$="=)" then goto 20
50 print "dont you think":goto 30

[VulcanTourist]

I wish I could remember the syntax from SPITBOL. I'd share some for giggles. (Yes, it was a real PDP 11/70 language for the BOSS O/S.)

[jokerace45]

Tnxs for the responses. So yes it is as I was thinking it to be, mainly just the low grade beging tool. But I was unaware of the matter that MiIDAS mentioned in his post. That returns of mined ore are given after a certain amount is mined. So the begining tool being a poor miner would make some sense then as to why I could mine a whole complete ore chunk and not get anything until I did it again once or twice more until I got a certain amount of ore mined then it gave me a variable amount.

Thank you all for your responses.

[zaphodikus]

Each raw resource has got a drop rate, which appears configurable in the config, so it can be tweaked, although I've never tried adjusting the mineral drop rates, the balance right now works just fine.

Additionally there is a 3rd tier mining tool, which you can also "edit" into the game, not used it myself though either, but if I did I would be reducing the ridiculous number of charges it has from 999, and just increasing the power?

[jokerace45]

Yea I am looking forward to being able to use the drill. I have up to Lvl 10 Tech and have had the ability to make the drill for a while now but I can’t find any Promethium as of yet.

I have found lots of other ores but without Promethium I am still stuck with the basic tool. I have searched around 1/2 of this medium sized planet so far.

[Sparrowhawk65]

Promethium rocks are usually found in radiated zones. And you might also find promethium stones in lakes.

But as for deposits, do you have an ore detector?

[jokerace45]

Yea, I have used it to find plenty of other ore deposits on the planet so far. Even a small gold deposit. Thanks for letting me know about ware Promethium ore is usually found. I didn’t know they were usually in irratiated zones. I am going to need to get myself ready for that then.