i'm stuck

[Micheal]

i've travelled to the depth but i cannot progress. i only have the drill which cant mine the ocean blocks so i cannot obtain silicon. i need this to build an advanced lab to finally make the new drill but i cannot. i cant find enough diamonds to progress and i cannot make a submarine because i cannot find gold. the explorer also doesn't allow me to craft all the time. the rest of the time she talks about the monoliths. i need ideas

[squirleybob]

There are diamonds on the mainland, but you need a better drill for them. I would recommend leaving until you have better equipment (at least a laser drill, and I'm guessing you have decent armor/weapons already). The explorer wants to activate all the monoliths.

[jaekelopterus3]

Honestly I think the Depths quest should just give you a drill strong enough for the job - Earth and the Unnature Sanctuary will give you mining tools that can dig through concrete and ice, so with the Depths quest you could have a magic drill to get the diamonds and Exotic Matter (so you can complete your quest and actually jump FTL back to Unoiks 428)

[squirleybob]

The assumption is that you would have a decent drill by then. By the time you can make it there, you are able to craft a drill strong enough to mine what is needed (at least a laser drill). Going in unprepared isn't a reason to change the game.

[jaekelopterus3]

However, it’s possible to get stranded there; if you only collected the exotic matter from the chest next to Tindle, and you don’t have a mine 5 drill, you’ll be all out of exotic matter to leave the planet. If you don’t have the right weapons, you can’t defeat or disable the enemy fighter that shows up in orbit to get exo matter that way. You can’t start hopping back and forth if you can’t go to Divider Island and activate the Monolith there. All you can do about that is exit to the main menu without saving the game *if* you haven’t saved yet. Too many ifs for my liking.
Maybe just add one minor change and have another chest of exotic matter? That way players can head home to make a better drill.

[squirleybob]

So perhaps make a chest of exotic matter on a planet in every system to avoid people getting stuck? I think not. Even if that is done, it is certainly possible to get yourself stuck on a planet without exotic matter or the ability to get it.

Although, yes, you can attack the enemy fighter in the planet's orbit. The best way would be to board it (assuming a good shield and weapon), possibly getting an exotic matter from the storage after defeating the alien. Also, it makes it easier to destroy the fighter once the pilot is dead, as it doesn't fight back. Farming them in this way is a good way to obtain exotic matter for such a situation without cheats.

[jaekelopterus3]

Very true; once you’re prepared you can survive very well and get more exo matter to fly off if you want (and activate Tindle’s Monolith). Looted Mini Synthesizer + Golem-killing weapon = endless burgers. Fishing Rod + Anvil + Hydroponic Apples = endless fish from a repairable rod. With enough Mega Torpedoes and good aim, you can even take on the Dishonored One underwater.
I just would like a failsafe for anyone who does save their game on their spaceship, when they have no way out and even dying or exiting to the main menu won’t undo it. There is one way to get exo matter without a working drill, but it’s not always a guarantee. I’ll start a new comment.

[jaekelopterus3]

If you’re out of batteries for the laser drill or food for the queen drill, the sand at the bottom of the trench has a few pieces of exo matter. Each Mega Torpedo can destroy one sand tile, and if you can line up the launcher you can shoot at a tile with exo matter. That doesn’t mean the Submersible can always squeeze into the gap, but if you’re fast enough you can hop out, grab the exo matter, and get back in without the water pressure popping you like a balloon in a needlestack. You need Mega Torpedoes first and the only gold and uranium nearby are in sand, but it’s something.
Also, if you go there in the jumpship or a dragon fighter you can exit out and erase the progress, then come back more prepared.

[MrCitron]

Originally posted by jaekelopterus3:

However, it’s possible to get stranded there; if you only collected the exotic matter from the chest next to Tindle, and you don’t have a mine 5 drill, you’ll be all out of exotic matter to leave the planet. If you don’t have the right weapons, you can’t defeat or disable the enemy fighter that shows up in orbit to get exo matter that way. You can’t start hopping back and forth if you can’t go to Divider Island and activate the Monolith there. All you can do about that is exit to the main menu without saving the game *if* you haven’t saved yet. Too many ifs for my liking.
Maybe just add one minor change and have another chest of exotic matter? That way players can head home to make a better drill.

I was actually stuck like that. I had to change the difficulty of the game to 'casual' and then I was able to defeat an alien in his ship, getting an exo matter to go back to the previous planet.