Mining Technology

Depleted asteroids yields 0.1-0.2 at best with all techs if memory serves me right (I'll have to check next game). Not to mention the crystal cost to research either tech is considerable, especially mid-late game where Crystals are a rare commodity unless you have an Ice planet.

The Crystal tech really should be moved down to cost the same as the Metal tech while we're on this topic.

That doesn't answer my question: Do you still get an improvement out of depleted asteroids?

There was an answer in the above post. I'm pretty sure you don't, and even if you do it's insignificant in comparison to how many crystals you'd have spent in the end on the research line.

Let me re-ask my question a little clearer: Does the mining technologies effect the mining rate of depleted asteroids for the ore that gets refined at a refinery?

ask Nova, he has a clearly ambiguous answer to your question.

He's not talking about the same thing I'm talking about, though.

I want to know about the refinery rates, not the production rates.

Good question.

Not that I ever seen. Depleted astroids give all the same .1 to .2 maybe. I never seen any change at refinery.

Using the tech large cargo does allow the ships to carry more stuff to the refinery though. But I think in beta 3 the refinery ships are not suppose to go and visit a depleted astroid??

I guess keep an eye on a easy game against the AI then tech up and measure how much faster if any you acumulate ores.

Good question. Because after a while all asteroids are completely depleted and if you haven't researched the "better mining" techs much sooner than it may be a complete waste of money/resources to do it afterwards.

edit: the .x + .30 bonus may only show as .x decimal place, but internally it could be accumulating at a higher total rate.

Well, as i have seen it ingame the techs apply even when the asteorids are depleted.
I have gotten as much as 0.5/sec out of a depleted crystal asteorid.
Before i researched the last crystal tech it was 0.4 and then it jumped up to 0.5

Great to hear!

How do you guys get any info on what a depleted asteroid is mining, out of curiosity?



Then what the heck are they supposed to be doing?

The infocard for the resource counters at the top of the screen shows all planets and their resource income rates.

And it shows "0" for all depleted asteroids

Edit: I'm sorry Kyro, but did you by any chance just give a blow-by answer, not actually reading what was said in the other posts?

Are you sure refinery ships don't got to depleted asteriod, I swear I saw quite a few.

I don't think that guy had a clue what he was talking about.

With all the techs researched?

I do recall seeing .1 per asteroid coming in off depleteds under beta 2, though I don't recall any games lasting long enough under beta 3 to see if that's still the case, or do any real investigation on it.

Ignore that bit... there were in fact values there this time, much to my surprise. I think was looking at the "total" column instead of the per second column, making me feel really stupid now. Either that, or the last time I looked was back in beta 2, when it did tend to read 0 there.

Edit:

Is that the "refinery gathering" rate of the asteroid, out of curiosity, or do they really continue to produce ore "naturally"? And, if the later, do the mining techs actually help with refinery based production?

The mining rates are just that, AFAIK. Refining isn't directly displayed, only represented in the 'amount on cargo ships' line.

In my opinion the refinery tech is important. I was able to maintain 9. per second rate on metal and crystals throughout the game, but taking planets even depleted ones and buling refineries on them. The refineries must have been chopping up people to get those numbers - LOL. Seriously though - do not ignore those techs I think they help to keep the war machine going.

Actually, Since the techs only make you mine faster, not more (total amount of mins per asteroid is still the same) I think its better to wait till all your asteroids are depleted, then research the minerals, as spending minerals so you can deplete your suply faster seems counterintuitive. But I guess it all depends on how soon you need the minerals, if you need more in the beginning, or later in the game, I guess it would end up being the same thing.

I don't think it is a waste of money to get it after your asteroids are depleted if it gives a bonus, as a depleted asteroid will stay mining at the same rate. But what I'm basically saying is that it really is the same thing to get the techs at the beginning of the game (asap) as getting it as soon as all your asteroids are depleted, but once your asteroids are depleted, I think every second is a fraction more of minerals wasted.

Yes, and I'm in perfect agreement. I'm talking about the mining techs that focus on crystal / metal mining, not just the refinery building.