EL Random Questions

[Rocinante]

After playing a few weeks and getting the feel of everything I have some observations and questions

1. A Terrain Walker with a metal mining beam mines metal like Roomba vacuums dust and is so great for building.
But, it only holds 1 unit of Platinum at a time ... is this intentional?

2. Exploring is easier than ever with the new map, I've found dozens and dozens of uncharted systems by just randomly clicking the black parts in the quadrant map.
Is it possible, given the right server settings, to increase a low tech system to 100 Tech/Econ? Is it through building alone or building and missions? Will the Sector map show the new tech level after it's changed?

3. I've come across Asteroid fields of different colors but my Target Scanner shows the rocks are all the usual make up of minerals, what's the difference between colors?

[Vice]

1. A Terrain Walker with a metal mining beam mines metal like Roomba vacuums dust and is so great for building.
But, it only holds 1 unit of Platinum at a time ... is this intentional?

No, although you may be in a lean zone of platinum and it can be far more rare than metal ore. If you've scanned the terrain and found a pocket of platinum in high percentage, then you'll likely recover more. Otherwise, you might get one unit of platinum and then just receive notices for a lack of room for other material types it has attempted to retrieve due to the rarity of the platinum. It could take quite a while you acquire that 2nd unit of platinum and beyond. So it can be helpful to check the ground first with a target scanner if you want to capture that material with a terrain walker. I'd suggest finding an area with at least a 40% material ratio of platinum for better results.

2. Exploring is easier than ever with the new map, I've found dozens and dozens of uncharted systems by just randomly clicking the black parts in the quadrant map.
Is it possible, given the right server settings, to increase a low tech system to 100 Tech/Econ? Is it through building alone or building and missions? Will the Sector map show the new tech level after it's changed?

Yes, if you build enough, you can increase the Tech/Econ level to 100% (at a rate of around 3% per qualifying build module type). And that's true in single player as well as multiplayer. Building alone is the primary factor while initial level, industry type, and existing modules (if applicable) can also be contributing factors as far as what items will ultimately be available and/or for what prices.

3. I've come across Asteroid fields of different colors but my Target Scanner shows the rocks are all the usual make up of minerals, what's the difference between colors?

Generally unrelated (unusable/un-valuable) material(s) that gives them a different appearance. In a few rare instances, some asteroids are loaded with certain valuable materials, but their appearance won't necessarily give that away.

[Rocinante]

Hmm, my walker will only hold 1 unit of platinum regardless of the mineral % of the ground, could some one else test this too please?

Edit: ok, I was wrong after testing it seems only while using a Platinum mining beam it gives the "Cargo space not avaiable for Material class (Plat)" message but still eventually mines more than 1 unit.

[Marvin]

That would still be a bug and would need to be tested both with the platinum beam and the standard beam. I can test with the latter but, seeing as Starbuck has dragged me and Denny out into the boodies, I don't think I'll be able to find anything more specific.

[Vice]

I tested things with a standard beam, which worked as expected. I'll install a platinum beam to test that next. Specialized beams may not translate to walkers as needed/expected. They should either report the particles they can't retrieve correctly, quickly find only the particles they can recover, or just wait longer until they do retrieve the only particles they can capture.

Edit: Notification error confirmed, at least a difference between having a specialized beam installed on a ship vs walker anyway. I'll be working on sorting that out for the next planned update so both specialized and standard beams behave/report the same way when installed on a ship vs terrain walker.

[Marvin]

I never thought of that ... as to why a ship's specialized beam would even work on a TW. Are they equipped to make that adjustment?

[Vice]

Yes, they can functionally transfer to a terrain walker and operate as they would on a spacecraft (with the operational nuances/benefits provided by the terrain walker). There was just an issue with how they were reporting what they were attempting to recover.

[Rocinante]

It's a nice feature, and mines metal so fast it made me kind of giddy at first.