Posted by: skoormit
« on: June 09, 2022, 03:04:24 PM »I assign each mineral a point value based on near-and-long-term strategic importance.
Surveyed bodies have a point total, which is the sum of each mineral's accessibility times its point value (only counting mineral deposits above some minimum quantity--typically 2k).
I then prioritize mining operations based on:
Mineral point totals.
Total cost of ownership.
Orbital mining modules are the same cost as surface mines, but are quite a bit cheaper to transport and do not require population to operate.
I will therefore tend to prefer to use orbital mining first.
I prefer to cap my initial mining rate per body at 10% of the size of the most significant deposit (CRN or DUR, usually).
That way I can leave any given orbital fleet in place for 10 years before needing to relocate.
When I have established operations at all desirable orbital targets, I will establish surface mining colonies on low-CC worlds with valuable deposits in systems that I can safely add to the gated network.
I usually will seed such a colony with enough infrastructure for 500k population.
Then I rely on the civilian shipping companies to deliver population and more infrastructure.
If the body has a low population cap, I will try to deliver surface mines to keep up with growth.
If the body has a high cap, I will deliver a few mines at first, and then construction factories so that the colony can bootstrap its own growth.
Automines are terribly expensive. I will use them only as a last resort.
Proximity to production centers.
Early on, proximity to homeworld is the primary factor.
The creation of new production centers increases the viability of nearby mining locations.
Overall system richness.
Logistically, it is more efficient to develop multiple sources in one system than to spread development out over multiple systems.
It is also beneficial to deploy orbital mining operations in systems with numerous orbital targets, to minimize the production time lost when redeploying as bodies become depleted.
Diversification.
Logisitical efficiency notwithstanding, it is a good idea to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
If you've ever seen your empire's entire economy come to a screeching halt after losing your only fleet of Sorium harvesters to a pesky spoiler fleet...well, you probably don't want to see that happen a second time.
Surveyed bodies have a point total, which is the sum of each mineral's accessibility times its point value (only counting mineral deposits above some minimum quantity--typically 2k).
I then prioritize mining operations based on:
Mineral point totals.
Total cost of ownership.
Orbital mining modules are the same cost as surface mines, but are quite a bit cheaper to transport and do not require population to operate.
I will therefore tend to prefer to use orbital mining first.
I prefer to cap my initial mining rate per body at 10% of the size of the most significant deposit (CRN or DUR, usually).
That way I can leave any given orbital fleet in place for 10 years before needing to relocate.
When I have established operations at all desirable orbital targets, I will establish surface mining colonies on low-CC worlds with valuable deposits in systems that I can safely add to the gated network.
I usually will seed such a colony with enough infrastructure for 500k population.
Then I rely on the civilian shipping companies to deliver population and more infrastructure.
If the body has a low population cap, I will try to deliver surface mines to keep up with growth.
If the body has a high cap, I will deliver a few mines at first, and then construction factories so that the colony can bootstrap its own growth.
Automines are terribly expensive. I will use them only as a last resort.
Proximity to production centers.
Early on, proximity to homeworld is the primary factor.
The creation of new production centers increases the viability of nearby mining locations.
Overall system richness.
Logistically, it is more efficient to develop multiple sources in one system than to spread development out over multiple systems.
It is also beneficial to deploy orbital mining operations in systems with numerous orbital targets, to minimize the production time lost when redeploying as bodies become depleted.
Diversification.
Logisitical efficiency notwithstanding, it is a good idea to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
If you've ever seen your empire's entire economy come to a screeching halt after losing your only fleet of Sorium harvesters to a pesky spoiler fleet...well, you probably don't want to see that happen a second time.