Posted by: Griswel
« on: August 04, 2014, 03:03:17 PM »I'm new also, but I have taken to using 100% on everything and varying the projects instead. Early on (TN start) 10 Construction then 25 Mines (if Earth has good minerals, esp Duranium) or alternate 12/13 Automines (OCD FTW!). When the minerals crunch inevitably threatens, using automines is much quicker since you can find comets with a handful of good accessability deposits equal to an entire year or more of your needs. There's nothing like finding Duranium 1 Neutronium 1 Corundium 1 all in the same place, and a few others as bonus. Terraforming and moving population is great, but since Infrastructure is 100% Duranium, in the short term it probably makes shortages worse. Comets and maybe a moon or two can see you through a decade after earth starts dropping accessibility ratios.
Also, don't neglect Asteroid Mining ships. Using them allows you move Automines to planets and moons (where the mining ships can't work), and mmining ships transport themselves from target to target. All you do is move the Mass Drivers (and one automine to keep it near the top of the F2 list). Yes, they're huge (I tend toward 90kt and fifteen-ish modules), but once you get the shipyard rolling them off, just keep adding slipways. Pre-build the mining module with factories (Ship Components in the industry window, where you swap to fighters/ordnance) to speed up construction. I love having 500-1000 mines that I can strip a comet with and move with a single order. Careful what comet you pick, some can be a year out at lower speeds (500kps is normally fine, not for that), and a year back. Be careful you're not mining a moon, some of the names may sound comet-like, but you'll get nothing at all. Asteroids are fine.
Also, don't neglect Asteroid Mining ships. Using them allows you move Automines to planets and moons (where the mining ships can't work), and mmining ships transport themselves from target to target. All you do is move the Mass Drivers (and one automine to keep it near the top of the F2 list). Yes, they're huge (I tend toward 90kt and fifteen-ish modules), but once you get the shipyard rolling them off, just keep adding slipways. Pre-build the mining module with factories (Ship Components in the industry window, where you swap to fighters/ordnance) to speed up construction. I love having 500-1000 mines that I can strip a comet with and move with a single order. Careful what comet you pick, some can be a year out at lower speeds (500kps is normally fine, not for that), and a year back. Be careful you're not mining a moon, some of the names may sound comet-like, but you'll get nothing at all. Asteroids are fine.